holiday – Page 2 – Serendipities

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.

My Imbolc: musings in support of week-long celebrations, and the value of “good enough”

February 11, 2022
by Alexandra

I saw a lot of posts this year wondering which day was “really” Imbolc, using which calendar or astronomical system and while it’s important to have a good grounding in what was done historically (especially if your personal path is more inclined towards reconstructionism), I think it’s equally important to remember than in a lot of these historical contexts, Imbolc (like other festivals) was celebrated by nearly the whole community, which meant that they had a pause that we in the contemporary US just don’t have. It can be stressful to decide which day to take off work if you’re going to, and then figure out how to do all the traditions you love on that day without running out of steam (especially for those who are chronically ill), and I’m here to suggest that you just… don’t.

Don’t try to do it all on the One Approved Day. Our Christian-dominated secular society doesn’t do that for Christmas! Sure, they tend to do the presents on Christmas Day but some people open one on Christmas Eve, too. Some people have the big meal midday on Christmas Day, but a lot of people do the big evening meal on Christmas Eve, or they do regular meals on both days and have a big family gathering and potluck on the closest weekend.

So, sure, leave out your cloth to be blessed by Brigid/Brig/Bride (or even Brigantia) on the night that best suits your practice (I’ve heard both Jan 31 and Feb 1, and it seems to depend on where one is in Ireland and Scotland), but if you also want to weave rushes into Brigid’s crosses, and make a big meal, and churn butter, and bake, and cleanse and bless your home… there’s no harm in spreading it out some! Butter keeps well if you want to churn it in advance; so do a number of baked goods. Weaving the crosses is easy enough to do beforehand, but is also simple enough that you could do it any day you have the energy and time. Make the big meal on whichever day works best for you and your family!

As a spoonie witch, I often find that I just don’t have the energy to do everything on one day, and I’m sure I’m not the only one. So I plan out the things I want to do, and stretch out the celebration over the course of a week or so. With Imbolc, my birthday also gets rolled into it, and I sometimes do magic or divination about my next year as part of my Imbolc celebration, as one more kind of new beginning. I also did a bit of intentional garden work this year, as the week following Imbolc coincided with a spell of warmer weather. I tidied up a few beds and started a few tomato seeds; if that works out well, I’ll probably add that into my rotation, instead of or in addition to seed-blessing. I usually bake scones and everyone in the family helps shake a jar of cream into butter, but this year that hasn’t happened – yet. If you look at everyone else’s picture-perfect Imbolc on Instagram and feel like yours wasn’t that good, stop looking. People don’t like to talk about their failures, but then, who’s to say what is and isn’t failure when we’re talking about our own personal spiritualities? I didn’t manage to do one of the traditions I’ve been trying to establish in my household this year. But, I did make an absolutely scrumptious lamb stew with parsnips, rutabagas, leeks, and cabbage floating among the staple carrots and potatoes, and we got the lamb meat from a local farm. I think that might become a new tradition for us! It’s certainly more of a Holiday Meal than just scones.

As a Mom, I feel a lot of pressure to create meaningful traditions for my child, to pass along the stories and the joys and the values of my spiritual path, while leaving enough room for him to choose another path if he wishes. It’s important for me to remember that I don’t need to get it exactly right every time, and I don’t need to have schedule that I follow exactly the same way every single year so that he only remembers the one way. Kids (and people, generally) remember the threads of holiday tradition, and if it’s a bit fluid that allows for flexibility. My parents certainly didn’t have set-in-stone traditions for the Catholic holidays of my childhood, but I have fond memories of certain repeated traditions, even if we didn’t do them every year. When I was old enough to have input I usually asked to do my favorite activities, and in that way I really felt like I was involved. While I’m not keen to pass on the Catholicism I’ve left behind, I do want that feeling for my child, the warm fuzzy feeling of getting to color eggs (and similar activities) “like we usually do.”

I’m not aiming for an instagrammable holiday scene at the moment of sunset on The Only Correct Day. For me, that’s untenable. I don’t need that kind of stress, because in my experience that stress only serves to quash the actual feeling of celebration. And for me, that feeling is really my main goal. I’m trying to develop a rising and ebbing tide of celebratory activities centering on Feb 1-2, that my family will come to think of as “How We Usually Celebrate Imbolc”. Each individual piece adds to the whole, but missing a piece doesn’t doom the whole endeavour to failure! I’ve found I’m happier when I turn away from perfectionism to embrace “good enough”, and allow myself to feel satisfied with what I managed to do. My Imbolc was good enough — good enough to feel reconnected to my spiritual path, and good enough to feel inspired by the season. I hope yours was good enough, too!

