Walking the Tracks

Being the art nerd I am, I spend a fair amount of time walking the railroad tracks that run through the woods behind my house, looking for interesting bits of trash to collect: shards of broken colored glass, tangled strands of rusted metal, odd railroad parts, metal industrial waste, doorknobs, and broken plastic. Yesterday David, Griffin and I trekked a few miles up the tracks, exhausted from extensive travel the day before and melting in the scorching summer heat, but drawn to the shade of a small watering hole about two miles from our house; one that’s home to fish, otters and beavers as well as offering some beautiful wild foliage along its banks. We again encountered a rabbit who fearlessly remained at arm’s length from us (thus reinforcing for me that the rabbit is still my current power animal, see my previous post) but the biggest joy of the day was discovering an enormous trail of pink and yellow hued smooth river stones that had fallen from a freight car in dribs and drabs over a fair distance. My inner rock nerd clasped hands with my inner art nerd and despite the physical discomfort of the afternoon (and the fact that I had accidentally spilled the bulk of my much-needed drinking water), it turned out to be a pretty sweet little journey.

Power Animal

I periodically do a journeying meditation that I created for myself as I’m not big on doing someone else’s pre-recorded guided ones. Each journey always begins in the same fashion but then branches off as I go deeper into my psyche and then, spiritually speaking, pretty much anything goes. As a result, some meditations are very low-keyed, while others are much more active. Sometimes I’ll be introduced to a new power animal which my life requires at that time, and that’s just what my latest journey did. I was told that my new companion is the rabbit, which is actually rather ironic as in real-life I’m very allergic to the critters. But that said, when I came out of my meditative state I looked up the meaning of the rabbit as power animal and true to form it’s a perfect fit for me right now with my current life issues. The rabbit’s wisdom brings the ability to handle paradox and contradiction, teaches how to live by one’s own wits, enables one to receive hidden teachings and intuitive messages, bestows humility, encourages quick thinking and helps one to move through their fear.

I did this meditation in the morning and late that evening went for a walk as the sun was setting and the summer air was slightly less suffocatingly hot. As I was walking back to the car I saw two small rabbits off in the distance, one further away than the other, and slowly approached them. David said there was no way I was going to get near either one, that they’d both zip off long before I reached them, but that didn’t stop me from trying. Rabbit number one started to run away as I got close, but then stopped about five feet from me and just sat there watching me. When I reached him, rabbit number two ran back and forth before me, around my legs once and then he too started to run off but thought better of it and sat perfectly still, calmly watching me too. I gently thanked them and headed back to David and our car, happy to have my new spiritual companion confirmed. The universe is a truly magical place, is it not?

Photo courtesy of EmileJ.

Moons and Totems 7

Everybody knows their western astrological profile and most people also know their eastern, or Chinese, astrological sign as well, but few know their moon profile from the Native American culture and the totems for each moon. As with the two more mainstream belief systems, the moon totem profiles are not only a very accurate read of an individual's personality, but they also add a rich dimension to who we are and where our weaknesses and powers come from.

Hot Winds Moon
July 11-August 10

People of the Hot Winds Moon are very versatile people, able to move effortlessly from one circumstance to another and in the process blend seamlessly with all sorts of different people. Introspective and wise with a degree of maturity to them, they can be very hot tempered and lose their cool very quickly (much like the weather at this time of year). No matter how joyous they may appear, the wheels are always turning in the Hot Moon person's head, searching into the depths of every situation. Adversely, they can easily become quitters when things get tough or ironically, refuse to let something go that has long run its course. Stubborn, arrogant and sometimes carrying a sense of superiority about them, these can be very tricky people.

The element for this moon sign is fire and the animal totem is the trout. A fish that can be a tenacious fighter when hooked, the trout is known for its wiliness and strength. The Hot Winds Moon plant totem is the thistle, a medicinally powerful plant that is able to thrive in very difficult conditions and this moon's mineral totem is jade. Jade is a strong and spiritually powerful stone long used as a token of male potency as well as for luck, long life and prosperity. The Hot Winds Moon color is green, the color of nature at its full maturity and vitality. People of this moon should wear the healing color of green to calm their hearts when they're feeling very angry and emotionally out of control.

Everyone is most compatible with those people born under the moon opposite to their own and the opposite moon of the Hot Winds Moon is the Deep Snows Moon (January 11-February 10).

Photo courtesy of arwriterphotog on flickr.

A Zinnia Spell

In trying to find some interesting flower spells that are designed for this time of year, and most specifically for the month of August, I stumbled across a spell that makes use of zinnias. If you ask me, nothing says "late summer" more than a colorful riot of zinnias. And I feel that this little spell is just perfect the way it is. I did nothing to change it in any way and I present it to you in its original form, including its beautifully written introduction.

