Bye for now.

I'm taking a break from the blog for a while. I'm not feeling it lately. I need to take a break, recharge my batteries, break some new ground in my life. Best wishes to everyone. Blessed be.

Ouch. My face.

Llewellyn Tarot 

This is how I feel today. Yesterday somehow I managed to hurt my shoulder while taking a bath. When I got in the bath, my shoulder didn't hurt, when I got out, it hurt like heck. Don't ask me. I didn't do any odd reaching or twisting, I didn't get out of the tub funny, it just hurts. Right across the top, the collarbone and trapezius area. I've taken ibuprofen and will be careful today. This is all getting a little tiresome.

Last month, I spent a fortune on some new workout DVDs, and then more money when they got nabbed by customs and I had to pay £20 extra just to get them from the Post Office. I've done two of them, once each. Last one was first week of November.

I was looking at myself in my bathrobe yesterday. The belt on my bathrobe keeps getting shorter, you know what I mean? Gosh, I've gotten fat again. Fat and mushy and my back and shoulders hurt. How bad does it have to get before I take some action? And the real question, am I going to wait until it's too late before I do something? The day will come when I won't be physically able to do the things that I am refusing to do today. The day will come when I wish I could do what I refuse to do now. And that day is not going to announce its arrival, it's not going to mark the diary for me. Once it comes, that's it. I should do a little something today. It doesn't have to be a lot. Just something.

Maybe some yoga. Super gentle and intelligent yoga.

Wait a minute. CBT kicking in. 'I should do something today.' Remove the should. Change should statements to 'desire to'.

I desire to do a little yoga today. I desire to do some yoga today. I desire to. :)

Tarot of the Hidden Realm Six of Wands

Tarot of the Hidden Realm by Barbara Moore (art by Julia Jeffrey)

I actually forgot I owned this deck.

I joined a Facebook group about the fae and started thinking about faerie decks and saw images of this one and thought...I thought I bought that. Did I buy that? I think I remember taking it out of my shopping cart. But I got up and checked and there it was. Not with my other decks, but tucked elsewhere (because where I store most of my decks was full).

Shuffling the deck this morning, this card fell out, the Six of Wands. Like most cards in this deck, this one has a backstory that you're unlikely to come up with without reading the book. Apparently this lass has come out to the woods in the dark of the moon and stands there until a 'spark of starlight' enters her heart, then she dances and a bunch of fireflies fly out from her fingers. Yeah, I'd have come up with that. The divinatory meaning given reads, 'If you put yourself firmly in the situation, quiet your mind and still your heart, then you will find what you need.' This is different from the usual 6 of Wands, which shows the struggle over, the fight won, and the victor returning in glory. Not a wand in sight in this card. But at least you get boobies.

I can see why this deck got tucked away in a separate place. I think I'd really have to be in the mood to read this one. There are too many people in it, depicted in close-up, in poses that are a bit too ambiguous to be of much help. Style over substance, and Froud did it better.

I went ahead and drew another card, and got Ace of Wands. This card shows a close up of a fox. While the book describes how a fox can hold as still as possible (which seems to echo Six of Wands), the divinatory meaning says, 'an opportunity, one that will require swift action.' So...not much holding still, then. I guess it's about being vigilant for the moment when you should strike.

But you know, I don't like decks that make you do a lot of twisting of what's there to make it fit. It feels like the person writing the book had to try too hard to get the images to mean something. Sometimes writers are commissioned to do this. Sometimes they work in collaboration with artists. I generally suspect when interpretations puzzle me by not being wholly reflected in the image, that the writer was given finished images and told to make something of them. And I get that feeling with every card in this deck.

Oh well, off to work!

The Emperor's a ....

Intuitive Tarot by Cilla Conway

What's the deal with Aleister Crowley and cocks. It's like you can't have one without the other.

Here we have the Emperor from Cilla Conway's Intuitive Tarot, which is rather heavily influenced by Crowley's Thoth Tarot. There are a lot of phallic symbols in the deck, but only one actual penis, and mercifully only one knob with feet and wings and tiny little bollocks. And a tail.

Some people do think the Emperor is kind of a dick, though.

So here we have him, a griffin with a penis head walking on the sun, and a man holding a sceptre topped by a globe having the continent of Africa facing us. Could this be because civilization started there? The Emperor does represent all the civilizing, organizing aspects of the human animal. You can see this in the tiny images surrounding him. Starting in the upper left corner: skyscrapers, a tank, a mushroom cloud, musical staff, a lightbulb, an astronaut in space, the space shuttle, scientists at a computer, and a line of human figures fitted together spoon fashion. Are they queuing in a soup line? Marching into a factory? Packed onto a slave ship? Waiting to vote? Heading into the gas chamber? Going in to see a film? Sitting in a music hall? Waiting to get their pay packet? All of those would fit!

The Emperor represents our capacity to manipulate and control our environment, to wring what we want out of each other and the earth. Some of this has resulted in good, some in bad. For better or worse, this is the way we are. We don't blend in as one with our environment. We practically never have. We manipulate it, change it, turn it into something else. The Emperor contains all of that within his remit.

So what the sam hill could this mean as my daily draw today? Perhaps a bit of Emperor style bureaucracy and hierarchical BS will rear its head today. And we can see plainly what its head is made of.

Great.

