Meditation Muses

When I first started on this Path I really struggled with meditation - the mind monkey just kept 'monkeying' around and I found it incredibly difficult to control it - then I had a breakthrough and I had the most amazing meditations ......... now, well now they are different!

I started to worry that I was losing the one thing that I felt I was good at - and then I realised that my meditation have matured and changed as I've matured and changed - I no longer need them to be like mini stories that I could follow - now an image or phrase will come to me and that will be what I need to know..

But, it got me thinking (as is my way) to how other things have changed and grown and adapted with me as I've trod the Path of the Old Ones...

Personally, I think the biggest change in me is my confidence in my own ability - in my Self, my intuition and my faith - I still wibble and wobble - but they are becoming less and less frequent.  I wrote on someone's FB status the other day that becoming enlightened doesn't mean that we don't have any stress or worries it's just that we now have the tools to help us to overcome them quicker!

LOL - i've just written that and started to giggle - I had a wobble on Saturday, a dear friend of mine has 'bigged' me up to someone that is incredibly knowledgeable and with masses of experience in all areas and now I am questioning myself about whether I can actually do what she was bigging me up about!!

I think, to some extent, it's good to wobble, it keeps us on our toes, it keeps us searching for answers to our questions and it keeps us looking for ways to grow and improve - the one thing I really don't want to do is take any of my Gifts or abilities for granted ..........

This is sooo not what I was going to blog about - but, it is what it is!

love and blessings

Raven x x x

*image found on google  - artist unkown*

Yule Poem

A look back at the 2012

Every year around this time I take a moment to look back on all that has happened throughout the year for me to take stock and to find areas that I need to work on and to give thanks and appreciate all the blessings which in the normal day - to - day grind get missed!

For some reason today seems to be the day that I do that - it has been a total roller coaster of a year - some massive highs with equally massive lows - but lets see how much I remember!

January - I started the year on tenterhooks about my job - I was hopeful that I would get taken on permanently and that the woman I was covering maternity leave for wouldn't come back - I was still looking at ways to continue my Witchy studies and was feeling a bit disconnected from my Path - I closed Witches Haven down and had a 'parting of the ways' with some dear friends (who I still miss like crazy) but the KW forum was there for me to continue journalling! 

February - was a whirl wind of job interviews and getting knocked back and building myself up for the next one and getting knocked back and rejected and then finally I got a bit ranty with the Goddess and stopped allowing people to use me as a doormat - I don't think that was all about the job but it needed to be said - and in March the Goddess answered my prayers and blessed me with THE job!

March - urgh how I don't want to remember this month - this was the month that I was guided to do a releasing ritual - I had to throw chocolate from my Ostara altar into the sea and each chocolate had a fear, worry, insecurity to take with it (this was just before landing the job) .... I was let go from my employment and was in a hiatus - so I met up with Tansy and whilst drinking chai latte the seed for the KWSNW was born ....... and then I got the call that I had the job - we are woot, woot right - two weeks into working for them and Mum died - yes she was ill, very ill, but it was sudden.  Then, another of my friends left the circle of friendship - seems March was a total balance of gain and loss...

April - we sent Mum onto Summerlands and I settled down to live life without her guidance (although she is always near me) and we wrote the lessons for KWSNW - it was good to focus on that and not to be blindsided by grief - but we all know you can't hide from emotions - they so come and 'get ya' when you are least expecting it!!! My Path was taking leaps and bounds and the Empathy was just one of the gifts that I started to appreciate and learn to work with

May - this was a busy, busy hectic month - the day Tin told us she'd booked the flights was the day I found out that I had to move out of my house for a couple of weeks so my daughter and her family would have somewhere to stay when their house was sorted out by the landlord .....confused - yes me too! But, the Goddess knows what she is doing - and the month we went live with the school  - Ohhhhh and just one small, tiny thing - I met my Patron Goddess (who I've been working with for three whole years - but sometimes I'm a little slow!!!!)

June - do you know I really can't remember much about June - I had my haircut short (totally regret that) but other than that I really didn't have that much going on!  Ohhh wait - I remember now - TIN came :D we spent many happy hours doing Witchy stuff in Witchy places accompanied by a bear called Arthur ... we also had all the team leaders in the same country so we did a lot of bonding :) and those bonds are now forged so tight that nothing will break them !!! This was also the month that I had the first little inkling that I was able to channel Spirit!

July - I think that the events thus far just caught up with me and I scuttled back into my head for a while to get things straight  - the school continued to flourish and although I missed Tin like mad (still do) our Spirits are now so connected that it actually feels strange to know that she is so far away - I feel like she is in the next room - but Tansy, Sun and I continued to met up and plan and giggle and laugh and eat cake, something happened in this month that cemented the friendship between us all it's very definitely a Sisterhood - we will bicker, we will sulk and we will giggle 'cos that's what Sisters do!

August - I don't really remember anything happening ......... on the mundane level I know I was still struggling with the loss of Mum and housework - I remember doing a lot of decluttering! Ohh and I celebrated 14 years marriage with hubby!

September - Ahhh this was another roller coaster month for me - our first offline ritual - Mabon - my poem went viral on FB and I felt all kinds of emotions because of that .... and as we were at QECP for our ritual I heard the news that my Aunt had passed to Summerland - Mabon showed me the true meaning of balance that day!

October - Mmmm Samhain and reading for the students at the school - and finally trying my hand at Scrying - I think this month I spent a lot of time working on my gifts and learning ways to work with them and not fight them - my poor little Runes tho have become almost blank I've used them so much - I may just have to invest in some more!!! LOL - our Samhain ritual will forever be etched on my mind as it was the first that we drummed at - yep we can keep time - but stopping at the same time - that one defeated us - but I personally love the laughter we bring to our rituals ..........

November - Not a good month - things seemed to suddenly fall apart for several of my friends in relationships and the dominant emotion of the month was sadness..... Unfortunately, I had got blase about shielding and had a 'wake up' call but, that led to some revelations and some more work on myself - and rather than wobble and hide - I used the lesson to grow!

And that brings us to December - this month is tough for everyone, but I'm getting through it - it will be exactly how it needs to be and I will be in exactly the right place at the right time to deal with it ........ I am really looking forward to our ritual at QECP on the 29th - it will be cold, it will be frosty and I will be surrounded by my loved ones both in Spirit and the physical - what's not to get excited about???

