Archeologist finds 600-year-old bras

Who knew? An interesting footnote in the history of women's undies!

Archeologist finds 600-year-old bras

Blessings nine!

Happy 4th of July!

Goddess Bless America and all of us!

Have a safe and happy 4th!

Blessings nine!

Hekate's Labyrinth

I found this while browsing through some research results and thought some of you might find it interesting.

Blessings nine!

The Lady of the Sioux

I recently came across another "Mary Story" - as I call them. These are  stories, in my mind, where the Blessed Mother, Mary is greatly honored, but that reverence in likely rooted in the original traditions of the culture into which she has been incorporated by the conversion to Catholicism.

The Sioux, or Lakota, according to a source at Our Lady of Lourdes Mission in the hills of Sioux/Lakota territory in South Dakota, are very dedicated to the Blessed Mother, Mary. The members of the mission and  the children who attend St. Joseph's School, gathered regularly to recite the rosary. Various holidays, during the Marian year, are celebrated and special dedications are made. The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is one such celebration, another is the crowning of the Lady's statue which includes presentation of paper flowers by the children and the singing of hymns to Her such as "O Mary, We Crown Thee With Blossoms Today - Queen of Angels, Queen of the May." Pilgrimages to Our Lady on the hill were made on Thursdays for various intentions. The rosary was recited and hymns to Mary were sung. The statue was adorned with flowers and kept clean by the children. I am not sure if these traditions are still kept at the school and mission. Some of this reminds me of various goddess-honoring traditions found throughout the world. Most recently, some of us celebrated the Vestalia which included cleansing of Vesta's statue as well as the presentation of offerings and a libation. I do the same for Aphrodite, Athena and other goddesses. Cleansing Their statues, generally in rosewater or other appropriate solutions, then making offerings and reciting invocations, hymns, and other prayers.

The mission compound was built in 1926. The story of how the mission and its dedication to Mary came to be has never been historically verified. Supposedly, also, there was a famous painting of the Lady in the grotto, but the only painting in the mission is one of Our Lady of Lourdes, likely painted by one of the old Sioux Indians, according to the information available.

The story of the Lady of the Sioux was supposedly told by the granddaughter of an old Indian woman. Her grandmother, she told, was walking along the road past the mission one day. Upon seeing the grotto on the hillside, she remarked: "Oh, I see the Lady is still there." When asked what she meant by "still there," she told how years ago, long before the mission and grotto were built, she was coming along that road and saw a lady in white standing up on the hillside exactly where the grotto now stands, looking just the same.

Unfortunately, according to the source at the mission, the granddaughter, like many Sioux, has moved away from the reservation, her name is unknown and the story cannot be verified. Not much was ever made of the story by the church, however, it continues to be told.

Our Lady of the Sioux grotto is located at St. Joseph's Indian School in Chamberlain, South Dakota. They have cared for and educated many children who were undernourished and ill when they first began attending the school in 1927. Today, children of many faiths attend the school, the majority, 61%, being Catholic, and include children who are victims of abuse and poverty. The school serves nine South Dakota reservations and other states, as well. The children are taught, in addition to the usual curriculum,  the Lakota language, traditions and culture.

In the mission chapel there is a series of stained glass windows which honor Native American and Catholic traditions. Windows include depictions of Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American nominated for sainthood, a woman who died in 1680; the Oblate Sisters, the only Native American community of sisters in the US, founded in 1935, among others. There is also a series of 8 additional stained glass windows , The Sacred Pipe and the Seven Sacred Lakota Rites.

It is interesting how this place has been able to return to teaching and honoring Lakota culture while continuing the traditions of Catholicism, which many Native Americans practice. 

The windows can be seen here:
http://www.stjo.org/site/DocServer/Stained_Glass_window.pdf?docID=301
Unfortunately, the pictures are quite small, however one can clearly see them and there is a brief explanation with each.

artist unknown

After reading about this, I wondered if the "White Lady" seen by the old grandmother was really White Buffalo Woman. White Buffalo Woman is sometimes described as wearing all white and others as wearing rainbow colors. Here again, as in many cultures where Catholic missionaries traveled to and lived, we can see a blending of both traditions, the substitution of a goddess with the Blessed Mother, Mary. As in Catholic/Christian culture, the Sioux were patriarchal. An example of this is that women were not to walk in front of men - sound familiar? Yet it was White Buffalo Woman who gave the sacred buffalo calf pipe to the Sioux and taught them how to live. "Before she came, people didn't know how to live. They knew nothing. The White Buffalo Woman put her sacred mind into their minds." (Crow Dog, a medicine man) White Buffalo Woman first appeared in human form, it is told, but also appeared as a buffalo - an albino buffalo. Here we have the "white lady" seen by the old grandmother. Patricia Monaghan includes White Buffalo Woman in her list of Mother Creator, Great Goddesses, which seems appropriate,  teaching her children how to live is exactly what a mother does. Here, in a patriarchal culture infiltrated by another patriarchal culture/religion, we see a great honoring of the feminine, the Mother Goddess.  It is not surprising, considering the extreme reverence paid to White Buffalo Woman, that the Sioux would adopt and show the Blessed Mother, Mary, that same reverence.


