{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Foxyshaman}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}} Gryph sends his hellos and hug back to you from the middle of typing up the minutes for the last Neighborhood Association meeting!

I would LOVE to hear what you might find re: Raziel and Azriel! And um, *admiration* what clean floors you have! Am I right that this is one way to clean the greeblies out of one's space?

I love the term "greeblies" and I think your bracelets of protection are an all-around good idea! I used to wear necklaces for protection--tis a Marian thing, to wear a medallion with Mary's image for protection--but I suppose they were more than that, because routinely they would get "fully charged" and then ask to be passed onto someone who needed them.

Lately I am wearing a pentacle that is less about protection and more about accessing. It seems to be a good trigger, helps me to work better.

I've been dealing with a lot of fear lately. I finally realized that no matter WHAT I happen to wish to do, if I think--just think--about working any kind of magic, I am automatically deflected into something mindless, usually a computer game, and it seems to grab hold of my mind and keep me there until I am utterly exhausted and have fallen asleep in the chair.

I have in the past been a victim of a pretty serious "Do Not" spell and it took me a LOT of effort just to identify it and then to deal with it, so of course that's the first thing on my mind, "omigawds, am I hemmed in by that spell again?!" BUT *sigh* I am also cognizant that it ain't necessarily so... this could be my own fears holding me back. In that case, I dunno what to do. (You cannot imagine how much I want to delete this post and go play Solitaire at this moment! OY!) I don't like feeling out of control; I especially don't like not knowing what's IN control of me. Damn.

Since what I want is to have access to my own power and abilities again, and since the necklace I wear seems to be helping, I think maybe I need to do as you do, and start using more of what works.

About stories, well, I'm a Solitairy [EDITED to correct lol, Solitary, Solitary!!] so I don't really know. Back when I was a newbie witchlet, the Women's Spirituality group I attended was big on stories, though.

Wishing you the very best on your drumming circle,
Sunshine

3 questions - spirit animals, other-worldly beings, trees
 

I was wondering if any of y'all have a spirit animal that you know of?

Also, do you find yourself connected to any other-worldly beings/elementals?

And, do you find yourself connected to certain trees or types of trees?

-------------

my answers:

I feel especially connected to both cats and spiders. My mom has a thing with turtles, my dad has a thing with owls, and one of my aunts has a thing with fish.

I'm also very drawn to mermaids, I have a friend who's very drawn to faeries, an aunt who's drawn to pixies and another aunt who's drawn to gnomes and trolls. My mom tends to be drawn to dragons and other monsters, and my gf is also drawn to dragons.

I love trees - all trees - but especially sycamores, redbuds and mimosas.

Dear Sycamore Girl,

{{{{{{{{{{{{Nat}}}}}}}}}} *utterly delighted!* How cool to run into someone else who is connected to them! How I love them! Sycamore branches were gifted to me (by the trees themselves) a little over two years ago and they've guarded our home ever since!

I've considered myself a Daughter of the Trees for most of my life, and I cherish the redbuds, hackberries, maples and oak that we're blessed with here in That House. In Phoenix, I adored mulberries and pines.

The trees that are the most special to me, although not in the spirit connection way, are fruit trees, apple, peach, plum, cherry, orange, date palm, etc, and my favorite, the fig tree. I suppose it's like the difference between my teachers and my little sisters (to put the difference in the ways I relate to them into human terms).

Animal connections, there are so many... they come and they go, depending on what I need and also on what the people I am with need. (You might remember I used to post as Mama Tigre--the tiger.) It's the same with beings on other planes. I'm not close to the fae, but I'm comfortable with many creatures better known through mythology, like gryphons.

Cath

Bit - how awesome is that? :)

I have sycamore seed-balls at home and work. My grandfather used to write me letters on sycamore bark and sign them "A. Troll" or "D. Troll" and tell me that he "found" them.

There is a young sycamore tree at my work, and there were a few times I went out there and hung out next to it, and the trunk was covered in flies and the leaves were wilty. I was out there to meditate, so I suggested to the tree that we ground and center together. I held onto one of its leaves, and imagined both of use extending our roots down toward the center of the earth and bringing up that earth energy together. What surprised me, is that it seemed to me that the tree had an easier time with this than I did, and that the energy not only came up through it faster but that it sort of spilled over onto me. Since then, when I can, I go out there and listen to podcasts or meditate or check bfp under the tree on my breaks, and I always tell the tree hi and often sit in the grass and lean against the trunk. No more flies, btw.

SWEEET!!! You healed that tree, Nat! *huge beaming grin at ya* Gryph says, "Good work!" and so do I!

