One Song

The following is a beautiful poem by Rumi called "One Song"

Every war and every conflict

between human beings has happened

because of some disagreement about names.

It is such an unnecessary foolishness,

because just beyond the arguing

there is a long table of companionship

set and waiting for us to sit down.

What is praised is one, so the praise is one too,

many jugs being poured into a huge basin.

All religions, all this singing, one song.

The differences are just illusion and vanity.

Sunlight looks a little different

on this wall than it does on that wall

and a lot different on this other one,

but it is still one light.

We have borrowed these clothes,

these time-and-space personalities,

from a light, and when we praise,

we are pouring them back in.

My Offering Stones and Powdered Oak Bark

Today the book and candles that I won for the give-away of Kim's blog "The Wiccan Life" arrive. It was absolutely perfect timing since I was having a kind of horribly long and tiring day after a very long and stressful week. It really made my day and gave me the energy to do a lot of things I've been meaning to do for quite a while. None of it was actually work for college but I'll get around to that tomorrow. I think I deserved focusing on other things after this busy, busy week and especially this long day!

Firstly I started grinding up oak bark into powder. For the year and a day that I'm doing from Timothy Roderick's book that I've mention quite a few times in previous posts, one item that is needed in the first month is powdered oak bark. I went out one day and searched for some bark on the ground. My boyfriend was actually the one to finally find a tree at the very end of the walk, that is super old and had some dead bark sticking off it. We broke some off carefully after making sure that the bark was not still being used by the tree and I gave my thanks. Unfortunately I did not have anything to give but my love and blessings in return, which I sent out to the tree. I will definitely go back and give it an offering stone because I feel it is the right thing to do.

After I finished that (it took a surprisingly long time) I started making my offering stones. I had made the dough about half an hour earlier based on the recipe from krazyboytx's video that I posted about a week ago. This is what it looked like just before I started making the offering stones:

To make them I brought out all my herbs, my favorite tea, some fingerpaints that are absolutely edible (says on the packaging and my dog sneaked a nibble when I wasn't watching and had to do work for school. Yes, I do get to use fingerpaints for some of the projects I make in college :-)), and some glitter.

It was really so much fun to make these offering stones and to me it feels like this might be better than just giving part of my dinner or other foods as offerings. The dinner I make because of what I want to eat but these stones I spend time making especially to give thanks. I think this gives them a different energy. But I will see how it feels when I finally get to give them. First I had to put them on the oven to let them dry and harden up. Now I have to wait at least two days before they are hard and I can go out and use them.

And finally, a picture of the very first offering stone I ever made (it's also in the picture above, the slightly greenish one). I dedicated it especially to the tree that gave its bark.

Winter Is Coming

Every day I can sense winter coming closer and closer. It is as if I can feel the air becoming more crisp, the sounds becoming more muted as the days are getting darker and darker. I felt it was a good moment to express these feelings in my art with a bird the color of snow signalling the arrival of winter. If you like it, feel free to buy a high quality print printed on beautiful recycled paper at my etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/listing/85751068/winter-is-coming. I already put this in my book of shadows and it really adds something to it. This is my very first listing making it extra special to me :-) To make this piece I used photos that I took while traveling in Iceland and on the Faroe Islands, two countries up in the north. They are two of the most beautiful and stunning places that I have ever been to.

Florida Water and Cleansing

http://www.boxvox.net/2008/09/florida-water.html

After having come across it a few times on websites and YouTube I was quite happy when I found Florida Water in a local store. Of course I bought it right away. They had a little tester where you could smell it and already in the store I found it fantastic. When I came home I put some on my neck and behind my ears, just like Krazyboytx recommended in one of his YouTube videos. That alone already felt fantastic.

Since my altar needed a cleaning anyways, after clearing it and wiping it down I also gave it a wipe with some Florida Water. It really gives me the feeling of having cleansed it form some extra energies as well.

