It has been quite a while since I've posted a new article, a problem that I am happy to say has been remedied today! And despite a Mercury retrograde, I am mostly finished with tweaking the website. Just little changes here and there, a search bar, some photos, and a footer filled with handy little links to various places on the site. There will be a few more changes coming, nothing major, and probably nothing that anyone other than me will notice. So, now that I've shaken most of the dust off the website, I will also be posting articles regularily, every Full Moon, as well as blogging regularily, too. If you happen to notice anything glitchy, let me know, or if you have any suggestions for making the Articles page easier to navigate and/or user friendly, do also let me know (that page continues to stump me...)
Wishing you all a productive Full Moon, without too many surprises.
Namaste,
Althaea
It's been nearly 8 months since my last proper blog post, and as I mentioned in my last brief post, so very much has happened since then. There were some rather bumpy moments, moments when I was truly scared and not sure how things were going to work out, or if they even could. However, one of my mottoes, if that's truly the proper term, is that there is always a solution*. I also have profound faith in my Gods; I'm a good little priestess and They have yet to not help when I sincerely asked, and as a witch I couldn't allow for anything other than for things to work out.
We were lucky. Things falling into place just as they needed to, money arriving unexpectedly when so desperately needed, and through it all my husband and I managed to not entirely lose our bearings (hell, we even managed moments of optimism and joy.) Like I said, we were very lucky.
The time between this and my last post is concerning to me. But due to an unfortunate incident with a laptop the situation was rather unavoidable. Thankfully, that situation has been remedied and now with a functioning computer seated firmly beneath my fingertips, I am trying to make up for loss time. My goal, at present, is to finish up with all the techy bits by the Full Moon. So far, this means just prettying up the place and cleaning up the navigation (it also means a snazzy new search bar at the top right, which I'm thrilled about.) I'm also trying to come up with a better way to organize the Articles page as it seems clumsy to me (suggestions appreciated!) Starting at the following Dark Moon, I will resume posting regular articles, aiming for every Dark Moon; expect blog post as the inspiration comes. Many changes have happened in my life since my last post, so, in the interest of catharsis and polite gossip, I will be posting a catch-up post soon, too. Untilt then, may today's Dark Moon treat you gently. Namaste, Althaea
First off, I don't normally talk about controversial or political anything in this blog. This isn't because such things don't concern me, or that I'm not interested or following them, but rather that those topics aren't truly within the scope of this blog or this website. Besides that, there are many, many wonderful Pagan bloggers out there who cover these topics and issues, with wit, humor, and empathy; I encourage you to search out their works in regards to those topics.
However, the topic of coming together and forming a community is within the scope of this blog, as is holding to one's own truths and needs.
 Little ol' me, barefoot & with my hair in my face, of course. With dreams of our farm in my head, visions of goats, honey bees, and dirt, I wander about the small container garden we have. There are 20-some pots this year (mind you, that's counting the garden outside only, not the jungle inside, of which a tour wil have to wait till another post...) with a mix of veggies, herbs, and flowers.
A good many of the plants are perrenials, some ones that I've had for years (eight years on the longest) though many of them, this year, are brand new to the family. I'm hoping they'll last the coming Winter.
So, come along on a little tour of my and my family's garden.
Omens are building again. Little signs slowly appearing, in surprising places, just as they normally do. Apparently the Universe is in the mood for talking; I am grateful.
Things stalled for a while. I got distracted: focused too stronly on maintaining focus that I lost track on where I was going; of course, I ended up not going anywhere.
The end of Mars retrograde certainly helped. It was about that time that things started rolling again: I shook off my funk, took a look around, and noticed a large, draining hole in my life.
That recognition has mulling away in my mind now.
So it's a little trivial, but it's something I find exciting, so... after blogging for over a year now, I've finally got one of those snazzy little "friend connect" subscribe boxes in the sidebar. My site host doesn't offer such a thing and wasn't compatible for one before. But, thanks to my fabulous husband there's one just over there to the right now. :D
Decorations lay scattered across the floor, lights flicker on the tree erected where our family altar* usually stands. The theme for our altar and celebrations since buying and moving into our first house has been "let's do something different." This is not to suggest that we're not still maintaining our traditions, not still enacting the rites as passed from parents and grandparents, rather what we are doing is looking to create new traditions, new ways in which to celebrate our faith and our family.
Normally, we would have the tree in one corner of the main room, while still maintaining our family altar either in the same room or another. This year we are a bit crammed for space and over the course of years, our Yule decorations have come more and more to include symbolic representations of our faith. This year we've made the natural transition, then, to the tree being the altar.
I am not a warrior. I am not a fighter. Mind you, I can be rather feisty at times, am most certainly a tad argumentative, am more stubborn than is possibly beneficial, and may bite just for fun. But, I am not a champion, nor a knight on a white horse; I am not Princess Leia.
The Five of Swords has repeatedly come up in Tarot readings as of late. I am hoping that I am the Sword holder, because it's a long walk to the Sea and I've forgotten how to swim at this point. No indications either way, but things feel positive, hopeful, dry. But that doesn't change the fact that this section of road is more than a little bumpy, full of potholes, and most certainly harboring thieves in the bushes.
It's raining again, a heavy, clinging rain like those of Autumns always are. It's already gotten so cold here, 2 frosts last week: Mabon has arrived. The energies as of late are so... weighty. Autumn tends to be like that. A hard season of change that demands the waning Solar energies get on with it ...and get out. The Moon also wanes. Perhaps it is these two combined that makes the now so trying. Perhaps dear Jupiter, His back turned to us, is also having an effect.
My optimism, at the moment is fading. There are energies at work that drag and pull, like swimming in a dress. Break free and swim to the surface, or be dragged to the bottom to drown.
I dreamt of picking four-leaf clovers last night. They were Autumn clovers, changed and thin, drying and cracking. I found three, but then the third one disappeared and I couldn't find it again, though I looked all about.
Old demons cling hardest when you're finally to be free of them for good. Shadows of last Summer are appearing again, digging in their claws, letting their presence be known. Shake 'em loose, just shake 'em loose. The surface is just ahead, shake 'em loose and swim. The Sun is shining just beyond, and four-leaf clovers only grow in the sunshine...
|
RSS Feed
