Musings From the Hedge

Winifred and Cassie's interview on the traditions and history of the Winter Solstice/Yule on the Enviro Show

2008-12-27T17:26:00Z

I was asked to join Cassie Olewinski on the December 23, 2008, Enviro Show to talk about the history and traditions of Winter Solstice and Yule.
Our hosts, Glen and Jean, gave us a warm welcome and had some great questions for us.
We had a whole lot of fun discussing an overview of historical traditions that many ancient cultures practiced to celebrate the return of the light at this time of year in the northern hemisphere. We also touched upon current local traditions happening in the Valley.
Check out the podcast.....Cassie and I are on about 20 minutes into the show.

Bright Blessings!

Autumn Equinox, Mabon and The Ancestors

2008-09-20T18:18:04Z

Autumnal Equinox, Mabon and the Ancestor Time is unfolding around us now. The Equinoxes are about balance, the balance of day and night. They are important markers to the shifting Wheel of the Year and help us to prepare for planting or harvesting depending on the season.
In modern times, the autumn equinox is referred to as the holiday of Mabon, the Witches Harvest, and Second Harvest. We enter the time of preparation. The Twilight Time. The Ancestor Time.
Take a moment during Sunrise or Sunset in the coming weeks and just be on the Land. Use all your senses to become one with the Earth and the Shift taking place. What do you see, hear, smell, taste and feel? What do you sense on the Wind, in the Air, beneath your feet? How does your Spirit respond? We can use the energy of Mabon to bring ourselves into alignment, into balance, to center and ground.
Now it when we bring in the second round of the harvest that will feed us for the coming winter. Harder to image the importance to survival now with modern grocery stores, yet the time taken for proper harvesting and storage could make or break surviving the winter in the past. Harvesting is hard work. Once the Harvest is secured, then it is time for feasting and enjoying the last of the earth's abundance before the barren time of frozen ground.

We are also entering the time when the Veils Between the Worlds are growing thin.   Take a moment to experience the energy in the mists that form early in the mornings these days or late in the darkest time of night just before the pre-dawn light comes. Listen. There is a rhythm and song to these Other World times, there are Spirits afoot, and Gateways that open.

We can honor our Ancestors by creating an Ancestor Altar in our home. You can use photos, flowers, candles, small dishes of food or drink as offerings and any items that are connected to your loved ones that have crossed over. For example, I have a small, antique hand sewing machine that my maternal Grandmother purchased when she first came to America.   You could build an outdoor altar using stones, flowers and statues.
We can honor recently passed and our older lineage whether we know their names or not.   If you are new to this level of work, it takes some time to establish a relationship with Ancestor Spirits. This kind of work goes further than just looking at one's immediate family.

Stepping onto the Path of the Mysteries

2008-09-14T19:53:00Z

On September 13th Godiva Raven le Fey taught an intensive of the last 3 classes in her series "Stepping onto the Path of the Mysteries" also referred to as a Wicca 101 class here at AwenTree.

Godiva will be moving from Western MA to the midwest so that her partner Rob and her can be in the same location and both enjoy employment in their respective careers.   While I mourn the loss of having both of them living here in Western MA and sharing all the wonderful attributes they both bring to their community, I am excited for their shared future together.

Godiva presented a fantastic Wicca 101 class to our community. Providing a detailed and comprehensive look at Wicca, her classes offered a solid foundation for those newer to their Path or just looking to grow in their knowledge base.   Godiva has a refreshing and candid view of earth centered Spirituality. Drawing from years of hands-on experience and study with Chalice Well, she brings her quick wit and own thoughts to each class.

As a shoppe owner, I see on a daily basis, the need for classes like this in the community. While there are many great books out there, a class brings learning to a more interactive, live action place of growing. Godiva provided simple exercises to help her students bring their intellectual knowledge into experience.   When we take our learning and move it from the intellectual realm and bring it into ourselves to then offer it outward into the world, this allows for a process of awakening and inner growing to begin. This can be done with basic exercises offered in a class or workshop, a coven or dedicated spiritual group, or in solitary practice.   Sometimes, the simplest action such as making and keeping a commitment to attend class and study, brings about the most significant personal transformation. It is my hope that Godiva will be able to return to teach Wicca 101 intensives here at AwenTree next year.

