Bits and Bobs

~ Last night went well.  I decided not to give myself a reiki treatment.  I had a professional massage and no longer felt the need.  The massage was amazing and I really liked the woman who did it.  I got a good vibe from her and we talked a bit about some of the New Age/Pagan community in the area.  I learned about several opportunities I would like to look into!  More on these soon.

~ I meditated last night and used my bodhrán to drum myself into a trance.  It's something I've been meaning to try but I always put it off because I thought the physical motion would be too distracting.  It was strangely effective!  I met Brighid and had a little chat with her. She put me at ease about several issues.  I also met with my spirit guide and learned a strange dance from him.  We also talked briefly about how funny it is that a vegetarian has a carnivorous spirit guide.  He basically gave me the impression that just because he hunts for meat, it doesn't mean I have to.  He said I hunt for other things.*

~ There's another ADFer in Watertown!  I randomly looked at the roster for NY state and saw his name!  He joined a month ago.  I decided to email, say hello, and tell him about Muin Mound.  He replied and said he is hoping to attend the grove.

~ My husband and I are getting really excited about Wellspring. He's mostly excited about camping out and finally using our tent.  I'm looking forward to meeting more of my spiritual community and the workshops!  I wish there was more information about what is being presented and when certain rituals will be...


*My bodhrán has a skin head.  Yes I know this is hypocritical...  I deal with issues like this all the time.  I try my best and take my baby steps and live peacefully...  But I also really trust the person who makes the drums and, frankly, I would rather have a drum from someone who respected the animal than a synthetic drum head from a factory.  

Keeping the Flame

As the title alludes, tonight it is my turn to keep Brighid's flame.  As I did last month, I'm going to refrain from using the internet and, instead, spend my time in meditation, creativity, prayer, study, and housework*.  I am also planning to give myself some reiki.

I've been working on another Brighid doll recently.  So far she is turning out well.  Every time I sew something I learn a new lesson, and this piece is no exception.   I cannot wait to share her.

Before my quiet evening begins, I am going to get my massage in Watertown.  I'm very excited.  Nothing like some healing on my day of working with Brighid, right?  I shall ask for her blessing as I lay on the table.






*As Brighid is a Goddess of the hearth and home, I feel it's only appropriate to tidy it up so that she is more welcomed here.

In Which I Reflect on a Book

I finished Practical Magic in the Northern Tradition by Nigel Pennick this evening.  I was really excited about this book at first.  I really was.  As stated in an enthusiastic post when I received it in the mail, I really liked the book he coauthored with Prudence Jones.  I had high expectations; expectations that, past that visually offensive cover, I would learn so much.

Nope.  Not really...  What I thought was a contextual introduction turned into the entire book.  Had I not already read so much about Pagan holidays, symbols, tools, etc, etc, etc, this book would have been wonderful.  Now, I did learn some new things, but they were kind of trivial and/or not culturally specific.  Everything else was subject matter presented in the above linked A History of Pagan Europe.

 Pennick put most of his focus on Asatru despite the book's supposed focus on all of Northern Europe.  It was Odin this, Thor that...  This will be very helpful when comparing Druidism to Asatru, but I didn't learn anything knew about Celtic tradition.  Pennick's often eclectic approach left me baffled and/or frustrated.  He referred to Brighid, the Goddess, as a virgin even though she has a son in the Invasion myths.  He even Wiccanized her with the maiden, mother, and crone/hag deal.  That just isn't the case in Irish lore.

In the end, the book was kind of boring and, in general, a waste of time for me to read.

I shot my first large gun.  The recoil surprised me, causing me to shriek and throw the gun after firing.  Luckily it's only a single shot so the gun was empty!  My complete lack of grace was redeemed by the fact that I actually hit the target - a stationary clay pigeon. 

After that we took a walk along the Mohawk River.  It was wonderful to be outside.  Everything is turning green.  We saw some little fish as well as several invasive zebra mussels on the rocks.  I greeted the river Goddess - I didn't really have anything to offer other than my respect. 

I brought one of my ISP books with me.  The men-folk are playing the new Splinter Cell video game so I might as well take advantage of my time and study!  

More on our relationship to the Gods - Thoughts and Questions

As many of my most recent posts demonstrate, I've been contemplating our relationship with deity quite a bit.  Yesterday I mentioned the thought that the Gods we have good relationships with may try to protect us from chaotic or destructive spirits. 