Review of Pagan Portals Brigid

February 6, 2022
by Alexandra

A book standing on a shrine shelf, surrounded by jar candles and an offering cup. The book is a paperback volume of "Pagan Portals - Brigid" by Morgan Daimler, with an photo on the cover of a woman with red hair working in a forge. — The book, resting on my shrine to the Tuatha Dé, next to the pink candle dedicated to Brigid, which sits atop my blessed cloth.

Pagan Portals — Brigid: Meeting the Celtic Goddess of Poetry, Forge, and Healing Well

by Morgan Daimler, published in 2016 by Moon Books

ISBN: 978-1-78535-320-8

I’ve owned this book basically since it came out, but so far had only used it as a sort of reference, so with my new intention this year of reading and reviewing one book for each of the 8 holidays in the neopagan wheel of the year, I decided to start by reading this one all the way through.

I own quite a few Pagan Portals books at this point, and most of them are by Morgan Daimler — I really find value both in the format and in the general quality of Daimler’s research and writings. I have a certain fondness for Brigid, as she was the first Pagan Deity I really had contact with, before I even realized who she was. When I was a child I used to try to pray to the Saints the way my Irish-American Catholic father expected me to, and although oddly I didn’t hear much about St. Brigid until later, I often found comfort in a presence that I first thought was Mary but came to understand was someone else, without knowing who exactly she was. I came to associate her with a rose quartz necklace I owned, and when I later began to explore Paganism, though I stopped trying to reach out to who I thought was a Saint, I still used the piece of jewelry for protection and healing because it had become imbued with her power. One more fast forward to my second ever big public ritual as an adult, on Imbolc, and while lightly trancing I saw a Goddess I assumed was Brigid, and when she came over she identified herself as the same entity I’d been praying to all those years ago. It was a big shift for me, seeing those threads all come together. Brigid the Saint, Brigid the Goddess — or a trio of Goddesses? I think it depends a little on your viewpoint, but for me they all seem to come from the same well — or perhaps the same forge.

Daimler’s first chapter, “Meeting Brigid”, introduces us not only to the trio of Sister-Goddesses, daughters of the Dagda, but also to the three Brigids from the Ulster Cycle, with whom I was much less familiar. The three sisters, Brigid of the Healing Well, Brigid of the Forge, and Brigid of the Poets, are probably the best known trio to modern Pagans, and Daimler stresses the importance of these being sisters, not the Triple Goddess of Graves’s imagination in the form of maiden, mother, and crone. The other trio, however, are all related to a semi-historical figure from the Ulster cycle, Senchan, a judge and poet of Ulster during the kingship of Conchobar Mac Nessa: Brig Brigiu (Brigid the Hospitaller) is his mother, Brig Brethach (Brigid of the Judgements) is his wife, and Brig Ambue (Brigid of the Cowless) is his daughter. I found the section on Brig Brigiu especially interesting, as there are several similarities to the Fairy Queen I serve, whom I call Starflower: her realm is an independent place of healing and respite, and I may need to do more research about the term “brigiu” and the general context of these hostels! Daimler also notes that Brigid “does have an unusually broad range of abilities and expertise which at least indicates that she held a significant and prominent place historically.” The second chapter discusses a few more Brigids: other Celtic Goddesses in the UK and on the continent, and, yes, the Saint!

Daimler’s third chapter was the sort of excellent summary mixed with direct quotations and some original translations that I have come to expect in their work, and it’s really worth buying the book for this section alone, in my opinion. It provides a really good foundation for understanding the general appearances of Brigid in the lore, and combined with the bibliography in the back, is an excellent road map for getting started doing your own research! (Since this is one of Daimler’s earlier books, however, some of their own more recent translation volumes aren’t mentioned in the back of this one, and I really do encourage people to check those out, too.)

