I know I have been quiet for a very long time, but life has been hectic, and I have been doing a lot of thinking and figured out lots of things about myself. I have been looking into Reclaiming, and as of now it truely speaks to me. I am not 100% sure it’s my thing yet, there’s still things I need to figure out.
As for Samhain, I am hoping to do something about it this year. I have started to think about what to do, but haven’t really planned it. I need to buy orange candles, and I want to pick some leaves and stuff. Other than that… Not sure yet. Will have to look into that shortly!
I keep meaning to write here, but never really seem to get around to it. Now Yule has passed, I’ve been away, but I still want to write a bit of my Yule celebrations.
I managed to hold my celebration on the day of Winter Solstice this year, I had the day off, and enough time on my hands to prepare a bit.
The ritual went very well. Everything felt very present, and it was slightly intense. I’m not going into details, but I felt so good afterwards.
My Yule altar 2014
After my ritual, it was time for a nice meal. I had made a vegan nut roast with all the trimmings (I’m a vegetarian, after all). Yum!
For some reason I’ve not felt connected to Spring Equinox this year, and I can’t explain why. However, I had a small marking, even though I didn’t really feel about it. I think it might because I feel so tired these days. I have no energy left, as work and life is hectic… Oh well, that’s just the way it is sometimes.
Festival of Lights was really wonderful this year, and I am very pleased with how my day turned out.
In the afternoon, I visited my friend Bridget. We had agreed on going for a walk, and so we did. It was very wind, with huge snowflakes in the air, and even though it was a bit chilly, I found it to be a great Imbolc walk! This was a wonderful way to really feel, and see, the elements in working. It was kind of hard to miss out on the strong wind, and the snowflakes kept getting in my face. Very refreshing! In the woods, we could also see how the wind had blown over some trees. Here are some photos from our walk:
When I got home, I made myself dinner, and then around midnight I had my ritual. I am very happy with how it turned out. Not only did I give thanks, but I also chanted and planted some seeds. The seeds were symbolic. The chant I used was one of the very first goddess chants I learnt, and one I love. It’s so beautiful! I know that it’s actually longer than what I chanted, but I felt this part of the chant was so fitting for today.
We all come from the Goddess
And to Her we shall return
Like a drop of rain,
Flowing to the ocean
We all come from the Goddess
And to Her we shall return
Like a drop of rain,
Flowing to the ocean
Hoof and horn, hoof and horn
All that dies shall be reborn
Corn and grain, corn and grain
All that falls shall rise again
I also felt a strong presence of the goddess, the god and the elements. After my chant I even felt more spiritual than I have long time. It all felt so good and right!
When I started my “no ‘poo” project over a year ago, it was just that: A project. I never intended for it to last more than maybe a few more months, but now that I’ve done it for over a year, I don’t really think about going back to using shampoo for my hair.
Covering my hair…
I clean my hair approximately once every week, and have mainly been doing the “baking soda and apple cider vinegar” method (though, there’s many ways to do this, just google it!) I always try to find other ways to clean my hair, though, mostly out of curiosity.
Tonight I gave it an “egg wash”. Basically it’s one or two beaten eggs (depending on how much hair you have on your head), rubbed into dry hair. Leave it in for at least 15 minutes, covering your hair with a shower cap or towels (I use a shower cap). Then you rinse your hair with cool or cold water. Be careful not to use hot water, as that would leave your with scrambled eggs in your hair, which is very messy!
I try to do an egg wash every now and then (but not as often as once a month). My hair might feel a bit odd when it’s still wet, but it feels so soft and nice when it has dried!
December was a very hectic month for me. In addition, I fell ill, and was down with a cold for some days, which I didn’t really have time for. My Yule celebration didn’t turn out how I wanted it to be like.
That being said, I did have a small marking. Nothing big, but at least it was something. Here’s my altar:
I didn’t put up my Yule tree until 23 December, though. I’m very pleased by how it turned out:
So far I have two tattoos. They both have a special meaning to me, and I’ve drawn them myself. I’ve used a lot of time considering what and where I wanted to have them, and the first I got is on my upper left arm, and is a sort of growing light. A bit hard to explain, but it’s my own, private symbol of life.
The second tattoo is on my back, a Triquetra. For me, it’s a pagan symbol of the divine. I know that for many, especially Wiccans, it represents the three stages of the Triple Goddess (Maiden, Mother, and Crone), but for me it is more a symbol of the life force, as well as mind, body, and soul.
It might not be a surprise for others that I am planning on my third one as well. I will probably use a lot of time figuring out how it will look like, all I know is that I would love to have a tree of life on my right upper arm. Yes, yet a symbol of life. The life force is so central in my believes, it’s in many ways the roots of it all. If that makes sense… I have no idea when I will get around to get this tattoo, the next step is to make a drawing I’m pleased with. I’ve done a couple of tests, but nothing I’ve even bothered to keep.
Do you have any tattoos? Do they have a deeper meaning for you, or are they just “for beauty”? 😉
Even though I love the atmosphere in my home, and did a cleansing before I moved in, I decided to make a little protection spell for my home the other night. I made incense of the herbs lavender, sage and cinnamon, all with the power of protection.
I also said the following (Norwegian): Kjære far og kjære mor,
Dere som beskytter alt på jord:
Se til at her er godt å være,
og at hjemmet mitt er en beskyttet sfære.
The translation would be: Dear father and dear mother,
You who protects all on Earth:
See that here is a good place to be,
and that my home is a protected sphere.
I said the verse three times, and the just let the incense burn.
I know that it’s a very simple spell, but I think it’s all that is needed. My home does not need stronger protection, it’s already a good place to be.
This year I haven’t been able to spend most Sabbaths as I wished. Nor so with All Souls Night, when I was out of town, and staying in a hotel. However, I sneaked some stuff into my room, so that I could do a tiny marking. Here’s my simple “altar”:
arcticluna 