So, looking back how has this year gone for me ......... well, someone said 2012 would be a BIG year - and they weren't wrong - but I have a feeling the 2013 is going to be an AWESOME year - so much exciting stuff to come from the School and work and I have a feeling that my Gifts are going to keep growing .... I have a Peruvian Guide now that just loves to 'nod' at me......... :)

I, heartily recommend doing this - taking a moment and just looking back over the year - if you think it's been all doom and gloom - I think you will be wonderfully surprised at how many blessings and good times the Goddess gave you!

love and blessings to all

Raven x x x

Free flowing thoughts

I was sat here just a moment ago, pondering and it bought me here - why I don't know yet - this is a free flow ponder session - I may hit delete, I may post - we will see how we go!

It's only been recently that I've really embraced my gift of Empathy and used it with the appreciation of what a gift it is ... when I feel it's blocked or 'off' - then I just don't feel right I feel outcast and excluded from my own life...

So, it's been with a tinge of regret that I've read some of my earlier ramblings on the subject and called my gift a curse ......... yes, when it's not used properly it can be a right pain in buttocks.... used is the wrong word but the word I want is just out of reach...

Empathy is really only a curse when you don't shield, or you don't listen to the messages - fighting against it is like fighting anything - fight a person and chances are they will fight back - fight the Divine and you are asking for trouble, the whole Cosmos chucking stuff at ya!

So, I would suggest if you are in anyway an Empath learn to love your gift, learn to savour the many nuances that it opens up to you in your life - it's not all doom and gloom and depression and suicide...

Opening myself up recently to the sound of a baby chuckling is an indescribable bolt of joy - such innocence, such a feeling of purity...

We learn the craft, we learn our lessons at school and we learn how to drive a car - but it's difficult to teach Empathy because it is such a personal thing - there isn't any two Empaths I know that work the same way - but what saddens me and upsets me - is the amount of people that say they are Empaths and then shield themselves into a prison of their own making....

The Law of Attraction says that what we think will manifest into our lives - so, follow that thought through and you find Empaths deliberately shutting themselves off because they 'fear' letting other people's negative emotions get them down - it's a vicious cycle the more they fear the stronger the prison bars ......... and it saddens me ..........

If they could only feel the joy that people hold within them too - the love that surrounds them - the good in people if you will, yes the papers are full of nasty stuff - we humans can and frequently are incredibly wicked and horrible to other humans, to animals and to our wonderful planet ...

Being an Empath you can make a difference - if you learn to radiate that joy that you feel when you communicate with the Divine - if you can release the love in your heart to the Universe so that others can feel it - just a little change - but think about it .............

We all know what a little energy can do - think about how much change all the Empath's could make if we just released our joy to the world?

People are drawn to Empaths because of their caring, sharing nature - they want to be with us, they want us to help them (whether they actually know this or not) it's how we are - it's what we are - and I want to celebrate that - I want to cheer and do a little jig.........

So, do I think that Empathy is a curse......... No, not anymore, because I've learned to work with it...and that's another thing, there are books and books and books out there about Candle magic, Runes, Herbs, Oils - but there are very few (being honest I've yet to find one) that actually teaches you how to handle your Empathy.........

You can't learn to be Empathic - you either are  or you aren't - but you can learn to control it, you can learn to live with it and  you can learn to love it!!!!!!!!!!

love Raven x x x

Yule memories

I have always loved this time of year - it's the Season for giving and I love to give (don't get me wrong I love to receive as well.... but the giving is what really excites me!!)

This year I am really struggling to find any Seasonal festivities within myself and I think a good part of that is missing my Mum......... I know everyone misses their loved ones at this time of year but for me Christmas (Mum wasn't a Pagan) was her most favorite time of the year.

She would start to stockpile presents in March and by now, everytime I would go round there after work there would be a flurry of activity with Dad wrapping (and cursing) the presents .... Mum worrying she hadn't bought enough - Goddess forgive if one of the grandchildren had one more present than the other..

One year we laid them all out on the bed and did a 'count' - one boy grandchild had 13 presents and the other had 15 ......... so, into town she sent me for another two presents - she just couldn't grasp the concept that she could take one present from one to the other - everything was bought personally with that particular person in mind .... she abhorred the idea of vouchers or giving money .... thought that was lazy and a quick way out ......... LOL - many an argument with me about that one!!!

In her later years, she got a bit too carried away - we had Christmas Eve presents, stockings, Main presents, table presents, Old Faithful presents and then Old Years Night we had the whole family gather for tree presents...............

I remember one year we asked her for a pet - we asked for a pet beginning with D... four legs and a waggy tail .............. so, she got us ................two ducks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - she has a brilliant sense of humor before the illness stole it from her ...........

My Dad is doing what he can and I know that he misses her too - but it's not the same - it's not the same for him or for me or for any of us - at this time of year Mum was larger than life ...........

Still, the last thing she would want is for me to be sad and miserable - she'd want me to go out there and forge my own traditions, make my family as happy as she made hers and to continue the tradition of loving this season ............

So, I better go and get that tree up then :)

love Raven x x x

Winter blues, Weekends away, Colds

I've been feeling a little bit blurgh lately - nothing that I could definitely point at and say "that's what's bugging me" but lots and lots of little things and I blogged last time about not making enough time for me ....

But, I don't think that's what was bothering me - because I do meditate each night and I do balance my chakras and reiki myself - so whilst I don't always put myself first I do make time for me and for my Path - so, we went on with the search...

I don't know if it's Winter Blues - I love Spring and Autumn - I like Summer - but I'm not a fan of winter unless it snows .... I do get bored of constant rain (unfortunate that living in England) but I'm not 100% convinced it's that that's bugging me either ..........

It's like an irritating itch - it's just out of reach and I can't scratch it...........

However, I do feel a bit better as I've just been away on a marvelous weekend to Marbella with work - there wasn't any work involved it was our company conference and it was a total blast for the first time in Goddess alone knows how long - I wasn't a wife, mother, daughter, sister or Grandmother - I was just ME and it was great .............

But, now I have the downside - I am full of a cold and so, I'm heading off up to bed and an early night!!!

love to all

Raven x x x

Busy, busy, busy

Wow, has it really been that long since I last blogged *oops*

Ok, so update time what have I been doing ...... well, reading mainly - I've been in a rather weird place - I used to suffer quite badly with panic attacks - but not had any for a couple of years - but last week I had two in quick succession - so that made me stop and do a self check!

What I found is I don't stop and take nearly as much time for myself as I thought I did - I'm constantly 'doing' for other people - and I need to find (there's that magic word again) balance.

So, I gave myself permission to stop, sit and savour the silence......... and it's wonderful - I highly recommend it ...

I've also decided that after Yule, I am going to have to start at a gym or at least healthier eating - I've put on all the weight that I lost last year (and whilst I quite like having curves - this is a bit too curvy!!)