"August wouldn’t be August without zinnias. Their bright cheery colors contain the warmth of the August Sun and echo the region of their origin, Mexico and the American Southwest. When Cortez found them growing in Mexico, the Aztecs already held them in high esteem for their beauty. Use them in spells for strength, health, endurance, or abundance. This spell for health combines them with another late-summer flower, goldenrod. Cut a stem of a red or yellow zinnia and a goldenrod. Tie them together to dry in a dark, airy space. When dry, raise them toward the Sun and say:

Flowers bright as the Sun,

Protect me from winter’s grief

When summer’s done.

Crush them and place them in an envelope as a symbol of their protection. Keep them until next Midsummer, then burn them in a ritual fire. Repeat again when the zinnias and goldenrod bloom."

I am generally not in the habit of merely cutting and pasting other people's spells here, but there isn't much one can do to improve this little gem. This beautiful yet simple zinnia spell comes from a gentleman by the name of James Kambos, a writer for Llewellyn Books and is reproduced here in its entirety courtesy of llewellyn.com.

Photo courtesy of Park Seed on flickr.

Blueberry Muffins

There's something very childlike in picking berries on a hot summer day. Communing with nature aside, the very act of moving in and out of the underbrush searching for treasure and nibbling something sweet while doing it brings me back to my very young self growing up in the woods of Massachusetts and picking not only blueberries in the summer, but cranberries in an old abandoned bog in the autumn as well.

It's magickal to spend a couple of hours wandering through the woods, feeling the heat of the summer sun on the back of your neck, listening to the sounds of the trees as well as birds calling and insects humming, smelling the scent of a warm summer breeze in your nose and wearing berry-stained fingers from picking those berries that were just a bit past ripe. And if you don't eat all that you harvested before you get back home, there's always the kitchen magick of a pie or some muffins to enjoy and share with those you love.

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS makes 12 regular sized or 6 jumbo sized muffins

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups blueberries with 1/2 cup of these mashed with a fork (fresh wild berries are best but store bought or frozen will work just as well)

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375f degrees. Grease and flour a muffin tin or use paper cups to line each cup. It's a good idea to lightly grease the areas between each cup as well so the edges of the muffin tops won't stick.

In a medium sized bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time and then add the vanilla, baking powder and salt. Mix the mashed berries into the batter. Add the flour, alternating with the milk and beat until mixed. Add whole berries and stir to mix completely.

Scoop batter into muffin cups and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown (larger muffins will take a bit longer). Let muffins cool for at least 30 minutes before you remove them from their pan.

Photo courtesy of digital-jenn on flickr.

Dualism

It is said that there is no white or black (as in magick) but only what is and that that is neither good nor evil. I, however, prefer to embrace the idea of duality: that there is both good and bad, positive and negative, black and white in all we see, think, feel and experience. It's always there, whether we're casting a spell and taking care to not overstep the bounds of kindness and respect for our fellow man and thus inadvertently send negative energy towards another, and it's there in the mundane, ordinary things we do every single day. Like when taking a simple walk on a summer's evening.

The other night I went for a walk with Griffin up the railroad tracks near my house. I hadn't been there in years so it was with some surprise that I realized I had forgotten that the wetland at the back of my property extends well into the woods and opens up into a lovely little river with lush greenery on either bank, a river that continues on under the tracks and beyond. The vines growing up the trees were a vivid green, the cat o' nine tails numbered in the hundreds and the purple loosestrife was electric in the setting sun. Catbirds called from the trees and there was a beaver dam, as well as several beavers doing their beavery things: splashing and playing in the water. It was an incredibly peaceful, potent scene and the two of us stood there quietly watching the beauty of it all from the tracks above before we continued on.

Just a few short yards beyond that idyllic eden and barely off the tracks into the woods we passed several tattered tents, garbage strewn about them in their tiny clearings, old shopping carts full of debris and several homeless people who, most unfortunately, call these shelters (that clearly barely keep out the elements) "home." And a few more yards down the tracks we passed still more makeshift homeless camps. Once again we found ourselves silenced by the scene before us.

I am a huge fan of junkyards and especially of the enormous pile of rusted, twisted metal bits that can always be found in one. And so it was with some joy that the tracks we walked passed by a junkyard that was in the process of ripping to bits (with heavy equipment) rusty old cars and then delicately placing the pieces upon the giant pyramid of metal. The noise was deafening and the metal simply fabulous to behold. And it got me thinking about the idea of dualism.

