L is for Lavender: Pagan Blog Project 2013

The thing about magical herbalism is that it’s not as simple as following a chart. Or I should say, you CAN follow a chart, and your spell will probably work (though not necessarily the way you expect, but that’s a whole other post.) But you will probably have more potent, effective magic if you work with herbs personally and come to understand the way certain herbs resonate with you–or don’t.

Take Lavender as an example.

Lavender is a popular herb. Its smell is lovely and soothing, and it’s often used in magic for healing, protection, and love. I find Lavender comforting, so it’s a good fit for me when I want to do healing magic.

But I know a few people who really can’t stand the smell of lavender. For those people, lavender would be a bad choice for a healing spell.

On the other hand, suppose one of these lavender-haters was directing a lot of negative energy my way, and I felt a need to do a protective spell or charm using herbs. I would begin with a standard spell to block negative energy–probably using white clover. But I could give the spell a very personal element by adding lavender blossoms, and it would serve a dual purpose. The smell of the lavender would sooth me and create calmer, more harmonious vibes in my personal space. But it would also serve as a specific repellant for the lavender hater–a fine example of how well suited plants are to custom tailored magic.

Lavender in particular is also a good example of how gentle things should not be underestimated. Sure, Lavender is fairly mild and tends to be soothing and calming. But it is also seriously potent, energetically speaking. Simple, common plants can still be powerful, and a smart magical practitioner won’t underestimate them.

L is for Local: Pagan Blog Project 2013

I’ve been intrigued by Druidry for a while, so I recently started reading Penny Billington’s The Path of Druidry. It’s taking me a while to get through it. This is partly because my attention span is very short these days. But it’s mostly because the book has a lot of suggested visualizations and daily practices that make a lot of sense to me–so I’m trying them all out as I go, and that makes slow progress through the pages.

One of the very sensible suggestions is a daily walk, regardless of weather. The walk doesn’t have to be long, but she suggests that it be very focused. That you walk with the intention of engaging fully with the landscape, both as a part of the natural world and as a doorway to mythic, otherworldly energies.

A Local Park

Which leads me to one of the ways I feel like Druidry might be a very good fit for me.

I love the way Druidry (at least Billington’s version thereof) encourages a practice centered on your immediate surroundings.

The beauty of local spirituality is that it helps those of us on nature-based paths find a real, vivid connection to the planet AND to spirit.

More of the Park

Of course we honor the whole earth–but the whole earth is kind of big. It’s challenging to have a relationship with an entire planet of which I will likely only ever see a very small percentage. On the other hand, a strong connection to my local landscape and its spirits, energies and entities is easy. Falling in love with the tiny part of the world I call home is a natural result of spending time interacting with it. When I love the local landscape, reverence for the earth becomes something personal and concrete rather than a pretty (but abstract) sentiment.

An interesting side effect of reverence at the local level is responsibility. When I’m at the park by my house, and I’m paying attention, suddenly THIS place, this tree, this grass is the earth I revere. And when that happens, I am more likely to act on its behalf in whatever way I can. Sometimes it’s as basic as picking up litter, sometimes it’s more like giving reiki to a tree. Either way, I can observe the direct impact of my actions on the planet, and the idea that I can make a difference doesn’t seem far fetched anymore. If more of us became intimate with the nature at our doorsteps, we might do better at being good to the planet. You never know.

Not everyone is going to want to be a Druid–I’m still making up my mind about the whole thing, though I’m feeling pretty positive about it at the moment–but I think all of us who try to follow an earth-based path could do worse than get up close and personal with our immediate environs. I’m sure the big sacred sites are worth the journey, but I think  it’s important to honor the sacred close to home. As Wendell Berry said, “There are no unsacred places; there are only sacred places, and desecrated places.”

Back in the Saddle Again

In case y’all were wondering if I forgot about the Pagan Blog Project, the answer is . . . no I didn’t. Ever since I missed that first “E” post, the unfinished project has been hanging over my head. I’ve been debating the whole time about whether I should drop it, try to catch up with it, just jump back in in the middle . . . and since the year is almost half over, I really thought maybe I should just let it go. But I can’t. Not finishing seems . . . well, kind of lame.

Actually, I’ve been struggling to write anything at all for months, what with one thing and another. I’m not going to make the mistake of saying I think things are settling down now, but I will say I’ve been able to focus a bit better for the past few weeks and I’ve been working semi-regularly. I really hope it sticks this time. (So does my writing buddy, I’m sure.)