I am going to be rather busy up til Yule - I think between now and the New Year I don't actually have one weekend where I am not doing something - which is going to mean either doing the Yule shopping late night after work - or online - I'm actually leaning more towards online!

love and blessings to all

Raven x x x

Crystal trips and validations

Are we sitting comfortably ........ then I will begin

I've been meditating and being guided for the last months or so and it's all been coming together in the recent weeks..

I've recently met my guide - he is a Peruvian gentleman with a bright coloured coat and a black hat with feathers in it - and he has taken me to a Sacred spot in the Tibetan mountains to a crystal clear lake where I 'see'...

I've been gifted a staff that has an figure carved on it very much like the Oracle in the film the Golden Child - I can't find a picture but when I do I'll put it up - but it feels so right

I've read a book that just was 'me' and the lady that wrote the book is a Peruvian / Inca Shaman ....

I've been called several times in meditation to connect with Kali-Ma and Shiva ...........

On Saturday I went to Glastonbury with the intention of getting a bloodstone pendulum - I tried them and not one would work for me - seriously - not one .... I picked up a pendulum I had no idea what the crystal was and what it would do - and awesome - I had the stop, start, yes, no responses before I even finished the thought ..... so I asked the lady what the stone was ...........Shiva Linham - and here's the official blurb...

Attributes: Symbolizing the Hindu God Shiva's union with his consort Kali and activating the base and sacral chakras, a shiva lingam raises and controls kundalini energy. It facilitates the union of opposites, imparting psychological insight, shiva lingam facilitates looking within to release all that you've outgrown... it's also a bit of a sexy stone - lots to do with male and female union ....!

Anyway - you see the connection ...??

Also, while in the crystal shop - a crystal spoke to me like no other has done (bar the pendulum) for a long time - so I bought it - the lady had no idea what the attributes were but gave me the name Porcilian or Tiffany Stone:

Attributes: Tiffany stone enhances intuition, and metaphysical gifts, opening the higher crown chakras and connecting to multi-dimensions and the highest of guidance.. Assisting in interpreting channelled material this stone is useful for integrating the 'lightbody' into the physical realm, supporting the soul as it does. Psychologically, Tiffany stone encourages persistence and following the Soul's path wherever that may lead. Emotionally, it encourages becoming more open and receptive. It fills the heart and higher heart chakras with unconditional love.

Hmm this one is good for sexual problems too - hubby will be happy!





So, there you go... my lovely purchases from Glasto :)

love Raven x x x



*information on crystals taken from Crystal Bible 2 - Judy Hall*

Colours

Emotions swirl, red, green, pink and blue

Colours of dreams in every hue

A shimmer of silver, a tint of gold

A dash of deep red for brave and bold

Rainbows of visions, dreams every one

Of walking in meadows, warmed by the Sun

Soft, gentle evenings, lit by candlelight

Held by your lover all through the night

Bright, vibrant colours to match every emotion

From lightest of yellow to dark blue of the ocean

What would it be like if every house or home

Was the same old colour, or just monochrome?

 

Poems and Feeling Humble

Today I was going to share my Samhain poem with you all .. it feels a little bit redundant now as the beautiful Tansy Firedragon put it on facebook all pimped and proper and .........it's taken on a life of it's own :o !!

  For anyone that hasn't seen it ....

I have to say seeing everyone's reaction to my poem has really made me feel so incredibly grateful for my 'gift' - when I was at school I was told by my teacher that I didn't have any talent and I should stick to writing short stories - so to see my little creation 'go viral' just made me feel so overwhelmed...

For a poet, for someone that can talk the hind legs of a donkey and for someone that can waffle for England I really don't have the words of gratitude that I feel at the moment!

That's it - I've come over all unnecessary again .....

Til next time

love n light always

Raven x x x

Rune Draw 16th October

Perth ~ Initiation, Something Hidden, A Secret Matter

Ohhhhh - shhhhh - let me tell you a secret ..... shhhhhhh - don't let them see!

Perth is here to tell you that something is about to be revealed to you - if you have been questioning the Universe the answer is about to come to you - and it's gonna be GOOOOOOD!!!!! Shhhhh!!! - don't tell the others! 

Lightbulbs and Waffle

Do you compartmentalize your life???

Do you hide the you that is YOU away from friends and family??

I've noticed lately that I had a tendency to hide parts of my life from friends and family, if people would ask me how I was feeling the answer would be 'I'm good - how are you?' - I would immediately take the focus off of me.

Why did I do that ?? - I can only assume (as I don't have a time turner and can't go back in time) that I was saying everything was ok and turning the focus off of myself so that I could stay in my safe, comfortable pity party for one!

Does that sound harsh? - yes, and it needs to be - I spent a lot of time feeling like I was a victim - wandering through life saying "why me, why does this happen to me" - and now I realise these things happened to me because I attracted them to me by constantly thinking that it WOULD happen....

Now, I'm not saying that I'm wonderful and 100% positive ALL the time - but now when someone asks me how I am - I'm honest - when I have a bad day I say so, (believe me you soon find out who really wants to know by the people that stop asking :P).  I feel more myself, I feel more confident and I feel more open to the positive in my life because I've stopped asking "why me" and started asking "why NOT me" - why shouldn't I be loved, why shouldn't I be successful...........


One of the things I have learnt (am still learning) on this journey is that reaching higher planes of awareness does not mean that you no longer have problems - it's not the 'happy ever after' - all it does mean is that the means of coping with the issues and problems is different ... and also they don't seem as bad as they used to...........


Nice to see my waffle mode fully engaged today :)

