Book of Shadows

Rituals, Gods, Altars, The Wheel of the Year and More…

Unfamiliar Territory

I find myself standing in unfamiliar territory. I have never seen a city on this Side before. Wait … maybe I didn’t go down and am still in Midgard? I feel embarrassed. How did I manage that? I am standing on a sidewalk in what looks like a major eastern city, New York, Toronto, Detroit, Chicago, something like that. I wonder if I ought to just turn back, find my way home.

 

I wonder if this is just a dream? But it can’t be, it feels like much more. I must have slipped out of my body again, dammit. I am embarrassed again; I really should have better control.

 

A man walks past me, accompanied by a woman. I overhear their conversation. His wife tries to do too much; the family business is failing as a result. Somehow I know the woman is his sister-in-law, she agrees with him. They worry about money and seem to be very stressed out. I follow them, curious. We enter some kind of diner or small restaurant. It is bustling.

 

Then I am in the backroom of the diner watching the family argue. The man and his sister-in-law are arguing with… Continue reading

Review: Last Year’s Birthday Reading

So, about a year ago I did a casting and reading for my 30th birthday and shared it with you. I thought that before I do a reading for my 31st birthday, I ought to have a look at last year’s reading and see how accurate it was.

 

Here we go.

 

I was concerned that there was nothing in the South. This turned out to be rather true. This past year really wasn’t about passion and fire. It was more practical, getting things done. Not much for adventures. I didn’t get any more worked up about anything than I normally do. I finished some projects, took on a few new things (like the tambourine) … but nothing really, REALLY, lit a fire under me. It was a “put your nose to the grind stone and try to be an adult” kind of year. Boy, I hope next year is a little more interesting.

 

Acorn and Clear Quartz rolled well away from the cloth and left me wondering why is masculine virility and clarity trying to run away from me? I can’t tell you why, but they have been. The bastards.

 

Jingle Bell and Tiger… Continue reading

To Be Alone and Useless

One of the biggest parts of my Path and practice has been that of a solitary. By that I don’t mean not being a member of a coven. I mean isolation and loneliness. Feeling cut off or different from everyone else. Not having someone with shared and similar experiences to talk to, let alone practice with.

 

I do have a few friends here in Ottawa (and other places) who have done some Hedgecrossing. But they have only begun to walk those roads, or have crossed only a handful of times. I have yet to meet another spirit worker, ancestor worshipper, Hedgewalker … like me. I know that they are out there. I see them on documentaries about shamans, I read their books, I read their blogs, and I listen to their podcasts. But face to face conversation, no.

 

Certainly I’ve met plenty of people who seem to think they know what they are doing. Or who do Hedgecrossing and spirit work. But their Path is still very different. No Tricksters, no dealing with the Dead. Their version of the Stag God is one of grapes and fun and sex. Not raw rutting danger, running blood and rotting flesh.… Continue reading

Beltaine 2011

My ritual group is meeting for Beltaine on Wednesday but for the actual day of I was lucky enough to have the day off. Yay! So I slept in and took care of the pets, hopped in the shower and all that good stuff. Then I headed off to Lissa’s place, passing by garage sales on my way. I am proud to say I bought nothing at said garage sales. Lis and I picked up some subs (for picnic purposes) and headed off to the arboretum park here in Ottawa (arboretum park = tree park).

We wandered aimlessly around the park, reading the plaques that told us which tree was what, and trying our best to guess correctly what we were looking at.

 

The English oaks are always impressive, its easy to stand under one such and imagine why the Druids like to practice in groves of them.

 

I adore the kind of trees who droop and thus, once they are big enough, create a kind of shelter out of their own limbs. Especially the evergreens.


A wind storm had come through Ottawa a couple of days before and so there were branches laying about the park.… Continue reading

The Hollow Bone is an Asshole

I honestly once had someone tell me quote “I don’t create drama, I serve.” in response to my calling her out for bully and drama creating behaviour.

As if being a servant of her god gives her the right to bully, troll, humiliate and create drama. Which god is going to exempt you from being a decent human being? Does she serve the god of assholes? I really doubt her god was commanding her to troll Facebook.

Just because you are god owned (or a hollow bone or a godslave or whatever you wish to call it) does not mean that everything you do is in their service. Nor does it mean you get a free pass on your words and behaviour.

I don’t justify myself by claiming god slave status.

If I mess up and be a bitch and get called on it, I own it, either by apologizing or being a bigger bitch, depending on the situation. But I don’t lay the blame at the feet of Cernunnos. He’d tear my friggin’ head off for that shit.

Of the gods that I have encountered personally, I cannot think of one who would tolerate their servant being an asshat… Continue reading

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