Sources: CatholicCulture.org
                    stjo.org (St. Joseph's Indian School)
                    http://www.merceronline.com/   -  The White Buffalo
                    The Book of Goddesses and Heroines, Patricia Monaghan


Blessings nine!

MidSummer Approaches!

This is a small section, showing the Muses, of the painting, The Parnassus, by Andrea Mantegna, painted in 1497. 

Ah, this magickal time! MidSummer approaches and with it the turning of the year, the Waning time. I almost breath a sigh of relief. I am very much then waning witch. So, here is to the shorter days, the darkness coming sooner, the dark magick coming more fully alive!

The Queen of the Fay

by Jane Yolen

Four and forty are the braids

That twine about her head.

Four and forty are the maids

That wait upon her bed.

Four and forty are the bells

Upon her horse's bridle,

Four and forty are the jewels

Upon its leather saddle.

Four and forty are the babes

That she has stole away,

And countless are the princes' hearts

That she did break today.

Are you ready for the magick and the mystery? So... let it begin!

Blessings nine!

Our Vestalia Celebration

The main altar with offerings, libation, a representation of the Great Mother and another of Hekate.

Saturday evening I celebrated a Vestalia ritual with four friends. It was a lovely ritual, made more beautiful by the wonderful women who joined me in this annual rite. I honor this festival on each of the nights of June 7th through the 15th, so it was a special treat to join with my friends, all dedicated priestesses and witches of many years experience. We did have one young woman who is rather new to our ways, but she has shown herself to be very dedicated and was very much an asset to the rites. It was a pleasure to be with all of these friends for such a special evening.

After the rite we got a little wild! A late supper, simple but delicious, was followed by much merriment and laughing. I don't know if it was the very sweet, fruity champagne or what, but we let loose. The result of all this was a special new rite call the Rite of the Lettuce Leaves - but I'm not sure what it is really about. I can say that somewhere there is a photo of one of the priestesses kneeling in front of me receiving the blessing of the three lettuce leaves which I hope is never published!

Despite all the silliness and fun that followed the Vestalia rites, the ritual itself was very moving indeed. We blessed the space, processed with our statue and bathed Her in rosewater, chanted and made our invocations, burned a very fine, handmade amber and vanilla incense (Fred Solls) that was so beautifully aromatic, certainly a fit offering. We built a blazing ritual fire and then burned our offerings, torn pieces of the Mola Salsa, herbs, and barley. It was very hot and humid, but it didn't seem to matter, everything was quite perfect and we were very much lost to the world.

And so... I continue this festival on my own, but with lovely memories of a special night gathering with daughters of the old ways.

The working altar where we bathed the statue before taking Her to the main altar. Here we blended our herbs and lit new candles, from my perpetual hearth flame, which will be used at our hearths and stoves through the year.

Blessings nine!

Every Witch Needs One!

Ha, look what I've got! This is very cool, at least I think so and I am quite delighted, but then I usually am. One of the customers at the shop had this and naturally I asked where she got it; she was happy to tell me she found it at a local shop. When I called that shop, they didn't have it anymore so off I went to Amazon and thanks to Prime, I had it in two days... and for about $5.00 less.

OK - my former wallet just bulged with all kinds of stuff; no way with this one! A few credit cards and some cash. License and car stuff is now in a cute little card holder with a jeweled owl. Misc. change and various business cards - another little wallet. But... it's so adorable I don't mind it's limited capacity. And, after all, while my iPhone can do so many things, this has communication skills no iPhone has! Just kidding... sort of. In any event, you can tell I am happy as a clam with it.

32nd anniversary for the witch and her consort today. I am feeling old... 32 years married, feels like yesterday. I can remember sitting with the DH and prepping the antipasto trays the day before while my mother and aunts made lasagna, baked ziti, sausage and peppers along with other goodies. We had a houseful and a yard full that day. We were married by a justice of the peace whom I had known since I was a child, in our backyard. A witch and a Jew - we weren't getting married in a church! Well, it has all worked out just fine and we've both learned a lot of lessons, which is as it should be. Most of all, we love each other more than ever and that's just good.

Speaking of witches and such, there's been a great deal of magickal and healing work that was needed this month; it has kept me busy. Luckily, all is resolved with the exception of one issue that is still in the works. Such is the life of a witch.

I am preparing for my annual Vestalia rites. I celebrate this June 7th through the 15. You can read more about what I do here: http://witchofstitches.blogspot.com/2009/06/vestalia-june-7th-15th.html , as well as here: http://witchofstitches.blogspot.com/2010/06/vestalia.html and here: http://witchofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/06/vestalia.html
I will likely post about this year's rites as well, which I hope will be shared with most of our students.

My Divine Feminine discussion and meditation group has brought me wonderful new women friends as well as reconnecting with old ones. The group has really come together and we are accomplishing a great deal. I look forward to our monthly meetings.