The fourth chapter provides some really good ideas for celebrating Imbolc, Brigid’s main holiday (which is basically concurrent with the Feast Day of St. Bride), and this is one of the sections I’d referenced frequently before. The first half of the fifth chapter discusses modern myths and practices, what we might call Shared Gnosis (as opposed to Unverified Personal Gnosis, or UPG). Reading it all the way through, though, I was struck by how much of Brigid’s lore really does revolve around livestock healing and protection as well, though, and I think I know who to petition the next time one of my rabbits has a health issue!* The second half of the chapter has a guided meditation script, and a personal anecdote from Morgan Daimler. I did the journey the other day for the first time, and I thought I’d share a little bit of my experience, below. Chapter six I also referenced a fair amount before: it contains a lot of useful prayers and spoken charms. Some are original, some are translated, others are reworkings of Christian prayers to the Saint.

In general I highly recommend this book to anyone who’s interested in getting to know Brigid. The series of books are meant to be short introductions to a topic, so it would also be useful to anyone interested in Irish or Celtic Paganism generally, or as part of a reference library for a Pagan group of some sort.

* This isn’t really relevant to the book review, but because I just know someone is going to ask: yes, I have two bunnies. One is small and white, one is large and orangey-brown, and the small one has periodic issues with GI stasis, likely due to dwarfism genetics.

The second journey I ever did to Brigid (as far as I can remember) was a guided meditation to a farm where I met not one Brigid, and not three Brigids, but four. The Healer at the Well, the Smith in the Forge, and the Poet in the House. This time, on this meditation, I met seven.

Upon entering the farmhouse this time, I found myself in the presence of a woman who seemed younger than myself, standing and sway-bopping slightly as she nursed an infant. Brigid Ambue, she said to call her, Brigid the Cowless, and explained that the child was an orphan, and that no one in the world had less than an orphan less than a moon cycle old. She sent me into the kitchen, where I met a woman old enough to be my grandmother. The older woman was standing by a stove that was a bit old fashioned but still clearly a modern gas range, stirring a pot of porridge. Brigid Brethach, she called herself: Brigid the Judge. We spoke for a while, and then a woman almost as old as my mother entered, and introduced herself as Brigid Brigiu, Brigid the Hospitaller. She then took me out the back door, and we went around to visit the three I had expected. Brigid the Healer was at the well, and looked much the same as I remembered. So did Brigid the Smith, at the forge. Instead of in the house, this time Brigid the Poet was in a small shack, like a shepherd’s hut, past a field and towards the treeline, and she emerged to greet us as we came near. Satisfied, Brigid the Hospitaller then left me, and I began to make my own way back towards the house. On my way I met the one I first called Brigid the Tiny, who later revealed to me that she was the Saint, much younger than the others here and therefore in the guise of a girl of about nine. As in that earlier journey, she had me do a few farm chores before I left, and then saw me out the gate in the fence she closed behind me as I went. With each meeting I had given the Brigid a small vial of something pertaining to her craft, except the little Saint – she wished for nothing but a bit of companionship and help with her chores.

Kemetic Holiday: The Eyes Return

I performed the first part of this holiday just before the Solstice, and if you didn’t see the other post you may want to look at it now. This is the second part of the holiday, which was timed to the new crescent after the solstice (which would have been January 3rd or so, but once again weather and health and life things I couldn’t avoid it reschedule have pushed this blog back a little: my apologies.

As I said before, this two-part holiday references a myth where the Eye of Ra (often Sekhmet, but potentially any of the Goddesses known as Eyes), in feline or leonine form, leaves Him to go wander in the desert, and eventually Ra sends another Deity (often Djehuty) to persuade Her to return to Him, and She is then joyfully welcomed back. Although there is some debate amongst scholars, in my personal practice this cycle is linked to the winter solstice, and it includes both Bast and Sekhmet leaving at the same time.

Image description: The welcoming back feast at my shrine! Read more below.

In the image of the shrine above, there is cool filtered water in Their red cup which I will drink after I post this, a lit red votive candle and the two still foil-wrapped chocolates on Their red platter (which I will offered when they left), plus one additional chocolate for the return, the two statues on Their red and black box, the unlit oil lamp (since I’ll be using the votive tonight and the feast nights after they get back), the red origami boat, and assorted other shrine decorations. For those who are unaware, it is common practice in modern Kemetic Polytheism to “revert”, or consume (usually food and drink) after it has been offered to the Netjeru, in order to receive Their blessings!

Exultation for the Return of The Eye Goddesses

The sun is dawning over the horizon.

And the longest night has already passed.