love Raven x x x 

Writing Druidry by Nimue Brown

A wonderful post by a guest blogger, the beautiful and talented Nimue Brown

Writing Druidry
By Nimue Brown

Perhaps three years ago I started doing a column for www.thepaganandthepen.wordpress.com. After much soul searching, I took the plunge and called it Druid Life. I half expected someone to come round and tell me I couldn’t, that I wasn’t qualified enough, wasn’t important enough to take such a grand title and put my thoughts into the world under that banner. Somehow, I got away with it. I was helping run a Druid group, and a larger Druid organisation at the time. I had students, I’d studied for years, and still I felt downright uncomfortable about offering myself up as some kind of authority. Truth be told, I still do.
Eventually, I took the plunge and set druidlife up as a blog – www.druidlife.wordpress.com and people read it, which remains a startling and gratifying sort of experience. In the early spring of 2012, my first book, Druidry and Meditation came out and now the second, Druidry and the Ancestors is on the way. It all starts to feel a bit serious. And still I have that niggling feeling of being a cheat. Why? Because I can’t tell you, with any confidence at all anything of what the ancient, historical Druids used to do.
I feel my Druidry keenly. I feel a connection to the word, a resonance with it that binds me to a whole community of people who I have a lot in common with. But whatever ‘druid’ is as a word, it probably isn’t what the Celts called their religious leaders. In fact, I’m not even certain the Celts would have self identified as Celts, the word appears to come from the Greek Keltoi. It may well be that all we have a labels put on from the outside. Why on earth would anyone resonate with that? Well, there’s a very awkward question I have no answer for. I don’t believe the bit about burning people in wicker men, because I’ve made wicker men and I don’t rate your chances of burning more than one or two willing participants in them. Or maybe people who were already dead. Human bodies do not burn easily, you need a lot of fuel and wicker men are a bloody stupid, impractical shape and lack the structural integrity required. I am passably convinced by the whole cutting of mistletoe and gathering in sacred groves reports, but that’s not really a lot of insight. It doesn’t tell me much about what ancient Druids believed.
The relationship between ancient Druidry and modern Druidry is not wholly comfortable. People on the outside tend to assume that either we do know what the Druids did – and mark us down as dangerous and likely to kill people, or that we don’t know – and mark us down as idiots. We’re seen as a very old movement when that serves to invalidate us, and as a very young movement when that makes a better argument for our having no credibility. It’s very frustrating. The new book, Druidry and the Ancestors, came out of a lot of wrestling I did around this topic.
If there’s one concept I could put into the wider world right now, it would be this: Religions are made up by people. All religions. Every last detail of them. They may be inspired, they may be good and useful, or they may be cruel and destructive, but for well or woe, they are our responsibility as a species. We need to stop blaming Gods for the things humans do, and we need to stop using Gods as justification for ever mad fantasy we, as human beings, manage to come up with. Religion is stories, and people make them up.
At which point, why invalidate anything new? Why is a story made up yesterday less useful than one made up in another country, another culture, a thousand years ago and more? Why not make our own stories? Tales of the now, shaping a religious identity that belongs to this place, and this time? Of course that approach will not give anyone a power base. It does not convey authority. This is all to the good. Our cultures would benefit from a lot fewer power bases and a lot more expressions of personal responsibility, I think.
It’s a funny place to be. I am a Druid author, and I really, really do not want to be a Druid authority. That’s three letters of difference, when you get down to it. It means I get to go out in public saying ‘listen to me, but not too much… follow me, but only if you like where I’m going, only if you want to.’ I have the call to arms of ‘really, I’m not always sure what I’m doing, or what I’m talking about’. I don’t actually spend a lot of time telling people what to do. My blog involves a fair bit of airing my flaws and uncertainties in public places. Being open and unashamedly human. I think that’s one of the most useful contributions I can make.

http://www.amazon.com/Druidry-Ancestors-Finding-place-history/dp/1780996772/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1349344809&sr=1-3&keywords=Druidry+and+the+ancestors#_

The Pagan and the Pen

thepaganandthepen.wordpress.com

Eclectic articles on Paganism, Minority Issues, Reviews, Ancient Religions, Pagan Holidays, LGBT Issues, Paranormal, Divination, World Events, Pagan Authors, Writing, Contemporary Pagan Lifestyles ...

Not so Great Expectations ..........

When I first started on this journey I had no expectations and lots and lots of questions, now I've been walking with the Goddess for a while I still have lots and lots of questions, but I do have certain expectations and if those expectations aren't met I feel let down and sometimes hurt!

Are my expectations too lofty??

1:  My first expectation is that when someone has said they are this, that and the other and they have been studying, living, crafting etc for oodles of years - well, I kinda expect them to know what they are talking about... it's a bit like going to the car mechanic - you wouldn't expect him to know about an endowment mortgage but you would expect him to know one end of a carburetor from another - yes?

2:  My second expectation is that if someone tells me I'm wrong, completely and utterly don'tknowhowyoumanagetogetdressedinthemorning wrong I would like them to be able to give me more than "because I don't do it that way" as a reason! - yes?

3:  Now this third expectation . one of the first things I read when I started to research what it was that made me different to everyone else was The Spiral Dance (I suspect one of the first books for many) and that led me to purchase The Twelve Wild Swans by the same author (Starhawk) and I'm not sure which book it is in but she talks about paying it forward - or giving back - and basically she talks about teaching and giving of yourself and your knowledge without expecting honors, titles and glorification - so for me it's difficult to believe (even tho I have first hand knowledge of this) that there are Elders, HP's, Shamans and Druids out there that are not walking the walk .... they believe that they invented this Path and that they are the only ones entitled to discuss, teach, muse or opine about anything relating to this Path - that saddens me - to them it's all about the glory, being seen to be doing the right thing even tho behind the scenes they are busy backstabbing, colluding and plotting downfalls of any pretensious upstart that dares to defy them!

So, those are my expectations of the people that I meet along this Path of mine - too lofty an ideal - or just the average Witch wishing the best for themselves and all others along the way??

love and blessings

Raven x x x

Being Quiet ....

Yep, I've been very quiet on the blogging front it's not as if I have nothing to say - there is LOTS I want to say but for some reason (maybe I'm finally learning tact and diplomacy) I've put a self-imposed censorship in place!

I've been prowling round the edges of my blog debating on what I can and can't say - and in reality I can say anything - well as long as it's not offensive, factually inaccurate or plain wrong .........

Why the self-imposed censor - well - the part of the Shadow I'm working with right now is all about truth and justice - and well, in the last few weeks it seems I've come up against lots and lots of un-truth and injustice and rather than blog my way into a war of words - I've chosen to take the higher path and learn the truth of my heart and the justice of my soul.

Did I need to blog about this - considering this is really a 'no' blog blog - well, yes - I did need to blog - as this is a marker on my Path and it's proof to me of a lesson learned ...... cryptic to you - means lots to me!

And, it clears the brain for a better blog next time :)

love n blessings

Raven x x x

Quick update ......

Hellooooooooooo - yes tis me - and no I haven't fallen off a high cliff ....

I've had a manic couple of weeks at work and have been so tired in the evening and blind from computer work, so I've stayed off line and done some other stuff instead!

So, what has happened since we last spoke - well - the candle that got dressed in the dark has been brilliant and has burnt so well, that I now have to do another one!

We (Kitchen Witch Coven of Natural Witchery) held our first offline ritual at QEP and I am still totally amazed and humbled by the turnout and we couldn't have asked for better weather or company - if I had one complaint it was against lazy dog owners who hadn't picked up after their dogs prior to our arrival ...eww!

Now, that last photo, brings me to something else I have been doing - well will be doing - I am now the proud owner of a Bodhran drum - so I am going to learn how to play that so that I can join Tansy in the centre and drum up some energy!