In another video on YouTube a tip was to use Florida Water to stop arguments and negative energies in general. For example, you can place a bowl with a little Florida Water in each room of the house to stop negativity from coming in. I was having a small argument with my boyfriend so I decided to be radical and wiped some on him behind his ears and on his neck and did the same thing with myself while telling him about what Florida Water does. If it was the Florida Water or just doing something while talking about the argument being over, I don't know. But we were certainly best friends again after. :-)

Needless to say that Florida Water is one of my new, favorite things. It is especially useful because I am often very busy and don't have the energy to light incense or smudge sticks. Incense requires you to stay in the room to be safe about fire and a smudge stick also has to be made safe to put back in the drawer after using it. Florida Water is such a wonderful alternative and on a busy day where I am often tired, the fresh and yummy smell works as an extra pick-me-up in way that incense and smudge sticks just cannot do.

There are some great videos that give a lot of different uses for Florida Water that I can definitely recommend. I really love the versatility of its uses and just cannot get over the smell! It also changes over time. Coming fresh from the bottle it might smell a bit strong but that stops very quickly. My boyfriend (when I did that thing to stop the argument) said he really disliked the smell. But every night I put it on behind my ears and on my neck just before I go to bed for some extra cleansing and protection and throughout the day I often use it for the same purpose as well and he's always telling me how good it smells! 

I could go on but I'll post some of the Florida Water videos including one on how to make your own if you do have the time:

Coming Out With My Spirituality - Or Not

 One thing that is on my mind quite often is my difficulty in being open about my spirituality and beliefs. So far nobody but my partner and my wonderful puppy know. I have hinted at it to my family but since we are not a family that naturally talks about belief I often dropped the subject before it got too personal. It's strange, I do ask them sometimes what it is that they believe in and the answers are often quite short and defined. They never ask me in return what I believe in. In one way I think that is a very good thing because it's really quite a wonderful thing that they don't judge by beliefs and don't care what I believe in as long as I am happy and living a good life. And I guess I'm not very much one to talk about belief myself. I have had a fair amount of interesting discussions about belief but it's not something that happens often. Actually it only really happens around people who do enjoy talking about their beliefs and spend a lot of time doing so, also with their family.

The negative part with all this is that my personal beliefs make me quite insecure. I do not know anybody in person who is on a similar path to mine (at least not that I am aware of) and have not yet found too many people on the internet that come from a family situation similar to the one I described above. This is probably making me more insecure about my own belief than is necessary. On the other hand I don't feel like I have been in a situation in the past few years where this subject came up naturally. In my surroundings belief doesn't really ever seem to be an issue or a topic of discussion. It's a thing that everybody seems to keep private in every day life. Even though I am very happy about the situation, I do feel a growing need to be able to talk to someone on the phone or in person about this subject. Even if it is just to find out what that feels like. There is so much I am discovering, wondering about, questioning and figuring out. There are also great changes taking place in me (I think - It's hard to tell sometimes with yourself).

So these are just some thoughts I have been having quite frequently. I really wonder what it is like to talk to somebody else in real-time about this path. Perhaps even do a small ritual or spell together. I am not even sure if I will like it but it is just something I would really like to find out about.

Die Zauberflöte

Today I went and watched Mozart's "Die Zauberflöte." It's something that I grew up watching and always loved so much. I had never actually seen the live opera so when I saw a poster a few days ago I thought I have to get tickets and go see it! It was especially exciting since I hadn't watched it since I was little.

Something that I never realized about "Die Zauberflöte" are all the references to old religions. Especially the temple of Isis and Osiris. Tamino and Pamina have to pass several tests in order to be initiated and become part of the inner circle.

Here is an English version of one of the songs from the opera, "O Isis and Osiris:"

And here is the same song sung in its original language, German: 

I really think this is so amazing to listen to! I can definitely recommend the entire opera. Here some more bits and pieces I found on YouTube:

A Special Day and One of the Reasons why the Internet is Wonderful

Today I found out that I was one of the winners of a give away contest on the blog "The Wiccan Life" that was done to celebrate the 100th follower. This is so special to me because in my life I can't remember ever winning anything, let alone the first prize :-) I joined the contest more as an excuse to post something and get to know other people who follow a path similar to mine so I was so surprised to see that I actually won. I almost cried because I am just so used to never winning anything. I might be overreacting but it just brings up so many strong memories, especially from my childhood, where I would have liked to win something but never, ever did. So thank you Lady Caer Morganna for having the contest!