Anyway, my point is that I’m going to try to catch up with the PBP. My tentative plan is to post twice a week–one catch-up post, and one on-time post.

I dithered a lot about the best way to do the catching up–especially about how to date the posts. I finally decided to go ahead and back date the posts as if I’d written them on schedule, but to include a note that they were written after the fact. I’m doing this because I want to be able to link to the posts through the Pagan Blog Project main blog, in case anyone is finding posts through the past link lists (like I have been doing while I play catch-up).

So starting tomorrow, if all goes according to plan (knock on wood, cross your fingers, wish on a star, etc.) you’ll be hearing from me more regularly. Wish me luck. Again.

A Good Day for Crows

The sky was TURQUOISE

The weather yesterday afternoon was sublime, so my after-work walk was wonderful. (Say that five times fast).

The crows also enjoyed the weather–I saw them everywhere I looked.

I’ve never been great with animals. I LIKE animals, don’t get me wrong. But when I was a child I was terrified of anything larger than a cat, or anything that moved too fast.

The exception to my animal discomfort was birds. I had several pet birds as a child, and trained them to be comfortable with being handled. Now I couldn’t bring myself to keep a bird in captivity. Except maybe a rescue, injured bird who couldn’t go back to the wild. It just seems wrong to force a creature who was born to FLY to live indoors.

Also they poop a lot, and fling seed hulls everywhere when they eat.

Still, birds have always fascinated me, and I have a special fondness for crows. Actually I find all birds in the Corvus family–which includes crows, ravens, jackdaws and rooks–fascinating and highly entertaining.

This is the first time I’ve ever lived in an area with a large crow population, and my affection for crows is deepening. I keep trying to take pictures of them, and being reminded that my phone and I don’t take very good pictures of animals.

The crow in the picture below would like it known that he was very generous with his time, and struck several attractive poses for me. Any flaws in the photo are the fault of me and my phone.

Striking a Pose

It might be time for a proper camera.

Beautiful Barnacles

My sweetie and I can’t get enough of the beach. We took a day trip to Oceanside last Sunday–and it was actually sunny, much to our surprise. This meant we could stay on the beach for hours–long enough to get a sunburn–and explore the tiny tidepools and rock formations. And I found a new obsession.

Reptilian

Those are BARNACLES. These reptilian, alien looking creatures are a variety of gooseneck barnacle, latin name Pollicipes polymerus. Aren’t they just . . . freakishly amazing?

Socializing

In the picture above they’re socializing with  what I think are acorn barnacles. I was so fascinated with the gooseneck variety I didn’t scrutinize the others quite as closely. And here:

Cave

It’s hard to tell from the picture, but that narrow cave extended under the cliff a long way, and the whole thing was full of barnacles. Surreal.

Of course these were all closed up tight, since it was low tide–but there’s a beautiful picture of open gooseneck barnacles here. Seriously, go see it–they look even more alien when they open.

My Babies

As promised, I give you a picture of what I planted.

My Babies!

That’s Rosemary, Lavender, Sage, Thyme (Orange and Lemon varieties), Yarrow, Marjoram and Parsley in the herb bed. I will be adding plain Thyme, along with Dill, Calendula, and Mugwort later (yes, there is enough room). I’m thinking about filling up the spaces in between the herbs with annuals this year, since I know the herbs are going to get MUCH BIGGER in time.

In the second bed (which I couldn’t get a good picture of because the light was terrible) I planted lettuce, chard, kale, mustard greens, nasturtiums, and chives.  And watching over the tender little greens is this:

Soft and Fuzzy

Yes, that’s a big fuzzy mullein. Yes, to some people it’s a weed. To me it’s an extra special added bonus gift from the garden. Anyone who has read my blog for a while knows of my abiding affection for weeds–and mullein is one I’ve never really worked with before, though I’ve admired her tall spires in ditches and at the edges of farmer’s fields. I don’t know very much about Mullein except that the blossoms are used in a (very effective) oil for ear troubles. But when I started clearing the beds and saw the Mullein there, it seemed like a sign that it might be time to work with the plant. So I carefully weeded around it. We’ll see if it plays nicely with my greens or not.

I admit there’s a disappointing lack of dandelion and chickweed in the garden. But now we’ve cleared some ground, I think there’s a good chance they’ll turn up. Just don’t tell the neighbors I’m hoping for more weeds.

