To cast or not.

This is a topic that I read about all of the time, do we cast if we aren't feeling 100%?

I think this is a personal thing, if you feel you can draw enough energy and focus it on what you are working on, and so long as you don't harm yourself in the process, then I don't see why not.  You know yourself better than anybody else, you know what you are capable of and what your limits are.

For me having a chronic illness means it is highly unlikely that I am ever going to feel 100% OK.  If I waited until I was absolutely fine then I would never cast anything, read cards, work for anyone etc.  I would have yo give up my practice and this wouldn't suit me at all.  From my own personal point of view, I know when I feel at my best for working and when I feel there is absolutely no way I will manage to summon up what is needed.  Surprisingly the latter rarely happens.

I read somewhere that your energy can be toxic if you aren't well, but this doesn't feel like the truth to me.  It feels like one of those long winded theories that have never actually been proven, or disproven.  Again, I think you need to decide for yourself what you can and will have ago at and when is the best time for you, illness or not.

I have been thinking about this because recently I have been pretty well, but this past couple of weeks I have been having a flare up.  I am not sleeping well - I haven't slept properly for a long time now - and I have that hit by a truck feeling almost all of the time, that feeling that someone has pulled the plug on my energy.  If you have Fibro/CFS/ME etc you'll know what I mean, if you don't have this or know of anyone with one of these illnesses then the best explanation is that feeling you get when you have the flu.  I'm talking the proper flu here, not a virus that lasts for a couple of days.  If you have had the flu good and proper you'll know about it.  You'll also know that achy, sore, lethargic feeling that you get, well that's kind of what the exhaustion associated with these chronic illnesses feels like, but only a 100 times worse.
Anyway, I'm getting good at knowing my triggers and knowing when stress is going to factor in my life.  I'm getting good at having the kind of lifestyle where I have to spend oodles of time resting, or sleeping, or just feeling meh.  I am getting awesome at working around this illness and know when I have enough energy to work magick.  I think that my results prove my energy isn't toxic and that I am working well.

I think we need to concentrate on our own energies and focus, we need to trust our own judgement in these matters.

Patience.

At this time of the year my thoughts are turning to my garden.  Not being in the best of health means I need quite a lot of help in my gaeden.  Usually at this time I plant my seeds out, into pots,or straight into the ground.  This year all I can see are delays.  Theses delays comein the shape of wood and branches from trees.  My mother's neighbour got a new fence installed a couple of weeks back and offered us the wood for our fire.  DH was eager for us to have it along with the tree branches they were trimming back.  I wasn't so keen as we are already overrun with firewood, but we have it and it is in our back garden, cluttering up the area where I would sow my seeds.

I've been quite cross about this wood, just dumped in my garden, hampering my plans.  This subject has been a bone of contention between DH  and I.  But yesterday during my reflective day I realised that it doesn't matter if the wood is moved before Imbolc, which is what I was requesting, just as long as it's done soon.  All I need is a little patience.

Patience is something we need to nurture in the craft,it is very important.  Without it we would undoubtedly do plenty ofthings we regret; say what we shouldn't and hurt people.  Having patience allows us to think things through. It gives us much needed time and space to do what is right.  I'd just forgotten about it.

Concordia

Today is the birthday of the Roman Goddess Pax.  Pax is the goddess of peace and her day is known as Concordia - a day of harmony.

I think it is quite apt that this day has fallen on a Sunday - my day for renewing my spirit.  It is an excellent time to bask in tranquility and peace.  I plan to spend it pampering myself, meditating and relaxing.  I have had a very busy few days, also a bit on the stressful side too. I think a day of quiet reflection is in order, thus giving me the chance to see where I go from here in a certain situation.

366 Days of witchery, reminder.

Today I was reminded of why I am doing 366 days of witchery.  I was asked why I am intent on doing another A-Z series and I replied that I was going over all things magick and witchy for my own private challenge.  The person asking seemed a bit off with my answer and I almost felt obliged to not bother doing my upcoming A-Z.
But then I got thinking about how this journey is personal to me, not about anyone else and yeah, OK, it's shared on my blog, but it's still a personal journey.

I decided to blog about this journey so that I could look back over the year and see how far I have come.  I guess what I write isn't everyone's cup of tea, most stuff has been covered before by others, probably in a lot more depth.  I'm not looking for depth in 366, I'm looking for reminders of why I love being a witch.  And I know I say this all of the time, but when you suffer two losses really close together you question everything, especially yourself and your own mortality and you end up in a bad place and need to put your life back together.  That's why personal challenges like this are important.  I'm not looking for blog awards, or writing gigs, I'm doing all of this for personal reasons.  If I wanted to write it professionally I would; if I wanted to give the subject matter more depth then I would - some subjects will be covered again in more depth, I daresay.