Isn't it amazingly cool to have a tree for a spiritual partner?

I don't hang on to the sycamore seedballs because I have those huge long twisty branches. My favorite tree dropped them the first fall and winter I was in this neighborhood; one is twelve feet long! They're generally a couple/three inches in diameter at the base. I originally was going to make walking sticks from them and it confused me that each time I thought of it, they seemed to say no... I finally realized they were already doing what they wanted to be doing, by protecting us and adding tree energy to our home.

heh well thanks, but i think the tree healed itself possibly. it was more proficient than I was anyway. :) I bet the long twisty branches are great. :)

Don't discount the energy you put out to help the young tree. Just because someone or something is proficient in something doesn't mean they can always get through to the right energy to help heal, clean or what ever is needed to not only survive, but to fully live.

Grins
Gryph

What a wonderful conversation! I'm so glad you started it, Nat!
I also hesitate to share too much, but for a different reason; I used to be hounded by someone on another site. Anything I posted was turned against me; the better I got at shielding, the more skillful my assailant got at breaking through my shields. This happened consistently for many years, until I finally got so cautious that I just stopped talking about anything Pagan for a long time.

I still have that second-nature impulse that says, "watch it! anything you talk about will backfire!"

What I can say is that I work with all kinds of animals--whomever comes to my mind in a moment of need--and also with several different kinds of entities. I've worked with the animals ever since I first discovered formal paganism. The other entities are much more recent, and working with beings from other planes has really stretched my limits and helped me grow.

IS TOO. :hrmph: Is too.

How interesting that our trees are different! I didn't expect that; guess I thought that oaks and maples were ubiquitous once a person was north of the desert... silly of me, because I remember the Douglas fir/cedar/alder forests of the PNW!

For me, like for Blue, the trees are part of an urban forest, planted by people. I don't think of them in the same way I think of an indigenous forest... heck, all over the PNW oaks and maples are planted in people's yards. Maybe that's why I didn't think about the forests being different.

I think all our elms are probably Chinese elms at this point, because of Dutch elm disease. Some are very old but I suspect most are less than 100 years. A really massive elm that I thought had to be quite old is only about 60 years, so I guess I have to allow for the large yearly rainfall here having MUCH more of an effect on the trees than I expected it to.

Rolling Thunder for Pagan Elder in Need!
 

Hey y'all, Isaac Bonewits has cancer and is asking for help! He and his wife Phaedra have a facebook page and a website--here are the addies.

Here's their fb addy.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/isaac.phaedra.bonewits

Here is their website. http://www.neopagan.net/

Here is the call to action, from the House of Danu:

Isaac Bonewits defines what it is to be a Druid in our time and place. A great friend to the House of Danu, he was the founder of Ár nDraíocht Féin and leader within many Pagan traditions. Isaac has been struggling with colon cancer (root chakra) and it has reached a point where he needs a miracle.

Phaedra Bonewits has put out a call for our greatest magik: A ROLLING THUNDER. The House of Danu asks that you rise to the call and participate in this event which is unprecedented in our history. From Europe moving West at 9:00P.M. in each time zone, the energies will rise and our will shall become manifest.

WHEN: On the night of the full moon, May 27, 2010, at 9:00P.M. in your time zone

HOW: Create a healing ritual within your tradition and that is joined with the rising energies with this chant:
"Isaac's tumors fade away. Thirty more years with Phae."

THEN: It will comfort Isaac and Phaedra to know when your ritual is done. Let them know. Their email adress is at their website, neopagan.net.

The Rolling Thunder has already begun in Europe and is moving across the face of the Earth. Please join in, and bring healing to one of the Pagan community's most beloved authors!


ps-I edited the email addy out of this post, as they are already swamped by over 1000 spam messages a day; no sense taking chances a bot would find the address here and add more.

A new set of questions for us!

Do you prefer to make your own tools (wands, athames, cards, cups, etc) or buy them already made?

