Serendipities

Spirit Relationships for a Defensible Home, Part One: Outside

September 7, 2022
by Alexandra

I said in my last blog that spirit relationships make up another layer of my home defensibility, and they do — both inside and outside my house. I’m working from an animistic perspective here, because that’s what I do and who I am, but I think there might be some helpful kernels even for folks who aren’t starting from that perspective. In the last blog, I mentioned greeting the spirit of the parcel of land, and the spirit of the house itself, and those are the first two spirits I build a relationship with in any new place I live. Those relationships are usually somewhat less “showy” (at least for me) that some of the others I’ll mention in this blog, but they’re the foundation for everything else. If you’re not on good terms with them and well situated in your property, it will be difficult to make your home defensible, no matter what else you do. Also, if you’re not the property owner, you can still form your own relationships with the house and land, and that will help support any wards you place around areas (like a bedroom) that are specifically yours. You can also make relationships with spirits both outside and inside the property, to support your defenses. For the purposes of this blog, I’m just going to cover spirits that are found outside the property, because I originally had started writing out both “outside” and “inside”, but it became a bit too long for one post!

*This is an image from unsplash of Great Falls on the Potomac, which is very similar to an image I took that I almost used – except this one is much higher quality!*

Land spirits, (ie spirits of the land itself, not nature spirits more generally) in my experience, seem to be some sort of nesting dolls, in that you can ask to speak to the spirit of a particular property, and one will show up, and ask to speak to the spirit of a neighborhood, and one that feels slightly different and slightly bigger will show up, and the same (slightly different, slightly bigger) for a town, a region, etc. (However, when we start to approach places the size of the state of Virginia, they get a little too big for me to really pin down borders. I find it easier at that point to attempt to contact the spirit of a particular geographic feature, like “the Appalachian Mountains”, or “the land to the east of the Chesapeake Bay”, rather than relying on my memory of a map of human-drawn borders!) For the purposes of A Defensible Home, the neighborhood or perhaps the town should do you pretty well — this is the larger land spirit that encompasses the land you call home, and it is a good idea to get to know them, and to remain on friendly terms. For me, that usually means being a good “citizen” — picking up trash when I see it, making sure my yard has plants helpful to local insect life, not disturbing local animal life, and the occasional offering of water or something biodegradable that won’t disrupt the local ecosystem (no invasive plants, no foods that will harm wildlife, don’t pour alcohol on plants, etc). When we “talk”, it’s more a mind-brush than a conversation in words, and most often I just ask about the weather! The creatures who live on the land this spirit encompasses live in symbiosis with it — and we should strive to, as well. That also means that all your plant and animal and insect “neighbors” can provide omens, should you need to seek them. I have mapped my local birds to the ogham, and that often provides my land and nature spirits with a way to get my attention. I know which birds live nearby, and which are infrequent enough visitors that their presence might be meaningful.

Spirits of your local waterways are likewise important, and also seem to function like nesting dolls, with a spirit of a stream, the creek it feeds into, the river that feeds into, and then around here — the Chesapeake Bay. I really think every animist witch ought to know what watershed they live in, down to the small streams closest to you! At the larger end, your local river spirit can be a very powerful ally, and with the vast number of witchy uses for water, especially running water, I think it makes sense to nurture that relationship. As with the large land spirits, my offerings to my local waterway spirits are mostly “being a good citizen”, and my contact with them is more mind-brush than casual conversation. Interestingly, though — and this is just my personal experience, so your mileage may vary — I do find the river spirits to be more likely to take on humanoid forms and speak to me in words. That may come from my background in Irish Polytheism, where several river names are those of goddesses, because I do tend to address rivers (and the Great Lakes, and the Chesapeake Bay) as deities in their own right.

For both of these categories of spirit, the role they play in the defense of my home is mainly that I can ask them for forewarning if danger is nearby, and for assistance if I attempt to expel something from my property. If I banish something, I don’t want it to take two steps and come right back, and sometimes the land and waterway spirits are willing to help keep it away. They can also ground out or disperse unwanted energies, though I find it best to ask them how to transmute the energies so that they will be most useful. I have even used some of my excess energy as offerings recently: I was running a little hot due to a hormonal problem, and got up early in the morning to go on a cave tour. Inside, I ended up stumbling a bit because of drowsiness and balance issues, so I stopped and greeted the spirit of the cave and asked what I could give, in exchange for sure footing. The answer I received: your heat. So I took off the jacket (which was a little warm anyhow), and let my excess heat float off of me, into the cave. And after that, I didn’t have any more trouble walking over the uneven terrain!

