Anyone still here?

Life has been super crazy. We'll leave it at that. >.<


In an effort to re-awaken my blog, here are some surveys to answer some questions that folks might have about me:

1) How do you label yourself as a witch? (Pagan, Wiccan, eclectic solitary witch, Gardnerian Wiccan, Asatru?)
Wiccan-influenced Witch
2) Do you believe in or follow any gods, goddesses, entities? If so, which ones?
I believe in a bunch of Gods, but I am devoted to Hekate.
3) Name three simple things that make you feel like a witch.
1. I cast spells.
2. I commune with spirits.
3. I worship my Gods in witchy ways.
4) Are there any aspects of witchcraft in which you excel or have a stronger pull towards (e.g. herbs, candle magic, healing, or animal magic)?
I'm good with animals, tisanes (herbal remedies), cord magick, and I'm told I have talent for healing.
5) What is your stance on curses?
I don't think they're the wise thing to do, but my personal path is a lot about becoming a better person. Curses require a willingness to pay a price I'm not willing to pay. At least, I haven't found a reason to hex yet.
6) How many people (if any) know that you do witchcraft?
A bunch, both online and off. I couldn't give you an exact number though.
7) What age did you start practicing witchcraft?
I discovered witchcraft and started practicing around twelvish. My first sabbat was that Beltaine.
8) Are you pulled closer to the light or darkness of witchcraft?
I don't use those terms. I'm big on balance - don't avoid either. Dynamic balance is the way to go.
9) Name your favorite animal, plant and color to work with in magic.
Animal - Fox, Vulture, Horse.
Plant - Lemon Balm, Oak, Holly.
Color - Depends on what I'm doing, really. Red, Yellow, Orange, White, and Black are pretty common on my devotional altar.
10) Do you have any witchy friends where you live?
Yes.
11) Is your spellwork done formally (all planned out with specific clothes and rituals done before starting) or done on the spur of the moment?
Either. It depends on how large a spell we're talking. Small ones, like finding my keys, are spontaneous. Spells for other purposes require more planning. Holy day rituals are usually sketched out and then the details are spontaneous.
12) Have you made your own tools before? If so, which ones?
My wand, staff, details on my athame, details on my drum, devotional artwork, altar cloths, runes, and ritual jewelry are all mine. My athame itself was commissioned from Lupa (http://www.thegreenwolf.com).
13) What are some talents that you have that don’t pertain to your spiritual self (e.g. singing, dance, artwork)?
There is nothing in my life that isn't spiritual. The mundane is spiritual. Breathing is spiritual.


Generic Pagan Survey
B A S I C S //
Do you have a magickal name? A few. Currently, Neheti, which I gained when I was active with the House of Netjer.
What does it mean? Neheti means "Shelter, or House, or Sycamore Fig" - all of which are intensely synchronistic and amazingly meaningful.
How did you find Wicca/Paganism? I've been connected to a lot of this since I was a kiddo, but I started really discovering my path thanks to mythology and a deep love of libraries.
How long have you been practicing? Ahem.... twenty-ish years.
Solitary or group pratictioner? Solitary with attendance at open rituals. I would join a coven if one of the ones that calls to me were near here.
What is your path? Unique.
Are you out of the broom closet? I'm not a stand on top of the car shouting my beliefs kind of girl, but I don't hide it either.

D E I T Y //
Who is your patron God? Don't have one. I've got a relationship with An Dagda, Amun, Dionysos, and Helios, but they're not patrons.
Who is your patron Goddess? Hekate, Hekate. Hekate. She's everything to me. Since she called me, she has spread out and expanded and changed my world.
What Gods do you worship? I send up the odd conversation to the gods listed above.
What Goddesses do you worship? Hekate first. Bast, and HetHert also get attention, much like the gods.
Do you fear darkly aspected Gods/Goddess, or rather respect them? Fear can be healthy, or it can be crippling. Balance is important though and I have no trouble with looking into the void.
Do you worship the Christian God? Not really.
Do you ever worship animals? Not worship, but sometimes they act as messengers of the Divine. Totems are a whole 'nother bag.
Or plants? Not worship, but again, sometimes they're messengers of the Divine. Again, Totems should be separate.