If you make them yourself, do you prefer to find the makings as you walk through an area, or to buy unadorned items and personalize them?
~~~~~~

My answers: I've done all of the above at various times. Sometimes I have found absolutely wonderful items in the shops, especially jewelry and cards--certainly, making one's own tarot cards is QUITE the daunting challenge for me, lol--and sometimes items have presented themselves to me completely unexpectedly.

My favorite example of the unexpected tool is a small geode I found once (now moved on to another owner, nonconsensually) that was naturally opened and bent back. It looked like a tiny shrine of the Mother from one angle and like a fish with its mouth open from another, and it served me well for several years.

Once in a while I make something just for the sake of creating, and then discover afterwards that it's become a tool. My favorite example of that is a small gourd I painted once to look like a curled up fox. It became my guardian while I worked in a haunted building by myself, until it broke in my pocket one day.

I find myself thinking that I *should* make all my own tools, mostly because lots of people have *said* so... but yanno what, if we all made all of our own tools, the Pagan artists among us would have to go out of business. So I think I like having a balance of both kinds of tools.

How about you?

Most of my main items have been store/internet-bought, but I don't have a good connection to most of them (yet).

I am happiest with my pentacle (which I made myself out of self-hardening clay. it was at christmas time, and my mom asked if it meant that I danced naked in the woods. I told her, "not yet!")

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2550/...8c8e99f1_m.jpg

I am also very happy with my chalice, which is actually a glass compote that I picked up from Goodwill. In that case, I knew what I wanted before I went into the store, and sure enough, I found exactly what I wanted and it felt right.

This was my altar on New Year's day - it was a bit crowded - but you can see the chalice back there on the right.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2803/...b2ec80ff_m.jpg

My wand is a plain willow wand, and I haven't really made friends with it yet, and my athame is a letter-opener. Unfortunately, I dropped it and broke a stone off of it, and I'm not sure how best to re-attach it. I also feel kinda bad that I dropped it in the first place. Somewhere I have a beautiful mermaid dagger but it's buried in my stuff. If I ever find it, I will probably make that into my athame.

I'm very new to the witchy and pagan worlds, so these are things I'm still in the process of feeling out. I do tend to collect things for my altar and also for my workspace. Acorns, fallen leaves, interesting sticks, seashells, ribbons, just stuff. I also have fantasies of creating little miniature altar kits. I love the idea of a tiny altar kit with a needle for the athame, a thimble for the chalice, a toothpick for the wand, birthday candles with spindles to hold them, a pack of match incense, a handkerchief for an altar cloth - but I never can think what to use for the thurible.

& one more thing....
 

I just saw these and think they are cute. They are three little beeswax candles.

http://desmitten.files.wordpress.com...wax-candle.jpg

I have read it and I recommend it to anyone who has not. It is a wonderful book!

Nat, I love the altar and tool pics! Also adore those candles *heartmelt* awww!

Blue and Magic, hello! Yep, I'm also one who always has piles of craft things in progress.

As for the book, well, that's one way I measure my growth as a Priestess, actually. The first time I read the book I was REALLY disappointed, could not BELIEVE that Starhawk would write such a "woo-woo" novel, couldn't even suspend my disbelief like I would for any other sci-fi novel, was SO turned off that I actually thought it was a badly written book.

The second time I read the book, I was like, "HEY! I can do that!!.... oh, I can do that, too.... HEY!! I think maybe I can learn to do that one if I work at it..." I was surprised that over the years I had done a complete 180 in my opinions about what is actually possible.... and I was also surprised what a good book she had written. *sheepish look*

I still have my reservations about the crystal communication for the computers.... but yanno what, I'm not dismissing it out of hand anymore. It might very well be that it will take considerably longer than the novel's time frame for it, but it also could still happen in my lifetime--you NEVER know, you just never know.

Also, now I'm the age of the grandmothers who took the pickaxes to the streets to break them up for gardens... and I can relate to them, oh I can relate! Even in my disability, I am stronger, more vital, more vibrantly alive than I was ten years ago, and that again is the opposite of what I believed when I first read the book. Age brings power, even to the disabled--who would have guessed that, living in this society??

I'm looking forward to the insights I'll find when I read it the third time. I hope I'll have made more progress!

I suppose it depends on your definition of spirit animal. I have had various animal guides (primarily a Unicorn).

I am VERY connected to Unicorns and many of my general journeywork and meditations have me in Unicorn form myself.

I am very drawn to the Weeping Willow and to very strong, old, tall trees in old growth forests.

Also...

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{bit}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

How are you!??

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{oblivia}}}}}}}}}}}}}}} Hi darlin! How am I... oh my... on which level? *wry smile* Even speaking in terms of being Pagan, there are so many different things going on... mostly internal.