The other main category of Outside spirits just consists of spirits who live nearby. You have human neighbors, and animal, plant, insect, fungi neighbors, spirits of land and water and (perhaps) of constructed things, but also there are other types of spirits who just go about their business mostly unseen in this world we share. For me, the spirits of this category with whom I interact the most often are the Fair Folk. (All the rest of this paragraph is my own UPG, based on my own experiences; I make no claims that others will experience it the same way, even within my local area, and outside my local area I have no idea how things are organized. Understood? Then let’s continue.) There is a fairy court near me that has territory roughly corresponding to the local stream’s watershed, and the Queen of that court has become a close ally of mine. When I banish something, her folk will (often) chase it beyond their own borders, and when there are dangers, she (often) warns me, and when she requests my assistance in her own difficulties, I aid her with my magic as best I am able. As her stream empties into the Potomac River, her court seems to belong to a larger assembly of courts aligned with the Potomac watershed, and then above that, there seems to be a higher authority encompassing the entire Chesapeake Bay watershed. I try to nurture relationships with each of the small courts I come into contact with, and with the larger authorities, but the court whose territory I live in is the most important for my home defense. We are very frequently in contact, and I give very frequent offerings, and when there is something I need help dealing with that lies beyond my wards but not beyond her borders, it is usually to her that I first turn, even before my gods. The Fair Folk are fickle though, and so diverse it’s impossible to paint them all with the same brush — the type of relationship you’re likely to have with your local Fair Folk depends on them perhaps even more than it depends on the steps you take to nurture a relationship. It is far easier and far safer to be on pleasantly cordial terms like “you stay out of my home and I’ll not meddle in yours” than it is to be involved in a pact that amounts to mutual defense, but for those who do have Good Neighbors inclined to alliances, for prices you’re willing to pay, they can be very valuable allies.

Some of the members of the court local to me do come in the house now and again, but mostly they stay outside, hence their inclusion here. However, they are the main reason, as I said in the first blog, that I don’t use iron at my property line. That does mean I have to use a little more finesse when it comes to creating wards that will allow emissaries in, for example, but not those inclined to make trouble. I do rely on my agreement with their queen for that, in large part, but I also have some finely tuned interior wards, as I mentioned before, and House Rules, which I will explain in more depth in the next blog. In the meantime, Daniela Siminia has an excellent overview of her own approach to allowing in some-but-not-all, on her own blog, here.

And as that’s already quite a long post, we’ll call that a wrap! I’ll be back with part two next week, hopefully. I’m trying to post a new blog every Wednesday, so check back then!

Edit: Here’s the link to Part 2!

Warding for a Defensible Home

August 31, 2022
by Alexandra

I first started thinking about writing something on this topic a few months ago, when Irene Glasse posted a very good blog on Set-And-Forget Protection Magic. She touched on things like using iron, witch bottles, and witch balls, and a number of rocks and plants that are known as protective.

That got me thinking about my own methodologies, including my personal reasons not to use iron. I made a few notes, and then… didn’t write the blog. Fast forward to last Dark Moon, and the instruction to make Defensible Homes, and I realized it was time to take this back out. The image below (which is also the one used in the thumbnail) is what comes to my mind when I imagine “defensible”. It’s a strong, tall, castle wall, with a few places for archers and lookouts and other defenders.

I’m not sure what castle this is, as the image was provided by unsplash, but look at that wall! Those crenellations!

In my own practice, the first thing I tend to do in a new house is a claiming. I greet the spirit of the parcel of land, and of the house itself, and I inform them that I will now be dwelling here, and caretaking these spaces. This is now, as I explain, my territory, and I will build a safe nest, and I will defend it against all who wish me ill. Generally, the spirits of land and house are just happy to have been spoken to at all, and they’re willing to allow me to proceed.

Then, I’ll usually walk the perimeter (as best I can) and repeat the claiming there: all that I encircle is my territory, my home. This was traditionally done with burning torches in places like Norway and Scotland, but I’ve done it with a candle, and I’ve done it with sprinkled oats, and I’ve done it with a staff. Clockwise is best for this sort of thing, at least in my personal practice, beginning and ending either at the front door or the driveway (if there is one).

Once claimed, I’ll then sweep and smoke out any stagnant or unwanted energies, and evict any spirits who won’t play nicely with others. You’ll want to do that before you’ve set up the strong wards on a new house, or after you’ve taken down the old wards, if you’re rebuilding them, to make the sweeping out easier.

Next, I’ll refill the space with the sort of energy I want to have in the house – generally I use some kind of a blessing, in water or smoke. You shouldn’t just sweep out the unwanted, without have a clear idea of what should replace it, because otherwise you may create a magical vacuum, which of course will then fill itself with whatever is nearby.

Once the energy I do want is filling the space and spilling out, I’ll return to the perimeter, and this is the part where if there’s land, I’ll sink in a few spikes or nails as anchors. Railroad spikes are very popular and very effective, but my work involves the Fair Folk far too much for me to want to use iron as my ward anchors, so I tend to use copper instead (silver would also work very well for me, but it’s a bit more expensive). I place anchors at each corner, and the edge of each entrance (like the driveway, and the front walk), moving in a clockwise direction. I set part of the enchantment into each anchor before I drive it into the ground, so that I can feel those and pick them back up when I’m ready to weave the warding-walls. (Though don’t think of “walls” as just a fence – you want to block off access above and below you as well.) For my ward weaving, I usually work primarily in trance, with very few props (outside of the anchors I’ve already driven into the ground), but you could also create some sort of object to hold the spell, if that’s the kind of work you’re more comfortable with. You could tie all the anchors back into a jar spell of some type, perhaps.