It seems to me that we as a community have an opportunity to continue to grow our visibility to newcomers. There is so much more to our faith than book learning. Personally, I have years of Solitary Practice in my own tradition yet I always cycled round to working with others. I found both experiences to be vital to my spiritual growth.
There are benefits to Solitary Work. First off, it's easier to schedule having to only consult my own planner. This can allow for more flexibility to work at the most optimum moment regardless of the date or time.   Second, by working alone I found I could step quickly into Other Realms and open to wherever that might take me without being hindered by other folks' level of training or skill.
And there are benefits to working in a group.   The role of community is powerful. We can provide healing, inspiration, grounding and shared knowledge to each other. When a group is well established and synchronized, they can lift more energy together than along. Plus, Sabbats are just more meaningful and fun when shared with others.
Having been both in a dance troupe and a coven, brings me the awareness of the unique and sacred bond that grows between group members.   You become kin.

As always, I am deeply grateful to have this opportunity to hold Sacred Space for my community at AwenTree and for the many wonderful folk that travel through here whether as teachers, students or both.

In the end, we are all teachers as we are all students, weaving the web.

re-entering life after Harvest Home Gathering

2008-09-03T14:44:00Z

Re-entering reality post experience at Harvest Home Gathering.
I could get really use to the "My Life as a Pagan Festival Roadie" or "The Gods Must Be Laughing".......it just is so apparent to me that while we humans are very attached to the concept of "it's a free will planet" there still is a master spiritual planning board that holds sway.

So, here is my review of the most recent festival we went to (Melissa, I and the ever watchful and protective AwenTree Spirits)

Harvest Home Gathering (held in CT) is a more intimate, focused Pagan Gathering held on at the lovely CT 4-H camp. The facilities were great including consistently hot showers! The land was beautiful with trails that led to magickal meadows full of dappled sunlight by day and a blanket of stars by night.
The community was very real and welcoming. While we were rather involved in our own world of vending and visiting with newly met friends (from Sirius Rising) that joined us on this trip and therefore did not get out as much to socialize, I still could sense the openness to meeting others in a connected way all around.
This a great festival for folks that really want to dive in deeper to discovering/working their Path, interested in awakening and connecting with their community. It's also local, full of good people and deserves our support as such.

The workshops and the presenters were above par. All the workshops and Rituals were not just the basic intro level material. While there is nothing wrong with offering the beginner level work, it was just so lovely to sink my energetic teeth into a deeper, wider experiences of the caliber of work being presented.

I managed to get to one of Orion Foxwood's lectures, Walking the Dark Line and wow. There is no justice I could do trying to summarize his workshop. Just suffice to say that Orion is clearly dialed in to Spirit; empowering, motivating, and kicking it till it's real. He has a Gift and we are blessed by his sharing of it.

Janet Farrar and Gavin Bones ran a Prophecy Workshop that was really great. Compelling and engaging, we sat in a large circle of folk while they work with 3 of their Priestesses that are trained as Seers. Channeling their Goddesses, the Priestesses in turn each drew down The Morrigan, Freya and Brigid. Janet was brilliant, channeling the Archetypal Force of Sybil, the Sacred Oracle. Gavin cast the Circle and worked with each Priestess. I was riveted to my seat, gripping the hands of the two very large men sitting on either side of me through the entire 2 hour Ritual, the energy was that high.

I really enjoy the freedom of timelessness and divine synchronicity that Spirit plays with when Pagans come together to share, learn, grow and embrace life.

thursday morning ramblings

2008-08-21T15:48:00Z

My sense of time is non-linear and fluid, all times; past, present and future existing simultaneously in parallel worlds. The most important life is the current life and the work the Soul has come here to do. The many transformational journeys we undertake ultimately assist us in improving this life and help us to achieve our soul's goals.

This life, our time on Earth, is a "school" for lack of a better word. Before we come in, we agree to certain situations and opportunities, and they can be very challenging, that will allow for certain soul growth, expansion, healing and clearing of karmic contracts.   While we do not have control over other people's choices, decisions and actions (it is a free will planet we live on) we do have control over how we respond....and we can learn to respond rather than react.