I have also been at the shop every Wednesday evening for our Reiki circle, leading the meditation. Last night, my boss's DH and I did a joint meditation that was quite interesting and well received. I have had some folks suggest I record my meditations, so that is another item on my to-do list. I am putting together some of my powders, potions, charms, and artwork to sell and hope to have that going by July. You can find my FaceBook page, LadySpell Designs, here:
 https://www.facebook.com/pages/LadySpell-Artes/201958023209323 - if interested.
There isn't much there, just my chapbook, Enchanted, right now, but, if inclined, please do like my page.

Well, I'm off to brew some coffee and put some cornbread in the oven. My old dude loves cornbread and he's done a great job as witch's consort so it is the least I can do.

Blessings nine!

The Greening & The Flowering

For those celebrating Beltane, many blessings. For me, I celebrate the Greening of the Land and the Blessings of the Goddesses, most especially Persephone and Demeter, who, reunited, bring all that is fruitful back to our lives.

My ritual tonight will honor both of these goddesses to whom I am dedicated, as well as Hekate, of course. I feel a very strong pull from them at this time. My creative endeavors have been at a standstill and I think my Ladies are telling me to get busy. So... a calling upon them, honoring, along with special libations and offerings to celebrate the season and, this weekend, the Full Flowering Moon.

I very much enjoy brewing up libations for the goddesses. It is a very creative process for me; wine, cider, teas; which herbs and spices; what other special additives. This can take days or minutes, but it is always from my heart and that is exactly where it needs to be from. It is the same for offerings - bake, cook, meat, barley, fruit, chocolate, etc. - what will it be? Again, the ideas come as they will and they are always just what they need to be.

The full moon on the 5th is known as the Flowering Moon, for me, and perfect for this time of year. Demeter is back to Her normal self, blessing the Land with growth and plenty, greening and flowering. Persephone inspires Her Mother and adds Her own magick to the Flowering, for without Her, it would not be. She has left behind, albeit temporarily, the songs of the Dead, their need for Her, and returned to us, the living, to bestow Her blessings and get Her Mother back to business! She may be Queen of the Dead, but we need Her too. Persephone is the Sacred Daughter, the Flowering One. Demeter Herself needs Her daughter in order to go on about the working of the Land, the magick that makes all things, including us, grow and create.

As a Dianic Feminist witch and priestess who does not follow a Celtic path, I have had to make adjustments and create ways of celebrating the seasons along with my sister priestesses. It all works out as we honor, not only the Goddesses, but ourselves and each other.

Whatever you celebrate, may the Goddesses bless you and bestow growth, greening and flowering in all you do.

Demeter, Lady of Fruits and Grains,

Of Ripening Sun and Harvest Rains,

I call to You, Mother, to hear my plea,

Bestow Your blessings here upon me!

Beautiful Lady, whose love runs deep,

Who banishes growth during Winter's sleep,

And causes the seeds to stir in Spring,

Attend my circle and blessings bring!

by AutumnRose

Blessings nine!

Dark Moon & The Coming of the First Crescent!

Ah, the Dark of the Moon, a very favorite time of mine. I like to wander around the lakes and by my hedges, speaking to the Spirits of my land, gathering whatever they offer me and making offerings to Them as well. The darkness envelopes me, a spiritual cloak that has become part of me.

This is a time when I renew certain wards; it has always seemed, to me, just the right time. Near our front door hangs a cauldron of fairly good size. Within this cauldron are various items of magick, one of which is a bowl filled with herbs, barley, pasta (dry!), three garlic cloves, a few worn, well-used needles and some pins, bits of thread, as well as coins. This is for protection of our home and it is renewed every third dark moon. I also offer devotions to the Spirits of our home, the Goddesses appropriate to this time, especially Hekate, and make offerings to Them.

Performing these devotions is something I do without exception each month at this time, but it is not the only time. Once the first crescent shows itself in the sky, my altar is cleansed spiritually and physically. I wipe it with pure water to which I have added rosewater and a few drops of myrrh essential oil. My Goddess statutes also receive this little bath. All of this is followed by fumigation with an herbal incense. Also at this time, I add any seasonal items and change other items, depending upon mood, planned workings and inspiration. Our crystals and stones, of which we have many, also receive a special cleansing and blessing. Of course, they are cleansed often, but at this time, there is a special blessing I like to do. I just made major changes to my altar and the various shrines throughout the Toadstool, so at this first crescent, I will be busy!


Not to be forgotten, the hearth and stove receive their special cleansings and blessings too. These are important places in our home; one for magickal purposes, the other because it so central to our lives - the preparation of that which nourishes us physically. Our entire home is sacred, but there are places which are especially so.

The First Crescent, what I consider the true, for me, New Moon, generally has a number of additional magickal tasks that need to be done. Other wards are best renewed with this energy, so that is on the agenda each cycle. The preparation of potions, powders and other blends of ingredients for workings throughout the month, as well as the blessing of our home. This is the time to call in all of the goodness we want to be blessed with, not just for our home, but for ourselves and those we love.

These tasks are labors of love. I perform them almost in a state of trance, with very focused intent. Just as my daily devotions bring a sense of peace and communion with my Goddesses and Spirits, so too, do these. What I am given by these devotions is a deep sense of spiritual connection that instills a feeling that I never alone, never without purpose. It is the life of a witch, sorceress, healer and priestess. It is my life.

Blessings nine!