Summer 2017 Crafty Craft Day

Tags

community, crafty crafts, divination, event, events, Magick, Mystics of Rhea Lur

 

The two craft days that my coven plans each year are incredibly popular and something we all look forward to. And this year’s summer craft day didn’t disappoint!

I was in charge of planning this event and when you see the list of projects we made, you find that I was apparently feeling the need for some protection. Let’s go over what we did!

 

 

Cathy was really interested in making Black Salt this year, so that was the first project on my list to research ingredients for. To clarify, there are two different kinds of black salt, the culinary variety from India and the witchy kind used to banish negative energies, protection and hex breaking.

Can you guess which one we made?  😉

Here is the recipe I found online that we used:

• 2 parts Sea Salt or Kosher Salt
• 1 part skillet scraping OR
• 1 part ash from fire pit OR
• 1 part crushed black chalk dust OR
• 1 part finely ground Charcoal
• 1 part finely ground Black Pepper

We had both fire pit ash and black pepper available to go with the salt (I like to give options), but I thought that skillet scraping was a really interesting idea for an ingredient. I’d love to know if anyone has made this, or a similar recipe, and how it’s worked for them. Our ash had been rained on, so Cathy brought some inside to dry out so we then sifted it to make sure all the big pieces were removed.

 

 

How to use Black Salt… you can sprinkle it at windows and doorways to keep bad energies away or you can sprinkle it at the edge of your property for protection. Also, if you are experiencing bad dreams, you can put it in a bowl under the bed.

 

 

I hit up Pinterest for some craft suggestions for this year and found a couple I thought were really worth trying. The first one was a recipe for Banishing Oil. I’ve never really felt the need to do any banishing or binding in my time as a witch, I guess I’ve been lucky that way. But lately I’ve found myself in a situation where I’m feeling the need to push some negative energies away from me and there was something about this pin that spoke to me.

It’s still steeping so I haven’t used it yet.

 

 

Here’s the other Pinterest find I couldn’t pass up. Car protection is something that is always on my mind, mostly because I have a commute to work and a portion of my drive is on country roads. The ingredients were interesting, too.

 

Supplies:

Small charm bag or a piece of cloth and ribbon

Sage (dried)

Cedar or Rosemary (dried)

Pinch of salt (Course is better, but table salt works too)

3 pieces of Dragon’s Blood (use a hefty pinch if powdered)

3 Cat whiskers and/or strands of wolf hair

Small rock (anything that means protection to you)

Small pentacle or other protection charm (optional-ties on bag)

When putting your sachet together, you are supposed to visualize the occupants of the vehicle arriving safe and secure. Put everything but the charm in the bag while doing this. One thing to note, we used organza bags and anything powdered is going to go right through it so you might want to stick to solid Dragon’s Blood. Then take a few moments to hold the bag and charge it in the way that works best for you.

Next you tie the strings of the bag three times and repeat the words of power below. Now is the time to attach your charm, if you are using one.

 

With each knot, I bind this spell

Safety, protection, all is well

Sheltered and shielded, this vehicle shall be

Three times three, SO MOTE IT BE!

 

Then all you need to do is put it in your car. The spell suggested either tying it to your mirror or putting it under a seat. One of my coven sisters decided to put hers in a pocket on the back of one of her seats so it wouldn’t get misplaced by anything that might work it’s way under her seat.

 

 

The last thing we made were sets of either Elder Futhark or Witch’s Runes. I found a couple of printouts on Pinterest with pictures of the runes and their meanings to share with everyone there, that way we all had examples of what to draw and had the divination meaning when we went to use them.

For the rocks, I had two options… the first were decorative rocks (black and white) that I found at my local craft store in the home décor section and the second were natural river pebbles that I bought in the garden area of my local Meijer. The river pebbles came in a pretty big bag (something like 25 lbs) that I had to sort through to pull out flat ones, but the price was a great deal less than the two little bags of the decorative ones I bought. I liked the natural look better, too, and I can use the left-over stones in my yard.

To make things easy for drawing on the symbols, we used different colored Sharpie and paint markers that worked really well for everyone. I also had a spray sealant available to lock on the markings. One of my coven sisters planned to take hers home and paint on some clear nail polish, so that’s an easy option as well.

At the top of this post is a picture of the Witch’s Rune set that I made for myself and above is a picture of the Elder Futhark set one of the other ladies made. Here is a picture of Cathy’s Witch’s Rune set.