Ohhh - and have to show you these - my ROCKING the day boots!

They make me smile and make me feel awesome!!!! and they go wonderfully with my ritual cloak !!!!!

Keep on Rocking!

love Raven x x x

Candle dressing in the dark!

As many of you will know, when it comes to crafts I am not the handiest of people - my brain can conceive things that my hands just have no idea how to make them - but for all that - I like to 'have a go'!

So, last night I decided that I was going to 'dress' a candle to become my Healing Candle... so, in typical fashion - google is my friend (or in this case I headed for YouTube) just to get an idea for what I needed to do... I knew what I wanted to do - just not how to implement it .... however the t'internet didn't want to play ball ..........

Basically, I wanted to put a herb blend on top of the candle, add some oil and a ribbon ...... so far so good - then I got a bit stuck ..... how would I get the herbs to stay on top of the candle - would I light the candle and leave it for an hour or so and then sprinkle the herbs on and then blow the candle out or should I sprinkle the herbs on the candle and then melt the wax from a second candle over it...........

Strangely, I couldn't find any information on this - didn't matter what book I picked up or what I googled - so, I went with my gut..... and voila .............

One Healing candle later ..............

Today I picked up a book and it fell open at a page explaining to me how to 'dress' a candle! - don't you love it when that happens :)

Love and light to you all

Raven x x x

Rune Draw - 16th September

Kano ~ Opening, Fire, Torch (Reversed)

Ohh, this is so apt for me right now, Kano is all light and the way being illuminated - but I've been in a dark place, I've struggled to see the way forward and have really resisted hiding away in my cave and I've been closed to opportunities and friends and loved ones - I haven't been wallowing in self-pity - but working my way through grief - and now Kano has come to tell me that there is light at the end of the tunnel, there is a way forward and I will achieve all that I have set out to achieve!  I just have to resist falling back on past habits to get me through!

Love it!

Love to all

Raven x x x

Rune draw - 13th September

Jera ~ Harvest, One Season, Fertile

This Rune has no reverse to it, this is the Rune of patience - you have planted the seeds now it is time to let them grow, some seeds will grow straight and true and will stand the test of time, others will be weedy and weak and will wither and die - all you can do is wait and know that no matter what happens the seeds will grow.  Take your time now, for you have plenty of it....to cultivate your seeds to make them strong and sure!

Musings, Meditations, Grief and Tears

Yep, I'm still here despite not blogging or doing much of anything for the last week or so ..... life took an unexpected twist for me and I'll admit to being left floundering like a fish out of water - I didn't know if I was right, wrong, yellow, blue or black ..... so, with the infinite wisdom of the Divine - my Goddess sent me a 'bug/virus' that forced me to do what I'd been resisting - that was to stop and take stock!

One of the things the cards, my Runes, the Daily Ohm kept banging on about was to meditate and that I would find the answer I seeked within - and today, finally came the breakthrough - whilst listening to a meditation I started to cry ..........

I don't mean the hollywood cry where one single tear falls gracefully ...... I mean howling, snot bubble inducing bawls of tears, one because I miss my Mum, I miss her every single day and I need to acknowledge that and to stop being 'strong' - secondly, because my Mum never, ever, told me that she was proud of me or that she loved me (without being prompted) ...... I know she loved me, but I never heard it from her lips!

I am now on a journey where love plays a massive part - my affirmations are I am a source of infinite love, I give love freely and receive love in abundance............

The younger child in me, still wants my Mum to love me, to say she is proud of me, to acknowledge the brightness I brought to her life.... when I was a child I was told to stay upstairs and 'amuse' myself whilst my Mum had her friends round.  It was a part of her life I wasn't 'privy' too until I was working and a 'adult' ...

Anyway, that was a huge release for me - to allow myself to get 'angry' and be 'hurt' for the child that still lives within me ... to allow that child to kick her heels, cry and feel scared .... then to cuddle her and assure her that she was safe and wouldn't be hurt again!

And that brought me to another realisation (told ya it was a breakthrough!!) and that is that I was STILL relying on others to validate me, I was STILL looking to my peers to tell me what a good job I was doing - and when they 'failed' to do that it left me hurt, angry and not knowing what to do .....

Today, I realised that they are human too, they have their own pasts full of hurt, anger, betrayal to deal with - I can't make anyone love me (goes against the free will clause!!) and trust is not a given, it is earned and respect is earned by actions not by words .......... so, I will be me - and as long as I can look myself in the mirror (and the me I meet in meditation) squarely in the eyes and know that I did the best I could ........ well, then I'm due all the love, respect and trust in the world!

love to all

Raven x x x

Musings on a Tuesday .....

On Tuesday's I draw a Rune for the Divination Diva's blog - and today I drew Teiwaz ....


Teiwaz - The Warrior

Always the battle with the Spiritual warrior is with the Self,  are you lacking motivation and will-power at the moment as you face adversity?? do you feel as if you have reached rock-bottom and life is still sticking it too you???  Look within you, the answer is there .... you know what you have to do to turn this around to get the arrow pointing the right way,  lusting after a particular outcome may not serve your highest good and even if an association is short-lived don't worry, it has served it's purpose and the time has come to move on ........... In the words of Yazz and the Plastic Population ........ the only way is up!

I really feel this Rune today - so much has happened this year - some good, some great, some not so good and some really horrible - and I've battled with my depression off and on all year .... it's made for some challenges - but that's what this Path is all about - and Teiwaz says it perfectly - the battle is with the Self!

I've doubted myself, I've argued with myself, I've got angry, I've cried, I've got frustrated .... but through all that I've grown - I'm not the same person I was at the start of the year.  I'm not sure all the changes have been perceived as a good thing by those closest to me ......... but I only have one life to lead and I have to lead it the best way I can, with my head held high and with my heart open to giving and receiving love ....

love Raven x x x

Mystical Monday

It's been a long weekend here in Britland and the weather has been typically British .... basically it's rained ... a lot!

But, that has actually been a good thing because myself and the hubby has steamed, cleaned, brushed and scrubbed the house from 'bottom to top' ...

I don't know if it's normal, but I've always had two times in the year when I do the 'deep' clean - you know the one where every cupboard gets pulled out and all those screws, hooks and miscellaneous bits and pieces that you put away because 'one day' finally get put in the rubbish and all those clothes that you promised you would 'diet' into finally get sent to the charity shop as you realise you will 'never' be a size 10 again!

Yep, I've spring cleaned in Autumn and it felt good to get rid of all the clutter and debris that no longer served any use.......... and in doing so I realised that I was also Autumn cleaning my mind and my Path, clearing the clutter to allow more learning - now that can only be a good thing!

love n light

Raven x x x

Ansuz ..... (Reversed)

Today's draw is Ansuz (Reversed) - the key words are signals and messages - so this is the Rune of communication  .......however, reversed this Rune is associated with the God Loki - and we all know what a trickster He can be!!