I’m excited to see what will happen in my little postage stamp garden. I thought I might feel disappointed not to have more herbs, but I’m actually looking forward to discovering how a handful of plants will meet my culinary and witchy needs. I’m sure you’ll hear all about it in the coming months.

A Bit of Earth

“Might I,” quavered Mary, “might I have a bit of earth?”

In her eagerness she did not realize how queer the words would sound and that they were not the ones she had meant to say. Mr. Craven looked quite startled.

“Earth!” he repeated. “What do you mean?”

“To plant seeds in–to make things grow–to see them come alive,” Mary faltered.

He gazed at her a moment and then passed his hand quickly over his eyes.

“Do you–care about gardens so much,” he said slowly.

“I didn’t know about them in India,” said Mary. “I was always ill and tired and it was too hot. I sometimes made little beds in the sand and stuck flowers in them. But here it is different.”

Mr. Craven got up and began to walk slowly across the room.

“A bit of earth,” he said to himself, and Mary thought that somehow she must have reminded him of something. When he stopped and spoke to her his dark eyes looked almost soft and kind.

“You can have as much earth as you want,” he said. “You remind me of some one else who loved the earth and things that grow. When you see a bit of earth you want,” with something like a smile, “take it, child, and make it come alive.”

–The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett

Since I came to the city in September I’ve mourned the loss of my garden. Of course with a full time job I wouldn’t have enough time to negotiate with the bindweed and blackberries for garden space, much less do all the other tasks required by a large garden. But as trees started budding and spring blossoms opened I couldn’t help aching a little bit, knowing that I wouldn’t be participating in the growth cycle in the same way this year.

Weedy!

Then my girlfriend’s mom asked if I’d like to garden with her. Of course I said yes.

Less Weedy

And that was when I was granted two raised of my own to plant in. It’s a much smaller space than I had before, so I have to choose what to plant carefully, but it’s a chance to get my hands in the ground–and it’s a project I can manage in the time allowed, especially since there will be someone there to water when I can’t make it across town to check on my plants.

Compost in Waiting

As you can see, the beds were full of weeds and in need of a good layer of compost (hence the line of plastic bags), but the little garden itself is a charming space. And more importantly I get to share it. I had forgotten how gardening is excellent therapy until I started clearing the weeds from the first bed.

When I get around to posting again I’ll tell you about the (other) unexpected gift, and show you what I planted. I know you can hardly wait.

Oceanside, and a Public Service Announcement.

So it appears that excitement in general doesn’t agree with me–or at least it doesn’t agree with the blog. While the events of the past two months have been equal parts wonderful and horrible, they have been 100% . . . intense. Which is bad for blogging, when you are me. I have a short attention span. But most of y’all knew that.

ANYWAY! I have lots to show-and-tell you all. IF I can get myself to settle down and blog a little more consistently–and I am making no promises. I have good intentions. But my life is full of all these . . . EVENTS. It’s absurd. I keep telling the universe I have a blog to update but the universe seems to think I have more important things to do. AS IF THAT WERE POSSIBLE.

My first show-and-tell actually happened two weeks ago. I accompanied one of my most significant distractions (She knows who she is.) (She will also hopefully not be offended by being referred to as a distraction.) to Oceanside for a weekend at the beach. It was the best weekend I’ve had in . . . I don’t want to think about it. Of course I took pictures on the beach. Because that’s what I do.

The View from our Cabin

The weather was blustery and damp–just what you’d expect–but we got just enough of a mild spell for a good walk on the beach.

Tim Burton Tree

That tree looks like it’s going to crawl down the hill to the water, I swear.

Beautiful Barnacles

Purdy.

Oooh, Shiny!

Oooh, aaaaaah.

It’s alive!!!!

Guess what this stuff is living on? Can you figure it out from the closeup? Here:

Portable Reef?

These days, even ocean life is available to go. Okay that’s an awful joke–and seriously, I was as saddened by the pitcher hosting a colony of frizzly things as I was fascinated. (No, “frizzly things” is not the botanical name. I’m not even sure they’re plants. My knowledge of ocean life is pathetically limited.) And now that things were living on the thing, I didn’t want to pick it up and put it in the garbage. What’s a hippie pagan to do? I left it. The wee creature in the shell was still alive, and the waves were coming in to take him or her back out. I’m trying not to lose sleep over it but y’all know it isn’t easy.