 

 

The best thing about Crafty Craft Day is the time we spend together. If your group or coven does something similar, then I’d love to hear about it. Until next time, thanks for walking the Path with me… Blessed Be!

 

 

 

 

Heart of the Witchs Path YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNFiMg7JNvy2wIywW-OEAHw

 

PodOmatic site for podcasts:

http://heartofthewitchspath.podomatic.com

 

iTunes site for podcasts:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/heart-of-the-witchs-path/id1141474394

 

Heart of the Witchs Path Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/heartofthewitchspath/

 

Top 5 Classes at ConVocation 2017

Tags

community, ConVocation, coven, Coventry Creations, Devin Hunter, EliSheva Nesher, event, events, Jackie Smith, Michelle Belanger, my history, Mystics of Rhea Lur, mythology, Storm Faerywolf, top 5

Another amazing ConVocation for the record books guys!

I had a really great time this year, as always, even though a migraine made for a rough Saturday afternoon and made me miss a class. Even if all the classes were horrible, (like that would ever happen!) I still had almost all my coven members with me and that is a treat beyond compare! So, here’s my Top 5 Classes from ConVocation this year!

 

Goddesses of Israel – EliSheva Nesher

I wasn’t sure what was going to happen with this class. It was the first session for classes at ConVocation and when nothing completely grabbed me, I decided to give this one a try. Man, am I relieved that I went!

EliSheva captured me with her small stature and her thick Israeli accent. She talked about three primitive Hebrew Goddesses and how some of them were still recognized and worshiped to this day in her homeland. Her stories were magickal, pulling at something in me that I hadn’t felt in a while. They stirred up a desire to find out more about them. To know all their stories. I’ve started looking for more about Rahmay, Anat and Asherah, so if you know of any stories you can point me to I would be grateful!

 

Dewey Decimal of Akashic Records – Jacki Smith

Jacki does a great deal of work in her Akashic Records and that works incredibly well for her and how she advises her clients. I’ve done some work in my Records myself and you can definitely get some good insight into whatever situation you happen to be working on. If you haven’t gone to yours then I highly recommend doing so.

What Jacki did in this class is pair together a visit to your Akashic Records with the Middle Pillar of the Tree of Life in such a way that helps you to problem solve issues in your life. I’m afraid that I might be oversimplifying what happened, but that’s what we did. She asked everyone to get into their minds a small issue they had in their lives, then she took us on this journey into our Akashic Records and up the middle of the Tree of Life. I am here to tell you that in less than 90 minutes I was brought to an almost mind blowing discovery about myself! It was crazy!

Luckily, this is all explained in the last chapter of her book on the subject, that I picked up and have added to my reading list!

Ohhhhh, so many books to read, but such great subject matter!!!!!!!

 

From Elder to Ancestor – Michelle Belanger

This was the once class that I was aware of and intended to go to this year. The subject of Death and how to support members in our community who have lost loved ones is something that I’ve been spending a great deal of time learning about recently. And as it happens, last year the Wiccan community in Michigan suddenly lost one if it’s most prominent leaders and Michelle was very close to Michael Wiggins. I think his passing led to her putting this class together.

There were two things that Michelle talked about that really stood out to me. The first one was, don’t forget that your loved one was human. Sometimes we tend to romanticize someone who has passed, make them out to be a saint or forget all the negative things they may have done in their life. That’s not healthy for them or you. She explained that they are trying to figure out how their new existence works on the other side and how they fit into your life still. They can’t deal with half truths about how they lived. It’s better to keep things real for them.

She also cautioned to not become what she called a ‘spirit hoarder’. It’s healthy to have a few mementos from your loved ones who have passed, but don’t keep everything. You’ll drown in them.

 

The Rite of the Seven Jars – Storm Faerywolf

Unfortunately, I started to get a migraine just as I was going into this class and the only reason I stayed was because I knew we were going to be doing trance work. I figured either the trance work would heal the pain in my head or it wouldn’t hinder the work. In the end, I believe it helped to lessen the migraine, but I ended up hitting my room for a nap afterward anyway.

So, I didn’t really get to fully explore what Storm had intended, but what the gist of the trance work was meant to accomplish was to release trapped souls as well as our own fears and guilt. I wish that I would have thought to ask about recording this trance work so I could have tried it again later. As far as I know, Storm doesn’t have any meditation recordings, but I want to do some research to be sure.