As I move around the perimeter, I also ask for the help of any trees or shrubs near the property line, near the driveway and front walk, and near any back or side doors. Although I haven’t really lived in a place where I’ve done a lot of landscaping, if you’re considering putting in some new bushes or shrubs in any of those places, maybe do a little research on which plants are considered protective! I have a little baby hawthorn that’s still in a pot for now, but will hopefully one day be placed near my front walk. Some protective plants are already pretty common in landscaping, such as roses and holly!

I also set up zones within the perimeter, to designate whether and when friendly-inclined spirits are allowed in. For example, I generally recommend that children’s bedrooms have an extra layer of warding to keep out everything but allowable humans and pets, and the child’s own guides and guardians. I also usually have tight wards around my own bedroom, and the bathrooms. I try to keep the Folk who are “wandering through” confined to my office (which doubles as ritual space) and not out in the house at large. And while you’re thinking of wards, don’t forget the other types of entrance: water pipes, electricity, the internet. I tend to use sigils or bind-runes above doors and windows, as well as around pipes and conduits, as my inner layers of warding, sometimes literally drawing them in paint. Do remember to paint over or otherwise remove them before you leave, if you move away, though!

In addition to the “zones”, I’ve drawn sigils around my house to create a sort of “flushing” system, so that if I need to clear the house quickly, I can use a sigil on the front door and activate the others throughout the house to flood the area with a deluge of cleansing energy. It’s not as good as a deep clean, but if you’ve ever wanted to smoke-cleanse the whole house after an unwanted guest left and you found yourself too drained to do so, you should maybe try it. It lets me address an issue in the moment, pretty much regardless of my current energy levels, and stops the problem from getting too bad before I can get around to a full cleanse-and-bless.

One thing that I try to do with wards that I don’t see talked about a lot, is I try to create some kind of feedback system, so that I will be aware quickly if anything tries to get past the wards, or if they are damaged. Part of my system for that includes my House Steward, one of the key spirits in my household, who can do some repairs on his own, and is more than capable of grabbing my attention when needed. Spirits and spirit relationships make up another entire layer of the defensibility of my home, but I think that might be best discussed in its own blog, so we’ll do that next week!

The final thing I’ll say, though, is that even most set-and-forget wards and protections need to be looked at once a year or so. If you’re using a jar as a focus object, maybe put that jar somewhere it’s not in the way but you’ll still see it occasionally, so that you will notice quickly if it breaks or something else problematic occurs. For anything you can’t see to check on periodically, it might be a good idea to incorporate a check-in into your seasonal practice somehow! Maybe every January (New Year, New Wards) or some time in March when you get sucked into Spring Cleaning. Whatever makes the most sense for your personal practice!

Here are the links for the blogs on Spirit Relationships for a Defensible Home: Part 1 and Part 2.

Crow Folks: Protect Yourselves

August 28, 2022
by Alexandra

Last month, I was given a series of tarot cards for the upcoming months, and for this moon cycle that is beginning, I was given the Nine of Wands. I pulled that card out of my deck, and then went to go see Na Morrigna, taking my usual path, and finding them gathered as usual around their cauldron. I threw the tarot card into the cauldron, then, and it bubbled and then stilled, and the imagery came apart and was reflected across the surface, showing me another triad they wished me to write. I crafted it slowly, seeking their input and approval on my word choice, and when we were both satisfied, I had what appears below.

Three Means of Protection:

A Strengthened Body,
A Disciplined Mind,
A Defensible Home.

Left to Right: My Morrigna candle, the Nine of Wands from the Archeon Tarot Deck, and an offering of Hardywood Raspberry Stout

I have a couple personal thoughts about these types of protection, which I hope ya’ll don’t mind me sharing. For the first one, a strengthened body, my understanding is that this is very much an “as much as you are able” instruction. Not everyone will be able to be “strong” as we sometimes conceive of it, but I think most of us could stand to be stronger. The second one sort of surprised me – why a mental aspect, to protection? But as I think about it more, it does make a lot of sense: a disciplined and organized mind is going to help you notice sooner when things are “off”, and it will help you strategize more quickly if and when a problem comes up. The interesting thing about the third one was Their emphasis on defensIBLE, not “defended”. We need to plan ahead, and lay in protections, not just rely on our ability to fight off an attack. A village with a wall around it is more defensible than one with no wall; it will take fewer people to defend. Kind of a “smarter, not harder” vibe, and I think that’s in keeping with a lot of the other advice I’ve gotten from Na Morrigna over the years. I have some thoughts on home wards that I’ve been percolating for a while, and I think instead of expanding on those here, I’ll leave them for the next blog, which I’ll aim to get out on Wednesday evening, so look for it then or on Thursday!

