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Category: Paganism

Kemetic Bright Moon 4/9

I did almost the full ritual this time, but with my travel shrine, in the new house, where what will become my ritual room and witchy office is still full of boxes and in disarray. (Check the Instagram for a sneak peek!) I’m just glad once again that my arrangement and oath allows for some leeway in both time and scope of the ritual. Hopefully I’ll be all set up by the next full moon! But here’s this moon’s omen from Bast and Sekhmet:

The most important thing right now is ma’at: balance, justice, correct order. You’re on the cusp of something new, but are currently in free fall, and you’ll need a plan to be able to land on your feet, twisting in the air like a cat. Many people are resisting change, refusing to engage with their own shadows and wounds, and that mindset will only make things worse. Let change flow around you like a river, let it take you where you need to be. Use this Pause to to delve deeper into yourself, and find what still needs healing. Honor what you find. Give those around you the space to do their own healing, and encouragement to begin. Be gentle with yourselves and one another. Practice generosity as much as you are able. Rest and prepare, because there will be more fighting to come.

As always, I hope that helps, and feel free to follow along on tumblr @eyesofra! I do a limited number of personal questions each time, and those can be submitted on tumblr or through the shrine email in advance of the next full moon. There’s also a kofi tip jar for those interested in donating to the upkeep of the shrine. Thanks and see you next month!

A Prayer for the Spring Equinox

With the coronavirus and the bad flu season, and our personal mundane nonsense (we’re moving across town), I don’t think we’re going to have much time to really celebrate this equinox with any of our pagan community, and I was thinking on that, and feeling the need to strengthen community ties from a distance, when this prayer sort of wrote itself as I fell asleep. So I jotted it down, and made a few minor edits, and now I’m sharing it with all of you! If you feel moved to do so, please light a candle and read this prayer aloud on the equinox or at your personal celebration. I’ll be lighting a green candle (if they’re not all packed away!), though you could use yellow, or even just white – whatever feels most appropriate to you.

Prayer for the Spring Equinox

There’s a stirring in the breeze
Spring is arriving on wing and leaf
It is time to plant our seeds
They are Hearty and Hale in their sowing
As we are Whole and Well in our growing
We emerge from our winter cocoons
And reaffirm the connections between us
Hail to the Folk around us
Hail to the Folk farther away
Hail to gods, spirits, ancestors
Hail to the Spring, today!

Kemetic Bright Moon 3/9

You may have noticed that last month is missing! Sorry to the folks who only follow here, I forgot to post something here. I did make a note on the tumblr e-shrine about having been out of the country and then feeling too ill and the incredible whirlwind of my mundane life. Long story short, I tried to do it late and kept being unable to, and when I went to apologize to Bast and Sekhmet and try to do it quickly when I didn’t really have the energy, they told me just to skip it for a month and to get well and organized, instead. So. I did that. And now we’re back on schedule!

Here’s this month’s oracular message from Bast and Sekhmet:

You may be frustrated with how some changes seem to be coming too fast, and others too slowly. Do not become upset – let all things come in their time. Never forget that we are with you. Remember who we are! Avengers, Protectors! Mistress of Unguents, Mistress of Plagues. Give offerings and ask for our intervention and aid and you shall have it! Prepare yourselves – more disruption is coming. A new dynasty is beginning to dawn.

A few notes for clarity’s sake:
1. “Unguents” are creams, lotions, salves, that sort of thing, especially when used for healing. This is an epithet of Bast.
2. “Mistress of Plagues” is an epithet of Sekhmet, and is a reference to her both as a bringer of plagues and as a goddess one could pray to if you want to be delivered from them.
3. I’m pretty sure those first two are referring to the coronavirus.
4. I’m not sure what they mean by “dynasty”. Something like “era” I think, but also with a connotation of someone new being in charge, either an individual or a group. I asked for clarification but they insisted I use the word “dynasty”. Unfortunately I think this is going to be one of those oracular things that makes a lot more sense in hindsight.

Next month’s Bright Moon Omen will be on or around 04/07/2020, so check back then! If you have a request for a personal message or heka working, please email that to the Shrine Email. And if you appreciate the work I do, please consider supporting the Shrine on Ko-Fi!