 

Ecstatic Witchcraft/The Star Goddess and the Gates of Heka – Devin Hunter

I just bought Devin’s book, The Witch’s Book of Power, just before ConVocation and I wish I’d realized that he was going to be there so I could have taken it for him to sign.

Devin reminds me a bit of Christopher Penczak when I first met him. They are both very dynamic speakers, but in different ways. Devin is on the move quite a bit as he talks, but there is this surety to his tone that really reminds me of Christopher.

This class used ecstatic movement to connect with the Star Goddess. I’ve only used a basic amount of dance in ritual and I’m normally stiff and awkward feeling about it to begin with. But Devin picked some good music that pulled me to get moving and he really encouraged everyone to close your eyes and just be in your own headspace.

I’m looking forward to reading his book and see what his work is all about.

 

 

And so now that ConVocation is over, it’s time to take all these new thoughts and ideas and methods of looking at magick and your practice and find out how you put them into your life. I have to admit that I’m tired, even three days after being home, I’m feeling near to exhaustion, but it’s a feeling that I look forward to every year.

I use ConVocation as a way of recharging my magickal batteries. Sometimes it even feels like I get reminded of what all the amazing things brought me to Wicca in the first place. I can’t stress this enough, if you have never been to an event like this then go! Don’t put it off another day. Even if it’s a one day thing, like a Pagan Pride Day festival that are held in cities all around the world. Here’s a link to a site where you can find one near you:

http://www.paganpride.org/

Thanks for reading. I want to hear from you if you’ve ever been to ConVocation or an event like it. Drop me a line or comment! Until next time… Thanks for walking the path for a little while with me. Blessed Be!

 

 

 

 

Heart of the Witchs Path YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNFiMg7JNvy2wIywW-OEAHw

 

PodOmatic site for podcasts:

http://heartofthewitchspath.podomatic.com

 

iTunes site for podcasts:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/heart-of-the-witchs-path/id1141474394

 

 

Winter Crafty Craft Day 2016

Tags

community, coven, crafty crafts, event, events, Mystics of Rhea Lur

I never got around to posting anything about my coven’s Winter Crafty Craft Day (darn sickness), but I did take pictures of the fun we had. We made some pretty cool projects, so better late than never to share, right?

We started off our day sewing. We have some experienced sewers in the coven and our not so knowledgeable members had expressed an interest in learning. We decided to do some basic projects, altar cloths and tarot deck bags, to get their feet wet. It was quite a sight to have three tables filled with sewing machines! Here’s a picture of some altar cloths I did for myself:

Next was our take on a really neat witch ball I saw Dorothy Morrison had for sale in December, a Home Blessing and Protection Ball. During the holidays, craft stores have lots of different sized and shaped empty glass (and now plastic) ornaments that are perfect for this kind of project. We used herbs and other items to put in the balls that were designed to bring specific magicks into our homes for the year. You can either recharge the ball at the beginning of 2018 or empty it and refill with other items that correspond with other energies.

Here’s what we put in them:

Caraway Seeds for protection and anti-theft.

Black Eyed Peas for luck.

Cranberry Beans for new opportunities.

Shredded Play Money for prosperity.

We also made candles. This can be a pricey craft, but I think we found some good deals online for soy wax and wicks, which are the most costly items. We used glass containers that we re-purposed from our homes and for scent we used essential oils. You can buy scents that are specially made for candle making, which I almost want to try next time. For my candle, I used quite a bit of essential oil, but the scent isn’t that prominent.

Our final project for this year’s craft day was a Pinterest idea. It’s another protection intention project (are you seeing a theme for this year?) made from Runes, which had me all excited to try! Cathy and I went to her burn pile and pulled out branches that were about the thickness of your pinky and we cut them into roughly twelve inch pieces. Then you take yarn, sinew, or some other type of twine and wrap ends of the sticks together to create the Rune. As you can tell, mine is Othala, which is a home and protection Rune.

Make sure that you set the intention and work your magick as you make the Rune!

You can even get super crafty and make a Bind Rune, which is two or more Runes put together, a more complicated project to be sure!

I like this idea because you can use it for any energy you want to bring into your space. If you want to bring healing, then you can make a Laguz Rune. Or if you want to bring joy, you can make a Wunjo Rune.

 

That’s it for this time. As always, I hope that some of our ideas inspire you to make your own. And if you do, let me know! Thanks for walking the Path a while with me… until next time… Blessed Be!