Recently, while spending time with my Coven Mates to celebrate the Full Moon and Lughnasa, we talked a lot about this subject. About understanding exactly how we have control in our lives and to what extent....this is often referred to as manifestation/positive affirmation work which the now famous movie "The Secret" helped to bring forward in consciousness to the mainstream public.   Sometimes the most important task in clearing old patterns, old ways of being that no longer serve us, is not about control at all, but the opposite....it's about letting go and surrendering to the process.   Ah, this is where that word Faith comes back into play. It takes Faith to let go and trust that we are divinely guided.

Sharing spiritual work, whether in a Coven, Kindred, or Circle, helps us to continue learning, stay inspired and to persevere. When there is a group of folk coming together with respect, trust, commitment and common values/ethics they can help each other to see situations/challenges from a different perspective or to offer wisdom/suggestions from shared experiences. Hopefully, we each will have the strength and skill to call us "out" on ourselves in a responsible manner when we are mired, denying or can't get out of our own way.
And there is the joy in celebrating the Esbats and the Sabbats in community.
The Wheel of the Year seems to me to be truly about the community celebrating significant times that each play an important energetic role to creation and sustenance and so I find more joy doing that with others.
Knowing that time is set aside each month to hold sacred space for each other in love and trust means a lot to me because I have made a commitment to others to show up. I don't let "life" get in the way which often happened when I worked as a Solitary.

journey of the soul....past life regression work

2008-08-18T15:43:00Z

This month I was able to take Past Life Regression Facilitator training with Georgina Cannon of Canada.
PLR has long been of interest to me and is what inspired me to become a Certified Hypnotherapist. I find the hypnosis training supports the PLR work in a very important and beneficial manner.
Georgina is truly a very bright soul; inspiring, knowledgeable and connected.
The workshop was an intensive condensing 3 days of information and practice into 2 days.
This is the kind of training where you set your soul to "fast" and open to the journey. Not only did we learn how to facilitate a successful, safe PLR; our discussions covered soul growth, soul patterns, soul evolution and healing through all time and place.

PLR is a transformational tool that helps us to find and gain insight on situations from past lives that we may still be carrying with us in this life. It also helps us to discover our Soul's Patterns and can illuminate our Soul's Work/Mission/Path for this life. Through the sessions we work to uncover the wisdom of our spirit learned through other life circumstances and to release any negativity, old stuck energies or trauma that might linger. This allows for deep healing, increased flow of positive energy in our current lives and a renewed sense of purpose.

It was very powerful and inspiring to attend this intensive training and to go through many past life regressions myself as part of the training. It deepened my own understanding of Soul Patterns and the Sacred Work we are all here to do.

thought for the day

2008-08-14T18:43:00Z

"For once you have tasted flight,
you will walk the Earth
with your eyes turned skyward;
For there you have been,
and there you long to return."

-Leonardo da Vinci

Lammas Time, Welcoming the First Harvest

2008-08-01T17:01:00Z

August 1 is the day we recognize Lammas, also called Lughnasa, in the Wheel of the Year. This is a celebration of the first grain harvest to be cut down. This is the time when the God, having fulfilled his role to the Goddess in the time of Beltaine and Litha, is "cut down" undergoing death and rebirth in sacrificial mating, so that the cycle can continue.

This is an important time. For us in the New England region, we are well into summer (and we have a limited growing season). If you garden or are a farmer, the crops have long since been planted; sweat equity given to bring forth food for another year. We are past harvesting early spring greens and first fruits. Now we are beginning to bring in the grains which will be ground and stored for use in the coming year. We also coming into the height of harvesting vegetables; zuchinis, summer squash, cucumbers, tomatoes and more. Take a moment to pause and think about the volume of work our ancestors did to grow, harvest and preserve food to survive another coming winter. There were no groceries stores. There was no refridgeration. Food had to be dried, smoked, salted, canned or pickled. If the crops failed or where not brought in properly, there would be no food.