To this I would also like to add that "The Wiccan Life" is a really wonderful blog. Lady Caer Morganna really shares a lot from her personal and daily life, past experiences but also how she practices her spirituality. To me who has yet to meet people outside the online world who follow a similar path it is really special to see how others live it. In addition to that and since I am still way in the closet, it is also a great inspiration to see others being so open about their path. I think that is something that's also very special about the internet in general, that there is this possibility to share your own life and glimpse into that of others in a way that you would never be able to do in real life unless you've known the person for a long time. So thank you internet as well!

Witches on YouTube

I thought I would share some of my favorite Youtube Channels when it comes to Witchcraft and Magic:

http://www.youtube.com/user/paganperspective

http://www.youtube.com/user/Krazyboytx

http://www.youtube.com/user/KimiRose771

http://www.youtube.com/user/CharmingPixieFlora

http://www.youtube.com/user/charliesaysgo

http://www.youtube.com/user/avalonmoon91

http://www.youtube.com/user/ABroomandTheMoon

Breathing

What a difference a simple breath can make. It's incredibly easy and yet something I so frequently forget to do. No matter where I am, if I take a deep breath I always feel better. It helps to regain focus as well, supply the body with energy and feel grounded and connected. One thing I especially love doing is breathing in and then to breathe out all the way and then some more. Really go for it until I feel I have not a single bit of breath left in my body. After that I will breathe in again and repeat breathing out so much until it almost hurts (stop before it does start hurting!). Even when I breathe out the first time I already feel like I am cleaning myself from the inside out. A lot of the time I think people do not breathe out all the way (since it does often take a conscious effort) and breath just stays in your lungs. But breathing out all the way makes way for new breath and new energy to come into your system. After repeating this just three times I already feel like my lungs have been completely cleaned out. It's a wonderful feeling and something I would really recommend everybody to try who hasn't already!

Some ways I apply this way of breathing: Before meditation to relax, when I just don't feel that good (I always feel better immediately), to reduce anger, to enjoy a great experience even more, to freshen up, before ritual so that I am not just cleansed on the outside but also on the inside.

Stop Procrastination

I'm a huge procrastinator. I always seem to do the things that I have to do at the very last minute. Especially when it comes to work for university, cleaning, doing dishes, washing clothing. All those necessary things in daily life. I often let my spiritual path get in the way or all those fantastic shops on Etsy. And if it's not Etsy, then I just started reading a book that I absolutely have to finish today or I'm training my dog. All more or less good things to do but none of those are things that need doing right away.

So today, as a deadline is moving closer, I decided to try something new. For one of my classes I have to make a magazine. Now, working on finishing the whole magazine seems like a lot and you first get something good out if at then end when you can start printing. Usually there are also mistakes that you first see when it is printed and then it takes even longer until you have the finished result. So, I decided to divide it up. I started completing the magazine one double sided page at a time. And it's really working! I get super excited about seeing the finished result coming out of the printer and I can watch the stack of finished pages growing relatively quickly. And finishing one double page doesn't actually take that long. These quick results are actually keeping me motivated pretty well. I'm definitely going to try and apply this to all my work.

Here is also a video I found on YouTube by charmingpixieflora. Many probably know this already but it's a great one to watch again and again for some extra motivation.

Watching the Sunset

Today I went to a lake close to where I live to watch the sun set. It was absolutely beautiful. One of the things that I never noticed so consciously before is how the moon gets brighter and brighter the deeper the sun sinks. That's definitely one thing I have always taken for granted up until today!

Once it got dark and I started getting a little cold from sitting I got up and walked back to my bike. As I was walking a song came to my mind. I sang it quietly to myself. It made for such a beautiful moment as they were my own words and it seemed like such a perfect way to end the experience.