 

 

 

Heart of the Witchs Path YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNFiMg7JNvy2wIywW-OEAHw

 

PodOmatic site for podcasts:

http://heartofthewitchspath.podomatic.com

 

iTunes site for podcasts:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/heart-of-the-witchs-path/id1141474394

 

ConVocation Honored Guests 2017

Tags

community, ConVocation, event, events, shopping

 

Well, it’s the beginning of February and that means it’s time for my thoughts to move toward ConVocation! I know that I’ve talked about ConVo in years past, so I hope that you find these kinds of posts helpful. It’s going to be another amazing weekend, I just know it, especially because we’re going to have some new people attending for the first time!

This week I thought I would share who the Honored Guests are for this year’s event. Two of them are returning presenters and I believe the third is new to ConVocation. Here we go!

 

Kerr Cuhulain

Kerr is a wonderful returning guest to ConVocation and I believe he was a presenter the first time I attended. Kerr is a retired police officer from Vancouver, Canada and his approach to paganism is deeply rooted in the warrior aspect and head space. He is the author of many books, including Wiccan Warrior and Modern Knighthood and is the Grand Master and found of the Order of Paladins, where he teaches his warrior based mystery path.

What stands out to me are Kerr’s rituals. He’s a great group ritual leader and his content is always thought changing. I can’t wait to see him again.

 

 John Michael Greer

John Michael Greer is a presenter that I’m looking forward to meeting and hear speak this year. He has had a prolific writing career, having published more than 45 books on various topics. He is also a blogger and I plan on checking out his writings there (see link below) before attending ConVo.

John is the former Grand Arch Druid of the Ancient Order of Druids in America (AODA), a position he held for 12 years, and now heads the Druidical Order of the Golden Dawn (DOGD). I’m intrigued to see how Druidry merges with the Golden Dawn factor, which is a form of High Magick. Should be interesting!

 Ellen Dugan

In recent years, Ellen has attended consecutive years at ConVocation as both an Honored Guest and as Featured Presenter and is a favorite among attendees. She’s a colorful personality, with vast knowledge of plants and is a physic-clairvoyant. She has over 20 Wicca based books to her credit and has made a successful jump to fiction writing.

I really enjoyed her talk last year about menopause and how it effects wiccan woman and their magick. Her humor is infectious and I’m always happy to see her returning.

 

 

If you want to know anything more about these presenters, you can either visit the ConVocation site here:

http://www.convocation.org/guests/guests-of-honor

or you can visit their individual sites here:

Kerr Cuhulain:

http://www.kerrcuhulain.com/#!

John Michael Greer Blog:

http://thearchdruidreport.blogspot.com/

Ellen Dugan:

http://ellendugan.com/

 

If you plan to attend this year’s ConVocation, I invite you to find me and say hello. I’ll be there with almost my entire coven and who knows, maybe we’ll play a game of Cards Against Humanity in the lobby again! Pull up a chair!!

Thanks for stopping by and walking the path a little while with me… until next time, Blessed Be!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heart of the Witchs Path YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNFiMg7JNvy2wIywW-OEAHw

PodOmatic site for podcasts:

http://heartofthewitchspath.podomatic.com

iTunes site for podcasts:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/heart-of-the-witchs-path/id1141474394

Lansing Pagan Pride Day 2016

Tags

community, event, events, LPPD, MMPC, shopping, teach

Unfortunately, LPPD had barely gotten underway last Saturday when the rain started. We were all holding out hope that the day would turn out like last year’s event, where it rained on and off, but that wasn’t meant to be. Rain turned into heavy rain, which turned to thunder and lightning and that led to everyone gathering under the pavilion to wait it out.

All of that said, I have to admit that hanging out in bad weather like that with a group of pagans is the way to go! I saw some really great examples of people lending a helping hand that day that really warmed my heart and reaffirmed just how special we all are, those of us who are called to the Goddess, God and Great Spirit. Even before the rain started, during set up, I saw members of the MMPC staff and their families helping vendors haul their product to sites and setting up.

When things started to get hairy, the raining picking up and such, I even saw one man doing what looked like some pretty intense energy working with the weather. What his intention was, I don’t know, but it did prompt me to add my own petitions that whatever the weather was meant to do, that everyone was kept safe.

There was some improvising that needed to happen and LPPD staff and attendees were super accommodating. Once everyone was under the pavilion and pretty much a captive audience, the president of the MMPC, Carrie Zay, asked if the presenters of the first class would mind going ahead and give their talk right there. They agreed and the class went on! Also, the head of the food tent Bill and his team was ready and willing to serve folks lunch, even though a canopy had to be brought over to keep the grill from being put out by the rain!