Externally, I'm really concerned for Isaac Bonewits right now. Have you read his books? I've only read Real Magic but I've seen his website and read many of the magazine articles he's written over the years. He has colon cancer and there's a world-wide effort to get him through the challenge. Gryph and I joined in the healing. He's our main concern in spirit work right now.

We've been working on clearing our space energetically for quite a while. I seem to be our weak link, so to speak; this is a very active area, and lots of ghosts/spirits/beings come through. Not all of them are friendly and when they aren't, I seem to be an easy target for them. We're constantly working on shields and also on keeping the portals closed. Now I understand why That House waited eight years for us! There's been a lot of weirdness, a lot of negativity, and a lot of hostility. The work and trouble are balanced by our getting to know Margaret, the Grandmother who watches over That House (and now watches over us, too). I don't think she'll ever be willing to move on; this was her house, she loved it, and she came back to it when she died.

One of my favorite memories was walking up onto the porch and being greeted with an unmistakable feeling of open arms and an offer to shelter me against the storms. At the time, I thought it was the house itself making the offer. Give it another hundred years or so, and there might not be much difference between Margaret and the house--but that day it was definitely Margaret, welcoming me into her home and her life. We're pretty sure she's the one who made it possible for us to buy the place.

The interior work I need to do is about ceremony and ritual. I've been a long time away, so to speak, have been working without formal Circles, without props of any kind. I think it's time I changed my working style again and got back to basics.

Now doesn't it figure that I would find this need in myself JUST as the fans and air conditioner go on? So much for candles and incense, lol!

So how have you been, darlin? What's up in your world?

Wow, that is a lot going on!! Congratulations on the house and while it sounds like you have your work cut out for you, it also sounds like it's a special blessing that you are there and not somewhere else.

Have you ever tried one of the incense stick holders where the incense is actually lit and held sideways with a (very well ventilated) lid that closes over it? Hard to describe. I had one of those and it protected the incense enough to keep it going even with a bit of breeziness. Also, cones inside small cauldrons or bowls with sand in them can protect them from windyness too (plus cones stay lit better) - bowls can be a helpful alternative for charcoal burning incense too.

As for me.... wow.... married and raising two boys. ;) Spiritually, I've been a member of the Sisterhood of Avalon now for almost 3 years and it's been incredibly empowering. I've also been doing a regular yoga practice and learning a lot from bits of yoga-based or buddhism-based wisdoms, which has been amazing.

It's interesting. My practice now seems to have many layers. There is the eastern, yogic/buddhist slanted layer such as my yoga practice and certain tools I use to work on my own internal battles. There is the more traditional pagan layer which involves honouring the eight sabbats in some way, and circling with my son or wife and having tarot nights with friends and having traditional circles with the elements. And there is the very personal Avalonian layer with the Sisterhood that is primarily a solitary path (but one shared with the other Sisters via online forums, and shared journeying/questing together) and ritual. Most ritual work I do is the Avalonian pathwork, with some exceptions when I am circling with others. The Avalonian stuff has been amazing. I've really been going through completely constant growth and evolution since joining, all to the betterment and increased mental/emotional/psychological health of me. Good stuff.

I feel pretty solid spiritually and very strong. It's a new and good place for me to be and I keep spreading my roots out ever further and deeper.

I think that many of us cycle with our spirituality in ways. We have periods of intensity and periods of rest. I really relate to what it can be like to come back after time 'away'. Sometimes, it starts with the smallest little thing, done consistently to dig one tiny little root in to anchor us, and then we can spread out as comfy from there....

We were given a gift today--an incense burner that is enclosed! I didn't even REALIZE the significance of that until I read your post just now, oblivia!! It's pretty cool to have that need answered so VERY quickly. And I also found a square holder for a votive glass--in effect, an enclosed candle holder.

For cone incense, I have a ceramic echinacea shell, again, enclosed.

Today, we cleared space physically, rearranging the house. It's strange; now that we've moved the computers out of the dining room, it no longer feels like home to me... and yet the room we put them into doesn't feel like home either. I think this is going to take some getting used to.

Oh! I just realized... the walls are the wrong color. This room is white and the dining room is a mushroomy beige... how odd; I didn't know I liked that color--actually, I thought I DIDN'T like it! But now I miss it; it's soothing on the eyes. Huh.

Congrats to you on all the growth! It sounds like life has really settled down for you in all kinds of wonderful ways!

I agree about the cycling, spiritually, although I tend to think of it as ebb and flow. This might be because my physical energy ebbs and flows, and so it seems familiar to me. I am finding that the limits on what I can do are more and more a function of my own physical state. It's frustrating because I keep thinking I could heal my body, if only I could somehow dredge up enough energy to do the work properly! Catch 22. *wry smile*

