May | 2009 | Walking the Hedge

Monthly Archives: May 2009

Dancing with the Ancestors

Published May 21, 2009 | By Juniper

Dancing with the Ancestors

“Some people are your relatives but others are your ancestors, and you choose the ones you want to have as ancestors. You create yourself out of those values.” ~ Ralph Ellison

“Everyone has ancestors and it is only a question of going back far enough to find a good one” ~ Howard Kenneth Nixon

Contacting the ancestors is about a few different things; it is about honouring our beloved dead, it is about being connected with our roots and heritage, and it is about seeking the knowledge and wisdom of those who have gone before.
Also In many cultures, including many ancient European cultures, there was a belief in ancestors who would stay connected to the family, acting as guides, guardians, as well as “go-betweens ” for the family and the otherside. It was believed that if the dead were taken care of, they would in return protect the homestead and its people, and provide for its fertility. Telling the tales of tribal or cultural heroes is also a way to honour the ancestors.

It is believed that all people have ancestral memories that lay deep within our unconscious minds and by contacting our ancestors; we… Continue reading →

Posted in Book of Shadows, Getting Started, Hearth & Home, Practice & Learning | Tagged 101, ancestors, hearthwitch, offerings

Beltaine Photos

Published May 19, 2009 | By Juniper

: Juniper and the Oak King

: Hobby Horse and Besom Race

: Jumping the Belfire

: The Boar Hunt

: The May King, winner of the Baor Hunt

: The May Queen, winner of the Hobby Horse Race

: The Oak King Rules!

: Cheating at the Hobby Horse Race (carrot and stick)

: Myself, hunting boar

Took a while to get around to posting these, being on dial-up is a pain.

Posted in Community, Life of a Hedgewitch, Photography & Art | Tagged Beltaine, Community, festivals, Photos, Wheel of the Year

I rescued a Human Today.

Published May 14, 2009 | By Juniper

I rescued a Human Today.

Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels. I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her.

I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn’t be afraid. As she stopped at my kennel I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn’t want her to know that I hadn’t been walked today. Sometimes the shelter keepers get too busy and I don’t want her to think poorly of them.

As she read my kennel card I hoped she wouldn’t feel sad about my past. I only have the future to look forward to and want to make a difference in someones life.

She got down on her knees and spoke softly to me. I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her. Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; she was desperate for companionship. A tear fell down her cheek and I raised my paw to assure her that all would be well.

Soon my kennel door opened and her smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into… Continue reading →

Posted in Everything Else, Life of a Hedgewitch | Tagged dogs, inspiring, Misty Acres, pets

Arise, then, women of this day!

Published May 11, 2009 | By Juniper

Mother’s Day Proclamation

by Julia Ward Howe

Arise, then, women of this day!
Arise, all women who have hearts,
Whether our baptism be of water or of tears!

Say firmly:
“We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies,
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country, will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs.”

From the bosom of the devastated Earth a voice goes up with our own.
It says: “Disarm! Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance of justice.”
Blood does not wipe out dishonor, nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil at the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel.

Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby… Continue reading →