To me, Lammas is a time of celebrating that the crops have grown successfully and to begin the all consuming, daily task of harvesting that will continue now until Samhain. Communities celebrated and worked together. They were tied closely to the land.
We might live in more urban settings and have grocery stores, but we can still take time to honor this important time in the life cycle, the nourishment that comes from the Earth that sustains us and the good folk who grow our food.

Some ways to connect to the land and the harvest:
visit a local farm, farmer's market or farm stand
prepare a special meal with your family or community; include foods that are grain based, seasonally appropriate
make bread and make creative shapes with the bread for your Altar or centerpiece on the dinner table(this is great activity with children)
if you pass a farmer working her/his wheat field (living in western ma it is easy to see them out there on their fields) maybe take a moment to bear witness to the day's work

As for inner workings:
What harvest are you bringing in personally?
What is it that you are reaping as a result of your work and intentions (known or unknown) through the first half of the year?
To whom or what are you grateful for your harvest?
How will you process, prepare and make use of that which you have harvested?
How will you share your harvest with your family and community?

I think it is important to look at all these things when working an earth centered Path. It is important to our own growth and to our families/communities that we do more than just "watch" a Ritual....we can take it deeper, become a real player, an aware, contributing player and not be just a consumer.

add winds of change, mix with a little courage and faith, blend with Light....

2008-07-28T18:03:00Z

ok, so this has been quite a year for me, one I can easily say has been the darkest shadow year I have experienced since I was 23 (can you believe that!) It's just been one of those years where it all came down at the same time, purging my soul and expanding it.....ah growth.
Did I mention I have a lot of Scorpio in my chart....and you all thought it was mostly Taurus...and through it all, what has stood out to me most is my community.

I wanted to take a moment and share my gratitude for the amazing and wonderful circle of friends that surrounds me.   Each and everyone of you is truly a blessing in my life.   And my daughter.   She has consistently shined laughter, love and faith into every shadow helping to bring dark to light.

There is an inner power that comes through intense challenge. I have worked hard to maintain my center, to hold my own power and to keep faith in the fundamental goodness of humanity even when some humans' choices disappoint me deeply.
Through it all I have worked to keep gentle and open as the Wheel turns, which it must inevitably do, bringing death which brings new life.   This takes Courage and Faith.

Yesterday, I spent time with a friend of mine that has also experienced a lot of change this past year and we were working with our respective Tarot Decks, asking for insight and wisdom through the connection that cards allow to Source.
Today, we talked about how dead on the readings were. Courage and Faith. I have worked with cards for many years. It's a conversation. With Higher Self, Sacred Source, Spirit Guides, Ancestors, The Divine.   What I know and always come back to is this; it is a conversation. IF you are open and willing to listen, you will hear.

Courage and Faith.

labyrinths

2008-07-25T14:52:00Z

The Labyrinth at Sirius Rising was the most physically beautiful and energetically powerful Labyrinth I have experienced so far in my journeys.

I can appreciate the many factors that would impact creating a labyrinth, amount of space and location, being the first two biggest aspects to be addressed. Brushwood has incredible land with a charge so powerful that I could literally feel it pulsing beneath my feet and surging into my being in certain spots. They placed the Labyrinth in a large field far enough away from the more crowded central part of the event where the vendors are which kept the meditative energy of the Labyrinth free of everyday energetic activities.

The Labyrinth itself was created from mowing the grass in the field. The Brushwood folk thoughtfully created an extra wide pathway so that one could walk side by side with another and a wheel chair could fit. I saw several couples walking the labyrinth together after the opening Spirit Ritual. It struck me as the perfect place to be Hand Fasted.

The shear size of the Labyrinth was awesome. It took about 1/2 an hour to walk it completely alone, longer in the first turn with it full of community. The opening Ritual was dedicated to Spirit. Everyone was encouraged to wear white. The Sirius folk that led the Ritual walked the Labyrinth alone first to open the energy and the second time to light the candle lanterns that lined it. After that, everyone else present was invited to walk together.
The sun was setting and the full moon was rising. Chimes, incense and huge quartz crystals were in the center. The lanterns were lit, the chimes rung, incense burned.

