The Gathering in Prose

The first warm hug, girlish squeals of delight

The roly-poly bus rides filled with chatter

Tea and tomes of magic and history

Sleep

Window shopping for silks, chapeaus, and finer things

Charcuterie, cheese, bread and olives; picnic on the wharf

Naughty paper mache, and sips of sweet liqueur

Sleep

Packing and singing and dishes-washing, pub food and Victory Over The Claw,

Driving, arriving, unpacking, preparing

He's HERE! More and more faces appear,

Hugs and laughter and giddy delight.

Chanting for Aphrodite and her roses,

Fetch water from the lake to keep them from thirst,

Music flows out through the Lodge's open doors.

Then:

We call the First Ancestor,

Grandfather Fire,

Inviting him into our sacred space.

Offerings to the land, to the spirits, to the gods.
Bask in the glow of our Grandfather's face.

Lovely ladies, dazzling conversation,
But this is only the beginning, and I must

Sleep.

No breakfast-- boo!

Irish coffee and listening to birds

Sitting amongst the stumps and axes

Eating such tender steak off the grill

Red juice running down my arms

Lick it up wickedly.

Hold the axe for the sharp split and crack! 

Wandering and dreaming, henna by the fire.

Bows and arrows, axes flying

Thoing, whirrrrr, shhunk, thunkk

Aim true, aim steady.

Time for the rite--
I gather boughs of Cedar,
Step into hot water and steam.
Sweeping the boughs across my body,
Feeling their softness under my feet.
Cleansing body and purifying spirit,
Asking for strength and transformation.
Fingers and brushes smear ochre and woad

Lift up the Horse, lift up the Bull, 

With reverence, carry them down to the fire,

Call upon Macha

Call upon Dagda

Primal calling as of old

Feeling the power coursing through,

Desire and courage and ageless wisdom

Bodies whirling 'round the flames until

The fire swallows the sword driven into its heart.
Gasping for breath, return to the body.

Run to the lake! To the docks! Deep breath...

Plunge! Into the dark deep water,

Washing of bodies and spirits.

Night is coming

Time for a change,

Black satin and feathers,

Red lipstick

Fortunes told and treasures revealed

Mischievous spirits

Sensual dancing

See the wares spread upon blankets on wood

Gems and trinkets, skulls and bones,

Never alone, never alone.

Exhaustion, furs and delicious sleep.

Morning!
More meat on the grill.

Watch the crows circle,
Listen to the noises of Sunlight and Fern,
Of Stone and Moss and Cedar.
Bury the bones, may they return to the Earth
Giving thanks to the spirit of the swine for its flesh

Gathering with the Priestesses
Discussing the mysteries,
Preparing for the day as it waxes
Time for lunch, we gather round the fire.
Munch munch, crunch crunch.
Watching the men as they train for the spear:
Power and might, muscle in sunlight.
Take up the bow, feet are flying,
Cannot slow them, they must be free
To pound the earth, to carry me swiftly.
A few arrows later, time to prepare:
Bring out the war paints in red and gold.
Circling with the women of today and of yore,
Communing with the Great Queens, we seek their wisdom,
We find our weapons, hidden deep within
Wield them in dance, feel their power, feel our power
Looking upon faces of Queens and Sisters, Mothers and Daughters,
Send the love and grace of our conjuring
Out to the far corners of the world,
May all women find and accept their sovereignty.

Their Majesties sitting shoulder to shoulder,
Looking down toward their counterparts,
The men gathered in kinship around the sacred fire.
Chants form upon our lips,
Rise in the evening air,
Float down toward those rugged forms,
Louder and louder,
The love-cry of ages,
We rise as one and move toward them,
We are beauty and we are darkness.
We are light and we are change.
Face to face we meet them,
And rush to greet them with kisses,
Holding our kin close,
Sending sparks of love to the sky.