Cathy and I did manage to get one quick tour around the vendor tents before the sky opened up and while we didn’t get the chance to make all the purchases we’d hoped to, we did get a couple of things. There are a couple of the vendors that I really wanted to share because their products looked super interesting and I hope that I get the chance to see them again.

 

http://www.alexandjayde.bigcartel.com/

Alex & Jade Designs is a really great Lansing area designer with some really cute kids clothes. Candice, the owner and designer, has some really delightful ideas when it comes to kids clothes and if I had any rugrats of my own I’d definitely have bought some of her stuff. However, I do have some ‘nieces’ and ‘nephews’ that I’m keeping in mind! Check her site out!!

 

http://archaiccircle.com/

I have a new tea company to love!
Wow! I’m enjoying a cup of Nature’s Remedy tea from the Archaic Circle company as I write this and it’s delicious! As far as I can tell, this is another Michigan company that makes their own original herbal tea blends as well as some beauty products, like bath salts and body cleansers. CHECK THEM OUT! Their stuff is really good! Cathy bought their Focus tea blend and some hot chocolate. She has reported to me that the hot chocolate is VERY good! That’s high praise from my favorite choco-holic!

 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/CordandTheCraft?ref=shop_sugg

I am very impressed by this couple. The Cord and the Craft make walking sticks with Para cord wrapped handles, wire wrapped stone pendants and other jewelry items. I especially liked a product they call ‘money fists’, personal defense items that can go on your keychain. I got a really peacefully and cool vibe from this Big Rapids couple and my heart was warmed when I learned all the wood used for their walking sticks is ethically harvested!! Great prices, great products and made in Michigan! What more can you ask for? Check out the link above to their Etsy shop or look them up on Facebook.

 

Sooooooo… when the thunderstorms didn’t seem to want to let up the MMPC staff canceled the event. That meant that I didn’t get to present my class and our coven didn’t put on our ritual, but I am not overly disappointed. I know that some might think that the day was a bust, but I don’t think that’s the case. As people that revere Nature and see stepping outside as entering our sacred space, we have to come to terms with the fact that Mother Earth is fierce as well as beautiful, destructive as well as nurturing. We work with the elements and sometimes we need to be reminded of her awesomeness so that we don’t loose sight of any of her aspects.

And besides, there’s always next year, right? J

Thanks for the walking the path a little while with me and until next time, Blessed Be!

 

 

 

 

Heart of the Witchs Path YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNFiMg7JNvy2wIywW-OEAHw

 

PodOmatic site for podcasts:

http://heartofthewitchspath.podomatic.com

 

iTunes site for podcasts:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/heart-of-the-witchs-path/id1141474394

 

Summer Crafty Craft Day 2016

Tags

community, coven, crafty crafts, event, events, herbs, Mystics of Rhea Lur

Wow!

My coven sisters and friends had another busy and fun filled Crafty Craft Day last weekend. I’ve posted about other such days in the past, which I’ll have a link to below, and I thought I would do so again.

Before getting into everything I wanted to thank my coven sister Cornflower Wolf for taking the lead and putting the entire day together. As a coven, we try to spread out the duties for events like this and she did a super job with this one!

A couple of us have become really interested in orgonite in recent years and we made some during one of our coven retreats. It’s a pretty time consuming project, but the end results are really amazing and I’ve been using the first one I made since last fall with tangible results. If you don’t know what orgonite is then here is a link to some general information:

http://www.orgone.net/theory.html

This time I made a pyramid to help me in my job search. Here’s a pic of it in the mold and one of it out.

Soap is a popular craft with our group. We did a few kinds this time, including sugar scrub bars made with brown sugar. One kind has coffee grounds and we also did some with sliced luffah sponges. We’re all about being squeaky clean witches!

We’ve been meaning to make loose Sabbat incense for a while. I have recipes, some that I found and some that I made up, along with incantations to charge them. Some of the ingredients are harder to come by, but we didn’t let that stop us from putting together what we could. At our covenstead we keep shoebox size plastic totes for each Sabbat so we put the incense in glass jars that will then go into the totes. If anyone is interested I can keep you posted on how well they work.

Cornflower Wolf found a really interesting item to try on Pinterest… an herb jar to aid in mental powers. This stuff smells amazing, but I haven’t had it long enough to say whether or not it works.

