Yesterday, I had a phone call. Yep. From someone in MK ~ my loyal lieutenant has emerged from between the worlds, fit as a butcher's dog & with little more than a dead phone to concern him. Deep joy! Sometimes the magic works. I shook my finger at his smiley face yesterday morning, declared it neither big nor clever & demanded to know, what was occurin', as we say in Wales. And when I lit the candle, I'd done so with a little more intention than usual...
Catching up was grand. And then, after all the rain & clouds & wind & absolutely No Moon At All, when I went into the kitchen to make tea this morning, there She was! Glorious & shiny like the best gift in the world! Thank you, Ma'am, on every level! Okay, the weather has now gone completely mad. A three minute, manic downpour (stair rod job) followed by a burst of wind & now, it's gone freakishly quiet. I don't think I care that much! All is well ~ Lady M can relax & stick the eye of newt back in the pouch...
And I have been considering it for decades... the most effective rituals are the simplest. They come from a place of non~negotiable trust & quiet belief. From a place in our centre where, once the words of the spell are spoken, a momentary physical reaction occurs. A connection is made & our personal vision of spirit ~ in my case, Goddess ~ responds. It is too quietly fierce, too sublimely sweet to describe in mere words. And too authentic not to be real.
In my practice there is little need for complicated ritual ~ which is not to say that I do not understand it has its place. But when the magic really works there is a deep knowing; a recognition that our minds really are our most valuable magic tool.
Bless me Mother, for I am your daughter.
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ceriwytch's journal, set me thinking about the nature of magic, my personal spiritual politics & in particular, the power of words & naming things. Magic has always been an element of Witchcraft, but in my personal practice I would only ever turn to it on what Granny Weatherwax refers to as 'special occasions.'( Read more... )
When real works appears, one simply gets stuck in. She walks in Mysterious Ways & when one notices one's reflection fading a little, it's usually a clue. The best bit about real work is realising that, in spite of moments of frustration; invasions of privacy & routine, it's utimately satisfying. What goes round it seems, does indeed, come round. And a friend in need may prove the friend indeed. I like her enormously, this new, brave friend. And I never cease to be amazed by the courage of witches. Even in our various sadnesses, we seek the door marked, 'survival,' call upon our glamours & set one foot determindly in front of the other.
Talking about magic, (it's vageries & sneaky relations) I dropped a breadboard on my foot yesterday. Two badly bruised toes & almost certainly, the shoe choice is now limited. I wish I had a pound for each time I've damaged a toe, or toes, prior to a long drive. It isn't karmic at all, of course ~ it's pure clumsiness. But I do wonder what She's possibly whispering.
Today I shall mostly be, having a day off ~ a day out in fact, with my ex, who I've decided to call my 'O' as in Occasional. I am a witch & I need feeding, on several levels.
Some time ago
artemis112 created a lovely five-word meme. She is offering those of her friends who ask, five words she associates with them. The expectation is that we will expand on these words.River's words for me are:~ Goddess, Feminism, Family, Writing & Weaving.
I wrote about Goddess on May 21 ~ you are welcome to make a detour...
( Read more... )
(I cannot get rid of the BOLD... what is the point of these options if they don't work?)
My thoughts are scattered & I'm finding it difficult to concentrate. I have been working: editing mostly & since I enjoy this process, it's no hardship. Reading the newly printed pages, pared down & fine tuned pleases me. With my mind playing butterfly games however, I haven't had the focus needed to move the story on as I'd planned. And there are masses of notes & references I need to go through.
I wish my wand really was 'magic', rather than simply a magical tool. It's a plain thing of hazel wood, cut many years ago. It lies, wrapped in a silk, on my altar & is as familiar to me as my own face. For the purpose for which it was intended, it works just fine. I have cast more Circles with this slender piece of wood than I can recall; each one special & sacred. That said, were my wand to suddenly acquire sparkles & begin flinging 'make it better' faery dust around, that would be pretty cool. Right now I could do with some magic dust for Ivy & for Molly. For S. Just for now. Just until it all comes right.
That's all.
In spite of the dull weather, threatening rain & a chill in the air, I find myself inspired. I sense Beltaine energy & the call of my sisters.
At times it is I who call them. I claim nothing more than an occasional, magical affinity, a deep sense of sisterhood. There have been times when I have stood in the middle of a summer field & reached for them - crow & kestrel & wood pigeon; once a red kite. Sacred moments of connection for which I feel blessed & the memory of which never fades.