Save your arrows

Wildwood Tarot 

I hardly ever use the Wildwood Tarot. It is not a favourite, and one reason is the suit of Arrows and the suit of Bows. I find it really hard to keep them straight. As the Arrows suit is associated with Air and Bows with Fire, I try to treat them as Swords and Wands respectively, but to be honest that doesn't work terribly well. And when a deck departs too much from tradition, I find myself reaching for it less and less. That's why, despite my affection for them, I don't often use decks like this one's predecessor, the Greenwood, or Rachel Pollack's Shining Tribe.

Anyway, here a red-eyed goat, apparently framed by the corona of the sun, leaps down a hill to escape the hapless hunter, who fires away at him and misses every time. The key word given is Frustration.

In the traditional Five of Swords, we see the aftermath of the battle, as the victors congratulate themselves and the losers skulk away. The victor here appears to be the goat; the defeated hunter here isn't giving up, but we can see he's unlikely to strike his prey.

I suppose he has been stalking this goat for a while, so it must be frustrating to have it unexpectedly spring in the wrong direction (straight down the hill at him!), and in his panic and surprise, the hunter just starts shooting.

The question is, what have we been stalking lately? And what will we do if suddenly our goal springs the wrong way? Things go in unplanned, unexpected directions? How will we express our frustration? Should we express it? Or should we just accept it? The hunter here has shot all his arrows, now he either has to go find them or go off and make more. Maybe if he'd crouched down and let the goat spring past, he could have continued the hunt.

The lesson I'm seeing here is not to be too reactive when things go awry. It doesn't help. It might feel right or good in the moment, but the aftermath will probably be more than it was worth.

Lord and Lady in Druidcraft

"There is a value in discipline and routine to maintain the connection between your spiritual and your worldly life." - Druidcraft LWB

I've always liked the High Priest in the Druidcraft Tarot. I like that he makes the sign of the Horned God, and that there is a chalice and athame by his side, representing how the male and female are balanced in pagan spirituality. His throne is topped by horns, and overhead is the sun, as he is associated with the sun (and goddess energy with the moon). I know in this deck the Emperor is called The Lord and the Empress is called The Lady, but this guy seems more 'Lord' like to me. And as this stage of my life, I'm less attracted to depictions of youthful pregnant females as Goddess, I prefer the Strength card to represent Goddess, in this deck. Strength and High Priest are like Lady and Lord for me, in this deck.

Having said all that, today is the full moon, this first full moon since Samhain, and it is in Gemini. It is a time for words, and a time for seeing dualities. Let that inform any workings that take place in your practice tonight. :)

Blessed be!

The Guardians - Elder, Birch and Hawthorn

I've been looking at three of the decks in my collection: Druid Plant Oracle, Green Man Tree Oracle, and Celtic Oracle. I noticed that three trees are grouped together in Druid Plant Oracle and called 'The Guardians', so I thought I'd see if they were in the other decks and then find out why they are called 'guardians'.  They are Elder, Birch and Hawthorn. 

According to Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm in the Druid Plant Oracle companion book, the Guardians act as 'preservers of our health, possibly even prolonging our lives, by strengthening the immune system and the key organs of the circulatory system, heart, liver and kidneys.' They go on to explain that the Elder is like the Mother, Hawthorn the Father, and Birch the child. This is because the Elder has the contradictory nature of the goddess, who can both create and destroy (its flowers and berries are fortifying, but its leaves and bark are poisonous). This does call to mind some of the more powerful Empress images in tarot, which show a female force that can give birth but also does not scruple to destroy (such as the rather fierce Empress in Anna K Tarot, who nurses a baby but has a rather malevolent bearing). Hawthorn is the Father because the tree is associated with sexuality and the circulatory system (a good circulatory system being key to male performance!). The Birch is associated with beginnings, birth and cleansing, so makes an appropriate symbol for a child. The sap can make wine and also a detoxing tonic. 

In John Matthews' Green Man Tree Oracle, the association of the Elder tree and witchcraft is made. Lots of folk stories have witches turning themselves into Elder trees, and in the Scandinavian countries in particular, there is a folk tradition of honouring a figure called 'The Elder Woman'. The Elder is also seen as a protection against dark magic. Associated with the benefits of the Elder tree, though, is that some sort of sacrifice will be made on your part as part of the deal. And so the Elder can be interpreted as some sort of sacrifice or trade off. 

The Birch, John Matthews points out in Green Man Tree Oracle, is knows as the Lady of the Woods. It does have a feminine, elegant look. It is one of the first trees to blossom in the spring, and its light colour links it to the moon, sun and stars. Birches were traditionally used to make switches for punishing children, and also for making cradles -- and broom handles, as in the witch's broom, which lends them flight. 

The Hawthorn is linked to May Day, Matthews says, and Beltane is closely associated with fertility and rites of love and marriage. 

May the Guardians protect me as I move through this week. :) 

Ramblings on books

This is a good card for today! I am using my new Mac Mini and it's all certainly a mystery to me. There have been a few surprises. First, it's not lightning fast -- though to be fair I bought the lowest spec machine. Second, even though it was meant to be plug and play, I have had to buy a new monitor and a cable to get the thing to work, so that's an extra £140 I wasn't expecting to spend. I also thought all those Windows updates would be a thing of the past, and I guess they are -- but since turning it on last night, I've had two rather lengthy 'update' sessions for software on this computer, so it seems like six of one and half a dozen of the other! And finally, I have no idea about firewalls or anti-virus protection and if I need to install something. I assume I do, but I forgot to ask about it in the shop and the guys there never mentioned it. They did say I have two weeks to decide to take it back, so there is the grace period. But maybe in two weeks I will be used to it all.