I look to the horizon for the return of the Eye Goddesses

And as the sun blazes, they are visible!

The Eye Goddess are visible on the horizon!

They have returned from the desert!

They have been led back to their shrines.

I throw flowers at the feet of the returning Eye Goddesses,

I present bread to the thrones of the seated Eye Goddesses,

I pour wine in the cups of the Eye Goddesses,

I give them the best parts of my meal.

I weep with joy, for I am no longer bereft!

I weep with joy, for they have returned to me!

The shrine is no longer empty: it is filled with delights.

The shrine is no longer empty: my Goddesses have returned!

I am reunited with my Goddesses, and my heart overflows with joy!

The above is an original prayer I wrote in 2020, to use for this holiday cycle of The Eye Wanders/She Is Led Back. Since my shrine is to two Eyes, it’s plural. Feel free to use this in your own rituals and celebrations (with proper attribution), and use the singular if that makes more sense for you. Please do not use this for any commercial purpose, however. And if you appreciate my work, consider supporting the shrine with a donation.

Kemetic Holiday: The Eyes Wander

I was originally supposed to begin this holiday on the first quarter moon, December 12th, but life obstacles and my health made that untenable, and so here I am, beginning the holiday just barely before the solstice instead, with a send-off feast, and the Lamentation prayer. This two-part holiday references a myth where the Eye of Ra (often Sekhmet, but potentially any of the Goddesses known as Eyes), in feline or leonine form, leaves Him to go wander in the desert, and eventually Ra sends another Deity (often Djehuty) to persuade Her to return to Him, and She is then joyfully welcomed back. Although there is some debate amongst scholars, in my personal practice this cycle is linked to the winter solstice, and it includes both Bast and Sekhmet leaving at the same time.

Image description: The send-off feast at my shrine! Read more below.

In the image of the shrine above, there is eggnog in Their red cup which I will drink after I post this, a lit red votive candle and two still-wrapped chocolates on Their red platter (which I will eat after They come back), the two statues on Their red and black box, the unlit oil lamp (since I’ll be using the votive tonight and the feast nights after they get back), the red origami boat, and assorted other shrine decorations. For those who are unaware, it is common practice in modern Kemetic Polytheism to “revert”, or consume (usually food and drink) after it has been offered to the Netjeru, in order to receive Their blessings!

Image description: The same shrine, now with a white cloth covering the statues, the cup removed, and the votive candle doused.

Lamentation for the Wandering of The Eye Goddesses

The sun has set below the horizon,

And the night will be long.

The Eye Goddesses, too, are beyond the horizon;

They have left for the desert.

Where in the desert they wander,

I do not know.

Where in the desert they wander,

None can tell me.

I weep and weep at the shrine,

For the shrine is empty.

I weep at the shrine,

Because I am bereft.

When will the Eye Goddesses return

From the desert?

When will my Goddesses

Come over the horizon?

Who will go and find them?

Who will persuade them to return?

While they are gone, I weep,

For the shrine sits empty.

While they are gone, I weep,

For I am bereft.

An Omen for the Bright Moon Eclipse

This month I waited until after the eclipse energy had waned to do my usual Bright Moon ritual, and I wondered if I might be allowed to skip this one because of the strange occurrence… but the answer was a resounding NO! (Oops, sorry I asked!) So here is this moon’s message from Bast and Sekhmet.

You have come through a recent trial, and like the moon in eclipse, your power seemed uncertain. But you, like the moon, prevailed, and victory is both nearer and surer than you think. We are coming soon to the time of the waning light, the longest night, and even then the mighty power of the sun cannot be ignored. Honor us as we go, and praise us as we return, we Wandering Eye Goddesses.

Those who were following along last year will remember that I was given instructions about how to celebrate The Eye Wanders/She Is Led Back festivals, and I was given timing that corresponded to the full moons closest to the solstice on either side. I asked last year what to do if the solstice was very close to the full moon, and I got told to worry about that when it happened. Well, this year the longest night is December 20-21, and the full moon is just before midnight on the 18th, which is then pretty much within the usual allowance I’m given for schedule difficulties. So this year I’ve been given a new timeline: the Leave-taking is to begin on the first quarter moon (December 10th), lasting the usual 3 days, with the last day (December 12) being the day they “disappear” from my altar. And then the return is to happen beginning on the morning after the longest night (so, starting the morning of December 21st), and lasting for the usual 5 days.