So, if you are fretting and fussing about a mixed signal or a communication breakdown, and feel a sense of futility and that you are wasting time or that you are being lied to or deceived then ........consider the uses of adversity and use this time to clean away the old behaviour or responses that 'clogged the Well' and know that what is happening is timely to your process but will soon pass!

Gebo - Give yourself a big kiss

Today I drew Gebo as the Rune De Jour - and everytime I see this Rune I just want to pucker up!

It's a big kiss from the Universe - it's telling me that no matter what I'm doing, how I'm feeling or what is about to come the Divine and I are in partnership and She is giving me the gift of a big Kiss!

love n light

Raven x x x

Mabon Poem

In the lazy, hazy days of Summer,
The bumblebee took flight,
He buzzed around the flowers
And took nectar for his delight

The squirrels all went hunting,
For nuts and berries bright
To keep them in mid-winter
When the larder shelves are light

Now Autumn falls upon us
The days are drawing in
We must make preparation
Before the winter rain sets in

This is a time for harvest
Of colours, red, orange, brown and gold
A time to gather and reap
The fruit from seeds we sowed

Take time to honour the Goddess
For the abundance in your life
Take time to give thanks now
For your health, wealth, husband and wife

We make the bread, then break it
To taste the wheat within
We make the mead, then drink
For the honey we put in

Goddess bless the bees and their busy hive
Goddess bless the squirrels hiding in the dray
Goddess bless each one of us and
Let us thank the Goddess for this blessed day

Mystical Mondays on Tuesdays!

Life is a funny old thing .....

When my Bestie was here she showed me how to do a Chakra 'check' with my Pendulum and I'd got into the habit of doing it at least once a week - but I haven't done it for a while - and boy did I know it - I did the chakra test yesterday and can we say 'screwed up' I was a total mess - every chakra bar one was blocked closed.....

That certainly explains some of my behaviour lately - and me trying to figure out why I was reacting to things that normally I'd let slide ... hey ho - lesson learned if you have a tool to use and you don't use it .......... then don't moan when life throws you lemons!!!

Last night I had a very 'mystical' time - I made a despacho for some issues that I've had trouble dealing with lately ... the main one being anger and fear ... the fear of rejection has laid heavily on me for a while and I couldn't work my way through or out of it ... it came to me after I did the despacho - that I put an awful lot of stock in what people think of me (guess we all do) and rather than wait for them to 'reject' me - I will sabotage the 'friendship / relationship' ... it's not something that I know I do - but I am beginning to see a pattern emerging!

After the despacho and the A-HA - I did a spot of automatic writing - this is where you just write with no 'thought' behind what to write - you write for 5 minutes and just let everything out onto paper .......... honestly you would have thought a spider had danced in an ink well and crawled across the page - I have no chance in reading it back - but I guess that's not the point!

And lastly I started my Mabon Altar .....



love 'n' light to all

Raven x x x

Pie Crusts.............

All day today the following phrase from Mary Poppins has been banging about in my brain ...

"Ahh, that's a pie crust promise, easily made and easily broken"

I've been really struggling lately with people - people that I love and trust with all my heart are letting me down left, right and centre and I'm not even sure that they realise it half the time - and yes, I know the biggest part of being a Witch is to be true to yourself and speak your truth - but when do you get to the stage where even you are fed up with hearing the same nag, whine, whinge, come out of your mouth ..... when does hearing the same old excuses just get to be ........ well, lip service???

I have really struggled with keeping going, all I've wanted to do is head to the hills and just ..... let them get on with it ..... I'm still struggling with that ........... I don't like to admit defeat, I don't like to give up but sometimes the fight just isn't worth the prize .....

Today's Rune:  Perth ~ Initiation, Something Hidden, A Secret Matter

This rune is a Rune of mystery, it is the Rune for rising above the mundane ebb and flow and lifting yourself to a higher realm ....Perth asks you to let go, release everything, no exceptions .......powerful forces of change are at work and like the Phoenix you will rise from the ashes and soar again ........... nothing less than the complete renewal of Spirit is called for here!

Rune Draw 9th August

Thurisaz ~ Gateway, Non-Action (Reversed)

Are you trying to push ahead even tho the way is not yet clear - you have to let people open the gate before you can barge right through!

Thurisaz is here to tell you to slow down, you may be in a period of accelerated growth but make the most of the hold-ups, take stock and take time to process all the things you are learning - if you try to squeeze to much in - then like a sponge the more you fill it with water at the top the more it leaks at the bottom!

Coming to Life .....

Have I told you how much I love the Enchanted Map Oracle cards ???  - No, well I do they are speaking to me like no other and I have lots of decks - I have all of Colette Baron-Reids decks so to find a deck that speaks so well - I'm in love!!!!

Anyway, today I drew Coming to Life ~ Something Beautiful is Being Born in Your Life

This card asks if you can see how far you have come in your life - and it got me thinking - how do we 'know' when we have grown if we don't keep a record of our Path, our life, our dreams ... yes, even our dreams as I know the dreams I had when I was a child were different to those I had as a teen, a young mum and now a not so young mum *cough* .......... my dreams evolve with me they sometimes fall by the wayside, some are so unattainable that you have to give them up ...........*sigh* doesn't matter how positively I think I am never going to be a 6ft blonde model ......... I could be blonde - I may have been a model - but 6ft ...alas I am vertically challenged!!!!

I digress, how do we know we have grown if we don't lay down our thoughts, our aspirations and yes, even our fears and worries ...????

When I first started this Path I was fortunate to join an online school that actively encouraged keeping a journal both an online journal where others can comment and an offline journal for nobody's eyes but mine where I could truly be ME.... and although sometimes it's a chore, sometimes I don't want to be online or bother going to get a pen - I can honestly say journalling has been one of the best things I've ever done - because when I am asked to look back to see how far I've come............... I can

love and light to all

Raven x x x

Making Choices .........

Today, like every other day I drew an oracle card and today's card is

Making a Choice - and what this card says to me is that I can no longer sit on the fence it's time to decide to do what is right for me!

That goes totally with what I wanted to blog about today, and that is speaking your truth ... it's really a lot easier said than done - especially when it comes to other people and their feelings - so, how do you stay true to yourself and not hurt the other party...

Well, all I can say is that it involves a lot of soul searching, a lot of heartache and a lot of biting of lips and fingernails but the relief when it is said and done!!