Now, what have we here on this card? We've got a hare and the full moon. The hare I presume is meant to be leaping over a stream, though it looks more to me like a white fur carpet runner. He's in a grove of oak trees in the fall. An owl watches the scene, and in the corner, some of those fairy mushrooms with red caps and white dots on them so beloved of children's drawings. The keyword is 'Timing'.

"When Moon appears, it indicates that timing is important to consider," says the companion book. "Everything has its moment of greatest potency and expression. What has been hidden from you will soon be revealed, as you let things flow without obstruction...You carry hidden treasures and potentials, which can be effectively explored at the moment. Plant seeds for a bright future and plan ahead."

Well, let's take stock. I'm still waiting for my pack from OBOD. I know they've received payment because my bank statement reflects it. I do hope it comes soon. I've also been reading Witchcraft for Tomorrow by Doreen Valiente and A Witches' Bible by Janet and Stewart Farrar. I'm doing a lot of exploring of old school thought lately. It's like a stock take. The last time I did was in 2010. It's really interesting to look back on the notes I took then and compare to where I am now. Some things I embraced or rejected outright back then are quite opposite now. I guess that is to be expected.

Something I'm finding really interesting in A Witches' Bible is the chapter called 'The Rest of the Book of Shadows', which gives the non-ritual passages of Gardner's Book of Shadows, along with commentary on it from Doreen Valiente and Janet and Stewart Farrar. It presents you with the chance to examine Gardner's notes and practice, read the thoughts of some of the most influential people in the modern pagan witchcraft movement, and formulate your own responses. It's a lot more useful than some fluffy 'witchcraft 101' book that just gives you a bunch of rigamarole like 'burn a pink candle to attract new love'.

Speaking of moon, it's a full moon on Wednesday, the first full moon after Samhain. It seems like an auspicious time for rededication.

Stability is the word of the day

A sense of emotional coolness or detachment at the personal level, combined with an emphasis on idealism: such is the nature of the cycle you are now entering. It's ideas that count for you now, more than narrowly personal concerns - and you may have little tolerance for people who do not operate at this level. The new, the unusual, the avant garde - these are the things that instinctively appeal to you. (http://www.cafeastrology.com/whenthemoonisin.html)

The Moon is in Aquarius today, a time when we feel a bit detached and want to intellectualise everything -- and don't suffer fools gladly. (Not unlike most days for me, then!)

Druidcraft Tarot 

At least I can see from my draw today that there won't be anything to much to disturb me. (Fingers crossed). The 4 of Wands is a card of stability, shown here as the hearth fire. Four is a number of steadiness -- 'Four does not change', as the playing card rhyme goes. And in each of the tarot suits, four stays the same -- in Wands the hearthfire glows, in Cups the feelings are calm, in Swords the thoughts are at rest, in Pentacles there's no income or outgo of physical or material activity. Four is almost like a kind of stasis. And sometimes stasis is good! 

We had some good news recently, that my husband's department will not be having any 'involuntary redundancies' (where I'm from we'd say 'nobody's getting laid off') and so that is a relief. We pretty much have to play it year by year, but as it was, we weren't sure if he'd be in a job come April 2016, so this is good news, and does indeed restore a much-needed sense of stability to our hearth fire. 

Yesterday I took the day off because my back was playing up and I spent most of the day alternating between hanging over a stability ball on my stomach and on my back. It's still a little sore and I'm going to have to be careful, but taking the day off to look after it has probably prevented me from doing myself a serious mischief. 

Hope everyone has a great day. :) 

Shielding and Opening Up

The Wicca Deck by Sally Morningstar 

I've been thinking a lot about my spiritual practice lately, and so I decided to draw from The Wicca Deck by Sally Morningstar. I've drawn Black Cat, which denotes psychism, clairvoyance and psychic protection. 'Energies around you can guide you to great clarity,' it says, but also, 'watch those within your circle of aquaintances, as someone may not have your best interests at heart. Increase your psychic protection and withdraw your energy.'

Yesterday a mini-cyber-saga played out that reminds why I am solitary. I joined an online circle, which shall remain nameless. I was questioned before allowed to enter, and then when I got in there I saw that the circle claimed to be a 'tradition' I'd never heard of, and I have actually read rather widely. I'll call it the Ralphian tradition. Turns out that it's named after Ralph Jones (not a real name) who lives in Podunk State (not a real state) and has proclaimed himself the 'Witch King' (that is the real title). The photo I found showed a person of such youth that this 'tradition' can't be of very long standing. This sort of thing makes me squint and scoff, but I thought, what the hell, let's see what this place is all about. I decided to post an announcement that a Doreen Valiente museum is opening in Brighton next year, as surely a group that calls itself Wiccan (even if of the 'Ralphian tradition') would be interested in that. A moderator made vague comments suggesting I read the rules. She referenced one of them.  I had read them. I went and read them again. I asked her how this contravenes a rule. She didn't tell me. I said, 'Are you going to tell me what I've done?' Another member of the group started guessing what I may have done, and I thought, you know what, sod this. I've been in this group 2 minutes and I'm already breaking their rules. Plus I've looked at Ralph's rituals and he thinks there's a 'vale between the world' at Samhain. Learn to spell, mate. So I left. One day in a group, I felt burdened. As soon as I left it, I fell relieved. Some of us just don't belong in a group, and that's okay! (Well certainly not that one in any case!)