Wep Ronpet 2022, and the first Bright Moon of the New Year

This year, I started the Epagomenal days on August 4th, and Wep Ronpet on August 8th, drawing a tarot card for a blessing from each deity on the day of their birth for the Epagomenal days, and then two cards for an omen for the new year from all the Netjeri on the 8th. Here below are the omens I received, in order:

Message from Wesir

Message from Heru-Wer

Message from Set

Message from Aset

Message from Nebthet

Omen for the New Year

Message from Wesir: The Knave of Swords

This card depicts the Scribe of Ma’at: make sure your actions are on the side of righteousness in the coming year, that you are contributing to order and justice and not to their destruction.

Message from Heru-Wer: Six of Swords

This card depicts the Ship of the Dead, and Heru-Wer reminds us to be careful and prepared as we voyage into the new year, but not fearful. Preparations will help you overcome the obstacles you’ll find along the way, but the journey you are taking is necessary.

Message from Set: Two of Pentacles

This card depicts the Power of Djehuty (Thoth): the process that returns us to ma’at, to right order. You may be juggling things in the next year, but with careful attention you will be able to prioritize and manage everything well.

Message from Aset: Ace of Wands

This card depicts the Sceptre of Horus, representing new enterprises and undertakings, and creative, initiatory energies. In the new year, Aset will help us with the new beginnings we each seek.

Message from Nebthet: Queen of Chalices

This card depicts the Lady of Life, and represents her wisdom, generosity, and hospitality. Nebthet’s blessing for the coming year is intuitive wisdom, and compassionate guidance, so that we can care for ourselves and those around us.

Omen for the New Year:

The King of Wands depicts the Lord of Fertility, who leads with great vision. The Knave depicts Horus’s Messenger, who brings promise of successful new ventures. In the New Year, we will be given the blessings of the Netjeru for abundance in our lives, as we work to bring our plans to fruition.

A positive omen for a prosperous year!

The first full moon following Wep Ronpet is my renewal day, for my contract with Bast and Sekhmet. This year that contract renewal conversation was slightly delayed as I was out of town visiting family, but I went to go see them today, to ask about this coming year. In the years previous, it hasn’t really been a question that I’d continue to do monthly Bright Moon rituals, the negotiations mostly covered minutia and what else I was required to do, but this year going in I didn’t feel so sure.

And now, having returned to the waking world, I have to announce that I’ll no longer be doing the ritual every month.

I did it every month (or as close to that as possible, because of illness etc) for five years – this coming year, I’ll do the ritual only as needed, when they ask me to. I’ll still do my own shrine offerings every Bright Moon, and I’ll do heka for myself and others (up to 4 free for others a month, as before), but I won’t do the oracular ritual unless there is a need for it. I’m not sure yet what that will look like, but I expect it will become clear to me as I go.

Instead, they want me to focus more on the liturgy I’ve been developing for the holidays I celebrate, and really dedicating more time to that, to complete it, so that I can share it with others. I expect once that is complete, we may be parting ways altogether. It’s bittersweet, this first foreshadowing of the ending of our time working together, and I didn’t really expect it.

Thanks to everyone who’s supported me along the way; it’s been a pleasure to take this journey with you all.

Crow Folks: Pursue Elation

July 31, 2022
by Alexandra

On my way to visit Na Morrigna this month, I stopped by Bé Chuille’s place (as I often do), and before she let me walk down the forest path that leads from there to where I usually meet Na Morrigna, she tossed a bucket of cold water over my head, drenching me. But also, effectively removing some of the cloud of malaise and anxiety I’ve been fighting through lately, between the heat and the state of the world, as well as some more personal situations. And then she pointed to my ankles, and I saw ticks and mosquitos feasting on my blood. “You’ve forgotten to cover your feet again.” she said, in a tone of resignation. “You can keep those off if your shields don’t cover your feet. You can’t balance your energies with the earth if your shields don’t go down to your feet.” She’s right, of course. My shields don’t just keep things out, they keep me balanced, they keep things flowing properly — some of the layers are like membranes, taking in what I have a deficiency of, and keeping out what I already have enough of. But they can’t function properly if the bottoms are ragged. In my recent struggles, I had once again let the bottoms get ragged. It’s been a perennial problem in my life ⁠— some people have difficulties with shielding their back or their head, and I have trouble with my feet. So, that’s my personal piece of advice to ya’ll this Dark Moon: if there’s a part of your shields or wards where they seem to wear out faster, go check in on that, and repair or rebuild as necessary. For myself, I removed the bugs and repaired my shields, and once I had Bé Chuille’s approval, she sent me out the door, down the forest path to her foster-daughters, the three Morrigans, the Daughters of Ernmas.