( Read more... )
Had no intention of becoming involved in this - I've made my views crystal clear over the years & to be honest, I'm tired of the debate. I'm old enough to feel comfortable in my skin (to say nothing of my cloak) & these days, my philosophy is, if they need me, they'll find me.
ewigweibliche has posed a whole heap of questions on her site about defining ourselves. Some women have chosen to respond on theirs & it is as a result of some comments made by both seaivy & athenagrey that I'm putting in my two cents worth.( Read more... )
(That said, I do have a 'Tangled Web' in reserve, just in case. I was playing with the concept of tangled webs long before Anne Bishop wrote her books!)
Molly is still ill & Debbie-Rose has caught whatever it is too. They have both been on the receiving end of a tongue-lashing & told to stay in, stay warm, keep their wretched germs to themselves & in Debbie-Rose's case, wear something that covers her midriff! I refused to kiss either of them. I've done rudimentary housework & ditto shopping, paid bills & taken tea in the cafe with bruv.
Lampeter managed genuine gridlock today! There are roadworks right outside Dai's Diner. It's remarkable how quickly car drivers lose the plot once one of them screws up & tries to sneakily jump the temporary traffic lights. We were taking bets on who would go for the punch-up first! And the excitement reached fever pitch when a police car came through at the speed of sound, all lights blazing causing the already beleaguered car drivers to mount the pavements. The police were in pursuit, one can only surmise, of sheep.
(We don't really get that much interesting crime by here, lovelies!)
Sometimes, I really am tempted to let a few men in...
The news that LJ isn't going belly up (not that I ever thought it was...) was a bonus.
In spite of the rain, sleet, hailstones etcetera; in spite of the tag-end of this wretched cold, I feel good. In fact, I feel inspired. Good women are finding their way to my door once again. Magic is afoot; the prospect of serious magic to come. It isn't until someone offers you the bag of delicious sweets that you realise you hadn't given them up after all!
( A Little More... )
seaivy , send healing love to her beloved cat who is very poorly. Your best magic, sisters & all the love in the world.Goddess bless, Beloved Cat. Have courage Ivy, we are all praying for her & for you.
Whatever... (thus muttered me.) And lo! 'Tis perhaps a magic spell that brushes my thoughts! An unconscious spell (often the most sensible frankly) since the sun has just peeked from behind the wet, grey clouds. I refuse to be completely taken in however, (see, there it goes! And if we don't get a rainbow in a minute, my name's not Lady Pandora Grimoire-Sequin!) Rain it seems, is here once more.
The last few days have been masquerading as September - brilliant, sparkling, walkish days. We've been seduced into thinking it's still early autumn rather than almost winter. I strolled through campus yesterday - a lovely walk in any weather to be honest, but with the sun on the hills & golden trees everywhere, it was quite beautiful. (Add a passing gardener & it's nigh on perfect!)
Today I shall buy the fabric for Molly's banner.
ps: It's raining again - no rainbow - damn.)
( More... )
Time to clear up, gather the scattered threads & re-weave my webs. I've been so out of touch, so unconnected these past few weeks & the dust on my altar reflects an inner spiritual neglect. As my head clears I sense the shift begining & it feels quietly positive. And it seems the year is passing with astonishing speed. Can it really be Samhain next week? Well, yes, it can & is. As I mentioned yesterday, time to make a fresh list & tend to all the outstanding practical tasks. Only then will I be able to make space for the inner ones.
Yesterday, British Summer Time was officially over & the clocks went back. As I sat chatting with Molly we looked out of the window & discussed how bare the trees were beginning to look. Twenty minutes later, the dark lay heavy, the afternoon banished. Honest to Goddess, if you live in the country, once the clocks go back in the UK, it's like the set of an Ingmar Bergman film by half past four in the afternoon!
And speaking of the dark, here's a tangent. I am not at all impressed by LJ's Halloween Header. LIVE UNDEAD JOURNAL? Am I over-reacting when I say how offended I am? That the words make an utter mockery of Samhain? But that said, we've been here before, no? Frankly, at this time in the Cycle, the Wise Women leave the Glitterwitches at the starting gate! And perhaps I & we should be content with that simple knowledge. Halloween? 'Tis but a passing whim & the protesting of it hardly worth my energy. I shall seperate the two - it isn't that difficult. One's real, the other merely party games.