 

That’s it for now! Again it was a great day with lots of laughs and time spent with wonderful women. We have another day scheduled for December and I am in charge of that one. I’ll keep you posted on what I plan for the day!

As always, if you try any of these projects I’d love to hear about them! Thanks for walking a while with me and until next time BB!

 

 

Summer Crafty Craft Day 2015 post:

https://heartofthewitchspath.wordpress.com/2015/07/21/summer-crafty-craft-day-2015/

 

 

 

 

Heart of the Witchs Path YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNFiMg7JNvy2wIywW-OEAHw

Witching Filled Weekend

Tags

community, event, events, LPPD, MMPC, shopping

Oh boy, did I have a busy weekend! It was great!!

Saturday I went to the MMPC (Mid-Michigan Pagan Council) Pagan Picnic, an event put on every year as a means of bringing area pagans together to spend an afternoon getting to know each other. I’ve mentioned before that Cathy is on the MMPC board, so of course I went to support her and the event.

So, among the many memorable things that happened… I experienced great food, especially in the form on a magnificent bean burger and gluten-free lemon bars. A fun bingo-style game meant to help folks get to know each other. A tea cup raffle, cuz who doesn’t like a teacup raffle!?!? And meeting some really cool people.

It was a small event, but one definitely worth attending. Now that summer is upon us, I’m sure that similar gatherings are going to be taking place, not only in Michigan, but across the country. If you have one going on in your area then I highly recommend going. If you live in the Mid-Michigan area and want to learn more about the MMPC and their events, like the upcoming Lansing Pagan Pride Day, here is a link to their Facebook group page:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/69060189080/

 

While at the picnic I found out about a really interesting pair of events coming up this weekend. If you are into the goth scene and will be in the Lansing area on June 11, you might want to check out the World Goth Day Mid Michigan. During the day there will be a Cemetery Picnic at Pioneer Cemetery that will be followed that night by a club event at The Avenue Cafe. If you are interested in more information about either event here is a link to their Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/WorldGothDayMidMichigan/?fref=ts

 

Then on Sunday I attended the 2^nd Annual Gypsy Goddess Summer Festival in Chesaning.  WOW!!!! I grew up in Chesaning, which is a pretty small, conservative town, and didn’t know what to expect. I am happy to share how great this event was. Wonderful, world class vendors that included clothing, rocks/crystals, art, jewelry and homemade soaps. Fantastic live music and dancing. Workshops, which I unfortunately didn’t get to attend. There were even many options for psychic readings, aura photography, acupuncture and massage.

My big purchase of the day was a drum!

I’ve been looking into either purchasing or making my own drum for a long time and the price for this handsome guy was perfect! It’s made from ethically harvested wood and the skin is from a free-range goat who had been allowed to live its life in peace. In other words, perfect for me! It’s tone is deep and rich and I can’t wait to use it in ritual!!! Rob had fantastic prices and also makes orgonite! Here is a link to the Instruments of Healing Etsy shop:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/HealingArtistry?ref=shop_sugg

I really hope that the Gypsy Goddess Summer Festival will happen again next year because it’s one that I will definitely keep an eye out for. And since it was so good I would feel no qualms about sharing information about it with you guys as well, so look forward to that next summer!

So that was my witchy filled weekend. It always feels good to spend time with like-minded people and to learn what others are doing with their time and resources. I love and am committed to community building for Pagans and its events like the ones I attended last weekend that help to bring us together. If you’ve never gone to something like these then I encourage you to get out and do so because you never what you’re missing until you do.

On that note, I will be teaching at Lansing Pagan Pride Day again this year and that will be taking place on August 27^th at Valhalla Park in Holt, Michigan. I had a great time last year and I hope to see you there. If you want more info I would say to join the MMPC Facebook group at the link above since they are the folks putting it on.

This next month is going to be a busy one for me as I finish up my fourth year with the Temple of Witchcraft mystery school. I can’t believe it’s been almost a year already! That being said, I have loads of assignments to finish up but I will try really hard to keep posting things here. Thanks for stopping in and walking with me on the Path for a while. Until next time… Blessed Be!

 

 

 

 

Heart of the Witchs Path YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNFiMg7JNvy2wIywW-OEAHw

Community Can Be Found In Many Places

Tags

community, coven, crafty crafts, event, events, LPPD, Mystics of Rhea Lur, teach

 

I had an incredibly busy, but rewarding weekend!