Wondering what I might need to shield from, I drew three playing cards:

White Knuckle Playing Cards 

At the most basic level, Spade - Diamond - Spade denotes 'a troubled purse'.  Looked at individually, 2 of Spades is exchange and trouble, ie, arguing. 4 of Spades is stability of trouble, ie, par for the course! Now to the middle card, 5 of Diamonds is body/health and means to ends, ie, what is profitable for me personally. I need to psychically shield from anything that troubles or upsets me or has had a history of doing so. Now's not the time for that sort of challenge. Well, obviously. (I might also need to take this quite literally and be careful of my finances.)

So what sort of challenge is it the time for?

White Knuckle Playing Cards

Ah! Hearts - Clubs - Hearts = expending energy on passions. The 8 of Hearts shows thinking a lot about what we love, 5 of Clubs shows hard work in the physical realm, the 4 of Hearts is emotional stability. I'm almost certain I know what this is pointing to. Yesterday I decided to send off for the introductory pack of OBOD. Druidry has plonked itself into my path over and over of late. It started around the same time I started seeing 11:11 everywhere, as it happens. Then at Witchfest on Saturday, Druidry caught my eyes and ears again. The phrase 'people of the sun' has been making itself known to me a lot lately. I visited the website and this cinched it:

Ronald Hutton, Professor of History at the University of Bristol, says in his book The Druids:

"The OBOD correspondence course arguably represents one of the major documents of British spirituality from the late twentieth century."

I felt like it was another sign, because Ronald Hutton is a person who I esteem very, very highly. I think exciting times are ahead! 

Witchfest and the Great Coven Question

Yesterday I journeyed to Croydon to my first ever Witchfest, held at Fairfield Halls every November. It was a big adventure starting with a funny story.

I had to change trains twice to get there - Watford Junction, then Clapham Junction to East Croydon. At Clapham Junction, I went hurtling down the platform to leap onto a train to East Grimstead, and said to another lady getting on board, as you do, 'Is this to East Croydon?' And she says, 'Yes, East Croydon,' and we get on the train. She turns to me and says, 'Are you going to the Craft thing?' and I said, 'Why yes!' We sit down together and she talks a bit about how she's worked with the organiser and how many years she's been going to it and how she's on her way there to work it. I am impressed. She's got beautiful long white hair and we get to chatting about how she was a nanny in Canada in the 70s. I say I'm very impressed with the programme on offer and am really looking forward to it, mentioning that the main attraction for me is the talk by Ron Hutton. She nods.

We get off the train at East Croydon and she is met by a friend and off we trot toward the venue. We're going in the right direction, but she turns off toward the Universalist Church. Fairfield Halls is across the street. 'But, Fairfield Halls is over there,' I say. She says, 'No here's the venue, see what it says in the window?' I say, 'I'm going to Witchfest, what are you going to?' She says, 'I'm going here to the craft fair!' So we laugh and I shoot off across the street. Thank goodness she was going to a venue near mine, or I'd have followed her to the wrong side of Croydon. (Never at any time did she contradict me when I said the event would carry on to 2 the next morning, or show any surprise when I mentioned going to hear Ron Hutton speak at the Pagan Federation Convention in 2011. Either she was slightly mad or thought I was.)

With great relief I spotted purple velvet capes and hats with feathers across the way and sped over to my tribe. (Even though I clearly looked more like a church lady off to make tea cozies at a craft fair than a witch ready to spend a day immersed in the Craft, despite my sizeable pentacle pendant and earrings -- I discovered how conservatively dressed I was as the day wore on!)

I bought stuff

In addition to the Sacred Sites Oracle, I also got a new handmade chalice and representations of the God and Goddess. I like them. :)

I heard stuff
The only reason I went to this event was because Ronald Hutton was speaking and believe me, it was worth the trouble and expense of going there just hear him talk for an hour. I would have traveled there and back again even if that were the only thing happening, so for me all the other stuff was just extra. I may have made some unfortunate choices on some of the workshops I attended...but others were good, and walking around looking and gawking was also great fun.

The Templars: Keepers of a Shocking Secret by Lynn Picknett
I have no idea why I selected this one, but I walked out after about 20 minutes. It was about something called Johannite heresy, how the Templars were accused of worshiping a severed head of a bearded man and spitting and stomping on the cross, and how it turns out that they actually did do that because they believed that John the Baptist was the real Messiah. Or some such. It wasn't the content of the talk that I disliked so much as Picknett's hostile tone toward Christians. That's uncalled for. Plus I guess I have enough positive feeling  for Jesus that I don't want to hear someone talk about him as if he were nothing but a scheming former student waiting for his teacher to die so he could usurp his teacher's place. I wish I had gone to Wiccan Myths, because I gather Margaret Murray was discussed. If I had realised that was what the talk was about, I would have gone, but I wasn't sure what 'Wiccan Myths' meant and didn't want to hear a talk on how 'It's a myth that you have to be initiated in a coven'  (or vice versa, that you can't self-initiate) or some such. Shame.