This walk was meant to be just a walk on a warm summer night. I didn't expect to see such powerful nature along the tracks nor did I expect to be rendered speechless by the evidence of the human suffering I witnessed as well. I watched rusty old metal being recycled into something new: something most people consider ugly, yet something I find beautiful. Even in the ordinary there is good and there is bad. And much of it is subjective; a personal trigger that sends us reeling in one direction or the other, and as it was in the case of my walk: both directions in quick succession. So take a moment in your day, as you do all those little insignificant things we all do every single day, and stay present. Really see what's before you and you might be surprised by just how many times you're presented with life's duality. Because that's how our wonderful universe balances itself. You can't have one without the other. Watch and see.

Photo courtesy of _SMadsen on flickr.

A Simple Litha Spell

Marigold Ritual for Strength

What you'll need:

at least eight small stones, one rather smooth, more for additional talismans

an earthen pot, of a size big enough to grow one or more plants

one or more marigold plants

potting soil

a permanent marker

Write your birth sign on a small, relatively smooth, stone in permanent ink and place it at the bottom of an earthen pot. You can also write words of encouragement on additional stones, such as "strength", "empowerment", "courage" or any other potent words that you draw energy from. Fill the pot with soil and plant one or more marigolds in it. Place seven stones around the plants and as you do all this chant the following:

"I honor this summer season

that bathes me in the light,

I open my heart to your power

And I feel your gentle might."

The marigold is a powerful plant that vibrates to the sun's energy. They are symbolic of summer and the fiery weather that comes with it. String a garland of marigolds over your door to stop evil from entering your home, or plant them in your gardens to protect your property. Place them under your pillow at night while you sleep and your dreams will come true. They are also known to give you prophetic dreams as well. It is said that if a girl touches the petals of a marigold plant with her bare feet, she will understand the language of the birds.*

Marigolds used in any spellwork should always be picked at noon when the sun is at its hottest and strongest. This particular planting spell can be performed anytime during the summer season, but will be most potent when performed during the waxing moon, at noon on a day closest to midsummer.

Marigold is the flower of endurance. It grows in even difficult conditions and always turns its bright face to the sun, following its path through the sky throughout the day. This ritual will give you strength and power while connecting you to the essence of the summer season.

*Legend of the language of the birds courtesy of the late Scott Cunningham.

Photo courtesy of Shertila Tony on flickr.

Whiling Away a Summer Afternoon

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time."

-John Lubbock

Photo courtesy of honeybSF on flickr.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Hunter's Moon

August 11 - September 10

Unlike western astrology which uses the sun and planets to determine a person's personality, Native American astrology uses the moon and elements of the earth in their belief system and I find it very accurate. As someone who loves the earth and all she offers us, I find this very appealing. Having been born under the sixth moon of the year, I am a child of the Hunter's Moon.

Children of the Hunter's Moon vibrate to the element of water and their direction is the west. My animal totem is the wolf, my plant totem is the pine and my mineral totem is turquoise. Although I was obviously born in the summer, my season is autumn as this moon represents the waning light of summer and the very beginning of the darker days of fall. My color, like my stone, is turquoise.

Hunter's Moon children are more likely to be influenced by female energy, with deep insights and intuition. They are very good at organization, bringing all they undertake to fruition and completion, just like a wolf on the hunt. Hunter's Moon people are also, unfortunately, rather smart-mouthed, flippant people who could learn to exercise a bit more tolerance of others. They tend to be solitary people, though they do enjoy the company of others as well.

I have adored turquoise since I was a little girl, so it's no surprise that this is the stone I vibrate to. Turquoise is one of the greatest of all the healing stones and brings clarity to those who carry it. It brings balance (which is often much needed by Hunter's Moon children who are known for going overboard a lot of the time), and it purifies and cleanses.

Pine is a strong tree, providing wood for the lodge and fuel for the fire. It is a tree of life and of strength, yet complementary to this is the color turquoise, the color of water and tranquility.

My great great maternal grandmother was a full-blooded Native American, and while I know very little about her (as the unspeakable stigma attached to a white man marrying a person of color back in the late 19th century caused my family to permanently disengage from them both), I feel her blood coursing through my pagan veins. Much of what I believe and what I engage in on a spiritual level is directly related to traditional Native American beliefs and always has been. And as I celebrate yet another birthday, I honor my ancestors who through their own lives here on this earth, helped to shape and make me the person I am today.

Blessed Be to all my family through the ages, Blessed Be to my readers, and Blessed Be to everyone else who is celebrating their birthday today. By honoring where you come from, you honor the person you are today and the person you will become through your years on this journey.

Happy birthday to me! (and my cake made by David and Griffin was delicious)!