The A-Z allows me to go through a particular area and look at the different aspects of that area, not in great depth but in the way I want to remind myself - hence the purpose of this year and day thing.  It's my personal journey, nothing more.

Dreams and gut feelings.

I have probably discussed this subject way too many times on various blogs of mine, but it is the one constant thing in my life.  I am human just like everyone else and I get things wrong, at times.  For important stuff I try to rely on my gut feeling, I may use divination, and I try to use common sense as much as possible.  But still I get things wrong.
That's why when I am having dreams about certain issues and the signs are indicating which way I should go I am apt to follow these signs.  Dreams help us solve issues, guide us to the right path we should be on and can show us answers to questions that baffle us.

Quite often people will get a recurring theme in their dreams, not necessarily the same symbols, signs, etc, but definitely the same theme.  This would be our inner self trying to alert us to something that we need to be paying attention to.  Some people are aware of what is happening but then get confused when they start reading the dream interpretation books.  Some books differ on their meanings for certain objects and this can leave a person even more confused.
I interpret dreams by looking at the symbols and then thinking about what each symbol means to me.  Something like a corridor is universal in its meaning; it represents moving from one stage of life to another, but it can also mean moving from one area - i.e. in regards to your home or your career, or even a relationship - to another.
And when people dream of former homes they tend to think it is about the past.  It can be that, but it can also be something more specific, like how was life when you lived there?  Or what troubles did you have?  What did you love about living there, or hate?  Generally when we dream we are dreaming about solutions and answers to current situations in our lives.  Yes, we can have prophetic dreams too, but usually you will know the difference between them and the more run of the mill, everyday dreams.

Right now I have a real gut feeling about something, as well as having dreams indicating what the right thing to do is.  I trust this more than I would a tarot reading, or using a pendulum and for that reason alone I am going to follow my hunch.

Goddess Of The Month - Brigid. Pagan Blog Project B week 2

The Goddess month of Brigid runs from January 23rd to February 19th and takes in the Sabbat of Imbolc.  Brigid is associated with healing, physicians, agriculture, learning, inspiration, poetry, divination, prophecy, occult knowledge, abundance and fertility.  She is also associated with livestock and domesticated animals.

As the Goddess of regeneration it is quite fitting that Imbolc falls during her month.  Imbolc marks the early spring, a time of rejuvenation and regeneration.  This month we can look to areas of our lives that are becoming stale and rejuvenate them, calling on the Goddess for her blessings and help.
We can perform blessings for our pets, or livestock if we keep it.

The one thing I always do, if not at Imbolc, then usually before the end of February, is to sow my seeds for the garden.  I think that the energies are just right for successful growth at this time.  We can also plant seeds of inspiration now, we can ask that Brigid bless our ventures - and our actual seeds.

There are so many possibilities this month, let Brigid shower her blessings upon you.

Z is for.........

...........Zaramamma.

Zaramamma is a corn and grain Goddess and no matter how hard I try I cannot get the image of a farmer's wife out of my head.  I have been unable to find very little credible info on this Goddess, so am unable to elaborate much further.  Again, if anyone does know anything about this Goddess I would love to hear about it.

Y is for.......

.......Yemaya.

Yemaya is Goddess of the living ocean, some say Mother of all.  An African Goddess.  It is believed that she can cure infertility in women.  The Cowrie shell represents her.
Yemaya is said to wear seven skirts, which represent the seven seas.  She is said to be slow to anger, but when she does it is violent, think Tsunamis and other violent storms at sea.

With all of this in mind I imagine a huge - not fat, just a towering figure - mermaid type figure, wearing Cowrie shells in her hair.  I see her rising up and engulfing ships, entire towns and causing a huge amount of damage once she is angered.  But when she is being of gentle nature I see her sitting on a rock, far out to sea, basking in the sun and watching over those who worship her.

X is for.......

...........Xochiquetzal.

I have no idea how that is pronounced!

She is the Goddess of erotic love, maize, vegetation,  artistry and prostitutes.  The image of a Dominatrix comes to mind here.

W is for........

...........Women.

I have been unable to find a Goddess beginning with the letter W, but if anyone does know of one then please let me know!