I knew as I approached that it was going to be time for poetry again, this month, but I didn’t feel ready. I had drawn a few tarot cards, requesting touch points for this conversation, because I knew I was close to the physical limits of my body. My schedule allows for a few days to pass between the dark moon and the posting of the message, but I knew I was looking at days with less energy as we went into the weekend, not more. Using tarot cards as conversational touch points helps keep me focused when my body desperately wants more sleep instead, and it gives me an idea of what questions to ask. Sometimes when I go see Na Morrigna they have a clear message, and the conversation becomes one of turning the imagery and phrases into sentences that make sense as a paragraph. Other times, it’s a more meandering conversation, and then they tell me to summarize it. In either case, as I leave deep trance to sit at my computer in a lighter trance (which allows me to type), I can feel them reading over my shoulder, and I sense their approval or disapproval as I choose a word or a phrase, trying to find ones that taste the same as the images I was given. Lately, that process has been involving Irish language dictionaries more and more, as I try to get a sense of what the Irish word might be for a concept, if I’m struggling to find the English one, and then I choose one of the common translations for the Irish word, seeking context the way I often did when I was in college, writing essays in French analyzing historical novels. I expect I’ll eventually be asked to learn the Irish language, but at the moment I think They and I both know there is too much else on my plate to learn more than a few phrases.

All that to say — the cards I pulled as touchstones this month were the Five of Cups (reversed), the Seven of Wands, and the Herald (page) of Wands, reversed, all from the Archeon Tarot Deck, which is the one I normally use for Na Morrigna. Three cards for three parts of a message from three goddesses. I wrote down a few keywords in my notes before going to the journey, but that process is more for my conscious brain to remember which cards they were, than to decipher the message. Instead, when I saw Na Morrigna around the Cauldron, I asked something to the effect of: “For the first part of your message, the Five of Cups reversed, what message do you wish me to convey?” I was shown and reminded of the Supreme Court rulings and other recent happenings, and how myself and basically everyone I know has had feelings of anxiety, grief, and overwhelm about those, and how that’s been spilling into other aspects of our lives. Those feelings, I know, are part of the meaning of that card when upright, but they clarified that as a reversal, what they are asking us is this: Put your grief aside. That phrase was very very clear. Put your grief aside, for now. There is work to be done. And that is the Seven of Wands: courage, determination, strength. Most of the Crows, they said, have gotten back to their feet. Our warriors are not so easily defeated. But that, too, seemed to be in the past, so I asked for clarification — why is the Herald reversed, then? Is that not the present? No, no, I was told, and they were amused. The reversal is a delay — the farther future. You only drew three cards — which cards are between the Seven and the Herald? I was not expecting that, and hesitated, and they showed me the Eight, Nine, and Ten. Tapping the Eight, they said: this is the now, the month that is beginning. And this is the focus of your message for this month, and the topic for your poetry. I looked at it, and though I recognized the card I did not feel like I could see it clearly, so I asked if I might pop out and find the physical card and then ask more, and they agreed.

The Eight of Wands is the card in the above photo, between the candle I use for them (to the left) and an offering of red wine (to the right). I believe that it is clear from the imagery that this is a card of Bliss. So, I went back to speak with Na Morrigna again. Bliss? I asked. Joy? Are we echoing the recent message from Loki? They smiled — yes, but also no. It is an important message, but they wanted me to use different words: Lúcháir, and Elation. They wanted a triad from me, and so last night I spent a long time looking at triads and receiving imagery, and searching and choosing and changing my mind about words until I was satisfied — and so were they. (At least, with this one. For now. I am still early in my training and I am very aware of how much further I have to go.)

Three Pursuits of Elation:

Leaping into a new passion project;
Soaring into a new opportunity;
Falling into a new love.

Happy Lughnasadh to all, and I’ll see you here next dark moon, on or around August 27th!

Mystic South 2022: Reflections

Earlier this month, I attended Mystic South, a pagan conference, for the first time since the summer of 2019. This was my first Mystic South – and also my first pagan gathering – since the pandemic began. To paraphrase John Beckett, I really needed that. My reasons for skipping things until now should be familiar to many of you, but the last hold out was really vaccines for the littlest ones. I knew it was going to be race to see whether my kid turned 5 first or if the under-5 vaccine came out first, and in the end his birthday came first. The kid stayed with his grandparents for the weekend, but Scott and I, vaccinated and boosted, drove down from Virginia for what ended up being a very necessary immersion in community. We saw plenty of folks we knew from previous years and other events, and I finally got to meet Daniela Simina in person, which was such a delight!

Friday morning started with my solo workshop, bright and early, but despite the hour it was fairly well attended! I facilitated a discussion on navigating fallow times (those periods in our lives when, by choice or by happenstance, we lose contact with spirits and our spirituality and magical practices wane), and I think most folks left having a better idea of their next steps as they try to revitalize and reinvigorate their practices, or support their home communities. [Patreon supporters at all levels will get access to my notes as soon as I update and upload those!]