What am I prattling on about ??????? - well, recently somethings' have happened and I've not spoken from my heart, I've said or done what was 'expected' of me (that's not always what is right for ME tho) and it's caused me some turmoil while I wrestled with what I want to say or do and what I was expected to do.... making sense yet????

Ok, let me use this as an example ....... we have all seen the endless FB statuses that tell us to SMILE, BE HAPPY, PAINT A SMILE etc ........... how on earth is that being true to ourselves??? - why should I force an emotion on myself that I am clearly not feeling just because 'society' wants us to be that way... if I want or feel the need to be a miseryguts then who is to say that I can't be ....... there may well be a reason that I look like a miserable old bag ....(or it could just be my face ala Ringo Starr) ..... but either way - how can I be true to myself while I am trying to conform to what others want me to be!!??!!

Taking that thought a step further ...... I don't want to live in Stepford - I don't want to be surrounded by grinning mannequins - I want to be surrounded by genuine people, with real feelings, people that are content enough in my company to be 100% honest about the way they feel - if they want to be quiet, then tell me to shut up, if they want to dance around to Beethoven while in their jammies doing the dusting then 'go for it' - because if the mood takes me - then I am going to do just that!!!

So, how does this relate to the card I drew - well, today is the day I decide that as long as I express myself with love and honesty then I am making the choice to be true to myself ............

love Raven x x x

 

Dissolving in a bubble of light

I have just had an amazing meditation - I wasn't expecting it to be as awesome as it was ....

I've done this meditation a few times - where i've pictured myself sat in a bubble of light and then gently 'bobbed' off to where I am to be .... but tonight I wasn't so much IN the bubble as I WAS the bubble!

Normally, I get a sense of me sitting, laying, standing and can 'see' myself inside the bubble - this time I was a pair of eyes the light had filled me and surrounded me and lifted me .....

Incoherent - you bet!!!

Anything else to add - nope not a thing - just wanted to get it down somewhere so I could remember the feeling!

Happy weekend everyone - may your day be full of light and love!

Raven x x x

Follow the leader ....

“Every life is a teaching tool for others. Your authenticity and honesty are an example of those around you.”

I actually pulled this card reversed today and basically it is giving me a gentle push to take the initiative and to stop waiting for others to do what I want them to do - and if I speak my truth with honesty and integrity then I will be surprised by the outcome... 


I have to be honest and say I feel that I am at a crossroads - I feel that I've been swept along on a tide of emotion for the last six months and right at the moment I don't actually know if I am doing stuff for me, for family, for friends or just because "it's what I've always done" 


This card is asking me to look into myself and to take charge to make things happen for me and instead of following where other people lead I should be looking to forge my own path ....... 


I think I shall be pondering this for a while :) 


love and blessings to you all 


Raven x x x

Runes, Reiki, Re-alignment and Roosting!

I've been so lax lately about doing a Rune draw - that tonight I thought I'd spend some time reacquainting myself with my 'fisherman's friends' ....

So, I put my hand in the bag fully expecting to not pull an 'apt' Rune - and so I pulled

Othila - Seperation, Retreat, Inheritance

This Rune is so apt, it echoes nicely what my Enchanted Map Oracle cards have been saying all week - this Rune represents possessions and the home, and I've been busy physically and psychically cleaning my home and been busy potting herbs and buying plants to make my garden more welcoming.... so in a way I have separated and retreated from my more normal routine of being online all evening and hoping that the housework will disappear!


Next item on the agenda - a nice shower followed by a full Reiki session on myself - I've only done this once before and whilst I don't feel down or worried or stressed - I do feel slightly off kilter - so it's a case of "Physician heal thyself" - although I am not and will never be a doctor ............ 


love and blessings 


Raven x x x

The Witch Within

The following poem was inspired by a very lovely friend of mine who happened to mention that the phrase The Witch Within was spinning round her head - what will happen to that spinning we are yet to find out - but in the meantime ..... enjoy!

The Witch Within, is deep inside

But from Her you cannot hide 

Her voice will speak, you have to hear

She will make you face your deepest fear

She is the one that guides the spell
Casting the circle so all is well
She is the one that guides the intent
And let’s you know when energy is spent

If you can’t find the answer without
Ask the Witch within there’ll be no doubt
Intuition, a Spirit’s call,
The Witch within speaks to them all 

 

 Love Raven x x x

Sabbat Crafting .......... yes me ..... yes really!

Well, I've been crafting ready for Lammas and being honest if you'd have told me a few months ago that I'd be doing this - well I'd have said you were barking!

But, there's been a subtle but undeniable shift in the way I think and feel - and that's given me a new confidence in myself - I may not be brilliant at what I am attempting - but instead of saying I can't, I'm no good, I'll be useless ..........

I'm saying - give me the tools - let me have a go and let's have fun!!!!

So, what have I been creating ..........

This is a salt dough wreath ready for Lammas and a Pentacle ...

A broom and an offering dish ....


And here they are painted ...............

They aren't completely finished as I need to varnish and add some sparkle - especially to the Pentacle - but I have to say I am well chuffed with them!

love Raven x x x

I'm baaackkkk!!

I have been scarily quiet lately, I've barely blogged, rarely journalled and been a bit quiet on FB too - guess I've had to take the time out to focus on what is really important to me and to find a way to deal with the loss, grief and upset of recent months.

Have I done all that - well the short answer is no - BUT - I have made a start and in making that start I have turned myself around and instead of descending into the black pit of depression I'm making choices on how I want to be!

So, what exactly have I been up to - well, I've been working (well, one has to if one wants to keep a roof over her head and food on the table......... the Goddess helps those that helps themselves)!

I've been living the Craft as well, I've made Despacho's ...... my very good friend Arthur blogged about them here ...How to Make Despachos and I've cleansed and blessed my house.  I've adapted my Altars to suit the change in my working and set up a meditation Altar just for me (and the cats - for some reason they seem to love that one and can't leave it alone)

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd I've started writing poetry again ......... more on that later!

Working Altar ...... 

Altar to honor Aine 

Meditation Altar 

I just have to set up my Lughnasadh Altar now and I'm good to go! .......... New Moon - new projects!!! 

love and blessings to all 

Raven x x x

Moving Mountains .....

A couple of times last week I pulled The Mountain card

"You have the capacity to flow around any obstacle.  This is the time to adapt"

I drew this card upright and reversed - and I got it - there was an obstacle in my way and I just had to be patient and I would see a clear way past the obstacle ........... easy right?????

Ummmm - no - not when the obstacle was Me.. how the heck do I get out of my own way so that I can progress ........