Doreen Valiente -- Life and Legacy by John Belham-Payne and Ashley Mortimer
Once again the title misled me, as I was expecting to learn something about the life and legacy of Doreen Valiente. What I got was an update from John Belham-Payne about the work of the Centre for Pagan Studies and the Doreen Valiente Foundation. This information was not unwelcome! I was hugely pleased to learn that 1) a Doreen Valiente Museum is opening in Brighton in April 2016, where her collection of magical items and books can finally be exhibited and 2) Philip Heselton has completed his biography of Valiente, to be launched in February 2016. It was also dead exciting to see so many pagan luminaries on the stage at once -- everyone came up -- Heselton, Payne, Mortimer, of course, joined by Rufus Harrington, Neil Geddes-Ward, Ronald Hutton, Tam Campbell and I don't know who all! There were so many I can't remember them but Ashley said, 'My entire book case is standing here on the stage right now!' Then the huge treat came when John handed out little slips with the Witch's Rune printed on them and taught us to chant it the way Doreen Valiente had taught him. 'You have to get angry at the verse,' she said, and she refused to allow any of her verse to be set to music, because she said the meter must be observed, must be chanted. If you get a beat going and make sure each of the marked syllables falls on the beat, you will have it here as I learned it at this event (I marked it as soon as we finished to make sure I didn't forget it):

You can see that even chanting, it is done double-time to what you would expect. I have always chanted it

DARKsome NIGHT and SHINing MOON,

EAST and SOUTH and WEST and NORTH

but it is actually DARKsome night and SHINing moon, EAST and South, WEST and North. (You slow the beat down, but the words actually end up coming out faster...)

The double time version is far more like a drum beat than the every-other-syllable style. Try it!

Meet the Witches Panel Questions - or 'The Great Coven Question' 
The panel consisted of Tam, Damh the Bard, Tylluan Penry and John Belham-Payne, and much wisdom was shared, but the most poignant moment came when a woman stood up and said 'I have been looking for a coven for 25 years and cannot find one. How do you find a coven?' She was clearly distressed and frustrated. This made me think of the Pagan Federation Convention I went to in 2011, when the same question was raised.

There are people out there who have devoted their lives to pagan witchcraft, and still can't seem to find a coven.When the question was asked at this event, the faces of everyone on the panel looked sympathetic and weary. You could see this was a question that they could not answer, for whatever reason. Advice was offered. Attend open events. Go to a Wicca for beginners class, take a correspondence course. It was mentioned that Children of Artemis was formed to try to help people find covens, but eventually it was realised that this task was 'impossible'. A member of the panel explained that the balance and energy in a coven is delicate and a new member will change all that, and so many/most covens are not very interested in taking in new people. Another panel member mentioned that 'it is called a mystery religion for a reason,' then explained that his journey had involved doing everything, taking every course, going to everything he heard of, trying it all.

Persistence and intention are the two key messages that I got from both the Witchfest panel and the Pagan Federation panel back in 2011. Those speakers in 2011 urged seekers to send out their intentions to find a coven to the universe. It was said the intention will act as a beacon that will be heard. There was also, however obliquely expressed, the suggestion that some people's beacons might not be heard. Maybe some people just don't have the right stuff, that's the message I got back then and it ruffled my feathers greatly. But maybe being in a coven is like making it to the big time in life -- you have to have the drive, the passion, the ambition, the tenacity, the unwavering belief that you will achieve this goal. And if you don't have it, you don't get it. It may be as simple as that. No kindly wise old witch with sparkling eyes and a giant pentacle pendant is going to walk up to you in a witchy shop one day and say, 'I can see you would make a fine witch, would you like to join our coven?' It's not going to happen.

21st Century Witchcraft by Diane Narraway
It was during this time that I went and bought my deck, chalice and totems. The direction the talk was going in didn't seem on topic at all, so my friend and I slipped out after about 10 minutes. We slipped round and chatted briefly to the three readers from TABI who were tucked away in a corner by the bar, and Carmella, a friend who I met at the UK Tarot Conference, had a reading while I went and secured us spots in the Concert Hall for the main event, Big Ron!

Dangers of Witchcraft by Kate West
Another misleading title -- I thought I was going to hear cautionary tales, and I did, but of the funny kind. Kate told stories about backing into the fire, falling down the stairs, and having Ryvita for cakes and wine. All very amusing. I laughed a lot. Especially the bit about how for some unknown reason, witches use three times as much toilet paper as normal people. It was a great warm up for Professor Hutton.

Modern Pagan Festivals by Ronald Hutton 
Best talk of the day, of course, thoroughly engrossing and I felt completely nourished and well taught by the end of it. Hutton explained in his usual precise, incisive and engaging way about the history of the development of the so-called Wheel of the Year. I wish I had a transcript of it.

Sigils by Kevin Grove
A very funny and engaging talk about how to use sigils in magic. But by this time I was getting tired...

So I toddled off to the train station...and caught another train...and then the Tube...and then another train...and then when I got to Coventry, a 20 minute drive from home, I found my connection was an hour and 40 minutes wait...so I called my hero hubby and he drove over and picked me up.

And that's the story of my first Witchfest. A fun day!!

Unboxing the Sacred Sites Oracle Cards

I went to Witchfest 2015 yesterday and even though I vowed to myself I wouldn't buy a deck, guess what I bought. BUT, in my defense, it was a deck that I had never seen or heard of, I looked through a sample deck on the table fully expecting to dislike it, and ended up liking it and buying it.