My coven sister and podcast co-host, Cathy, has been involved with the Mid-Michigan Pagan Council for the past year or so. Groups like the MMPC are important because they do a great deal of community building by organizing events like the Pagan Picnics and Pagan Pride Days. I was really excited when Cathy joined the board of the MMPC because she has a ton of experience working in marketing events and she is really organized, among many other talents! I’m very proud of her!

Anyway, last Saturday the MMPC hosted an Oracle Night fundraiser and I was asked to be a tarot reader. This was a first for me. I’ve read tarot for about 25 years, but only for friends and family. It ended up being a really great time and I was able to meet some new people, which I always like! I really hope to participate in more events like this in the future and I have already agreed to teach again at this years’ Pagan Pride Day, so look forward to hearing more about that! 😉

Then Sunday our coven and some of our friends got together to paint Tree of Life pictures. In our area there are these relatively new types of businesses that are gaining popularity where you can go in as a group and doing something like paint a picture or paint pottery/ceramics. It’s super fun and the people who work there know how to break a project down so you make something nice, even if you’re not the most artistic person, like me!

 

 

Cornflower Wolf knows an instructor who will actually come to your house and lead a class! Oh my goodness, it was so much fun! At the top of this post you will see a picture of my painting, which is quite a bit different from the others. The big project that I have to complete for this year’s Temple of Witchcraft class is to create a Reality Map and I had the inspiration to use my painting to depict my map. It’s not all the way done just yet so I will post a picture where it is complete.

Again, this was a great way to build community, a subject that I’ve been thinking about a great deal lately. It was such a great way to pass the afternoon, hanging out with both Pagan and Non-Pagan friends, having a meal and strengthening bonds. I like that we area crafty coven and have crafty friends, because it’s so much fun to create things together.

 

 

I highly recommend checking out a business like this in your area. The painting place we’ve gone to before is Painting With a Twist and they allow you to bring in snacks and wine. The ceramics place I’ve been to before is called Playing Picasso. Both are in the Lansing area and I’m not sure if either are a chain of any kind. You might want to try a google search to see what’s in your area. I’d love to see any projects you might make at any of these places!

Thanks for walking a while with me and until next time… BB!!

 

 

Mid-Michigan Pagan Council:

http://lansingppd.org/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/69060189080/

 

 

 

 

Heart of the Witchs Path YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNFiMg7JNvy2wIywW-OEAHw

Watch “Tarot Question” on YouTube

Tags

community, event, events, my history

ConVocation 2016

Tags

community, ConVocation, coven, Coventry Creations, event, events, Jackie Smith, Mystics of Rhea Lur, Raven Kaldera, Selena Fox, shopping, teach

Another truly wonderful ConVocation for the record books!

I’ll be honest, there was a time last summer when I wasn’t excited about going this year. It’s an expensive weekend between registration fees and the hotel room. Then you have your food and shopping budgets to consider. It was tight for me financially this year, but it was worth it. It always ends up being worth it and if you plan, like I did this year, it’s manageable.

Cathy and I did quite a bit of vlogging style start/end of day talks that we’re going to splice together for this weeks podcast, so look forward to that. We didn’t record any of the classes or take footage of anyone in the common areas of the hotel since it was be nearly impossible to check with everyone on who was in or out of the broom closet. I hope you enjoy that when we get it put together.

I was especially happy to see Raven Kaldera and Selena Fox return to ConVocation. I took a really great class with Raven involving the Norse Sea God, Aegir, his wife, Ran, and their nine daughters. I loved listening to the experiences that Raven shared of his connection to these deities and how he honors them. He read poetry about each of the daughters and while he always stressed that they weren’t to be taken lightly, I felt the reverence he had for them. I felt his relationship with them and understood that it was something he definitely has cultivated over time and maintains with great respect. I really appreciated that about him.

When I made the decision to study the Runes more in depth last year, I made contact with Odin Father and since then I’ve been feeling a pull towards the Norse pantheon. The knowledge I gained from Raven in this class is bringing me even closer, but I have to admit that I’m a bit hesitant about this connection. I’ve been trying to learn more about Heathenism, including claims of white supremacy in some of its followers. Don’t get me wrong, I am in no way an advocate of such views, nor is that something that would necessarily keep me away if that were where I felt drawn, but I don’t want to go into a situation without knowing what to expect. Really, that’s an entire other post, so I’ll stop here for now and pick up this train of thought when I feel I’m better equipped to make further remarks.