Crow Folks: A Vision of Battle

As I have from Lughnasadh til now, on the Dark Moon I went to see the three Morrigna. It was hazy and I was ill, and I was told to come back again after sunset on January 31st, Imbolc Eve. Apologies for the delay, fellow Crows, but here is what I learned.

This time the message was largely visual. I joined the Morrigna at their cauldron, they bid me to drink of it, and then took my hands in theirs, a circle around the cauldron, and thus supported I leaned forward, seeing in the waters, then with my face submerged, seeing under the waters.

I saw civil disturbance, resistance, unrest, war. All too close to avert now, but that was never the plan. Timelines are hastening, change is coming and with it, renewal. Shadow puppets of the Fomori, a comparison to today’s unjust leaders. The downfall of Unrighteous Kings. We need to ride the currents of chaos, and press forward, push the seams of our society, break the bonds that hold us back. We Crows will fly the airstreams above the battles, inciting others to join us, swooping low to turn people towards the paths that will lead us forward into a better world.  Some will be at the forefront, some further back sheltering other beneath their wings. Most will move between roles, as circumstances allow. Darting back and forth, a mob of crows, difficult to tell apart, moving as one mass, one organism.  Each squadron keeping perfect time with the others, balance in chaos, intuitive movements allowing us to find ourselves exactly where we need to be.  Individually, we have achieved certain mastery and maturity in our craft but there is always more to learn from experience. Keep going. Keep going. Keep going. Don’t cut corners; there are no quick fixes. There will be temptation to give up, to give in to despair: Do Not. We are building for a long future. Trust yourself, trust your intuition, trust your gods. These will guide you true.

With this last message, the cycle of my oath is fulfilled. Unless they ask more of me before then, I expect I will continue these messages next Lughnasadh. In the interim I am still “on call” for divinatory and healing services to those joining in this great work, and I’ll be presenting a healing ritual at the Morrigan’s Call Retreat in June.

Kemetic Bright Moon 1/10

This moon cycle, like every one this Kemetic year, I did my oracular ritual for Bast and Sekhmet, and came back with a message:

The achievements you have made in your mundane world will not be fleeting, nor are they to be overlooked. You are building for the future, and you should turn your eyes towards sustainability. Show hospitality to those near you; strengthen your community ties. These ties will support you and your deeper work, and help it to flow continuously. Do not doubt the worthiness of the work you are doing. It is enough to keep doing; there is no need to seek absolute perfection. You must overcome your own dissatisfaction and discomfort, free yourself from self-imposed limitations, and keep building.

The bit about self-imposed limitations reminded me of John Beckett’s ritual to remove “curses we place on ourselves”. We can also ask our Ancestors for help seeing and untangling the threads of this sort of accidental magic.

The next Bright Moon is 2/9/2020.

Crow Folks: Do Not Fear the Dark

The Dark Moon this month brought me once again to the cauldron of the three Morrigna, and what I saw and was told I relay to you. There’s a sense of urgency here, of difficulty on the horizon, that I’m not sure quite comes through in the words below, though that is the fault of the messenger, not the Goddesses.

Embrace the night-work, do your spellwork in the gloaming, and do not fear the dark. Keep the work you do a secret among yourselves. It will prosper better in darkness. We work to topple unjust Kings, to dismantle structures of oppression, and the wheel turns slowly, but the balance is currently in our favor. It is time to fight to redress wrongs and injustices and for you to reestablish right relationship with your gods, your not-gods, your communities, and yourselves. Transform the pain of your past, and the rage of your present, into war-tools. Let the heat of your emotions be a bladesmith’s forge. You have been called by Goddesses of War!

The next Dark Moon is January 24th. Look for the next message around then.

Kemetic Bright Moon (belated 12/12)

The Bright Moon was this past Thursday, and while I managed to take the omen and write it down on Friday, I did not manage to get back to it and publish it until now, due to a combination of spoon levels and being out of town all weekend. I did not have a spare moment long enough for me to properly get into the headspace required to take individual questions, so I will try to do those today and tomorrow. I am sorry, and in the future I will try to get things done earlier instead. With that preamble, here is the omen from Bast and Sekhmet:

You’ve felt the the seeds of new workings stirring within you, but as of yet you haven’t actually begun. Now it’s time. Begin! Act Boldly, and act not despite the shadow but with it. Know yourself deeply, and engage deeply with the teachings of your path or tradition. If you can do that, you will avoid the snares of self sabotage. Free yourself from self-imposed limitations, and rejoice in your power!