I am going to come across all cliched here and say that all women are Goddesses.  Come on, you know it makes sense.  We are adored and worshipped by our men/women/families.  We are amazing in the fact that we nourish new life within us and bring it into the world.  We nurture that new life once it is born and tend to it, helping it grow.
We can do a million things - not literally ;) - at once and still manage to have babies, keep house, work at jobs.  We are truly amazing and we deserve to be pampered and worshipped and adored by our lovers and children and families.

We are all Goddesses.

Rowan month.

Today is the start of the Celtic Tree month of Rowan.  The Rowan tree is sacred to the Goddess Brigid and to the Druids.  It is good for protection, various charms can be made from this wood to ward off evil and the Rowan tree was planted in graveyards to prevent the dead from wandering.
It is also associated with astral travel, personal power and success.

During the Rowan month we can work for protection.  We can call upon the energy of the Rowan when we need clarity in our lives; this time of the year is fraught with us feeling jaded and disillusioned, we are well into the new year now and winter is still biting, it is only natural that we can feel low and in need of a boost.  Given that the Rowan is associated with personal power and success it is a good time to give ourselves a boost by reaffirming what we hope to achieve this coming year.

Imbolc falls during the Rowan month and this can give us hope.  The first signs of spring are beginning to show and we feel there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  The Rowan month is full of hope and promise, if only we look for it.

V is for......

..........Venus.

The Goddess of love.  The ruler of the star sign Taurus and my favourite Goddess, although I don't feel as though she is my patron Goddess which is quite strange.

A modern Venus is any woman who is using her feminine wiles to seduce her man.  But also any woman who makes the most of what she has, looks wise, body wise, intellectually.  Venus women embrace their femininity and are not ashamed of it, they maximise their lives by using what they have - i.e. their womanliness.
This is how I view a modern Venus, as all women at one point or another in their lives.

B is for..... Pagan Blog Project.

Week 3 of the Pagan Blog Project and we are onto our first B post.


B is for the Celtic Tree Month of Birch, which ends today.  The Celts celebrated thirteen lunar months, all named after trees.  The current month, Birch, ends today. 


The current Celtic tree month is Birch/Beth.  It runs from December 24th to January 20th.  This is a time of rebirth - in keeping with the winter solstice, which is the time of rebirth - it is a time for looking forward, to the growing light, very apt at the beginning of the year. 


 Traditionally we work for creativity at this time.  Fertility is a focus during this month also, but it doesn't necessarily mean we are working for getting pregnant.  It can represent the birth of new ideas, the planting of seeds for new ideas in our minds and out in the world.  


Protection magick is also highlighted during this month and I always think it is a good idea to redo any long term protection, such as elementals that you may have in place, or guardians.  It is said that magick performed during this month is quite potent so now would be a good time to spell for positive changes in your life, or for spellwork aimed at shifting problems and so on.

I've heard it said that these beneficial energies are only present around the time of the tree month's full moon, but I don't believe that.  I would imagine that the energies are more potent at this particular time - as with any kind of energies - but the month as a whole will have the specific energies stated.


 .

U is for......

........Uzume.

Another Goddess I had never heard of.  She is the Goddess of joy, happiness and good health.   She is a Japanese Shinto Goddess.  She is known as the Daughter of Heaven and Heaven's Forthright Female.

T is for......

.............Tyche.

Tyche is the Goddess of good fortune, Lady Luck.  She teaches us that every situation's outcome is determined by chance - so says the blurb.

The image I get in my mind's eye of this particular Goddess is of a chic woman who frequents casinos.  You know the type, you read about them in novels, see them in the movies etc, they are always at the arm of the man who is gambling; mysterious, sparkling in appearance and always bringing luck to whoever's arm they are hanging off.

Another, less glamorous image I have in my mind's eye is that of a Fairy Godmother type.  Not as cool as the above image, but still Lady Luck nevertheless.

S is for.......

.........Sophia.

According to my research, Sophia is one of the most worshipped Goddesses.  She is known as the wise Goddess and people petition her for wisdom.  This always make me think of a sage old woman, although the images I have seen of Sophia portray a much younger woman.

The woman I have in my mind's eye is in her mid 50's, her hair is dark, but greying.  She has a kind face and eyes, the compassion is obvious in them.  She oozes compassion and kindness and she is the type of woman we can turn to whenever we need help or advice.  She seems like a mother/grandmother type figure, but just as equally a wonderful friend and confidant.

Week 2.

Week 2 of the year was not as productive as I wanted it to be writing wise, but I achieved a lot in other areas.  I cannot really complain at that.  I am still focused on my goals, which is my aim and also the aim of my weekly updates on here.