Well the answer is with a lot of tears, raging and the love of my true friends - who know when to kick my butt and when to hug me and say "go ahead be an ejit - we are gonna love you anyway"

Obstacles don't need to be from an external force, and it's not always obvious what the obstacle / blockage is it may be from an event that happened months, years, decades or even lifetimes ago - but when it's here then there is no easy fix, there is no shortcut - there is only hard work, exasperation and a willingness to work through it .......... believe me the temptation to say Pfft forget that and walk away is sometimes overwhelming..........but the rewards when you get to the top of the Mountain - the clear vision, the heightened senses, the joy dropping view of the valley makes it all worthwhile!

So, if there is a blockage in your road, grab your cramp-ons, grab some rope and be willing to climb, wait, traverse, and build bridges ......... and remember that right behind you pushing you and right in front of you pulling you and right beside you cheering for you are your Goddess, friends and family - for once you are on this Path you are never, ever alone!

love Raven x x x

Weather blues and technological breakthroughs

Today hasn't been very productive for me at work - I've been so tired and drained and I'm sure that for the first time ever I am suffering from S.A.D (seasonal affected disorder) - this weather really is dismal - you wake up to grey, grim overcast and sullen skies and I don't care how upbeat and positive a person you are - no hint of Sun for four days gets a body down .... we have more sunny days than this in the 'depths' of winter!

I need to see the Sun ..... 

I know I shouldn't moan as last week we had some glorious weather whilst we had the Canadian Royalty here - and that leads me nicely to the technological breakthrough ........

I have an iPhone and I love it - but every now and then it throws me for a loop while I can't work out how to do something that seems so easy - todays challenge - how to upload the photo's taken whilst my visitor was here onto my computer ....

With a lot of trial and error and only a few minor cuss words - the photo's are now all safely stored on my computer, backed up on disc and sitting in the iCloud ....... go me!

However it did bring home to light that there aren't many pictures of me and my Bestie together - that will have to be rectified when we go over to Canada next year............

love Raven x x x

Monday 2nd July

Ohhh my, how quickly you get out of the habit of things - for the last couple of weeks I haven't been at home and I've not had a chance to do a Rune pull, card draw or even meditate properly and I've missed it!

It's my connection not only to the Divine but to myself, I didn't realise (yes I know I'm a bit thick) but I deal with a lot of my shadow work whilst meditating - I sort out the 'kinks' of the day whilst meditating and I speak to the Goddess in meditation - take that away and I feel lost, alone and miserable!!

I have appreciated getting back to the core of my Spirituality, I've loved not being reliant on my 'things' to make me feel witchy - but you can only take so much away ..... take my stuff just leave me time to meditate!

It's made me appreciate far more than I did - how lucky I am to be open about my Path and to not have to worry about what others think - yes I know that there are those around me that think I am 'playing' and that it's a phase I'll get over - but they are in the minority and being honest their opinion doesn't really bother me other than I "I don't diss your belief's so don't diss mine" attitude with them!

Having this time away from what I was used to has also made me realise just how much I've changed and grown in the space of a year or so, it's empowered me but it hasn't come easily and it has come at a price - the people that I called friends are no longer around me for one reason or another they have dropped out of my life and whilst I know that change is good and that not everyone is going to be with me forever it is a bit sad..........

I guess all the changes I have been through this year have seen me looking back with some sadness- but no regret ..... I am on this Path for a reason and I know that I don't walk it alone!

So, now I've waffled for England - I shall go and have myself a cleansing bath, a uninterrupted meditation and give thanks that I am exactly where I need to be!

Love Raven x x x

Saturday 23rd June

Ohhh boy - haven't been here for a while but I have had the best of reasons .... I've had my Anam Cara with me from Canada and we have been here, there and everywhere - I have never driven so much in two weeks as I have these past two weeks.... 

But, it's been perfect - and I do hope that you have been following our exploits here: The Tales of the Travelling Bear!

I haven't really had a chance to pull a card or a Rune lately - but today I did sneak a card draw in ... 

Spirit of the Place - Authenticity is the essence of Power ...........Enchanted Maps 

This card is all about feeling the Spirit of the place and knowing that you can not change the essence of the place or the person....speak your truth as this is your authenticity .... feel your power! 

I have to say this card is very apt for the places we have been lately - Tintagel, Glastonbury, Avebury, Burley etc - each place has a different energy, a different vibration and in the case of Tintagel a different power ......... 

Unfortunately my bestie will be heading back to Canada soon (far too soon) so normal service will be resumed ........ 

love and blessings to all 

Raven x x x

Wednesday Witters

Whooopeeeee I am on holibob's - and although I'm not actually going anywhere I have a very full two weeks ahead of me

You will be able to follow my adventures here

http://kitchenwitchuk.blogspot.co.uk

This year has been very eventful so far (won't rehash it all) and it seems that the eventfulness hasn't finished - last night as I meditated I was introduced (given) to my Dark Mother - the Goddess that is the Dark to my Patron Aine ....

It seems that as everything has a Light and Dark side I know I do!! - and my Dark Mother is to be instrumental in guiding me and teaching me how to use the anger that I bury and try to smother - I don't mean I'm going to explode like the Hulk ....... who can forget the immortal line "Don't make me angry, you won't like me when I'm angry" ........... but it does mean that instead of bottling it up I will learn to use it for my Highest Good ...

I am looking forward to working with Her, however I have to be honest and say I'm not looking forward to working with my Darker side - but I'm in safe hands and I know I'll only have to go as deep as I am ready for at that moment!

Although........... green IS a good colour for a Witch!!!!

love and blessings

Raven x x x

Monday Mithers

What is up with this soggy weather?? - Seriously, it's been pouring down for days.... weeks!

And being honest it's hard to imagine that in a week it will be Litha - the time when we should be celebrating the Sun and be halfway through the Summer - this is the longest day - from now on the days get shorter and the nights start drawing in as we head towards Autumn and the close of the year!

It's hard to imagine celebrating warmth when I can only think of a week where I've had the heating turned off - and that got me thinking ...

How would I celebrate Litha in an area where there is no discernible change in the seasons or in the length of the day / night - or even when night doesn't fall for days.............

I have taken much for granted lately - I have a beautiful Altar set up in the Living room of my house - and as I am staying with my Dad for an extended period my altar got taken down and I miss just being able to look up and feel the connection....

I also have an Altar in my dining room and my hallway - in fact, I had more than I thought I had and I miss it..

So, for the next few days before Litha I am going to 'go within' - my Ancestors wouldn't have had fancy 'stuff' to put up (not that my stuff was all that fancy but it was meaningful to me) - and if they were on the move a lot they wouldn't have carted the 'stuff' with them ........... so my goal is to find a way to the Altar I carry with me at all times - the Altar of my heart..........



love Raven x x x