DON’T LITTER PEOPLE. Didn’t you go to kindergarten? That concludes my Public Service Announcement for the day.

F is for Full Moon: Pagan Blog Project 2013

(Note: this post was actually published on June 19, 2013. I’m placing it here for purposes of searchability.)

As my pagan practice has moved away from doing magic, it’s been harder for me to know how to celebrate the Full Moon. If I’m not raising energy in order to make something happen, what do I DO with the night of the full moon?

And then there have been so many chaotic months, when just getting a moment to look at the full moon felt like an accomplishment.

Now I have the space to do whatever I want or need to do, and I’ve been thinking about all the holy days and wondering what might be a fitting way to celebrate them.

The first thing I realized as I started pondering the question was I really suck at celebrating. Contemplation I can do, but celebration? How the hell does one even make merry or rejoice in victories and accomplishments? Fuck if I know.

BUT. I’ve got this idea that the first step might be taking a little time to acknowledge the things I have to celebrate. Maybe I never feel like I accomplish anything because I never actually take the time to give myself credit, not even a “huzzah!” or three cheers for finishing. That’s just silly. Maybe working a sense of fulfillment into my full moon observations will help me see how productive I really am, and to discover if I’m as much of a slacker as I tend to think I am.

The full moon also seems like a fitting time to express gratitude for the things I’ve been given. And not just to say thank you, but to take it a little further.

As I’ve finally taken all the signs to heart and started working with Brigid on a daily basis, I’ve been thinking a lot about how we honor our deities. Many cultures make offerings to their gods and goddesses at temples or in holy places, and I think that’s a beautiful practice. Of course my holy place tends to be my bedroom, and there’s just not a lot of room for offerings. So I’ve been thinking about fitting offerings for Brigid that don’t take up space. It seems like fire and water, poems and prayers are the right sorts of things to offer her–even better if the poems and prayers are ones I write myself. (There could be a whole blog post about writing as a devotional act, but W is a long way off.)

And then of course there’s always just looking at the moon and seeing how beautiful she is. Sometimes that really is enough.

E is for Elements: Pagan Blog Project 2013

(Note: this post was actually published on June 11, 2013. I’m placing it here for purposes of searchability.)

The elemental correspondences is usually one of the first things covered in any introductory text to paganism. And I love the elemental system–it’s such a handy way of organizing esoteric information, and it’s a great teaching tool.

But as I move deeper into my path–I’ve been studying paganism and healing since 1999–I often come back to the ground-level topics and ask myself how they matter now that I don’t, for example, need an elaborate liturgy to cast an effective circle. Last week I found myself asking how the elements matter outside of ritual circles and spellcasting. I’m sure the answers are myriad, but here are a couple things I came up with:

1. Elemental thinking allows us to view ourselves and others in terms of balance, rather than in terms of bad or good. So the one who is too quick to anger has an excess of fire instead of just being an asshole. And if her quick anger is about an excess of fire, perhaps she can find a way to mitigate the effects of too much fire by working with other elements. Personal work then becomes a matter of seeking wholeness by identifying what we lack and learning how to incorporate it into our lives. And that means we can see that we are still good people, even when we aren’t perfect.

2. Elemental thinking offers us an alternative to strict male/female conceptions of gender. Culturally, we’re always dividing traits into male and female–for example, aggressive, active qualities are considered male while tender, nurturing qualities are usually considered female. This deeply entrenched gender binary creates strictly defined roles for men and women in many cultures, and deviations from the gender norms could lead to ostracism at best and violence at worst. As our culture becomes more open to a concept of sex and gender as a spectrum rather than a binary, elemental thinking will be more and more helpful. Instead of thinking of feeding children as a womanly task, we can consider it an earthy action. Crying can become a watery thing instead of a girly thing, and so on. Metaphysically speaking, I like removing gender from my magical and spiritual practice for several reasons. One, I’m pretty gay, so symbolic male/female union doesn’t fit comfortably into my rituals. I’d rather embrace a balance based on elemental associations than on heterosexual metaphors. Two, I have pagan friends who are transgendered, or whose gender identity doesn’t fit neatly into either of the two most commonly accepted options. Elemental thinking allows us to create rituals in which people of all sexual orientations and gender identities can be comfortable.

I doubt I’m the only person to ponder the ways an understanding of the elements influences us. I’d love to hear what y’all think of the subject.