Here are the words to my song:

There is magic in the air

Magic 'round me everywhere

In the trees and in the grass

In the river flowing past

In my heart and in my soul

Magic makes my wings unfold

Don't despair and don't be scared

For there is magic in the air

God and Goddess I thank you

No more am I without you

Offering Stones

I have been looking at a lot of videos by pagans on Youtube because I find it such an inspiration and their are so many fun and helpful things to find out about. One thing that I absolutely love but knew nothing about until today or yesterday (I'm not sure which) when I watched the "How to make offering stones" video by krazyboytx, are offering stones. It seems like such a nice thing to do and applicable in so many ways. Just by watching the video I get tons of ideas of how I can use these: Not just as offerings for when I go out to the woods and collect items that I need but also as an offering to my ancestors on Samhain, or to the fairies that help when I do an oracle reading or to the spirits that keep me and my loved ones and the places we live in safe or as a daily offering to God and Goddess and Spirit. And it looks like such a fun thing to do!

Here is a nice image I found at an Etsy shop that I think are a beautiful example as to what they can look like. If you click here you can go straight to the Etsy shop of Whitemagic who makes these by hand and sells these among many other great items.



One cool thing I just found out: When you purchase Whitemagic's offering stones you also get the recipe on how to make them yourself!

HAPPY SAMHAIN!

Meditation: Life Force

Yesterday was my Day 5 from the book "Wicca, A Year And A Day." The exercise was truly wonderful and I have up until now not felt such a surge of energy and bliss when doing a meditation. Once I got myself relaxed, which for once felt surprisingly easy (I usually have a very hard time doing so) everything happened so naturally.

     It is often hard, especially for beginners, to find meditations that work for them. I know, because in terms of meditation I definitely feel like a beginner. But yesterday was a leap for me. So, I thought it would be nice to share this exercise and the passage that went with it for those who do not have the book. But I would also recommend anybody to go out and buy the book, even if you're not Wiccan (I'm not sure whether I am!) because it has so many great exercises in it and it is also great for beginners who want/need more direction and guidance. I am currently also following the exercises in this book with a group formed by charliesaysgo (who also has some great videos) and there are quite a few who have been practicing for a while that are also in this group. So: A great book for long time practitioners and beginners alike. I will probably post a book review at some point but for now, here is the text from Day 5 (page 8 of the original book).

Day 5

Natural Sacred Energies

While mainstream religions look to a holy book, a central prophet, savior, or religious figure for their spiritual understanding, Wiccans look to life itself; they contemplate and study nature. The earth, the sea, animals, and the heavens are themselves among the many,  living, every-changing expressions of sacredness. Witches learn to pay close attention to the natural world in order to find inspiration and magical insight within each moment. 

     Since Wicca is a nature religion, one important goal of the path is to experience the life force of nature, the animating energy, as it flows within you. Witches believe that this force is, in essence, the divine. Through experiencing this natural energy, Witches come to know that (as author Barbara Ardinger says), “matter is clotted, lumpy spirit, and spirit is finely strained matter.” Once you  recognize this energy within yourself, it becomes easier to notice that this same natural energy shapes the substance of other people, stones, birds, trees, water, and everything else you can see. 

     These are not Witch beliefs; Witchcraft is not a spiritual system of beliefs, per se. It is an experiential practice. You don’t need to believe in the sacredness of the earth. You don’t need to believe that natural energy pervades all things. The practices of Wicca facilitate your immediate and personal understanding of these principles. No Witch worth her cauldron invests herself in beliefs. Beliefs spring forth from limits of the critical, thinking mind. Thinking can help you understand spirituality in theoretical terms, but it stops short when it comes to the experience of spirituality. The thinking mind does have its purposes, its uses. It knows how to do math, how to read a book, and how to make decisions. It knows how to drive a car, make dinner, and not step in front of a bus. However, thinking comes to a halt when faced with whatever cannot be rationalized.