January is often a difficult month for people but I am usually only feeling meh around the beginning of the month.  This year I have been fine, probably because I have kept busy and focused.  It also helps, in my opinion, that my eldest and youngest have birthdays during this month - one on the 15th (youngest) and the other on the 24th (eldest).  We also attended DD1's best friend's 21st at the weekend, so we have had plenty to look forward to on the social front this month.

With all of this new me, busy me going on I have been conscious of what is going to have to be sacrificed.  So far the only thing I have given up is Farmville.  I just haven't had the time to go on the game and I am considering removing it from my FB.

Overall I am pretty impressed with myself for remaining so focused.  Long may it last.

O is for.....

........Oshun.

It completely slipped my mind that I was supposed to include this brief post for the letter O.  I had been struggling to find any Goddess beginning with the letter O until I stumbled across Oshun.  I have no modern take on this Goddess, but I wanted to include her - and then completely forgot.

Doh!!!!

Oshun is an African Love Goddess, a Goddess of Beauty and Love.  We can call on her when we need blessings in these areas of our lives; she brings peace and satisfaction, trust and friendship and a safe harbour from life's storms.
She brings you into harmony with yourself.

R is for ......

......Rhiannon.

When I started this project I thought I knew a fair amount about the many different Goddesses, but actually I don't.  I know enough about quite a few, and quite a lot about the two I "think" are most likely who I feel an affinity with - Demeter and Kali.
My not knowing isn't such a problem, after all, 366 days of witchery is all about me reconnecting with my witchy side.

So,  Rhiannon is a Celtic Goddess.  An Earth Goddess, her associated areas are Enchantments, Fertility, dreams, magick, horses, birds, and the Underworld.  My first instinct when I think about a Goddess who is associated with the Underworld is to think of her as a dark, seductive temptress.  But the image I get in my mind's eye of Rhiannon is at odds with that.  I imagine her to look similar to my friend's daughter, Katherine.  Katherine is animal mad and is interested in saving everything.  She gets really angry when any animal is hurt, even insects which she isn't particularly fond of.  Katherine is petite, with blond hair and blue eyes.  She is gently spoken and always laughing.

This is how I view Rhiannon.

Q is for.....

...........Qadesh.

I have never heard of this Goddess until I researched for this A-Z.  She is an Egyptian Goddess of sexual pleasure and beauty.  She is the wife of the God Resthep.  Qadesh is  a Syrian deity whose worship was introduced during the Middle Kingdom.  She was associated with the fertility God Min.

The image I got in my head here, was a woman wearing a really short, tight skirt, a skimpy top and long high-heeled leather boots.  Not entirely original for a Goddess, I know, but that was how I imagined her to look today.

P is for.......

..............Persephone.

We all know the story about Persephone being kidnapped by Hades, who took her to the Underworld to be his bride.  We know how her mother, Demeter, was incandescent with rage and her bountiful nature was buried beneath her grief, causing the land to plunge into perpetual winter.

The story we know paints a picture of Persephone being a victim.  I have read stories that give different perspectives on Persephone, such as her secretly being in love with Hades and how she longs to be with him when she is with her mother during the spring and summer months.  But I have always thought that these were just a little too optimistic with regards to the story and the version we all know seems to be the correct one.

Given the view that we have of Persephone being the  victim, I always think of Andromeda from the original Clash Of The Titams film.  She always comes across as a helpless woman, the victim of circumstance.   I have an image of that particular character, as played by Judi Bowker in my mind when I think of Persephone.

N is for .......

........Nyx.

Nyx is not a Goddess I am that familiar with but instantly I was thinking of her in terms of a lady wearing black clothing and who has long black hair.  I see her in my mind's eye as Anjelica Huston's character from the film, The Witches.  She is a Goddess of War and Illness, suffering, bad dreams, misfortune and so on.  Of course I do not view witches in this manner, not at all, but that particular film portrays witches as bad/evil and that character was who I thought about when I started looking into Nyx.

Pagan Blog Project, week 2. A is for......

.............Akashic Records.

Let me first just say that I have very limited experience with this subject and that my view point may not be the same as anyone else's.

I have chosen the Akashic Records for my second week on the Pagan Blog Project, firstly because I was struggling to come up with something as a topic, and then secondly I thought it would be a good way for me to get a handle on the subject and maybe really pique my interest.

So what are the Akashic Records?