Last night I started to think about what it means if the Gods you are close to are chaotic or destructive.  Brighid, I believe, has a destructive side.  She has to being connected to fire.  I believe she has a temper that can flare just as passionately as her creative, nurturing side.  I don't think she would intentionally harm me, but what about others?  What if that man whose house caught on fire really did get the stink eye from Brighid?  And if he did, where was the Morrigan, the Goddess he claimed fidelity to?  What if the Morrigan, being so enamored with death and decay, delighted in the fire?  I can almost imagine Brighid and the Morrigan winking at each other as if to say, "That will show him not to bad mouth a Goddess."

On the one hand, it makes perfect sense to me that a God, being as imperfect as the perfectly imperfect universe we live in, could have a temper tantrum or a desire for vengeance.  At the same time, the personalities we associate with them are, even when consistent with other UPG, framed by human concepts.  Ultimately I think the Gods are beyond that - so perhaps judging them as benevolent teachers or harsh punishers is human error?  Then there is the very large part of me that believes the Gods are more interested in gaining our love rather than our fear.  They may seek to teach us lessons (which may be quite uncomfortable or difficult to get through) but aren't out to harm us in any real way.  I don't think the Gods coddle us like overprotective parents but I feel them near every so often - or I simply experience them in the forces of nature.  I feel their blessings often. 

Forgive my rambling.  These are just thoughts I have had rolling around my head.  What do you think?


* Again, I'm more inclined to think he was irresponsible in some way with regards to fire safety.  Who can really say whether a God did or didn't set his house on fire?  Either way, house fires are a tragedy.  It's just something I think about from time to time...

Spring is in the Air

It's lovely to finally see some buds and even flowers on trees!  As corny as this may sound, it fills me with such joy.  The renewal of life is a marvelous thing.  

My husband is very excited today because he's getting a gun.  We're then going to some land to do target practice.  I've never shot anything other than a bee bee (beebee? bee-bee?) gun before.  I have no idea if I'll have fun or not.  It will be nice to go outside and spend time among the blossoming trees.

Gardening and Relationship to Deity

I've been collecting pots, soil, and seeds.  I've started to plant and have some seedlings.  I've been crocheting hanging pot holders.  I'm awaiting another order of heirloom seeds.  Needless to say, I love gardening and I can't wait to really get underway.  The last possible day of frost in the North Country is projected to be May 31st.  I'm reluctant to put much outside, and everything that can be planted outdoors right now has not yet arrived in the mail.

To satiate my gardening urges, I was looking at one of my favorite websites - Path to Freedom.   The family and their urban homestead really inspire me.  Anyway, while rereading their "10 Elements of Our Urban Homestead" page, I was really struck by this statement:

It may surprise you but we live under a constant dictatorship! Gardening is not a democracy. We are ruled by nature and there isn't much we can do about that. This "tough love" dictatorship teaches us the valued lessons of patience and perseverance. One hard lesson learned is that we aren't in control and can't vote to change the outcome.

It made me think about my recent posts about our relationship to the divine.  It's all well and good to say that we've evolved to a point where we have a lot of power in our sphere of influence (to the point where we can mold nature to our desires), but is it really a good thing?  We grow fields and fields of monoculture while poisoning all the competition (flora and fauna), we raise too many herd animals, and we use genetically modified seeds which, often, don't produce usable seeds the next generation.  I'm not saying it's all bad.  We had good intentions.  We have a huge, huge population to feed* and greed/ignorance have made us complacent.  I'm not innocent myself!

Anyway, thinking about trying to be more of a "natural" gardener is really humbling when you think of what may and may not happen.  The above quote is basically what I was talking about yesterday in that, regardless of how technologically advanced we are, we are still at the mercy of Mama Earth and the divine energies of the universe.  We don't have the fear them.  In fact I rather like what I've been learning about Stoicism.  Stoics, it seems, would argue that we need to accept the fact that nature/the Gods are more powerful than us.  We needn't fear them - we just need to learn how to better respect them and work with them!

Does this mean we'll always get a good crop? No.  But we'll learn so much along the way - lessons about ourselves, the world, and the Kindreds.  If we aren't successful does it mean the Gods don't favor us?  As long as we have been trying hard and are being honorable, I really don't think we lose favor from the Gods.  We may grow distant from one and find great friendship with another, and they may have hard lessons for us to learn, but the spirits we form close bonds with, I believe, won't go out of their way to hurt us.  If anything, the better the bond, the more they try to protect us from the powers of chaos and destruction that, while necessary, make life occasionally harsh.



* I'm very excited about the development of skyscraper greenhouses.  If they can remain organic and sustainable, they could potentially be very helpful in feeding large populations without the pesticides and huge, huge tracks of land needed in the past.  This, my friends, is admirable human ingenuity coupled with respect for the natural world.  I think.  I hope.  ;)