I also attended David Salisbury’s class, “Shades of the Dead: Encountering humaniod spirits through the lens of witchcraft and modern pagan mysticism”. It seemed like a good idea, as I find my practice drawn more and more into work with the Dead, to get a little bit of perspective from someone else doing parallel work. I came away with a lot of good notes and some thoughts about ways to improve and expand my own practices.

After that I attended JD Walker’s class “A Witch’s Guide to Wildcrafting”, which I liked so much I went and bought the book! One can never have enough herbalism books, after all, and this particular one is really well suited to the urban or suburban landscape, including plants like boxwood and ivy.

That afternoon, I attended Daniela Simina’s presentation, “Goddesses to Fairy Queens in Irish and Romanian Traditions”, based on her paper (which is available on Academia). This is also the topic of her upcoming book, Where Fairies Meet: Parallels between Irish and Romanian Fairy Traditions. It’s part of the Pagan Portals series, and will be available through Moon Books in May 2023. I was fortunate enough to read an advance copy, and I recommend it to anyone with an interest in living fairy faith traditions!

Next I attended Jim Dickinson’s workshop on Contacted Traditions, and learned a whole lot of very useful vocabulary and theoretical frameworks, which I’m sure I will be pondering for a while. Much of time was taken up talking about Indwelling (a merging of a human host and an Other, as a permanent and constant bond, unlike Overshadowing, which can be permanent but the presence isn’t constantly noticeable, and very unlike normal mediumship and channeling), and how a tradition with an Indwelling patron can use that contact to stay consistent and focused over longer periods of time. This really wasn’t a concept I was familiar with, especially not the historical examples shared, and it was very interesting overall. Jim’s stated reason for giving the workshop was that this is a tumultuous period, and historically that has attracted the attention of beings who would like to guide humanity’s growth, and he thinks we’re going to be seeing a lot more Contacted Traditions springing up, and hoped that this information, when shared, might give some context if people in our communities have experiences being contacted in this way.

Friday night I attended John Beckett’s ritual for Tower Time, which was a moving experience. The Storm is here, he told us; we just need to decide what we’re going to do. Attendees were asked to pick either The Hermit, The High Priestess, or the Knight of Swords (or maybe Wands? my notes are incomplete, whoops). I chose the High Priestess, which I’m sure comes as no great surprise to basically anyone who knows me! I was slightly surprised and entirely delighted to see that the card I picked (because there were printed cards for everyone) had artwork by Ashley Bryner of Firesighted! I knew she’d been working on a few tarot cards but I hadn’t known they were for this ritual!

Saturday started bright and early as well, with a workshop by Corey Hutcheson and Laine Fuller (of the New World Witchery podcast) on “Junk Drawer Magic” which was a fun little jaunt into one of my favorite kinds of folk magic – doing witchy shit with whatever you’ve got lying around. They presented a few types of example, and then had us all pair up and go through our pockets and purses. It was just as funny and educational as the podcast, and I’m glad I went!

After that I attended Beckett’s class on Pagan Monasticism, and, well, last week when registration opened, I signed up for the longer course. I recommend reading his blog post about it (and his review of the book that will be the textbook for his course), if you’re interested in the topic. The course starts August 4th.

I brought along a knitting project and sat on the floor for Craftivism: Global and Local by Debra Burris, and I really felt like I had found My People. From supporting Ukrainian knitting pattern authors, to the Shave Em to Save Em program, to the AIDS quilt, ways to support BLM and MMIW, to boycottting TERFs wherever they pop up, Debra led us through a discussion of a million ways crafts can be incorporated into activism work, and I left feeling inspired.

I attended Serendipity Wyrd’s rune ritual as the last thing Saturday before preparing for my own ritual, and I’m glad I did. It was a different cosmology than I am used to, but that didn’t really hamper my ability to get to where I needed to be – which was the Well, with the Norns. Their words were for me only, but I am really grateful to Serendipity for providing the framework for that experience. As my sacrifice for the knowledge I gained, I’ve pledged to finish my fox bone rune set – and do all the journeys to meet the spirits and co-create my own rune poems – before the last day of November.

My guild, the Potomac Oracular Seidr Guild Ondvegisulur, put on a seidr ritual on Saturday night. Three of us came, to sit as Seers, myself included. It was a pretty intense experience, but one that might require a whole other post to come. Suffice to say for now, that it was (as ever) an honor and a pleasure to serve my community in that way, and I hope people got the answers they were seeking.

Sunday morning I began with another of Jim Dickinson’s workshops, this one on Birthing Healthy Covens. I had come in with thoughts about some communities I am a part of, and left with a lot of notes that might someday be incorporated into something new. While it was coven-focused, most of the information could apply to any sort of pagan group, and there were a couple of lightbulb moments where I was almost embarrassed something fundamental hadn’t previously occurred to me. (“Do the foundational magic before you start the group”, he said, and “consider astrological timing” – what do you want your group’s birth chart to reflect?) But live and learn! I’ve been involved in groups, but I haven’t really been instrumental in getting one off the ground, and this class gave me a lot to think about, both in terms of new groups, and ways to improve existing ones.