Sacred Sites Oracle Cards: Harness Our Earth's Spiritual Energy to Heal Your Past, Transform Your Present and Shape Your Future by Barbara Meiklejohn-Free, Illustrated by Yuri Leitch (Watkins, 2015)

Two reasons I decided to look at it: 1) it's an oracle and not a tarot (I bought the Sacred Sites Tarot and disliked it) and 2) the artwork appealed to my eye. (I fully expected to dislike it because I do tend to have that reaction things. Ha!)

I opened the deck on the train home - of course - and made some pleasant and some unpleasant discoveries.

Concept - pleasant
For each of the four cardinal directions, Meiklejohn-Free has selected 13 sacred sites. Some of them I've heard of, some not. Only two of them I've actually been to! I like the number 13 for each of the directions. There's also an extra 'Power card' - Mecca. Interesting choice. I like how there is a simple arrow in the border pointing east, south, west, or north, to avoid having to print the words on the card. The borders are also different pale shades, not too distracting.

Suggestion for reading - pleasant
Meiklejohn-Free suggests that the cards should be examined in three segments from bottom to top: the lower third is the 'Lower World' and represents your past, the middle is the 'Middle World' and represents both your present and the present energy of the sacred site, and the upper third is the 'Upper world, which is your potential. For each card, she provides interpretations for each of these three segments of the card, as well as a visualisation, invocation or ritual to perform in association with the card. All of this packed into a compact companion book of 120 pages (co-written with Flavia Kate Peters).

The box - pleasant 
A word about the box. It's a lovely sturdy and compact slip cover style box. I like it.

Now for the disappointing bits - unpleasant

The cards are not perfect. They are not all the same size! And the corners are not all the same size. I used a large corner rounder to tidy those up, but the difference in actual size of the cards is appalling. I've done better hand trimming with scissors than this! (I took the above photos after I rounded the corners!) AND, some of the images are offset -- too close to one side of the card. This is Watkins here. I would expect better. Really disappointing. If this sort of thing bothers you, just be warned. This is one of the dangers of buying from a vendor at an event. No seller to return it to -- I suppose I could try Watkins but meh. I hear they're a pain to try to deal with. So I'll just have to accept it.

Now let's look at some cards 

The two places I've actually been to

Some of the places I hadn't heard of

Some of the places that always excite my imagination

More places that excite my innards 

The Verdict
Overall, I like the deck. The art work really appeals to me, the concept of the deck makes sense to me, and the book is quite helpful. I look forward to using it!

77 Questions Community Witchy Tag Part Four

63. What if any legal herb do you use for moods?
Chamomile tea

64. What is the most recent spell/ritual you have done? (slight detail please)
Sorry, I'm not comfortable sharing. 

65. Do you have a happy place you go to during meditation?
Zoning out yet not daydreaming. Hard to describe.

66. What is your favorite witchy book?
Practical Solitary Magic by Nancy B Watson for magic. Witchcraft for Tomorrow by Doreen Valiente for Wicca type stuff.

67. Do you have a ritual to get ready before a ritual or spell? (what is it) 
Preparing altar. Bath with candles, donning of ritual garments and ornaments. 

68. Do you always use your own spells or do you tweak others?
Always my own spells

69. Do you prefer spells/ritual inside or outside?
Inside

70. If you are coming from a Christian/catholic background. Did you find the transition hard with family and the whole going to Hell thing? Basically leaving all you been told was right?
Yes. I have struggled with the fear that all this is demonic deception. 

71. What are your totem animals?
Corvids

72. What are some things you reuse after spells/ritual work?
Anything that was not used up. 

73. Who helped you most when you starting on your path?
A very experienced friend

74. Do you know any good witchy phone apps (like moon phases)?
I don't do apps. 

75. What is your favorite magical study?
Tarot

76. Outside of the YouTube and Facebook community, do you have a lot of witchy friends in the physical world?
I have a few. 

77. Do you feel that the deities we work with are a force from one higher power and that all beliefs and religions are from the same one God/place?
Yes. 

77 Questions Community Witchy Tag Part Three

41. How do you handle rejection from a fellow witch that refuses to do a reading or spell for you?
Shrug. What do I care. Why would I ask another witch to do a spell for me? I can do my own spells. I'd probably be the one saying no to people. LOL

42. Do you think it is necessary to cast a circle when you do spell work or any magical working?
No, but I do enjoy casting a circle for a more formal ritual, like a sabbat observance. 

43. If Steven Spielberg called and wanted to make a movie of your life, who would you want to play as you?
If Steven Spielberg called and said he wanted to make a movie of my life, I would die laughing before I could give it any thought.

44. What is some advice that was given to you that you pass along because it made an impact on your path?
'Be your own kind of witch. Your own damn kind.' 

45. What is some advice you would give someone who has not found their deity?
Don't let anyone tell you that you have to have a deity. Just do what you do.

46. Where do you buy your herbs?
I get them in pots from local supermarkets. 

47. How did you feel casting your first circle (silly, scared, stumbling, etc)?
Very silly, and distressed because I turned out all the lights and couldn't see to read my notes.

48. What was your first successful spell?
I'd just started reading about magic. I had sent an email to customer service of a company and hadn't heard back from them. I got a small candle and set an intention, 'By the time this candle burns out, the phone will ring.' I put it next to the computer because I had been sending emails. I swear to you, when that candle went out, I mean just as it juttered out, that phone rang. It was customer service. I was so flabbergasted. 

49. What is your general practice for meditation?
Sit down, set timer, stare at something. 

50. Are you a day walker or a night comer?
LOL. What? Has someone been watching 'Penny Dreadful' in a loop? Day walker night comer, WTF. I get up early and like to be home before 9.30 at night if that's what you're asking.