It is my understanding that they are a huge storehouse of information, like a massive library or a super computer with all knowledge.  This can be found in a non physical plane of existence which we are able to access  through deep hypnosis or meditation, or by astral travel.
When we access the Akashic Records we are not just getting a psychic reading, but glimpse into our soul's path and destiny.  Each and everyone of us has access to these records as we are all connected to the universe.  But sometimes we let our lives get so busy that this connection is badly interrupted and we have no clue about the records, or fail to gain access to them.
The info that is stored in the records isn't just about the past, present and future of the universe, they are also about our soul's mission and the direction we are heading in.  It is therefore important for us to soothe our busy minds and learn to relax enough for us to be able to gain access.

On a personal level I have felt all at sea for a very long time and it is only recently that I have reconnected with my spiritual self.  I am really interested in learning how I can gain access to the Akashic Records and see where I am headed.  It may be fun to let our path take us where it will, but sometimes it is important to know where we are headed too.  This post has inspired me to look into the Akashic Records in more depth and learn how I can access them myself.  I feel a need to know where my life is headed and have drifted aimlessly for far too long.

M is for......

............Morrigan.

This Goddess needs no introduction from me, every witch knows who the Morrigan is.  A Goddess of battle and strife, as well as fertility, to name but a few of her areas of expertise.  The image I always get when I think of this Goddess is something similar to Tina Turner in the Mad Max song - We Don't Need Another Hero.

L is for.....

.............Luna.

The more I work through the Goddesses, trying to give them a modern image, the more I find some Goddesses will always be like the images we see of them from literature and paintings around the world.  As I said at the beginning of this project, my brief was to share my own "personal images" of the Goddesses I discuss so that they have a modern image, as viewed by me.  For me, some Goddesses are easily visualised with a modern look, but others I am finding hard to see that way.

Luna is one of those Goddesses.  In my mind's eye I see her as a pale-skinned woman, with long flowing white-blond hair and wearing long, white flowing robes.  She has crystal clear, sapphire-blue eyes that illuminate everything and everyone she gazes upon.

K is for..........

.............Kali.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the one about Demeter, I have a pack of Goddess Cards and you have to answer some questions and this will give you your Goddess.  In some cases you can get two Goddess and I have Demeter and Kali.  Both clearly opposites, but I do think it describes me; on the one hand I am caring and nurturing and would do anything for my children, but on the other hand I am fiery and not afraid of my dark side, and not afraid to use it, come what may.

With all of this in mind I see Kali as she is in the book that accompanies the card pack, dark and wild and dangerous.  I see her in people like me, women who are strong and warrior types.  We fight tooth and nail to overcome the obstacles that life throws at us and we fight and challenge those who unfairly oppose us.  If we are given a hard time we will rise up and fight for what is right.  We are not afraid to go all out for what we believe in and we will, quite often have to face danger to overcome what we are fighting against.

The description in the book describes Kali as the sort of woman people either love or hate.  This is so me!  It describes those as Kali Goddesses as "the mother who confronts the abuser of her child", again, after DD1 was raped at the age of 12 I would have torn that man limb from limb if I had gotten hold of him.  I would have killed him with my bare hands, and to this day - DD1 is 21 in a couple of weeks - I would still love to physically hurt that abuser.
The same could be said when DD2 was being bullied.  I fought everyday for justice, almost costing the headmaster his job, so furious was I with his incompetence - the head kept his job by the skin of his teeth BTW.
The description says that we, as Kali Goddess women, protect our families and those we love with the fierceness of a jungle cat.

So Kali with a modern twist is just any woman whose personal attributes match those of this awesome Goddess.

J is for.....

...........Juturna.

Juturna is a water nymph and a Goddess of healing.  Her festival is on January 11th.  I don't know an awful lot about her but the image I get is of a mermaid administering healing to sick sea creatures and drowning sailors.

I is for.....

......Isis.

Another fertility Goddess, this time from the Egyptian pantheon.  Her message is that love can overcome death.
I always have an image of her looking something like the character Lana Lang, from Smallville.  I think this is probably because in later seasons Lana sets up a company called The Isis Foundation.

Week 1.

The first week of this year is now over, in fact we have entered the second week.  I made myself promises, as you know, towards the latter end of 2011.  So far I have not gotten distracted from my aims for the coming year and that is to be applauded, by me anyway.
I wanted to focus on my writing again.  When I say writing, I do mean novel writing and not writing for features etc, although if that opportunity ever arose I wouldn't say no.  I have so much stuff, mostly first drafts a quarter and half way written and they take up so much space on my external hard drive and memory sticks that I could have at least one potential book in there.
My aim for the first part of the year is to sift through them all and see what sets the creative mind alight.  Then I had that dream, you know, we all have them - I think - a dream where you just know you have to do a certain something - and I honed in on one particular story line.  This has kept me busy until now and everything else has been pushed onto the back burner.  I have to say I am really pleased with the progress I have made this week and I look forward to more of the same over the coming weeks.