Good luck everyone! Next month’s Bright Moon Omen will be on or around 1/10/2020, so check back then! If you have a request for a personal message or heka working, please email that to the Shrine Email. And if you appreciate the work I do, please consider supporting the Shrine on Ko-Fi!

Crow Folks: Do the Work

Here is this recent Dark Moon’s message from Na Morrigna, as I was told and shown in their steaming cauldron.

Release the last of your fears, doubts, and insecurities. They do not serve you well. Let them shrivel and die in the frost. Turn inward, and take stock of yourself. You have been training, and you are ready. You do not feel ready yet, but you never will. It is time to take action. You are a fully formed blade, and half sharpened, but your edge will only be honed to razor sharpness by doing the work. Focus, and act. You know what needs to be done. We will join your workings together as a rope of ivy, enveloping all obstacles in our path, growing ever greener and ever stronger.

Short and to the point. If you need more direction for how to do the task before you, I suggest asking for a little more guidance in journey work or via divination. As before, I’m happy to offer my divinatory services free to those who feel unable to do their own, as that is one of my own tasks I’m oathed to perform. Be well, Crow Folks, and I’ll be back with another message next Dark Moon.

Kemetic Bright Moon 11/12

This month, as in most months, I have completed my oracular ritual to Bast and Sekhmet, and have returned with a message. Their message is this:

To create the changes you seek, you must be willing to build. Do not expect the changes to come all at once just because you’ve told yourself you are ready for them. You’re laying the foundations of your own pyramids. Work alongside your allies. Work slowly, to make sure each brick is in its proper place, and use the strength you’ve been gaining. Working together on disparate parts at the same time will allow you to build faster and with more stability, so that the monument lasts. Different paths are working from different places, but it is all coming into parallel function. Resolve any lingering conflicts between you so you can more easily work alongside one another. Others are watching, still learning. They’ll do their own work when they’re ready. Just keep building, and do not resist the small changes as they come. Small changes pave the way for large ones. Do not despair at the time this is taking. When your fire burns low and goes out, fan the flames. The embers will flare and catch on new fuel.

Good luck everyone! Next month’s Bright Moon Omen will be on or around 12/12, so check back then! If you have a request for a personal message or heka working, please email that to the Shrine Email. And if you appreciate the work I do, please consider supporting the Shrine on Ko-Fi!

Crow Folks: Samhain is for Battle Sorcery

This past Sunday was the Dark Moon, and as I’ve done for the past few months, the same as I did last year, I went to Na Morrigna to ask for an omen for their devotees within my networks and acquaintance. I received the following message:

Your cup is being refilled. You’ve had setbacks, and taken some well-deserved rest, but it is time to move on. You’ve been training for battle and gathering your squadrons, and it is time to Do the Work. You are prepared to engage, despite your doubts. I will lead you in sorcery and battle magic; we will press upon the field of war our own will and vision. We will fight with fierce determination. Play to your own strengths; you know your role and your shadows. Samhain Eve is the time we will work together, and our combined power will crash in a wave over the next few days. Raise and direct your magic in accordance with what I will show you.

It is somewhat unusual for me to get first-person-singular messages back, being as I usually speak with all of three of them, but in this case the speaker was Morrigan herself, leading her sisters as well as us Crow Folks in this action.

I also have two points of clarification. First, by “Samhain Eve” she means October 31st. Halloween, for those of us who celebrate that. Samhain is both November 1st and also the modern Irish entire month of November. Secondly, that last sentence means that if you’re not already aware of your role, you need to go talk to her and figure that out BEFORE Oct 31st, or at the very least early enough in the day on Oct 31st to still have time to prep and actually do the thing.

And fellow USians: working for change on a magical scale is super necessary work, but please also follow up with some mundane work and go vote in positive change on November 5th. Do your research and make sure the candidates you pick are the ones that best align with your values.

Good luck, Crow Folks! And I’ll be back with another message on or around November 26th.

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