There is a beauty and profound connection to the Sacred to walk in the silence and simplicity of such a labyrinth.

wild drums, full moon fire, frogs and sirius rising

2008-07-23T22:39:00Z

wow- I hope my blog doesn't become filled with my comments on how fast time is passing! but I think I blinked, woke up at Sirius Rising, blinked again and I am back in Massachusetts......can I close my eyes and be back at Sirius Rising???
This was my first time going to this festival and wish I had heard of it sooner, but life unfolds as it will.

Brushwood is a really wonderful place and the land is incredible. From the moment I arrived the creative force of the land and the great folks there just called to me so much so I am struggling to find words to describe my experience.
As you roll into Brushwood there is a sign on the little bridge you have to cross to get into the main area and it reads
"once you have been around the bend, you will never be the same again".

That's for sure.

In between vending duties, I had time to attend some workshops...I checked out the belly dancing class on "Water" (This was my first belly dance class since losing Rose last winter. For those that know me a little more so, will understand the significance of the actual ability for me to attend such a class) and Ancient Blue; Body Art with Indigo Blue taught be Catherine Cartwright-Jones (which was awesome). I also went to the "Raquey and The Cavemen" performance and was totally blown away by their masterful middle eastern drumming.

Most nights found me dancing at the main fire to more amazing drumming. The energy of the fire, the drums, the people turning and moving together; feeling the ebb and flow, the weaving of the primal threads that connect us all.

Full Moon on Friday and the Sirius Rising community led a beautiful Spirit Ritual at their Labyrinth (a very large Labyrinth sited on the upper field in the meadow, lit with candles, sun setting, moon rising, mist rising....)
By the time Dawn touched the land, I had walked the Labyrinth 3 times. Once with my Sirius community, once for myself and once to hold sacred space with a healing connection just before dawn.

Saturday night brought the final Ritual combining all four of the Elements: Air, Fire, Water, Earth; and Spirit. The focus being on building communication as a community and dedicated to the Thunderbird.

Wild drums in the distance hold the rythym
sacred fire, rising moon, the rain comes in
surrounded by frogs.

visiting Salem, MA

2008-06-28T16:46:00Z

Yesterday my daughter and I took some time out from our busy lives to visit Salem. If you haven't been, it is a fun place to explore. I enjoy/appreciate the musuems and I get a kick out of the tacky "witchy" stuff. Yes, I am one of those witches and maybe this is a slightly controversial subject, but there is a part of me that loves all the stuff they come up with. Some things are REALLY tacky and make me laugh, yet some things are cool.....where else can you get a black glass shot glass with a pentacle saying Earth Air Fire Water and Spirit??? (yes, I got one and yes, it is already on one of my home altars). From postcards to bumperstickers and tee-shirts....you could easily be overwhelmed.

We took the time to visit some of the musuems ( we have been to all the museums before so we just went to one newer one we hadn't seen before) and went to the Witches Dungeon. This museum had live actors reenacting an actual witch trail (the script is taken from court records) and then there is a tour through the recreated dungeons that real people were kept in. Very intense and entirely eye opening.

We also went to the cemetery, Burying Point. This was a very peaceful place and the Spirits of Place felt strong and powerful with incredible, old trees growing, watching over.

Then we took our leisure exploring all sorts of wonderful stores similar to AwenTree and that was just a whole lot of fun. I enjoy being able to be in the wonderful energy created by folks with a similar dream/vision and relax in their stores.

After hours of following the "red line" painted on the cobblestones to find the historic places, coffee and icecream, we were ready to return to western ma.