dropping in for a chat...

I too have had feelings of being welcomed to my new home. From the moment I sat in the driveway waiting for the realtor, I knew I had found my home. Only two families other than myself have owned this near century old house. I am carrying on the legacy of living simply and gardening heartedly. I also have such an energy surge when I am here. I have indulged in labor that I havent been able to do in many moons. And that says alot, with my fibro and my spinal problems.

I have literally lit up the place with plants. My front steps are filled with pots (left behind by the family who owned the house) filled with morning glories and sunflower seeds. I am hoping the glories will climb the sunflowers..how pretty that will be if it works! My back porch has raspberries planted, and a stand of strawberries, as well as a trellis of cukes...

I have 25 tomato plants waiting for me, all heirloom varieties. I will be swimming in them! Peppers, zukes, squash, cantelopes, punkins, etc are all in the ground garden or the trellis gardens. I have 5 trellises that I have planted beans and gourds on. Oh..and lets not forget the snap peas in the old metal tub outside of my porch...and lettuce in containers by the kitchen door...

I didnt have the energy to do this before...yet somehow, because of this house, I can. Its like a light socket...I am plugged into it..

{{{{{{{{{{softness}}}}}}}}}}} Welcome, honey! Glad to see you here!

I love the magic of your house. I do believe in that, you know? Some places are utter drains on a person's energy, and some are like yours, power places that re-energize a person.

More than that, though, your house seems to have a very active and aware guardian spirit, or maybe animating spirit--it seems to know what you need and it brings whatever it is to you. That is so wonderful, and yes, magical!

As we clear the negativity out, That House is beginning to do the same for me. I was SO FLOORED when I found the second (new baby!) mock orange, and the daylilies are a song in my heart. I'm waiting to see now if I have morning glories or moonflower vine--either or both would thrill me no end!

Not only that, but the things I have been thinking we need keep showing up--like friends to help rearrange the rooms, or the covered incense burner, or a peaceful refuge of a room...

Now I need a compost bin and more bookshelves!

So... y'all know what I'm having a really difficult time with? The two silver maples in the back yard are That House's Guardian trees... and their roots are in the sewer line. It's killing me to think of pouring anything into that line to kill their roots... and yet I MUST in order to avoid terrible sewer troubles.

I cannot force myself to do it.

Also, the Grandmother tree has watersprouts and new branches growing along her lower trunk--and they're already almost at the electric and cable lines. They need to be pruned off and again, it's killing me to think of hurting her.

It just feels so disrespectful, to cause any harm to the bodies of the spirits who guard us!! And yet these things are a safety hazard. I really struggle with the whole thing.

{{{Bit}}} That's so amazing about the incense holder!!! What a cool connection!!

Sounds like some really wonderful home energy has gotten ahold of you and of softness! I think that's amazing. I know what a HUGE difference it can make living in a home filled with positive and welcoming energy! Ours is like that, though I think a lot of it is the energy and love and hope we brought to it. I haven't had specific encounters, but I do love it here and find that being home brings me peace in a way earlier homes just haven't.

oblivia, softness, thank you both!

I have a Council of Allies that I talk to. They give good advice and are strong protectors.

In one of my meditations a while back, I received a gift. I'd like to pass it on because I thought it was a lovely idea.

It's a true beauty mirror.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA280_.jpg

When you look into it, you see your true beauty.

I especially like the idea of shielding with it - to reflect back to others their true beauty, to reflect back to yourself your own true beauty.

In my meditation, I had asked what I could do to raise my vibrations to a higher level. This gift was the answer I received.

I think it's a gift that's best shared. So if this is a gift you would enjoy, it's yours for the taking. :)

I agree, that is lovely Nat, thank you for sharing it with us!

thank you, Nat, for sharing your gift with us! How beautiful of a mirror that is too! I had been looking for a special mirror for my alter and magic work with people, and my butch buddy, Jean, brought me a boxful of stuff one day, from the primitive shop she works at. Inside I found this old art deco hand mirror. It sits on my vanity where I use it to compel spiritual beauty as I prepare for the day...

I really enjoy this thread and am thankful for it. I am in a fairly conservative community, and though small amounts of Buddhism and the like are "tolerated" really out paganism is basically a no no. Having mostly studied as a solitary and not knowing other pagans in my area, it can be isolating.

Thanks to everyone for posting. :)

Hi Licious, welcome! That's why we're here, to give each other a community. I suspect a lot of us have experienced what you do, and some of us are still that isolated. Threads like this one have been my haven from a harsh world for a long time.

Massive and LadyBlue, thanks for the info about Stonehenge and Woodhenge!

Hello to Nat, oblivia, softness, Magic, Foxy Shaman, and everyone else!!