     Critical thinking is limited because it relies on opinions and beliefs. It is locked in the head and does not know how to inhabit the entire body. Spirituality is a holistic experience. It includes not only the head but everything else as well. The full human potential, which is capable of multidirectional, simultaneous experience,  comes to the fore when we literally come to our senses—our sensations and experiences of life. Opening to your full experience of the world, of your body, and of the energies that flow within you are the first stages of awakening your spiritual power. Let’s begin the process.

Practice: Experiencing Life's Energy

You can try this exercise from where you are sitting right now.
Close your eyes and take several deep, slow breaths. With each
exhaled breath, feel your body relax and release all the tensions that it might store. Become internally quiet; try not to allow thinking to interfere with simple breathing and sensation.

     If thoughts come up, simply observe them with detached curiosity. Perhaps you might notice how thoughts are creating  muscle tensions or contractions in your body. Notice, too, how these tensions transform themselves into your emotions. Try not to get involved in the story line of your thoughts and subsequent tensions — that is a trap that can keep you from the experience of this exercise.

     Now, refocus your attention on your solar plexus region (around the lower stomach and navel area). Focus your attention on the feeling of the life force inside of your body within this  region. Most likely it will feel like a humming,  buzzing, or tingling sensation. Now, widen your awareness. Allow your focus to include your chest. Feel the inner body’s energies in the chest  and in the solar plexus regions. Now include your  hips and legs. Feel the sensation of energy buzzing within this region. Now add your feet into your focused awareness. Now add your arms and hands into the awareness. You should now be fully aware of your inner life energy from head to toe. 

     Stay with this feeling for a few minutes. When you sense that you are ready, open you eyes. How did it feel? If you felt “cut off” in any area of  experiencing your body, it is important that you  continue with this basic energy practice several times a day for 5-10 minutes at a time, until you are able to sense a unification of your body’s  energies. 

I hope you enjoy doing this exercise as much as I did.

Don't Want To Post Nothing

 I don't have much time today so I thought I would rhyme. I didn't plan this poem, just typed it up as it came. Sometimes the process is of more value than the final work. When I write poems I find it is such a nice way to let go and relax. Plus it's a nice way for me to do something extra about the path that I am following. Who said it that you're first very good at something when you've have spent 10,000 hours doing it? Let's see if I ever spend 10,000 hours writing poetry! Maybe someday. :-)

I sang a song of a golden night

Where my heart felt large and the stars shone bright

And I sang my song to the silver moon

Wishing she would not leave so soon

I sang to the willows and the birds in the branches

And watched as they danced their pretty dances

I sang as the sun rose slowly above

And put light in the shadow within my alcove

I sang my thanks out to all that is

There is nothing here that I would want to miss

I sing every day as I go beyond

This world and theirs as I sing my song

Coloring Books for Meditation and Creativity

Recently I ordered a magazine subscription and a wonderful thing about doing that is that you often get a nice welcoming present with your subscription. Now, this magazine gave me a few presents and one of those was a coloring book for grown-ups together with a set of 12 colored pencils. On the pages on the right handed side were always nice images that you can color in and on the left words of wisdom, often about coloring books. Some of the things that were written in these words of wisdom is that coloring between lines can put you in a meditative and relaxed state and help free your creative mind if you are having difficulties with getting new ideas or continuing with something you're working on. And in Japan they actually have a lot of coloring books for grown-ups. Since I really loved coloring in when I was a child and still secretly do I started coloring right away. I definitely felt quite relaxed pretty quickly and had so many ideas that I soon stopped coloring and got right to doing my work. Now I keep the coloring book and the pencils on my desk always at hand just in case I need to relax or am out of ideas and inspiration. It's definitely something I would recommend anybody to try, even if it means printing out a nice black and white picture online and giving that some color. Actually I might try that soon! 

A page from the coloring book.