I am pulled away from the fire--
Time for music- guitars, drums, voices, and fiddle.
Tasting the meat of the sacred beast
Who has carried us through the eons
With whom we are bound,
We give thanks.
Return to the circle, return to the flames,
Let the strings sing to the beat of the drum
Bodies twisting and turning in firelight
Pile the wood higher, the heat rises.
Sweat and smoke perfume the air
Gasping with laughter, we dance
UHHHHhhhh...
The beating of feet and drums finally stops.
Smiling faces sparkle in the night
I hear Sasamat beckoning,
Slip away from the fire,
Traipsing down along the shore
Over the bridge, past the babbling brook
Through the sand,
Letting my garments fall one by one
Leaving a trail to return by.
Until, standing on the rough wood planks,
I gaze upon stars and lapping waves,
All is calm, all is stillness, except for the call of Sasamat
Slipping into the star-filled waters,
Down, down into the depth of universes unknown.
Kicking back up toward air, and life,
Emerge into the warmth of night,
Sit on the dock, clasp arms 'round my knees,
Tilting my head backward I gaze up to the heavens
Feeling the oneness, reveling in existence,
Finally ready, I return to the fire,
Collecting my clothing as I go.
I stand in the warmth, let the fire dry my skin.
Return to the roundhouse for woolen cloak.
I meet another with struggle in her heart
And we whisper the hours away in the darkness,
We speak of love, of fortune,
Of the twisted path we take through this our mortal life.
Hugs, and goodnight...
But the frogs are singing
I follow their voices to the edge of the marsh
And sitting, I listen.
Listening, I wait for answers,
When they come, bringing peace to my mind,
I smile as I slip into bed.

Sleep.

Groggy, I open my eyes to the light of morn,
I smell something close to heaven,
Dash for the kitchens-- please, please, my stomach growls..
I make it in time for a plate of delight:
Bacon. (Oh, and potatoes and eggs) And bacon.
Mmmm... I feed the Bear some of my share
And the Wolf and the Shaman,
I cannot see them go without.
The Bear is pleased with the snack.
He playfully tosses pillows at the Witch in her bunk.
Then all of us join,
Bedclothes fly
An array of pillows and blankets and such
Ah, the laughter! The giddy delight!
I pounce upon the fair Witch in his pile
Groaning and laughing he shoves me away,
I retreat, not wanting curses thrown my way.
So, grinning, we all greet the morning.
Our kin are scurrying to and fro,
Packing and sweeping, all will be fresh for the morrow.
We gather in the sunlight,
And chatter surrounds,
I soak up the happiness and banish my despair
At knowing the time for goodbyes is near.

And then we circle, and I gaze on the faces
New friends and old, all the kin that I share.
Thank the gods for their presence
The spirits for their gifts
The land for its bounty.
Now, it is done.
Petals floating on the waters of Sasamat,
We bid farewell to the Goddess of Love.

We give to the place our sacrifice:
The sword which succumbed to the flames,
Now twisted metal,
It can be wielded no longer
Except within every heart that beats there.
We offer it with humility and gratitude,
Then turn our thoughts toward saying farewell.
I hold each wonderful person in turn,
Binding our friendship 'till we meet again.
And as the group thins and dwindles,
I sit upon the Great Gray Stone,
Trying not to shed a tear,
Thinking instead of beauty and grace.

The eagle mounts the thermals
I send my prayers upward,
He will carry them skyward upon his wings.

Spring awakens

A birdsong chorus
Wind not yet free of winter's chill
Buds full to bursting on every limb

She met the new Spring at her fullness,
Silently called forth the young Goddess,
Nodded upon sight of her swelling womb

The All-Mother, with wise eye,
Guarding the rebirth yet again,
as has been
and is
and will be.

She met me at her fullness
Silently called me,
and my footsteps followed.
Under Her golden light,
the tender Goddess of Spring came
into my own heart
and brought her bounty.

A Blessed Yule

The shadows are crawling,
The darkness is falling,
The wind it howls and lashes,
Whipping the snow into whirling dances,
Rattling the windows and battering the door.

The ice slowly creeping,
The earth soundly sleeping,
The frost cannot help but to bite,
And so with the Sun's dying light,
We kindle the Yule log as in days of yore.

Gather we merry! to banish the dark,
Sing the old songs, rekindle the spark,
Gather we merry! now hear as we call,
A blessed good Yule, to one and to all!!!

Tackling inner obstacles, beginning anew.

It is a calm night; there are only two cats and myself hanging about the house, and I find myself once again in a state of transition. With a few weeks ahead of me before I join my husband in Minneapolis and the excitement and busyness of my summer theatre experience behind me, I have no responsibilities and no desire for them.

I have begun to prepare myself emotionally for my move to the city and for the adventures and opportunities I will find there, and part of that preparation is in searching out the barriers to my success that are lodged deep within, that I can recognize from my past as having subtly sabotaged my various attempts. This self-sabotage is not something that I scold myself for; rather it is a means by which I educate myself and hopefully overcome the obstacles I have placed in my own path. The blue moon this month was an excellent opportunity for cleansing my spirit and feeling the full potential of the bounty of life. I realized that the only true hazards and obstacles on the path to my goals are ones I create, and I mean to clear them up as best I can before my new adventures begin in earnest. Mainly, I must search out the true beginnings of my weaknesses- self-consciousness, lack of motivation, difficulty in seeing things through to the end. For all of these, I know, are rooted in deeper and more fundamental issues at the core of my being. So, taking at the very least the baby steps of recognition and acceptance, to be followed in the coming weeks with meditation and soul-searching, I undertake a goal of clearing the path before me, so that I may make my way easier for myself.