I’ll post my prayers and more information about that shortly before it begins, so check back!

The next full moon ritual, on account of the holiday outlined above, will be January 17th. If you have any questions, or if you would like to request a personal message or heka for January, please email the shrine here. And if you are interested in supporting the shrine, I have a tip jar set up here. Thanks!

Image for this post is of my home shrine, featuring two 6-inch statues of Bast and Sekhmet in gold and bronze patina painted over modeling clay. They stand on a box painted red and black with red origami flowers at their feet, surrounded by other implements: offering dishes, a burning candle, unlit pillar candles, ritual jewelry, an incense burner, an unlit oil lamp, and a small found-object sistrum.

Wep Ronpet: the Kemetic New Year

I usually do a follow-along cycle on the tumblr e-shrine, but I thought this year I might aggregate all my prayers and images into one large recap post. I meant to do it earlier this month, but it kind of got away from me, and then I was at a funeral last weekend, so I skipped this past Bright Moon, and I’m finally posting this, instead.

Birth of Wesir

(Osiris)

Blessing from Wesir

Birth of Heru-Wer

(Horus the Elder)

Blessing from Heru-Wer

Birth of Set

Blessing from Set

Birth of Aset

(Isis)

Blessing from Aset

Birth of Nebthet

(Nephthys)

Blessing from Nebthet

Rising of Sopdet

(The Star Sirius)

Omen for the New Year

For each of the five Epagomenal Days, the intercalary period of the Ancient Egyptian calendar, I queued an image that served as a votive offering, and captioned it with an original prayer. I have also written an original prayer to Sopdet, a prayer for a Wep Ronpet execration rite, and a prayer to all the Netjeru for the Wep Ronpet celebration.

The morning prayers all follow the same format, and I’ve copied them below. I’ve also added this year’s blessing omens, which were drawn from the tarot cards included in the slideshow to the left.

Feel free to use these prayers in your own practice, or use them for inspiration to write your own. Please refrain from using them commercially, however, and contact me to ask before using them in a group ritual. I’ll probably give permission if you’re willing to credit me!

Morning Prayer to Wesir (Osiris):

DUA WESIR!
First born of Nut and Geb, we celebrate your birth today.
We give you offerings of bread, beer, cool water, sweet scented oils, and praise!
Eldest-Born, we salute you!
Brilliant One, we rejoice in you!
Lord of Eternity, we honor you!
You Whose Places are Mysterious, we extol you!
Wesir, Bless us.

Blessing from Wesir:

He offers guidance in the ways of emotional balance and maturity, and he offers his superlative assistance, that our harvests may be abundant.

Morning Prayer to Heru-Wer (Horus the Elder):

DUA HERU-WER!
Second born of Nut and Geb, we celebrate your birth today.
We give you offerings of bread, beer, cool water, sweet scented oils, and praise!
Great One of Speckled Plumage, we salute you!
Wings of Protection, we rejoice in you!
Lord of Terror, we honor you!
Mighty Falcon, we extol you!
Heru-Wer, Bless us.

Blessing from Heru-Wer:

He offers his help in all our struggles, that we may find respite from them.

Morning Prayer to Set:

DUA SET!
Third born of Nut and Geb, we celebrate your birth today.
We give you offerings of bread, beer, cool water, sweet scented oils, and praise!
Overthrower of A/p/e/p, we salute you!
Red Haired One, we rejoice in you!
Lord of the Storm, we honor you!
You Who Are in the Heart of the Northern Sky, we extol you!
Set, Bless us.

Blessing from Set:

He blesses us with the ability to turn chaos and competition into a powerful force for positive change.

Morning Prayer to Aset (Isis):

DUA ASET!
Fourth born of Nut and Geb, we celebrate your birth today.
We give you offerings of bread, beer, cool water, sweet scented oils, and praise!
Giver of Life, we salute you!
Great Lady of Magic, we rejoice in you!
Mistress of the Stars, we honor you!
Fiercely Bright One, we extol you!
Aset, Bless us.

Blessing from Aset:

She offers a portion of divine inspiration, and her guidance along the path of wisdom and magic, for those who seek understanding of the sacred mysteries.