But I do object MOST STRONGLY to the distracting black header & the lack of awareness & the ignornace implicit in the wording. Were I not a lady, I might be reduced to unseemly language. Rhymns with 'duck' & 'cough.'
*No wonder it's taken this long to get the proof copy of my book. Silly man "lost the disc." The boss returned my call of yesterday & offered profuse apologies. He was so nice, & I'm so nice, it was a nice fest of rather sickly proportions! No point in getting angry, it won't move anything on & I sense I can count on superb customer service from here!
*For some months now, bird energy has featured hugely in my practice. Goddess invariably sends me either bird or spider energy when I am in need of guidence or support. There are birds everywhere; in my dreams; more prosaically, referred to on the radio; in the music I choose; in the books I read. The messages are both random & paradoxically, consistent. The magic comes from the unexpected, but I sense it coming & it nourishes me. At present my inner processes are being activated by less than ordinary contacts.
Yesterday evening, through my letterbox, came a charming note from Tom, written on a piece of paper featuring a hand-drawn picture of a beautiful bird. The wings are spread, the feathers decorated with lovely curved patterns; nothing linear. It is the notion of soaring flight that speaks to me. Movement & journeying, perfectly executed in this drawing.
And now I'm too tired to write more.
I shall catch up with all my lovelies as soon as I am fit for purpose...
Today I have been cleaning my house, paying the bills & tending to some small but necessary magic. The Goddess moves in mysterious ways, but I tend to assume She knows what She is about. I am grateful for Her presence.
Still I wait for the mechanic to call. I appreciate he's a busy man, but Princess Smarticar is in need of attention. I shall try WD40 tomorrow & if it works, be grateful to the young man who suggested I give it a go!
I had the thing written by noon so took myself off for a walk. Later, the lovely Molly visited & we spent the afternoon cooking up a few spells. She asks such sensible questions. And we think each other thoughts often enough for me to realise the generation gap is quite narrow at certain points.
She's gone off with my copy of The Spiral Dance. I told her what would happen if she loses it! Which will either put her off the Witchy stuff for ever, or pique her interest. I can't wait!
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goddess_garden
The Gift of Weaving
by Carol Lovekin
A contemporary novel
of eco-feminist
Goddess magic
Now available at
my website
(link above)
And at amazon.co.uk
~~~
*'A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.'
~ Virginia Woolf
*'I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is; I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat.'
~ Rebecca West
*You can't throw anything away on a round planet.
~ Me
*Magic is the colour of our minds.
~ Tom White
*Do it afraid
~ courtesyartemis112
* In Memorium
The Cat of Glory
And there shall come
amongst them a CAT of
such GREAT Glory that
all who see it will
be SORE AMAZED and
MARVEL at its SPLENDOUR
~ Edward Monkton.
*Tom Bombadil
loves
Goldberry
And she, him...
~ True
*I am a warrior in
the time of women
warriors, the longing
for justice is the sword
I carry, the love of
womankind my shield.
~ Sonia Johnson
*Scribe
All morning
a money spider's
been writing
the outer reaches
of thoughts
in my hair
Now it abseils
to the page
and runs away.
~ Chris Kinsey
*Life is the ceremony,
how we live is the
ritual
~ Wind Hughes
goddess_garden
The Gift of Weaving
by Carol Lovekin
A contemporary novel
of eco-feminist
Goddess magic
Now available at
my website
(link above)
And at amazon.co.uk
~~~
*'A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.'
~ Virginia Woolf
*'I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is; I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat.'
~ Rebecca West
*You can't throw anything away on a round planet.
~ Me
*Magic is the colour of our minds.
~ Tom White
*Do it afraid
~ courtesy
artemis112* In Memorium
The Cat of Glory
And there shall come
amongst them a CAT of
such GREAT Glory that
all who see it will
be SORE AMAZED and
MARVEL at its SPLENDOUR
~ Edward Monkton.
*Tom Bombadil
loves
Goldberry
And she, him...
~ True
*I am a warrior in
the time of women
warriors, the longing
for justice is the sword
I carry, the love of
womankind my shield.
~ Sonia Johnson
*Scribe
All morning
a money spider's
been writing
the outer reaches
of thoughts
in my hair
Now it abseils
to the page
and runs away.
~ Chris Kinsey
*Life is the ceremony,
how we live is the
ritual
~ Wind Hughes