To new beginnings, then! I remember a phrase from one of my favorite films, Anne of Green Gables: "Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it." With this in mind, I hereby forgive myself of my past failings, and cast them to the wind that they will not become stones upon the road of Tomorrow or weights upon my feet as they meet this new path.
Onward, ho!

Summer is Waning

There isn't much to report here but contentment. Despite the fact that my husband is many miles away in Minneapolis, and I struggle with the occasional bout of loneliness, I feel I have been living a dream. My only responsibility is to get to the theatre at the call time, and act my heart out.  Much of my summer has been filled with a dreamy easiness; enough time on my hands to feel as though time is passing slowly and leisurely, yet at the same time busy: road tripping to national parks, spending time with family, and doing summery things like going to the lake and barbecuing with friends. There is a fire pit in the back yard for those nights when I just want to sit and gaze at the stars- many nights spent this way have ended only when the birds begin to sing at 5 o'clock in the morning!

At the last full moon, I was sitting upon the front lawn, gazing at the brilliance of the night sky, when I felt the pivotal shift, an acknowledgement that the summer is waning and, though we have many warm summer days ahead, the realization that my experience here is drawing to a close and new adventures await during the further waning year. The autumn is approaching, and the past few nights have been a testament to this, bringing a chill wind that smells of the harvest and the fading sun. The skies are changing and storms have begun to blow through more frequently- high summer has come and gone.

I realize that my postings this summer have been non-existent; I suppose that in some way I expected this-- surrounded by new people and places, I have been swept up in this new lifestyle and the inner quietness and anticipation of spring has given way to social activities and other non-spiritual pursuits. I have, however, found that my focus and inspiration is driven now by a deeper force. Always present, it moves me to bring a spiritual aspect to all my pursuits. I listen to the trees when I sit alone on the front lawn- always waiting for a hint of otherworldly visitors and messages from the Between. I feel the pull of the moon, a constant tie to the great Mother of the Earth and Sky. I am in tune with the spirit of community, and I am connecting on a foundational level with my art and passions.

The Western Gate Samhain Festival is glowing ahead on the horizon, a blazing beacon to look forward to, knowing that I will again be surrounded by my new Pagan friends from the Northwest. It will be a new challenge, and a fantastic experience; I have been invited to participate in leading the opening ceremony, as well as performing and teaching a craft workshop (quite the new venture for me, not being the most "crafty" person in the world). I am looking forward to the planning and preparations and of course the festival itself, the meeting of new people and the recharge of energy I'm sure I will walk away with after a long, emotionally-driven summer. I will post more details on this event soon- we are waiting for the website to go up- so stay tuned! Until then, check out basic info on this event here: http://witchofforestgrove.com/events/

Thus ends my status update, albeit brief. My fiddle calls me from the lawn where it is resting nearby; I follow the Muse, and hope for a moment with Awen before the night is through.
Three-fold blessings to all!

Status Update

On this full moon 4th of July, I realized that it has been WEEKS since my last blog post. But, I have an excellent excuse! I have been in the throws of rehearsing for my first professional acting gig and life as I'm used to it has been so entirely different. This means that I haven't had time for normal spiritual practices, though I did manage to perform a simple solstice ceremony with some open-minded friends. My participation in the Pagan Blog Project has had to go on hold, however I'm expecting that once my shows go up I'll have more time on my hands to blog and maintain my practice.

And now I must go build a fire, do some chanting and commune with the Goddess. Sabbat blessings threefold upon you all!

New Beginnings

I have parted with my friends,
I have said farewell to my mother and sister,
and I must away.
Soon, too soon,
the long night shall end and the day shall come upon me,
when the final errands and tasks shall be completed
and I shall journey to new valleys,
new hills and streams,
new faces.
Why does this parting jar me so?
When did I put my roots deep into the earth beneath me,
without knowledge,
without permission,
I grew them here.
I sang a sweet song to the earth, and she beckoned me--
"Come, deeper still, until you
and this earth
and this stone
and this water
and this fire,
until all this is one in you and of you"
And now I must leave her,
and find her elsewhere.
She will have a different face
a different scent
a different sound in my ears,
but it will be her, and I look forward to meeting her again.