more on festivals- renewing connection, experiencing bliss

2008-06-07T13:11:00Z

I have been attending all manner of festivals since I was a teenager, from my first Renfest at King Richard's Faire back in the 80's (yes, I am dating myself here) to Rainbow Gatherings and Bread & Puppet to name a few.
My gypsy heart and spirit come alive at festivals. From the moment I embark on the journey, and I have happily packed up to get to events that sometimes even involve a plane ride, I feel my soul soar with freedom. A nomad at heart? perhaps.
It has been at these events that I have met and experience amazing folk doing amazing things that helped to facilitate amazing awakenings within myself. Some so memorable, I remember them now with detail from almost 20 years ago!
There was a really great regional Rainbow Gathering in Vermont back sometime about 1989. I had the opportunity to attend empowering sister healing circles and a parent circle. The Parent Circle was profound and inspiring; to come together with other like minded parents working to raise their children with earth centered spiritual consciousness was awesome for me. This circle held so much positive energy that at one point a snake, yes, a live snake, slithered over a woman's lap (she was seated directly across from me) There was such energetic alignment and respect within our group that she remained calm as did everyone else. The snake stopped dead center and raised it's head and peered around. Everyone in the group could feel that this snake was connected to Spirit and not a threat. We all paused and waited. Then the snake put it's head down and continued on its way across the circle (which by the way was headed right for me and while I respect snakes and enjoy from afar, I wasn't excited to have it slither over my lap!) However, the snake choose to exit peacefully between me and the man sitting beside me.
As I would come to learn, powerful moments like this happen spontaneously at Gatherings with the people come together and hold Sacred Space. Creating and holding Sacred Space allows Spirit to move and flow between us, the Earth and all its relations.

catching up since Forest Folk

2008-06-06T14:33:00Z

ok, so where did May run off too??? somewhere deep in the forest with Cernunnos! It seemed like yesterday that I celebrated my birthday (may 13) and was packing up all the camping gear to go to Forest Folk....and *POOF* it's June 6th -
Forest Folk was a whole lot of fun. We arrived early since we were vending and we saw the forecast of pending rain. Setting up in the rain is not my favorite, so I am really glad we got there when we did and were able to set up leisurely before the rains came in. And the rains came in, saturating the land, the gear and the people.
As some of you may know, I worked for many years at Eastern Mountain Sports and am an avid outdoors woman and ultimately, I am a outdoor gear geek. The benefit being that we were able to stay mostly dry during intense, steady downpours that lasted over 24 hours, and be well supplied with an outdoor kitchen, etc. Happily the sun greeted us on Saturday. Embracing it gratefully, we were able to dry out and warm up- even getting sunburned! Melissa and Cassie set up to offer massage and reflexology. In between folk, there was plenty of Poi Spinning (fire dancing) practice happening!
The folk of forest folk are really great- extremely friendly and welcoming. This is a motivated, upbeat group of individuals that put this event together for the first time last year, and this spring was the 2nd year. There were a variety of workshops, evening drum circles and bonfire. On the last night there was a potluck feast (the tables packed full of really great food contributed by everyone there) and an Iron Chef Dessert Contest followed by a Bardic Circle. During the weekend, all sorts of wonderful events took place, including a Wiccaning for a new baby.
The land it is held on, Schriber's Farm in CT, is absolutely beautiful; rolling fields, birdsong, running streams. The Full Moon rose over the field we all were camped in and it was stunning. Another group uses this same land for their Sweat Lodge ceremonies. In the distance, we could see their Sacred Lodge and TeePee.
You would never have known that major stores are located a brief 10 min. drive away making supply runs easy.
Forest Folk is an up and coming New England festival located about an 1 and 1/2 away in CT. Part of their mission is to offer affordable pricing. The proceeds raised are donated to St Jude's.
I highly recommend this event (AwenTree will be back next year).
http://www.forestfolkfest.com/home.html

the unfolding of spring

2008-05-12T17:48:00Z

Spring has definitely emerged in full force around us. The trees are blooming and leafing, the grass is growing, and every day I discover another plant that has awaken from Winter's Sleep....yesterday it was little spearmint plants sprinkled beneath the raspberry canes (I forgot that I added those until I saw them!). I enjoy walking through my gardens and seeing the whole unfolding of new life. To see which plants have come through another winter, which have expanded, and search for those that maybe didn't survive the winter. The lavender took a small beating, but seems to be recovering. Sage is really taking off, the wild ginger is establishing itself and the lenten rose really took off- gracing us with beautiful, elegant deep purple flowers (while it has the word rose in the name it is not a rose bush).