Listening to Your Dreams and Girl Talk

So, I used to always get waxes. It started with my skin being too sensitive to shave as often as I wanted to and my hair being to light to actually laser away. So when I found out about waxing it was really fantastic. I even went as far as getting regular Brazilian waxes and sometimes my whole leg as well. Kind of expensive but I always felt great afterwards and was happy with how the results looked and felt. Then I recently had a dream where I was standing in the shower and pulling out all those hairs with ease. I was really amazed and it was so nice to not feel any pain but still getting the results I wanted. Now, I had been dreading for quite a while to get my next wax because we moved and now the waxing parlor I always went to was at least and hour travel away. Together with the cost of waxing, the combination with the trip felt too expensive and like too much of a hassle for something that in the end is just a superficial thing.

Shortly after I had the dream my boyfriends mother, her husband and their dog came to visit. My boyfriend's mother is quite spiritual although I feel like she is going down quite a different path than I am. But she did read my cards before she came (unasked and without me present) and one of the things that came out was that I should listen to my dreams. Then she asked me if I had had any dreams lately. I said no, not really because I wasn't about to tell her about my bikini area!! But I took her advice literally and thought about my dream more closely. Now, the only thing I know about that makes hair fall out is hair-removal cream. I hadn't used it in ages, only when I was quite young and then I didn't like the result. Plus, there is always the thing with my sensitive skin. I searched a bit online and when I went home to visit my family I combined that with a visit to the drug store. I bought the cheapest cream they had but it was also the only one that said "Sensitive" on the packaging. I tried it out and my dream is actually coming true. I haven't gone all the way with it as I am still a little skeptical but the results are great and so far it seems to be an amazing alternative to the painful waxing.

This might seem like a trivial matter but the reason I wanted to share this is because in the big picture it actually has quite a strong message, especially to me and the point I am at right now. I kind of asked for a sign quite often, just something to show me that magic and witchcraft is really true and out there. To me this dream and the events that came with it is a small proof for me. I asked for something and here it is. Also, I gained more trust in my own abilities and the progress I am making. Like most humans I do sometimes get insecure and wonder if all this work is really leading to something but sometimes a small step forward can make all the difference in keeping you moving on. As I am writing this, the whole situation is becoming more real to me as well. I am first realizing that this is to some extent a big step. I have often had dreams that eventually came true and was always amazed when I found myself in the exact situation from my dream. But it was never a conscious thing of making things happen. I never actively tried to make the dreams come true. And I only realized that what I dreamed even could come true when the event was actually happening. This is really an affirmation that what you dream can come true and how the magic world and the mundane intertwine: You actually have to do something in the real world to make things you think, do and/or start in the other world come true.

What does Witchcraft mean to me?

I recently started writing down in a little booklet what exactly witchcraft means to me. I felt it was important to answer this question for myself and write it down. Writing things down often give me a different perspective on things and help me see connections that I cannot always see when I just think about things. And it helps me see my opinions and thoughts in a more objective light. Sometimes I repeat myself in my writing and that also shows me what aspects of my answer might be more present in my mind or thoughts. In a year or a few as my practice changes or stops (who knows what might happen in the future!) I will write another definition and see how it has changed and how I changed. I hope I wont forget once those years have passed! But for now, here is how I answered the question I asked myself: What does Witchcraft mean to me? (I wrote as the thoughts came to my head, so it is more stream of consciousness than it is a structured answer. But I feel it is more candid of me to share my original answer than polish it for this blog. It shows more about me and the way I think and will make for a better comparison once I write an answer in a few years.)