Morning Prayer to Nebthet (Nephthys):

DUA NEBTHET!
Fifth born of Nut and Geb, we celebrate your birth today.
We give you offerings of bread, beer, cool water, sweet scented oils, and praise!
Lady of Dawn and Dusk, we salute you!
Mistress of Renewal, we rejoice in you!
Averter of Evil, we honor you!
Friend of the Dead, we extol you!
Nebthet, Bless us.

Blessing from Nebthet:

She offers advice encouraging us to be strategic in how we engage with our obstacles, and she offers to help make luck be on our side.

Execration Inscription:

(to be inscribed on something red along with a drawing of A/p/e/p and ritually destroyed)
Obstructing, Obnoxious, Objectionable, Obfuscating, Obscuring, Obscene, Obtrusive, Obligating, Obstinate OBSTACLES!

Prayer for the Heliacal Rising of Sopdet (The Star Sirius):

DUA SOPDET!
Today you rise before the sun, ushering in the new year!
We give you offerings of bread, beer, cool water, sweet scented oils, and praise!
Harbinger of the Nile Flood, we salute you!
Bringer of the New Year, we rejoice in you!

Wep Ronpet Prayer to All the Netjeru:

Great Ones, we salute you!
Bright Shining Ones, we rejoice in you!
Mightiest Ones, we honor you!
Most Powerful Ones, we extol you!

Lords and Ladies of the Heavens,
Netjeru of all Places and Delights,
Today is your feast day,
Today we give you praise,
for a new year is dawning!

You who protect us from isfet,
You who perpetuate ma’at,
We offer you the best of our feast,
And we revel in your names!
As we share our gifts,
We ask you to gift us your blessings!

Omen for the New Year:

Things may seem obscured and uncertain now, but they are coming to a resolution faster than it appears. All cycles end; all things change in their time. Turn your attention to new opportunities. The natural order of ma’at will return.

Bealtaine with the Local Fair Folk

As frequent readers of this blog might guess, my upcoming Bealtaine* plans will revolve around the Fair Folk. While most folklore tells us to ward and protect against Them on festival days, here in faery-witchcraft-land, it’s a holiday to celebrate connections with Them, instead. I plan to do a simple solitary ritual on Oíche Bealtaine (May-Eve), and give offerings to a Local Fairy Queen who is an ally of mine. I call her the Rosegay Queen, since she seems to be associated with wild roses. I’ll also be paying my respects to the royal couple she has claimed descent from, Úna and Fionnbharr. To that end, I have some mead, and I’m thinking about making some of the Fairy Cakes Morgan Daimler learned to make in a dream. Perhaps I’ll top them with hawthorn jelly (it is SO GOOD), and maybe I’ll get some rose flavored tea or floral lemonade.

I was hoping to buy a young hawthorn tree this spring, but was warned not to because of the 17 year cicadas, which are due any day now. (Apparently they can stress and kill young shrubs!) So my May Bush this year is probably the rhododendron out front again – but I suppose that’s in keeping with the rose theme, as another name for those is the rosebay!

I’m still planning the menu for the family dinner, which usually is the bulk of the household observation of holidays. I tend to stick to dishes with ingredients that are in season locally. I have in the past made a strawberry-filled salad, but I think the strawberries are going to be a little later this year. The wild violets are coming up, though, and those are edible! I may do a side salad with violets and a quiche with local eggs, goat cheese, and fresh herbs. My herbs are all regreening in the bed out front, and I should have plenty. Maybe I’ll use some of the baby green onions, too – those will need thinning soon!

After dinner we’ll probably have a fire in the pit outside, and do a short round of offerings and prayer, like my household does for most holidays. My kiddo really likes to watch the fires, and even though he’s not really clear on what’s going on yet, he’s keen to be involved! As he gets older, he’ll understand more and can decide how much he wants to participate but for the moment he likes to toss things in the fire whenever he’s allowed to!

I haven’t decided yet if I’ll do my solo ritual after the rest of them go to bed, or earlier, at sunset, but I’m leaning towards earlier rather than later. None of the rest of the people in my household really interact with the Fair Folk much. Not on purpose, anyway, though sometimes They follow me home or come in to deliver a message, or some such. I try to keep “office hours” as best I can, but serving a Fairy Queen is a full-time job! Still, there are some perks, and with any luck I’ll be dreaming of celebrations in the Otherworlds on Oíche Bealtaine, as I have sometimes in the past. (And returning home in the morning, Gods willing!)