The last workshop I made it to before I basically collapsed and we decided to head home, was by David Salisbury again, on Magical Activism. I was pleased to find out that the book this workshop was somewhat sourced from contained not just the ideas for protective/defensive workings that were the first half of the class, but also some more offensive/active style workings, like he mentioned in the second half of the class. I looked at the bookstore afterwards, but if there had been any books for sale they were already gone – so I bought one online instead!

There were so many more workshops I wish I’d been able to attend, but I between needing food, and rest, and prep time for my ritual, and having to pick just one from each block, I couldn’t make it to them all. Hopefully some of those folks will do some of those workshops again later, and I’ll be able to catch them then. I was so tired, y’all, I completely blew through all my spoons – but it was so, so, worth it.

Picture at the top is of me (right) and Daniela Simina (left).

Kemetic Bright Moon 7/13

This month when I came before my shrine, I was told to do this ritual before the other working I had planned. A message to my community, before I turn to more active heka. So I asked for an omen, and received the following:

Go, burning brightly, and do the work you are inspired to do, that has you alight with passion. You are fiery and powerful and incandescent in your rage, and this will fuel you and sustain your action. But also make time to take careful stock of your position and surroundings. Look for needs that demand prompt fulfillment, and make note of weaknesses that must be reinforced, in both yourself and your communities. Grounded planning with an eye towards longevity will be required to bring your goals into manifestation, but don’t let self-doubts and obstacles prevent you from taking action. Go.

That gives me both hope and something of a direction to help in my plans, and I hope it is helpful to some of you as well.

Also – it’s that time again, ya’ll! Wep Ronpet is coming up fast, and here are the dates I’m using for this year, based on the heliacal rising of Sirius over Washington, DC:

Epagomenal Days: Aug 4-8
Aug 4 – Birth of Wesir
Aug 5 – Birth of Heru-Wer
Aug 6 – Birth of Set
Aug 7 – Birth of Aset
Aug 8 – Birth of Nebthet

Wep Ronpet: Aug 9
Arrival of Sopdet
Feast of all the Netjeru

I’ll be doing my usual follow-along on Tumblr, with rebloggable digital votive offerings and prayers, and a tarot card omen from each Netjer on their birthday. And I’ll be doing a personal and a group execration as well, probably on the evening of the 3rd due to schedule restraints on the 8th, which is my normal timing. If you have anything you’d like me to execrate for you, please email that to me no later than the 1st!

The next full moon is Aug 11th, after Wep Ronpet. If you have any questions, or if you would like to request a personal message or heka working for April, please email the shrine here. And if you are interested in supporting the shrine, I have a tip jar set up here. Thanks! Apologies for missing last month – I unfortunately had a (blessedly very mild) case of Covid, after managing to avoid that for two full years.

Image in the thumbnail is a stock photo (provided through Squarespace) of the sky seen through the pillars of a ruin of an Ancient Egyptian temple.

Crow Folks: Arise to Battle

June 27, 2022
by Alexandra

Well. I almost made it to Lughnasadh this year, before I was called back to serve, before I was given work to do and words to share. But in the words of Irene Glasse: “Very well, war.” We are enmeshed in a cultural war here in the United States, and I think most of my readership is aware of that, but it ebbs and it flows — tides rise and they fall. But this past week, something many USians have been fearing has come to pass: the roll back of human rights for those people who happen to be able to get pregnant. This is seen as a victory by many whom I would consider enemies in this cultural war. Meanwhile, those I consider allies have begun buttressing mutual aid networks, mobilizing voters, and the like, but as witches and magic workers of all kinds, we also have an obligation to use our subtle talents, our magic, our energy weaving, to help support the values and rights we hold dear. Some of us have already begun planning joint workings on the Dark Moon tomorrow night, and it is in preparation for one such working that I went to go see Na Morrigna, both to confirm that I was hearing the call to active duty correctly (spoilers: I was), and to ask what to do and how to do it to both participate in and support the working I am preparing for. (And that’s also why this blog is coming before the Dark Moon, instead of my usual, which is to do the ritual on or slightly after the Dark Moon.) I won’t directly share information about that working, both because I’m not leading/organizing it, and because this is relatively public. I find that banework is usually best done quietly, and I also don’t think we should underestimate our opponents in this work: Evangelical Xtians are capable of a lot of what I’d call magic and witchcraft, baneful and otherwise. I imagine they’d take offence at my characterizing their work in that manner, but 1) good, be offended, and 2) I call it like I see it. I know people who’ve gotten hit by shit I could only term baneful, thrown by these types, and it’s not wimpy. (This is why protections are also very important if you’re going to engage in this kind of work, especially in a public manner.)