Beltaine celebrations, kelliianna and chanting

2008-05-04T20:36:00Z

This year's Beltaine has been an amazing week of great energy. Wednesday at AwenTree, Kellianna led an awesome Beltaine Chant Circle.   There were 18 of us gathered in a circle. Together we chanted in the four directions, Spirit, the Goddess and the God as we celebrated the Sacred Time of Beltaine.  Kellianna is just wonderful and creates powerful sacred space for us to sing and journey within.   I found this particular Chant Circle to be extra uplifting, a real force of the renewal that Spring offers us each year.

As some of you know, I lost a close friend, dance sister and dance teacher to cancer this past winter. (and Melissa lost an aunt and her cousin as well) Death is part of the cycle of life, while I understand that and have the strength of my spiritual path, I still mourn the loss of an amazing woman, a beautiful soul and inspiring dancer that was my friend. The fact that she died young makes it even more sorrowful. Rose had planted many flowers with her mother last summer and talked often about her eagerness to see them come up in the spring. Spring is here, her flowers are blooming, Rose walks in the Summerlands and I walk here among those flowers. Spring brings us the promise of hope, of faith, and of the endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth. We honor our beloved dead and our ancestors by embracing Life and living it to the fullest each moment, each day.  So for me, this Beltaine was extra significant.  I am grateful to the many wonderful folk that joined with me in Kellianna's circle and to Kellianna for creating it.
We all have a gift to give the world, a soul purpose to live, a dream to acheive.   Sometimes we have to work hard to get where our vision leads us.  What we give and what we do is the Sacred Offering of the Dance.

Blessed Be the ability to have a Dream, to hold a Vision
Blessed Be the commitment it takes to manifest it into reality
Blessed Be to Life and Spirit for the opportunity to be here.
In Beauty it is finished.

gardening and pagan gatherings and festivals

2008-04-26T19:58:00Z

gardening....I can do it for hours on end- literally! I am in my element digging in the dirt, communing with the elements, listening to the rocks, the plants, the birds...each one has a song and message to share...my favorite thing is to rise up first thing in the morning, coffee in hand and go into my garden. The is a solitude there. There is a silence and peacefulness that surrounds me. For me, working in the garden is meditation-in-movement and a certain earth trance takes over.
I love seeing how each plant awakens from winter and at what time. I love to see the new growth....both the lenten rose and the ginger have tripled in size, sending up many blooms....that was a total and pleasant surprise. The raspberries look like they took a beating from this past winter, but raspberries are resilent. The blueberry bushes on the other hand, look great....they benefited from the amount of precipitation we got.

other thoughts on my mind besides gardening now that spring is here and summer coming next are FESTIVALS!
I thought I would share information regarding the many great festivals/gatherings happening out there.
First off, for those of us that are local, there is Earthspirit community and their big Rites of Spring in May.
For folks willing to travel a bit, there is a wonderful selection of very affordable gatherings. Just got to come up with travel costs.

Here's my list:
Florida Pagan Gathering, FL
Forest Folk, CT
Everyday Goddess Conference, MA
Free Spirit Gathering, MD
Pagan Spirit Gathering, WI or is OH ? The Circle Sanctuary folks put this on.
Sirius Rising and Starwood, NY
Pagan Unity Festival,TN
Chesapeake Pagan Summer Gathering, MD
Harvest Home Gathering, CT

Most of these will come right up if you search for them online.

Spring is here and summer is calling
it is the time of fireflies and drum circles around bonfires
adventures and faery magic

swans, dreams, animal totems and tattoos

2008-04-21T19:35:00Z

The Dreamtime, waking or sleeping we walk in the Dreamtime.
We can learn to develop our understanding of the Dreamtime and our relationship to it with patience, practice and a commitment to do the spiritual work that is involved for each of us.
Our Dreams are a powerful connection to Source, whether awake or asleep.

Some tips for helping you for developing you connection:
1. Set an intention to remember your dreams each time you lie down to sleep. It takes 21 days to program your subconscious and set a new pattern, so to get results you will have to make a commitment to this exercise. A sample statement can be, " I remember my dreams upon waking". Don't get discouraged if you forget a night or two, just pick up and keep going and be patient. It might take longer than 21 days to see a difference.
2. Keep a journal and beside your bed and write down your dreams as soon as you awaken, even in the middle of the night. Even if you just write down quick notes, even shorthand, and go right back to sleep, it will help you to remember. You can fill in more when you get up in the morning.
3. Consider an herbal sachet or stones under your pillow to encourage the energy of dreaming and remembering.