None of this would have been possible for me if I hadn't lost my way last year.  I decided towards the end of the year that I was going to make things happen for myself and I have been slowly building up to that.  Then when the dream occurred I knew it was time to get back into all things crazy and write and write and write.

I also think that these challenges that I have gotten interested in have helped also.  They have been a focus for me, a reminder to do what I promised myself I would and without them I would probably still be procrastinating.  I also think the determination of my friend Sally over at The Village Witch has helped me get my butt into gear.  She recently realised her dream and is living proof that dreams can and do come true.
I want to thank Sally and those bloggers who have come up with these wonderful challenges for kickstarting my writing.

THANK YOU ALL!!!!!

I look forward to the week ahead and all the wonderful opportunities it will bring me.

H is for........

............Hestia.

Hestia always makes herself known to me whenever there are difficulties on the home front.  Whenever the difficulties get too intense a sort of calming influence can be felt, by me, breaking through the dramas and tensions.  Sometimes I dream about a housekeeper at such times too and I always think of that as Hestia letting me know she is around us.

The kind of image I get of her is a calm, middle aged woman, not so much motherly, more of a housekeeper.  The closest I can describe her so you have an idea of what I mean is someone who looks a little like Lynda Bellingham - of the OXO ad fame.

As Hestia is Goddess of Hearth and Home I think this imagery I have suits her well.

G is for............

............Gaia.

I never see Gaia as an ordinary woman.  Not that I see any of the Goddesses I have discussed as ordinary, what I am trying to say is "seeing" them as a mortal woman.  Gaia always appears in my minds eye as this



I have spent the day trying to conjure an image of Gaia in my mind, not that I have ever been successful before, but I thought I would have one last attempt for this post.  But I have only ever got this sort of image.  I guess this is how she wants me to perceive her and how I do too.  Sometimes we are not meant to see mortal looking types when we see deity, and I guess that is just how it should be.

F is for.......

...........Freya.

Freya is another of those Goddesses you can call upon if you need help with your cats.  She is also the Goddess of love and sex, erotic feelings and all that sexual passion.  Freya is another one of those Goddesses I have no problem visualising.  I see her in my mind's eye as a really sultry woman, exuding sex appeal and leaving men and women lusting after her.
In modern times society would label Freya as a loose woman, but I definitely don't see her in that way.  I see a woman who is comfortable with her sexuality, she exudes it.  She is likely to dress as she sees fit, generally clothing that accentuates her assets.

A is for.....

.......acceptance.

This post is for my contribution to Rowan Pendragon's Pagan Blog Project, it is a post I did on this blog a little while back, but it pretty much says everything I want to convey on my subject matter.

Do you accept who you are?

One of the best things we can do for ourselves is accept who we are.  I was just reading a post on another blog about  whether we really need validation from others or not.  You know, so many of us are afraid to show our true selves to the world for fear of rejection.  I guess I am a fine one to talk, given I won't come out of the broom closet with my family and local friends.
That said, I accept myself  - cowardice and all  - for what and who I am.  If I was asked by family or the local friends about being a witch then I would certainly not deny it, I just don't feel that comfortable broadcasting it to all and sundry.

Within the craft you pretty much have to accept not only yourself, warts and all (no pun intended!), but also your actions.  This kind of thing can leave a person feeling pretty uncomfortable, especially if you don't like introspection.  I have to admit, navel-gazing can feel very self-obsessed when you first begin.  But like all things in the craft, and life, the more you do it the better you get.

Sometimes we go through challenges again and again, we just don't seem to be able to break out of some cycles.  This is where a time of self reflection can really come in handy, and we should never feel guilty for looking within to solve problems.

I think there are times when we have to finally stop judging ourselves - and others too - and just get on down and look within.  Once the initial uncomfortable feelings have subsided we soon realise that what we are pretty critical of ourselves and we should work on our feelings of self hatred.  Let's face it, we all have something wehate about ourselves, no matter how small.

Accepting who we are is a vital lesson within the craft.  It helps us too come to terms with our own failings and give ourselves a break.  We learn to move on from negative situations and people and this helps us to become more forgiving of ourselves.
When you can accept yourself you become happier with who you are.  You act in the best way for yourself and those around you.  You are less prone to damaging actions and accept responsibility for what you do and say.

Acceptance is a key word in the craft.

E is for .......

.............Eostre.