N A T U R E //
Do you regularly commune with nature? Yes.
Ever walked barefoot in the woods? Yes, when I was little, but the ticks in this area are vicious, so I don't recommend it.
Taken a camping trip just to talk to nature? Yes! I love doing that.
Describe the moment you felt closest to Mother Earth? There isn't any one moment that qualifies - there are a few moments that totally blew my mind however. Those are experiences that cannot be shared in words.
What is your power animal? Fox and Vulture and Grackle and Leopard.
Do you have a familiar? I have a cat that seems to want to be, but no.
Have you ever called upon the powers on an animal in ritual? Yes.
Or a plant? Yes
Do you hug trees? Yes.
Give them gifts? Yes
What is your favorite flower to work with? Roses.
What is your favorite tree to work with? Oak

W H E E L . O F . T H E . Y E A R //
What is your favorite holiday? Samhain and Yule
What if your least favorite holiday? I struggle with the Spring Equinox.
Have you ever held a ritual on a holiday? Yes, both on the astrological date and on the calendar date.
Ever taken a day of work to celebrate a pagan holiday? Not that I recall.
Do you celebrate Yule on the 21 rather than the 25? I celebrate Yule for a bunch of days - just the height is at the Winter Solstice.
Have you ever felt the veil thin? Every year. It is starting soon.
Ever danced the Maypole? No
Know what the Maypole symbolizes? Yes.
How do you usually celebrate the pagan holidays? It depends on what is happening. At the worst I simply take five or ten minutes to contemplate. At the best, there is a camping trip with a full ritual.

D I V I N A T I O N //
Do you use Tarot? Yes
Do you use runes? Not really
Do you use a pendulum? Occasionally
Do you use dowsing rods? No, but I would like to learn.
Do you use astrology? It stumps me.
Any other form of divination? I scry and am learning palmistry.

S P E L L S //
What was the first spell you did? That's really private. Not sharing.
What was the latest? I cast a warding spell on my home while I went on a trip.
Ever done a love spell? Nope.
A job spell? Yes.
A healing spell? Yes.
What was the most powerful spell you’ve ever performed? I don't brag about my spellwork. Sorry.
What deities do you usually call on? If a spell requires a deity's assistance, Hekate.

C R Y P T O Z O O L O G Y //
Do you belive in Vampires? Only psychic vamps.
Werewolves? Not exactly - Lycanthropy exists both as a disease and as a psychological disorder. I have known some people who were extremely animalistic though. Read Lupa's books for more info.
Shapeshifters? In the spiritual realm, yes.
Elves? They're a form of Nature Spirit or Wight.
Fairies? Again, Nature Spirit.
Dragons? Yes, another Spirit.
Nymphs? Nature Spirit.
Sprites? Nature Spirit.
Mermaids? ditto.
Sirens? ditto
Satyrs? ditto
Ever “seen” any of the above? Yes.
Ever talked to any of the above? Yes.
Ever used any of the above in magick? "used" no. Visited, bargained, and communed with some yes.
Do you have one of them as a personal guardian? Yes.

R A N D O M //
Do you see a rabbit, a man or a woman in the moon? Yes. Depends on when you ask me.
Own a cat? Yep.
When you mediate what does your happy place look like? That varies with what I'm working on - it's a large place
Do you work with Chakras? Not often.
Do you believe in past lives? Yes
If so, describe a few briefly: That's pretty private. I don't share that with strangers.
Do you believe in soul mates? Yes, but not like you think.
Do you have a spirit guide? Yes.
Is it always love and light? No, thank all the Gods.

Ritual Design Considerations

Life has been so crazy around here. There is a lot to be grateful for, and some that has our household reeling. This Saturday is the Full Moon and it is also a festival that historically has been dedicated to Diana. In recent years, however, August 13th has become linked with Hekate.

So I'm trying to figure out what to do for the event. I have a few people coming over for a potluck, but I also have responsibilities to Hekate that night via the Covenant of Hekate and my own relationship with the Keybearer.

I have a painting that I did of a vision that Hekate gave me back in March that I will be dedicating to her and offering, then hanging it at my altar in my bedroom. It is moments like these that I realize it is probably good that we live in a small place right now, because the list of people that I wish we could invite.

Ritual design can be tricky, especially when designing for a group. One needs to take into consideration the space, the way that sound carries, the experience levels of each participant. For example, you want people to each participate, but you don't want the new person to be put in charge of holding a quarter during an intense ritual.

If you don't own the room you are using for the ritual, you want to look over the rules of the property. Follow the rules, even if they put a cramp in your hopes for the property.

