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!

What I've Been Up To

So... I have been quite busy with all sorts of Goddess festivals. There have been quite a few that I have been inclined to celebrate; I was really called to keeping holy these sacred days. It has been spiritually fulfilling to be so steeped in my practice as priestess. As witch, I have been kept busy as resident witch at the shop, advising and assisting folks in need, doing some readings, brewing potions and making herb blends. I do not foresee any change with that - business is brisk and I am happy as a clam.

On February 12th I celebrated the Festival of Diana as Protectress of Wildlife. I recited hymns to Her, made offerings at the hedge and lake. I also made sure my ducks had some special little cakes, the squirrels, seeds and nuts, the birds received a special seed mix and Sterling B had some lovely tuna with just a bit of tomato sauce which he loves - he was rescued from behind a Pizza Hut at about 2 months and was terribly malnourished. However, that was 14 years ago and he is healthy and still loves tomato sauce.

February 13th was my version of the Parentalia, Honoring the Ancestors. I dusted all the photos on the Ancestor Wall, placing sprigs of rosemary and some little miniature roses. I sat and remembered many good times and stories I had been told. I made a libation of my special brew which includes Strega Liqueur as well as an offering of cake and fruit.

The Festival of Ovens was celebrated on the 17th. In preparation for this, I had cleaned my oven - thank goodness it is self-cleaning! All I had to do was wipe it out after it cooled. The stove was scrubbed from bottom to top, smudged, crystals that sit on the back, cleansed, and all was consecrated. I then baked a lovely olive oil cake, keeping some for us, some for the ducks and an offering to my Goddesses.

Ariadne was honored on the 24th. I spun a bit of thread with my drop spindle - not perfect by any means, in fact, rather bumpy and uneven, but I thought it was lovely nonetheless. This was draped on the hedge after being snipped in smallish lengths, as an offering. I worked on stitching a labyrinth design as well.

February 25th is the Time of Old Women, which I believe comes to us from Morocco. It is a time to honor our elder women for their beauty, age and wisdom. I spoke with some relatives (living) then gathered all the photos of the women in my family and DH's, and also Z Budapest, Marion Green, Patricia Crowther and a few others, to create an altar. I did some divination, calling on those who have passed, requesting a sign of some sort that they were watching over me. I was granted that favor. Libation and offerings at the hedge, as usual.

Sunday, the 26th, I honored Hygeiea, Goddess of Health. Her statue resides in my kitchen behind the sink. She was bathed, anointed with lavender and rose oils and Her "home" scrubbed and made tidy. Offerings of barley and herbs - nettles, dandelion greens, fresh oregano and rosemary were placed in a dish on Her altar.


On the 28th, I took a little ride out to the Everglades and left an offering for the Nymphs and Spirits of the Land there - the Nymphs of the Wetlands. Herbs, barley and a few flowers were the offerings I made.

March 1st was my day for purification for my oracle work. A special bath and anointing of oils was followed by my special oracle tea and then the working.

The Full Moon on the 8th is my next celebration and then a little quiet until mid-month when, once again, there will be a Goddess to honor and celebrate every few days. How lovely!

In the mundane world, my mother's second back surgery, this past Thursday, seems to have been a success. After many months of terrible pain, she woke up pain free. Two of my aunts are visiting, along with my nephew, so she is well cared for and I will see her very soon. Such a relief!

I have also begun music lessons again, am stitching and weaving like a mad woman, and creating everyday. Oh... reading too. Just finished a wonderful book by Alice Hoffman, The Dovekeepers, based on the story of Masada, with an interesting cast of magical women. The reviews by Hoffman's fans are not good - too long, too boring, too much mysticism. Ignore them! I didn't want the book to end, it captivated me. I recommend it for those who can understand and absorb the magic.

And now, into the arms of the Sleeping Lady, Mother of Dreams. May our rest be peaceful and renewing, and may we be blessed with sweet dreams as She, the Mother of All Things, watches over us.

Blessings nines!

Well???

Blessings Nine!

Democratic Women Boycott House Contraception Hearing After Republicans Prevent Women From Testifying | Truthout

Please read!

Democratic Women Boycott House Contraception Hearing After Republicans Prevent Women From Testifying | Truthout

Blessings nine!

Happy Birthday, Pixie!

Happy Birthday Pixie!

Pamela Colman Smith, she was nicknamed "Pixie" and I can certainly see why in this photo, is best remembered as the artist who designed the illustrations for the Rider-Waite tarot deck. Born February 16th 1878, she passed away on September 18, 1951. She looks very much the gypsy artist here.

Although she attended Pratt Institute, studying art, she never finished her degree, but she did go on to work as a successful illustrator. It is said that her early work demonstrated a symbolism that was ahead of her time. Some of her work appeared in The Illustrated Verses of William Butler Yeats and Bram Stoker's book about the actress, Ellen Terry. She also published two of her own books, Widdicombe Fair and Vanity Fair.

(source: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pamela-Colman-Smith/109502605734565?sk=info)

I wonder if she had any idea how her work would live on? Well, I'm sure she knows now!

Blessings nine!

Love!

Judy Hall, the author of The Crystal Bible and other books about crystals, has a lovely little ritual in the back of her book for invoking love. Here, I offer a spell based on her ritual, but with a more goddess and witchy orientation.

Gather together four pieces of rose quartz (no, size doesn't  matter) as well as an amethyst. You will also need three pink candles with holders, some rose incense and an image or statue of Aphrodite, Freya or Venus - or any other goddess of love that you like; rose petals, some ground allspice and a pinch of yarrow,  a piece of chocolate will do for an offering, some red or blush wine sweetened with honey and spiced with allspice; a small pink pouch or a piece of pink fabric and some red yarn or ribbon.

Place the candles in a triangle - one at the top of your triangle, the other two at the lower points. Focus your energy and take a few deep breaths. When ready, light the incense and say:

To you, Aphrodite ( or whichever Goddess you are invoking), I make this offering of sweet smoke. May it bring you pleasure!

Scatter some of the rose petals, allspice and yarrow about the area.

Light your pink candles, one by one, beginning at the top of your pyramid. As you light each one say:

The light in my heart shines brightly for all to see!
Love, most perfect, I draw to me.

When the candles are lit, place the amethyst in the center - focus on its energies as a master healing crystal, healing your heart and all issues that may block love being a strong and healthy force in your life. Now take the rose quartz, one at a time and place at the top of the pyramid, then to the candle in the lower right hand corner, then the left hand corner, and finally, between the two lower candles.

                                    X

                            Rose Quartz

                              Amethyst

  X                                                             X

RQ                              RQ                          RQ

(X - candles)

Focus upon the stones and candles, intone this chant three times:

The love in my heart shines brightly,

Healthy and whole, it draws to me

Love that is perfect and nourishing,

For myself and for my good!

Visualize a swirling mist gathering around you, filling and healing you and your heart. Take the chocolate and some of the herbs, place them outside as an offering; take a sip of the wine and pour the remainder on the ground as a libation. As you place your offering on the ground and pour your libation, say the following:

Aphrodite, here I make an offering of chocolate and sweet wine to you. May it please you.

The remaining herbs should be placed in a pink pouch or piece of fabric tied with red yarn or ribbon - carry this in your handbag or pocket. Allow the crystals to remain in their grid and the candles to burn out. The crystals may then be placed on your altar or next to your bed. Whenever you have need, hold them, invoking their healing, loving energies.

(adaptation copyright 2012, E A Kaufman)

May love fill your life!

Blessings nine!

Aphrodite