The Goddess of Spring and Fertility.  I always envisage this Goddess with long blond hair, wearing flowery, floaty dresses and having an abundance of bunnies and chicks surrounding her while she ambles along a meadow.  She oozes happiness and carefree days, in my mind.  I guess this is only natural, given how we feel more carefree and light and airy during the spring.

And as "fluffy" - I hate that terminology - as this description sounds, I do think it describes this Goddess, even trying to put a modern twist on her I can't get away from floaty frocks and young chicks and bunnies.  Sometimes we just have to accept light and fluffy/airy appearances for what they are, a natural appearance.

D is for..........

........Demeter, the Earth Goddess.

I have an oracle set of Goddess cards and it asks you to answer a few questions and then gives you the name of the Goddess that you most closely resemble.  I got Demeter and Kali, apparently some people do show traits of more than one Goddess.

Demeter controls the wheel of the year, she is the Earth Mother.  We have all probably heard the story of how Demeter mourns for her daughter, Persephone, while she is in the Underworld with Hades.  During this time Demeter becomes depressed without her daughter and life comes to a standstill - as in the earth becomes still and frozen.
I can relate to this, when something is wrong with my family (as in DH, the DD's or DS) I switch off from everything and completely focus on solving what needs to be solved.  Life as we know it ceases to exist.  As a mother I am the centre of my family and I keep our lives in balance, but when everything goes pear-shaped I retreat, just as Demeter did, and normal life becomes barren and still.

Demeter as a modern woman would be wearing floaty skirts and dresses - this is how I see her .  She has a full figure and wants to nurture everyone and everything, as her role as Earth Mother predicts.  Everything about her is loose and flowing and natural.  I see her as a bit of a hippy, but when Persephone goes to the underworld she lets herself go.  Her appearance becomes shabby, just as the Earth becomes barren.
To me, Demeter is mother personified.

C is for......

......Cerridwen.

I can never think of this Goddess without the image of her morphing, mid-air, into the various creatures from the tale of Talesin.

Cerridwen is a Celtic moon Goddess and her special areas are magic, fertility, death, rebirth, regeneration, inspiration.  With the exception of this morphi'ng Goddess who is chasing Gwion, I actually cannot get a visual on her whatsoever.  However I do have a friend who really does remind me of Cerridwen and so I tend to visualise her but with the morphing abilities if I need to bring up an image of this Goddess.

I haven't really got a look for Cerridwen that would do her justice, given my struggle with the visuals.  Modernising her look is goiong to be full of cliches, so I guess the easiest way to keep it simple would be to imagine any mother from this - 21st century - era and picture that archetype doing whatever it takes to be the best for her children.
This is how i think of Cerridwen, doing what was needed for her son and going all out to get it' even chasing Gwion and morphing into the different creatures in order to catch him.  I guess it helps us mother's to know that even Goddesses do all they can for their kids, even changing who they are to save and protect them.

B is for.......

...............Bast.

OK, so I am jumping pantheons here, but isn't that what being an eclectic witch is all about?

Anyway, Bast is a deity I am pretty familiar with, I have 3 cats and have had to call upon her once or twice.  Bast is also associated with women and with sex and dance and joy and frivolity.  This conjures up images of a tall, slender woman with long, glossy hair and green eyes.   Sleek, elegant, graceful,  I see her as being able to move around soundlessly, just think how a cat can just seem as though it has suddenly appeared beside you because you never heard it walking up to you.  I see her as being playful in her nature when surrounded by familiar faces, but if crossed her mood changes instantly, like that of a pouncing tiger or cat.  If you have a cat you know how it is, if you pick them up when they would rather you didn't they will just about have your eye out.

It is said that if anyone harms a cat then they will invoke the wrath of Bast.  Bast does come across as a pretty lady, with her glossy good looks and her sleek appearance, but just like all felines she has a cruel streak and it comes naturally to her to use it if crossed.

Celtic Tree months.

I've had a go at including these once before and then got out of the habit.  The idea behind including this theme - and the Goddess month theme - on the blog is to take advantage of the energies they provide.  Each month has a particular theme to it and throughout that month we can utilise the energies for ourselves.

The current Celtic tree month is Birch/Beth.  It runs from December 24th to January 20th.  This is a time of rebirth - in keeping with the winter solstice, which is the time of rebirth - it is a time for looking forward, to the growing light.  Traditionally we work for creativity and fertility now.  Also healing and protection.  It is said that magick performed during this month is quite potent so now would be a good time to spell for positive changes in your life, or for spellwork aimed at shifting problems and so on.