At the same time, think about why you are doing the ritual. If it is like this weekend's plans for me, dedicated to a specific deity, try to tailor the food as well as the ritual to their tastes. Decorate with the symbols of the god in question, and plan to answer questions about the deity from those who aren't familiar with them.

If your ritual is more focused on spellcraft, then tailor it towards your intent. If the ritual is one of healing, then try to decorate with colors that are soothing.

Begin the ritual with an explanation of your purpose, and then do something to delineate a difference in purpose. Most neo-Pagans do this by casting a circle.
In my experience circles work best with altars in each direction for the elements, but that isn't always practical. In my current living room, there isn't room for that many tables. So we tend to keep all the elements on one table.

Ultimately, rituals all follow a pattern, so it is important to make sure that your own design touches each of the steps.

I. Preparation: Set up the space. Ritually bathe and purify the area. Dress in fresh clean clothes. Take a moment to prepare by meditation.

II. Establishing Sacred Space: In many Pagan rituals this means casting the circle, inviting the elements, and welcoming the Gods and ancestors.

III. Statement of Purpose

IV. Ritual Acts. This is where you do the work itself. It might be as simple as meditation, or it might be ritual dancing and singing. Sometimes it is a lengthy event.

V. Gratitude. Be sure to give thanks to the Gods and spirits involved in the ritual. If you have a feast as part of the event, ask the Gods to bless the food and offer part of it to them prior to sharing it amongst yourself.

VI. Ending the Rite. Give thanks again to the Gods and Spirits and explain that the rite is done and that the Elementals should depart. Essentially you want to say, "Thank you for coming, the party is over." Then be sure to ground and center. Take a moment for meditation.

VII. Clean up. Pick up everything. If you need to do something like set out your offerings, do so now.

VIII. Follow up. If you were casting a spell, you need to do something in your everyday life to enact the ritual. If you cast a job spell, send in applications, go to interviews and generally do the footwork involved in getting a job. For a healing spell, eat accordingly if you are the recipient of the spell.

And there you have it. Sit back and let the acts reverberate through your life. Pay attention to dreams and the events of your life afterward. Some people include divination in their rituals, which would take place after the ritual act or after the gratitude portion.

This is, of course, just a basic outline. It won't work for everyone obviously.

May the Gods walk with you in darkness and light,

Hekate and a Tarot Spread

I want to share with you a tarot spread inspired by Hekate. As a goddess, she inspired Shakespeare's three witches in the infamous opening scene of Macbeth, which helped to create her modern conception of Hekate as a crone. For the 5th century Greeks, Hekate was described as a maiden goddess of roads and witches. Her name was invoked at three way crossroads and, yes, by witches.

Her epithets describe a goddess of immense beauty and power. Zeus honors her, and she rules earth, sky, and sea. She stands watch over birth as well as death.
For the later mystics, she came to be understood as the Goddess who Ensouls the world.

Hekate's Crossroad Spread

This spread was created for me at a time when I was really mired and stuck immobile in my life. My obligations were simultaneously telling me to remain where I was and to move on to grad school, and I needed insight.

As a result, it works best for moments when you feel like you are in between, such as deciding whether to quit a job or between any other situation. That said, it can be used outside of that situation with some thought and consideration.



Card 1: Significator: This card represents the querent, and may be chosen or pulled. It may refer to how the querent is behaving or the situation that they are facing.

Card 2: The Path: Represents the situation, or the recent past that has brought the querent to the crossroad.

Card 3: The Rope: Represents the limitations that the querent is experiencing, or the responsibilities that the querent has. This may also indicate other influences not described in the prior cards.

Card 4: The Knife: Represents the factors that the querent can discern about the situation, what the True Will thereof might entail, or things that must be culled from one's life in order to proceed in the situation.

Card 5: The Triodotis/Herm: Represents the central fact of the situation, the crux of the decision.

Card 6: Torch the First: Describes the first option before the Querent.

Card 7: Torch the Second: Describes the second option before the querent.

Card 8: The Cavern: Represents Hekate's chthonic character. Hekate's cavern is a door to the underworld, and a place from which the ancestors can lend insight as well as the Goddess.

Card 9: The Stars: Represents Hekate's celestial character. Hekate's stars are a door to the deepest aspects of the soul. The guidance offered here can reflect the will of the divine or offer a glimpse of the future as it presently stands.*


*By the mere chance of doing a spread and accepting that knowledge means that the future changes.

The image above is Hekate from Pirner, 1901. :)