51. How and when did you know you wanted to be on this path?
I found out I was on it more than decided to be on it.

52. What type of pagan are you (Wiccan, eclectic, hedge, etc)?
The kind that I am. Sorry I can't be more conveniently labelled.

53. What candle color do you use most?
White

54. What area would you like to see your craft grow in?
Wisdom

55. What is your preference, to buy or make your tools?
I guess I'm not that obsessed with tools. I don't spend a lot of time worrying about it.

56. What fictional witch book/screen inspired you the most?
I love 'The Craft'. Nancy was so awesome. She creeped me out and turned me on.

57. With your first spell were you alone or in a coven?
Alone

58. What is your favorite candle, incense scent for magical purposes?
I like mild Japanese incense blends, low smoke type.

59. Where is your favorite place to go to reconnect with nature?
River valleys and rugged coastal paths.

60. Do you believe in fantasy creatures (unicorns, gnomes, elves, fairies, etc)?
No

61. Do you believe in ghosts/spirits?
Yes and no.

62. Would you ever teach the craft?
Unlikely. You can rather see by my answers, I keep most of this to myself. I would not make a good magical teacher, unless you're looking for someone to keep telling you, 'Stop worrying if you're doing it right. Just do what you do. Stop looking to me or anyone else for approval. Do what you do!' I could give you one heck of a book list, though, and certainly I can teach you tarot, and methods of using tarot in your own spell work. 

77 Question Community Witchy Tag Part Two

(Question 1-16 answered here)

17. What are you feelings on raising kids in the craft?
I don't have any particular feelings other than I think it's best you don't impose your own beliefs on your kids; let them make their own way. They're going to anyway, and it will be better for them if they don't have to overcome whatever you've tried to impose on them. 

18. If you were a goddess or god, who would you be?
Isn't there an app for this? I find this a silly question. I'd be the one who mocks silly questions. I did once very sincerely ask for a vision of the answer to this question. I received an image of a field of wheat blowing in the breeze, which zoomed to a close-up of a glowing head of grain. Puzzled, I began searching and found the goddess Ceres. I think she has something to say to me in this life, but so far I've only managed to cultivate a codependent relationship with carbohydrate. 

19. Do you use astrology in your practice? In what ways?
Only as it pertains to tarot, using Golden Dawn attributions. I also note which sign the moon is in, and when Mercury is in retrograde. 

20. What if any ways could you practice dark magic and still respect the beliefs of Wicca?
Why would one who practices dark magic need to respect the beliefs of Wicca? Why would anyone need to respect the beliefs of anyone? I acknowledge your right to hold beliefs, but I am under no obligation to respect them. This is a non-issue. If the question is, 'Can you practice dark magic and be Wicca,' you'd have to ask a Wicca. (Though depending on the traditions of their coven, they might not give you a straight answer).

21. Do you have any witches in your family?
Yes, though most of them do not think of themselves as such.

22. What item can you not witch without?
My mind, body and spirit. All the other stuff is extra. 


23. What is your favorite sabbat or time of year ritual?
I love the Marsden Imbolc Fire Festival. My favourite sabbat is Beltane. 

24. Have you ever had a YouTube burn out?
I don't have a You Tube channel and don't watch much, but I have had blog burn out. I should read other people's blogs more but it takes a lot of time just to write my own, let alone read the blogs of lots of other people. Plus I'm lazy. I know it sounds just awful, but I'm nothing if not truthful.  

25. What is your fav witchy shop, and do they have an online store?
To be honest, I dislike witchy shops. Most of them have disappointed me with their items made of resin in a third world country, 'dreamcatchers', a few dusty overpriced decks (lots of Doreen Virtue and one battered Oswald Wirth, for example) and an overwhelming incense smell. Not my thing really. For some reason though, this doesn't stop me going into every one of them I see. Hope springs eternal!

26. When buying witchy items, do they choose you or do you choose them?
I don't buy 'witchy' items. Most of the items in my practice just look like normal items. A bowl, a knife, a bell, a feather, a rock. You won't find a lot of triple- moon-embossed resin brick-a-brack here (you won't find any, to be exact). When I decide I need an item, I go to charity shops and see what finds me. My collection of actual working tools is really quite small. Like some, I did go through a very acquisitive phase, but it all ended up being boxes of junk so I sold nearly all of it. 

27. How do you organize your herbs/ingredients?
I used to have a tin of little plastic packets of herbs and stuff but that all seemed silly to me so I sold them on eBay. Now I just use whatever's in my spice rack, if I need something. I tend to use only the most basic of culinary herbs, and there are lots of trees and plants growing wild all over the place, so I just grab a handful on my way past. 

28. Do you have interest in other deities that you don’t work with; if so, which ones?
I like reading about them. The gods and goddesses were a really nasty lot -- very bad behaviour! (Major Randolph Churchill (1911-68), of Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford was presented a Bible which he read with great amusement, having been persuaded to do so by Evelyn Waugh, and responded, "God, isn't God a shit?")

29. Do you have a fav time of day to do spell work; if so, why?
At night, by candlelight. It just feels more powerful to me. But I find that some of my most successful spells have been done on the fly, in a time of need. Maybe less is more.