I've heard it said that these beneficial energies are only present around the time of the tree month's full moon, but I don't believe that.  I would imagine that the energies are more potent at this particular time - as with any kind of energies - but the month as a whole will have the specific energies stated.

Goddess Of The Month.

I'm not entirely sure when I first came across the Goddess of the month theme.  Neither is it something I have been a regular follower of.  But given my motto for 2012 is to encompass all sorts of wonderful ideas to improve, enhance and enrich my life, I thought it was something I might include on my blog.

The current Goddess month actually began on December 26th and runs to January 22nd and it is the month of Hestia - or Vesta.  Hestia governs the hearth and home and this seems fitting given that we spend a lot of time at home during this time.

Hestia is the first born daughter of Cronus and Rhea.  She is the Goddess of ordinary folk and teaches us the values of family life, among other things.  With the Yuletide season all but behind us now we are very conscious of family time.  We may have just had a wonderful few days of togetherness and may be feeling a little bit lost now the festive season is behind us.  Or maybe we are glad to see the back of this particular season, with all the stresses and strains that spending so much time with our families can bring.

Welcoming Hestia into our lives can be very beneficial for either reason.  If you are apt to miss the togetherness that the Yuletide season brings, then perhaps Hestia can help you remain close to your family all year round.  Just because the festivities are done and dusted for another year doesn't mean we can't see our loved ones and spend quality time with them.
By asking Hestia to bless us with the love of our family we can enjoy the close bonds we share during the festive time all year round.  Or, if you have just closed the door on a pretty stressful festive period, full of family tension and arguments, then maybe Hestia could help ease those stresses and strains.  By calling upon her to bless our families we can learn to be more accepting and loving during such times.  We can learn to heal the pain that may have festered in the family unit for a long time.  We can learn to appreciate our families, warts and all, and discover how best to deal with those argumentative relatives who often leave us feeling like we want to throttle them.

Use the blessings of Hestia this month to bring peace, love and unity to your family.

An idea from Lyn.

As it's New Year and many of us are making new plans, goals and so on I thought I would share this brilliant idea with you that Lyn over at Witch Blog has come up with.  We all have done it/do it, say we are going to make changes in our lives, at some point, whether it be Samhain or this New Year.  How many of us feel so overwhelmed by the lists we make?  How many of us set so many challenges for ourselves that ii is nigh on impossible to actually achieve them all, let alone stick to what we wish?

I am so guilty of this very thing.  It isn't so bad with the goals I set myself at Samhain, but the goals I set for the new calendar always seem difficult for me to keep and I end up writing a list as long as my arm, determined that this year I will achieve all, but generally failing.  So this idea of changing one thing at a time really struck a chord with me and really piqued my interest.
I'm not entirely sure if I will be downloading the pages that Lyn has created, maybe I will just incorporate this idea into my life as best I can.

You can find out all about the wonderful idea here.

Happy January folks.

Another A - Z series.

This time I am doing an A- Z of Goddesses, but there will be a slight difference.  Recently I read a blog post about giving deity a modern twist  - can't remember whose and I can't find a link to it, so if anyone reading this knows who it was then contact me and I will credit the person whose wonderful idea it was.  This really appealed to me and I just couldn't resist doing this series.

Quite often when we need to call upon deity, we find it hard to envisage what they will look like.  Even if we can picture them in our mind's eye, we find it difficult to relate to them as they seem so distant to us, so far removed from our reality.  This is why I think giving them a modern twist is an awesome idea, not only will it help me relate more to deity, but it will also help me understand them a little better.

So, A is for Artemis.

Artemis, to me, has always been a warrior type Goddess.  Typically she is called upon for protection.  This gives me a mental image of someone like Piper Halliwell from Charmed, or maybe even Xena the Princess Warrior, but obviously that isn't who she is.  A modern day Artemis is going to be typically a strong woman - just like the two examples I mentioned - she will fight hard for us if we invoke her, she is pretty fierce and can be relied upon to protect us.
I see her as a very independent lady who needs no helping hand from anyone.  She is more than capable of looking after herself - no matter what comes  up.  If she were walking amongst us she would be fighting for causes such as Animal Welfare, Children's rights, the rights of women and environmental causes.  She would be an excellent ally for women, children, animals and the earth.  Fiercely protective of her charges, not someone to be messed with if crossed.

I see her as wearing clothing that is suited to her campaigning; denims, or perhaps black jeans and a t. shirt.  Also, I can't help but see her with a bow and arrow on her back, perhaps with a knife of some sort tucked into her boots.