Recently, Cassie, our newest massage therapist to join AwenTree, shared a dream she had of which I was briefly a part of. In her dream, she came upon me and I told her I had something to show her. I then took an awl and a wooden mallet to a raw block of wood. I hit the block of wood once and an articulated wooden statue of a swan fell out of the bottom. It was a very detailed statue of a swan and was made in such a manner that it could move its head, which is was doing.
Swans are one of Cassie's animal totems. I was curious to know if the message of Swan in this Dream was for Cassie alone, since it was her Dream or if it was meant for me to meditate on Swan energy as well ( I was leaning towards thinking there was a deeper level for me as well due to how Cassie shared the dream). I decided to shuffle my animal oracle deck and pull a card for insight. And AHA- I pulled the Swan card.

My insight on this journey from the Dreamtime is that Swan is tied to the energy of Cassie coming to AwenTree and how we all will work, inspire and create together here.

Swans are about transformation; awakening the true beauty and power of self. Connected to the Direction of North. Swan energy can help us to bridge to new realms and new powers.

the past week or so at AwenTree and in life

2008-04-14T16:46:00Z

so last week was quite a whirlwind week....started it off with a nasty virus that left me to contemplate the first sunny and warm days of spring from my bed. I was joined by one of my cats, Willow, and my dog, Tekoa.   Perspective of life from a dog's day and a cat's view.....they both take no issue with a day spent napping and laying around.   There are plenty of birds and squirrels to watch from the upstairs window, sunshine to doze in- what more could one desire? While they enjoyed my company and I theirs, I am very grateful to be up and about. For those of you that know me well, I am rather energetic, and I make a terrible "patient" ! It's that Uranus conjunct Pluto in Virgo on my Midhaven...lightning driven energy right into my very Spirit.

On Saturday, Godiva taught her first class in her "Wicca 101" series: Stepping onto the Path of the Mysteries. It was a packed room with 12 folks signed up!   Godiva taught a very informative and fun class about stepping into the Pagan Community, who's doing what (Open Moons, gatherings, etc), ethics and etiquette as well as a very thorough overview of Pagan Traditions and Mystery Traditions. I always enjoy Godiva's quick wit, wisdom, insight and grounded sense of self. We look forward to having her back for the next class on May 10th during which she will cover foundational concepts of Wicca: history, Wiccan Rede, expressions of the Divine, Esbats, Sabbats, Book of Shadows and more.

So this past April 5 brought us the Dark Moon. Dark Moon in Aries. The dark moon is an inward time, a wise crone time. A time for banishing and releasing old stuck patterns, old issues and experiences we have outgrown so that we can embrace the new with first appearance of the New Moon. Moon being in Aries layers in the quick, fiery passion of Aries- sharp, fast, driven but also brings passion.   Now, on April 14, we see that the New Moon has emerged, and she is growing, waxing. Today, the moon is in Leo. Leo Moons are great time for understanding our power and owning our Power. How do you take responsibility for your Power? How do you Own It? In what ways do you give your Power away? To whom do you give it and why? Moon in Leo is a good time to reflect on these concepts.

rainy day thought

2008-04-04T16:35:00Z

The important thing is this:

To be ready at any moment to sacrifice what you are for what you could become.

-Charles Dubois

Books beside my bed that I am reading.....

Dance of the Four Winds by Alberto Villodo
Just finished this one last night and I really enjoyed this book. This is a great book about Alberto Villodo's spiritual journeys in Peru working primarily with two shamans that he ends up meeting in his travels. Well written and moves at a good pace. He gives a tangible recounting of his life and experiences while sharing a lot of valuable insight on Peruvian Shamanism, the Way of Life, Spirituality, being humble, doing shadow work and more.... I liked his writing style, how he combined excerpts from his journals with his writing.
If you are interested in Shamanism and Peruvian Shamanism, I highly recommend this book.

Ancient Ways by Paula Campanelli

The Guises of The Morrigan by David Rankine & Sorita D'Este