Another topic I feel that I’m going to be doing lots of thinking about and future blogs posts deals with leadership within the Pagan community. I went to a workshop on the subject led by Shauna Aura Knight and Taylor Ellwood, I even purchased a book they co-edited. They have some very well thought out views on the subject and I’m hoping to talk to both of them at a later date. Taylor is open to recording a podcast with us so I’m looking forward to that!

The beautiful wall hanging gracing our hotel room door!

 

I experienced two really amazing workshops with Selena Fox. The first was called “Honoring the Dead” where she shared all kinds of really helpful information on ways to spiritually help facilitate the death process with both the person who was crossing over as well as the family and friends left behind. I especially was looking forward to getting some useful information in this area to help apply to my own practice. I’ve performed a couple of memorial services in my time as a clergy member, but I feel lacking in this area. Selena shared some chants to use for creating a container like sacred space as well as how to invite the dead. She covered how to honor the dead and the different types of altars you could have at a funeral or memorial service. I really liked the idea of Giveaway Altar. This is a table that would hold items that belonged to the deceased that hadn’t already been earmarked to go to someone specific. Guests would be invited to take something from the altar to remind them of the one who’d just passed.

The other Selena workshop I attended was a Bridget healing ritual, and as you can well imagine, when I see something involving my patron goddess I have to go! Selena is a master ritual planner. She created a wonderfully moving rite that was multi-dimensional and very inclusive for all in attendance. There was a time for personal healing as well as healing for the earth. She used water as a catalyst for the healing being done and to it she added sacred water she had collected over the years. She brought water from a sacred Bridget spring on Circle Sanctuary land, water from her well in Kildare, Ireland and water from New Zealand that was used in a ritual that was held at the Parliament a few years ago that Selena was able to obtain.

Selena was specifically aware of those who live in Flint, Michigan, given the recent water issues there. She invited anyone living in Flint to take some of the remaining water to sprinkle at strategic places around the city with the intention of helping to make the water situation healthy for consumption again. I thought it was brilliant! When the ritual was completed I went up to her to ask if it were possible for me to take some of the left over water so that I could take it to the state capital in Lansing to sprinkle as well. She agreed so now I need to make a little roadtrip.

Another high point of the weekend for me was the workshop I attended that covered Pagans presence in the world of blogging. Jason Mankey is a not a new face to the ConVocation scene. He is a native Michigander who has moved to the West Coast and is now a blogger and the editor of Patheos Pagan section. There were five other Pagan bloggers at the workshop, each coming from very different traditions and backgrounds. I can’t say for sure that I’d ever heard of the Patheos site before that day, but it’s a place that I’m definitely starting to explore. As a blogger myself, I think it’s important to support each other as we let our voices be heard in the ether. We might not agree with everything we read and that’s okay because if we want our voices to be heard we sometimes need to be subjected to others points of view. It’s how we react to those other viewpoints that define our character. I feel that if we want to be accepted we need to be open to dialog.

And then there was Ellen Dugan…

Ellen did a couple of classes with Michelle Belanger this year, but unfortunately I didn’t make it to either. The workshop I did attend was the “Menopause Magick” one and it was a riot! Ellen gave a very frank talk about what to expect while going through peri- and full-blown menopause. She told us everything that no one ever warns you about, as she entertainingly and candidly shared some of what happened to her. From tricks played on her by the nurses in her doctor’s office, to how you will need to completely change your makeup and clothing colors after embracing gray hair. It never occurred to me that I might be perimenopausal, but I would now and surprisingly I’m okay with the idea!

I did take a couple of classes with Jacki Smith that were really good. One of them covered the Tree of Life from the Jewish Kaballah perspective. It was definitely interesting for me to review the Jewish mysticism for the Tree and Jacki is always fun to listen to! We’re also hoping to have her as a guest on one of the podcasts soon!

I can’t end this post without talking about the evening Cathy and I spent checking out the stones and crystals that belong to a friend we made at last years ConVocation. He only brought a part of his collection, but I found it really fascinating to have him pass spheres and chunks of raw stones around the circle so we could all experience the energies. That was a real highlight and makes me want to work with stones more!

All in all, another successful ConVocation! I can’t wait to see what next year brings and who will be the Guests of Honor. If you are reading this and went I’d love to hear about your experiences!! Thanks for reading and for walking the path a little while with me.

BB

 

 

Link to my haul video:

 

Heart of the Witchs Path YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNFiMg7JNvy2wIywW-OEAHw