Witchcraft to me is something mystical. It reaches back to my childhood, to all those magical times I had. I want to still believe, just like I did back then, that magic exists. And I think it does. By living witchcraft I hope to be able to experience this first hand. I also want to give my life extra meaning in the way that only belief can. I want to be part of a tradition and to me witchcraft can offer that. Witchcraft also means being in control. Experiencing things outside of the mundane. Getting to know worlds and beings that are beyond what most people see in their lives. Witchcraft means to be able to communicate with these beings. Witchcraft means to be able to do magic. To be able to interact with the worlds and beings that I mentioned above. Witchcraft means to have secrets that are truly wonderful. It means to be always working on trying to improve yourself and who you are. It means constant study and research and always learning something new. It means interacting and appreciating the wonders of nature. It means doing what needs to be done. Practicing witchcraft means to believe that there is more out there than meets the eye. It means to truly believe in magic and practice it. It means to dare having no doubt. It means to not just accept situations but to feel empowered by the feeling that anything is possible. To feel empowered by the belief that you can actively change everything for the better. It means to craft your life and the person that you are. It means to believe in the mysteries of life and the mysteries of the universe. Witchcraft means to enjoy life to its fullest and making a quest out of experiencing it to its fullest. It means to never be satisfied: To know that there is always more you can do and something to improve and to be happy with this being so. It means to be watchful and open and to make use of all your senses, even those you do not yet know of. It means to have trust in life and trust in the person you are. It means to accept yourself and yet always strive to improve yourself if you feel that is for the better. It means to love diversity and not discriminate. It means to keep the child in you active and alive. It means to treat Earth with love, care and thankfulness, as Earth treats you. It means to accept instinct. It means to accept love and pleasure. It means to be part of a community. It means accepting that there is not one truth and that truth depends on who you are, what you believe and how you see the world. It means accepting that different people have different truths and to live and let live. By knowing this and living by this knowledge you are building peace both in yourself and the world around you. Witchcraft is the golden middle between this world and other worlds and realms. It means finding your own path and being true to it not matter what it might be. Witchcraft means peace with yourself and the world. It means discussion and analysis and questioning and through that always adapting to changing surroundings and conditions and vice versa. In witchcraft truth is a personal thing i.e. the truth that you might have faery friends. It means to accept that somebody else really has faery friends and to believe that so long as the truth harms none and no thing. It means to know when and what to give and when and what to take. Witchcraft means to always learn not only from other people but also from things, animals, nature and the cosmos. It means to accept everything and every being as your teacher. It means to take nothing for granted and to always be thankful. It means to cultivate an open mind. Witchcraft means to create your own tradition, mysteries and magic.

A Year And A Day

This is a poem I wrote about a week ago on the day that I started doing the lessons from Timothy Roderick's book "Wicca, A Year And A Day," which was the 15th of October.

The blanket of night falls over my eyes
The world puts on a new disguise
The moon shines bright high in the sky

I seek the mysteries, the unknown
I seek what is not readily shown
Over which the leaves of time have blown

Alone, content, my mind travels far
Deep in the earth, beyond the stars
With my mind I see light and the dark

A now I begin my Year and a Day
I'll stick to it, come what may
With perfect love and perfect trust
I'm here to stay

One Moment

Under the moon in the dark of night
I searched for the shadows but I found the light
I looked for the moon but I saw the sun
It was the break of a bright new dawn

Moment of Doubt

As I was walking my dog outside, a song came into my head. Sometimes you just have these moments where you doubt and wonder and this was one of mine. I cannot sing but in my mind it sounded wonderful. I hope you like this song and can hear a melody in your mind when you read it. If you have any comments, opinions or suggestions I'd be happy to read them.

God and Goddess hear my plea
Is spirituality right for me?

God and Goddess am I wrong
To even be singing this song?

God and Goddess I want to believe
Is this true now, is this real?

God and Goddess what should I do?
To myself I want to be true.

Doubt is in me everywhere
My feelings I have got to share.

God and Goddess open my heart
That you and I may never part.

I'm still searching, I must find
A truth that is so right, so kind.

Give me a sign so I can know
If you are there to help me grow.

Until that day I search faithfully
'Til my eyes are open and I can see.

Sick on Vacation

Today I have just come back from my vacation. I was sick almost the entire time. Just before I got sick I started doing a year and a day study by following the lessons in Timothy Roderick's book, "Wicca, A Year and a Day." I am doing this year study together with more than a hundred other people. Charlie from the Charliesaysgo Youtube channel started this study group. Due to my illness, which is luckily almost entirely out of my system (it just stayed for the duration of my vacation) I am about a week behind. Today I will be picking up from where I left off, which was the Day 3 Exercise. Hopefully I wont miss any more days and if so, not as many at once!