30. Are you solitary or do you work with a coven?
Solitary, though I am open to a coven if I were ever to become part of one. I think it would probably have to grow up organically around me, like if I ended up in a circle of friends who started doing ritual together. I don't think I'd ever seek out and try to gain entry into an established coven. That doesn't interest me at all. If I am perfectly honest, I am quite happy to remain solitary. 

31. If you could pick a certain witchcraft tradition that fits your practice most what would it be (Druid, Celtic, Wicca etc)?
I am beginning to think it's chaos magic. Who knew? I certainly didn't realise that was what I was doing. 

32. What was the most creative spell you have ever done. What did you use?
Wouldn't you like to know.

33. What do you prefer for divination (tarot, oracle, runes ,etc, and why?
Tarot. I've tried the others and only tarot felt natural to me at once. 

34. What are some ways you keep yourself grounded?
Cheetos? :)

35. Have you ever had a spell go horribly wrong?
Yes. Never anoint a black candle in pee and throw the remnants in a river and expect things to end well.

36. What are your opinions on initiation rituals?
I've never been to one, couldn't say. But I've read them and they seem like they would be moving. On the other hand, I think you can self-initiate by doing something as simple as feeling some beauty in the world and saying, 'I want to be part of this, always.' 

37. Have you ever had full contact with your deity; if so, what happened?
No, but I did briefly shapeshift with a crow once and that was amazing. 

38. What about you is un witchy?
Doubting of self and the value I bring to the world. 

39. For the dating witch, how do you tell a new love interest that you are a witch?
LOL

40. Who is a past witch that has inspired you ,famous or not?
Doreen Valiente. I adore her. 

77 Question Community Witchy Tag Part One

The 77 Questions are divided into four parts. Here is Part One. 
If you'd like me to elaborate on any of my answers, please say so in the comments and I will do my best. :D 

Do you use runes as a written language?
No, I have tended to use plain English for writing out notes and spells, but lately I've been developing my own version of the Theban alphabet.

Do you feel you have natural gifts such as (premonitions, hearing spirits) and if so do you think this is what led you to this path?
We all have natural gifts such as premonitions, etc. I don't think they led me to this path. Something else led me to this path. A seeking nature.

What deity do you work with if any and why?
For me, deity is a concept and not literal beings (most days -- some days, I believe in individual deities wholeheartedly). The gods and goddesses are our conceptualisation of wavelengths of universal energies. When we want to tap into certain types of energy, invoking a god or goddess is like a kind of shorthand for naming the nameless.

Have you always worked with this same deity?
Yes, I realise now that I have always worked with the same force, and I think we all do.  I have called it many different things throughout my life, depending on where I've been in my journey. I have always been a seeker. God, Jesus, Holy Spirit. Sat nam, Wahe guru, Shakti, Buddha, Avalokiteshvara. Kwan Yin. Lord and Lady. Cernunnos, Aradia. Isis. Artemis. Universal Consciousness. Dharma. No-thing. So many names.

Do you use any personal items in your practice, (blood, semen, tears, urine, etc)?
When I am moved to, yes.

Do you do past life readings or have ever had one done; who where you or how did you die?
No I do not. I don't believe in past lives. My consciousness is tied up in the unique aggregate of my corporeal being, and when this body dies, this consciousness goes with it. Whatever spark of energy that powers this machine, I believe, is not extinguishable. But that doesn't mean I have 'past lives'. That just means I am alive.

What is your favorite magical tool?
The Tarot. Without it, there would be no awareness for me that all my life I have been on a magical path.

What is a song or type of music that gets you into a witchy mood?
Anything that stirs my higher self. If by 'witchy mood', you mean energy raising, that is.

Where is the most magical place you have ever been?
There are a few where I have had experiences, some good, some bad, some both at the same time! 

Chartes Cathedral labyrinth and Black Madonna (at the time I visited, I was a devout Protestant and knew nothing of these things, yet in this building I felt like I was going to fall to my knees)

Christchurch, Stratford-on-Avon (I felt a very strong aversion to the building as soon as I set foot in it and had to leave at once; I was on a Buddhist path at the time)

To be honest, the most magical places I've ever been would be river valleys, where water tumbles and crashes over rocks, and there is moss and trees and swarms of bugs and unexpected shafts of sunlight with rainbows. I've been in lots of those wonderful places. 

What animal is your familiar if any?
I don't have a familiar, no pets. But I do have a spirit animal, which is a crow, or any corvid.

If you have a familiar, did you choose them or did they choose you?
They chose me. I asked for a vision of my spirit animal and envisioned a bare tree with flock of black birds pouring out of it.

What in the craft are you best at (tarot, spells, ritual,) etc?
Tarot

What in the craft would you say you are weaker at?
Robert Cochrane once said, 'If one who claims he or she is a witch can perform the tasks of witchcraft, that is they can summon spirits and spirits will come, they can turn hot into cold and cold into hot, they can divine with rod, fingers and birds, they can claim right to omens and have them. Above all, they can tell the Maze and cross the Lethe. Then you have a witch' (Letter to Bill #V, page 1). Telling the Maze and crossing the Lethe would be my weakness. :)

What is your most favorite part of your craft (spell writing, divination, etc)?
Divination, chanting, candle magic.

What was the first tool you ever purchased?
Most of my tools are found objects or used objects not manufactured for the Craft, but I suppose I'd have to count my first purchase tool as a tarot deck.

What was your first homemade tool for your practice?
I don't have any homemade tools. 

Part Two tomorrow!