* Yes, I know this isn’t how a lot of people spell it, but I think it’s important to use the Irish spelling when I’m going to be honoring Irish Fairy Monarchs, and this is the modern Irish spelling. Living culture and all that. See Also: Úna and Fionnbharr, both of which have other Old Irish spellings.

Wep Ronpet 2020 Recap

I am backdating this so that it’s easier to find, since I’m writing this about a month late, sorry. Those who followed along on tumblr already saw all this, but I had meant to share it here, too.

August 4: First Epagomenal Day, Birth of Wesir (Osiris)

DUA WESIR!
First born of Nut and Geb, we celebrate your birth today.
We give you offerings of bread, beer, cool water, sweet scented oils, and praise!
Eldest-Born, we salute you!
Brilliant One, we rejoice in you!
Lord of Eternity, we honor you!
You Whose Places are Mysterious, we extol you!
Wesir, Bless us.
my original prayer

His omen for us this year was The Ace of Pentacles: Revel in the glory of the Sun. Success is near. If you have been wanting to get your material life in order, now is a good time to start.

August 5: Second Epagomenal Day, Birth of Heru-Wer (Horus the Elder)

DUA HERU-WER!
Second born of Nut and Geb, we celebrate your birth today.
We give you offerings of bread, beer, cool water, sweet scented oils, and praise!
Great One of Speckled Plumage, we salute you!
Wings of Protection, we rejoice in you!
Lord of Terror, we honor you!
Mighty Falcon, we extol you!
Heru-Wer, Bless us.
my original prayer

His omen for us this year was the Seven of Pentacles: The Royal Diadem. This is a reminder that we will reap the rewards of our hard work.

August 6th: Third Epagomenal Day, Birth of Set

DUA SET!
Third born of Nut and Geb, we celebrate your birth today.
We give you offerings of bread, beer, cool water, sweet scented oils, and praise!
Overthrower of ~~Apep~~, we salute you!
Red Haired One, we rejoice in you!
Lord of the Storm, we honor you!
You Who Are in the Heart of the Northern Sky, we extol you!
Set, Bless us.
my original prayer

His omen for us this year was Temperance: He counsels moderation, patience, adaptability. If you pay attention, you will know when to take the initiative. Be canny and you will withstand the deluge.

August 7th: Fourth Epagomenal Day, Birth of Aset (Isis)

DUA ASET!
Fourth born of Nut and Geb, we celebrate your birth today.
We give you offerings of bread, beer, cool water, sweet scented oils, and praise!
Giver of Life, we salute you!
Great Lady of Magic, we rejoice in you!
Mistress of the Stars, we honor you!
Fiercely Bright One, we extol you!
Aset, Bless us.
my original prayer

Her omen for us this year was The Lovers: She echoes her brother-husband’s message, and also adds, if you have been debating between following your passions and being more cautious, remember that the stagnation of indecision will be more of a setback than making the wrong choice.

August 8th: Fifth Epagomenal Day, Birth of Nebthet (Nephthys)

DUA NEBTHET!
Fifth born of Nut and Geb, we celebrate your birth today.
We give you offerings of bread, beer, cool water, sweet scented oils, and praise!
Lady of Dawn and Dusk, we salute you!
Mistress of Renewal, we rejoice in you!
Averter of Evil, we honor you!
Friend of the Dead, we extol you!
Nebthet, Bless us.
my original prayer

Her omen for us this year was the Six of Swords: we’re all in a transitional period right now, but the fact that the entire world is traveling it does not mean you should ignore the effects of it on your own life. Take the time to do needed introspection, and grieve your losses.

August 9th: Wep Ronpet, the New Year, and the Arrival of Sopdet (the star Sirius)

DUA SOPDET!
Today you rise before the sun, ushering in the new year!
We give you offerings of bread, beer, cool water, sweet scented oils, and praise!
Harbinger of the Nile Flood, we salute you!
Bringer of the New Year, we rejoice in you!
my original prayer

This year’s Omen from all the Netjeru:

The Ace of Swords, and The Page of Wands: As this new Kemetic year dawns, we are entering a period of intellectual or philosophical struggle, and should sharpen our wit and prepare to engage in battle. It is a battle of words and ideas, of how messages are delivered and news is presented. You may find inspiration to write or speak your own words – seek to advance clarity, truth, and ma’at in your communication.

Happy Wep Ronpet Everyone!!!

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!

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