I’m not really going to tell you what exactly I’m planning to do, but I’ll briefly sketch you an outline of my goals, so skip this paragraph if you want to go straight to the message from Na Morrigna. Still here? Okay, so generally I’m first going to increase my general protections and wards, on myself, “my” people (family, and any practitioners I have sort of mutual protection agreements with), and also things like my car, and my spouse’s office. Then I plan to call in allies: my Deities, my Ancestors, my allies among the Fair Folk, and a few other allies whose specific help I will ask for in the working, including the spirits of several plants: Horsenettle, Dewberry, and Mint. The actual working will be done by the group jointly I believe, but I’ll follow up with a little additional work, playing to my own personal strengths, following the group working. It’s important to work from a place of empowerment, and it’s important to pick your targets carefully, but honestly there are a lot of practitioners out there who can explain the how and what of that better than I could do justice to the topic here, so go look and read and learn.

I spoke to Na Morrigna about my ideas for workings, and they helped me craft and refine my own plans, so those who have some experience in such workings may find it useful to discuss your plans with Them as well. But I also asked for a message for everyone, and this is what I received:

Crow Folks, you are feeling overwhelmed right now, exhausted, vulnerable, full of doubts and fears. But deep within you is a flame that will not be daunted; you have courage and determination enough yet to take action. Moving forward will require coordinated action, application of skills, and an unwavering focus on change. Look to your gods for strength, look to our priests for direction; our wisdom and guidance will show you the way forward. This is not going to be a fast and easy path; this is a war of many battles, over long years. Do what you can when you can; rest when you must. As voices together can hold a note longer than any one human’s lungs, so too will you be able to fight longer and more effectively together. The work will be ongoing, and you may not see the end of it, but do not despair, and do not turn away.

Arise, Crows, to battle…

Kemetic Bright Moon 5/16

Last month, I was told to rest, to heal. I’ve been struggling with my health some again, as I often do at the changing of the seasons. This month, I had grand plans for the ritual, using elements that I sometimes add but am not required to use… and as I tried to get ready, I realized I was too faint, too exhausted to manage what I had attempted to plan, so I changed my plans, the ritual but with some elements done from the Temple where I see Them when I meet Them in trance journeys… but when I got there, they embraced me, and I fell asleep instead. When I awoke, I struggled to sit up and reached out in anguish at my failing – and instead, I was told that reaching out to Them was enough. Grasping at Them was enough. Wanting and trying to connect, is enough. And that this, the story of my attempt and my failure, was the message I was to share. Many of us are struggling, right now. We may not have the bandwidth, the energy, the spoons, the spell slots (whatever metaphor you find most apt for your situation) for the workings and rituals we have planned. But – but! What we are doing, is enough. They hear us, They shelter us, They will guide us gently while we rest and heal. If we do not have the reserves to draw upon, we cannot illuminate; and that is okay. That means it is time to rest. And when we are ready for more Work to do, They will be ready for us.

The next full moon is June 14th. If you have any questions, or if you would like to request a personal message or heka working for April, please email the shrine here. And if you are interested in supporting the shrine, I have a tip jar set up here. Thanks!

Image in the thumbnail is a stock photo (provided through Squarespace) of the sky seen through the pillars of a ruin of an Ancient Egyptian temple.

Kemetic Bright Moon 3/18

Earlier this month, there was a holiday I had been planning to figure out hot to celebrate, a sort of revivalist holiday made of three separate historical holidays that I enmeshed: The Feast of the Eyes of Ra, The Festival of Chewing Onions for Bast, and the Festival of Chewing Cucumbers for Sekhmet. I ended up not getting a full formal ritual written out and shared ahead of time, but I did have a feast meal with my family – yes, including raw green onions and cucumbers in a not-very-Egyptian pasta salad, but everyone (Bast and Sekhmet included!) seemed to enjoy it. I also incorporated the dark chocolate bunny that at some point became a traditional spring offering – first at Sacred Space a number of years ago, but I think I’ll keep it as the centerpiece of the Feast for the Eyes of Ra. I’ll try to work up a more formal ritual to share with y’all ahead of time next year!

But here we are now, a few days past the full moon and the equinox (I don’t know about ya’ll but it has been BUSY in my house this past week), and I finally have a typed up omen for the Bright Moon to share:

The conflict that surrounds you is getting worse before it subsides, but you will make it through. Try not to let the violence you witness send you fleeing if it is not putting you in immediate danger. You still need to be present and engaged in your own life. Think about long-term and wide-ranging goals that you can contribute to from where you are, Movement and action will help alleviate the terror. Focusing on long term equitable structures will give you a proper direction. To begin, just GO. Your feet will find a path. Your hands will find work to do. Your eyes will find others to follow. Move with purpose.

The next full moon is April 16th. If you have any questions, or if you would like to request a personal message or heka working for April, please email the shrine here. And if you are interested in supporting the shrine, I have a tip jar set up here. Thanks!

Image in the thumbnail is of my shrine, with a gold-wrapped chocolate bunny on the offering dish in front of the statues of Bast and Sekhmet.

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