A Witch’s Perspective on Global Warming.

As another Upstate NYer, I can really connect to this post from “The Alchemist’s Garden.”  I so, so agree.

In 2010, I posted about the moon with regards to Druidism.  Since then, I’ve been trying to work with its energies and phases.  Ian Corrigan created The Nine Moons discipline for would-be initiates of ADF.  The system is still being experimented with, but I’ve lapsed from practice due to the demands of college, family, and work.  The system is either not entirely for me or not meant for me now.  Despite that, I benefited from my time toying with it.  I really connected to my ancestors in a way I never had, and I started to work with the moon.  I paid more attention to it, to my feelings, to the energies around me.  I started to work with it.

The waning moon felt like a perfect time to purify my brass bowls.  Many traditions posit that workings meant to decrease or banish should take place during the waning moon – the time when the lunar wheel appears to decrease.  It is a very sympathetic magic – “like begets like”.  It’s a very symbolic way of going about magic.

With that in mind, I set about my task.  I called to my spiritual allies, made offerings, and went into a light trance.  I used ogham to divine whether this was indeed a good time for such a working and the signs indicated that it was.  I placed the brass bowls on a slab of stone I use to draw sigils of purification on*.  I blessed the bowls in the name of the three realms and the three kindreds.  I blessed them in the name of fire and water while passing them through incense and anointing them with water from my blessed well.  I declared the bowls “whole and holy” and dedicated them to the service of my path.  I let them sit on the slab with sigils overnight.

The bowls will now be put to work on my altar. They are perfect for holding incense and are just the thing I’ve been looking for.  Is there something you’ve been hoping to find for your altar?  Rather than going to a big box store, why not see what’s available at  nearby antique shops?  You’ll never know what treasures you may find, and reusing is very good for Mama Earth.  Use a ritual of purification to welcome the tools to your altar and make them your own!

*There are many ways to make sigils in rituals space.  There are woodcuts of alchemists with various sigils and conjuration patterns on their floors.  I live in an apartment and can't draw on my floors.  It would be a pain to vacuum loose powders out of the carpet.  The stone slab, which gave me permission to bring it inside for magical work, is a great way to get around that and connect to earthy energies.  I use chalk to draw oghams on it according to my purposes.  Outside, you can make sigils on the ground using herbs, differently colored soil, bird seed or twigs.

We took a little hike in Tupper Lake.  Despite our lack of snow only two hours away, it still looks like winter in the Adirondacks!  The locals, on the other hand, know better and lament the poor season.  Many ski slopes, for example, have experienced terrible business.

From Tupper Lake, we made the short drive to Lake Placid.  We only had time to poke around the village, but we did enjoy seeing the lake (frozen over, complete with a sled dog team!) and the snowcapped mountains on the horizon.  Here are some of the photos I took:

Ice sculpture outside the Wild Center.

Probably my favorite photo from the day – lichen growing on a tree.  Look at how large it is!  If you squint, you could almost imagine it’s a Green Man or Horned God because of the branches.  Imagination aside, it was such a welcomed sight of green.

A cairn on the nature trail.

A view of the back of The Wild Center.  You can just make out the solar panels on one of the buildings.  In the center is the pond which is frozen over.  It’s quite the sight in the spring and summer!  Was nice to see it in a different season.

This was inside The Wild Center.    Whether or not reincarnation as imagined by various spiritualities exists, there is still this truth.  I’ve grown to take comfort in this simple reality.  This, to me, is  at the heart of Druidism.   This is certainly something to meditate on!  I just love  the imagery here – the spiral, the stream…  and of course, the question – what did you used to be?  What will you be?

There are many animals in The Wild Center.  Many were rescued and rehabilitated, or, like the kestrel I mentioned, they were born to rehabilitated parents and “behaviorally handicapped” in that they trust humans too much to return to the wild.  I’m not sure what the painted turtles’ stories were, but I loved how relaxed they looked sunbathing on this rock.  It’s hard to see, but there’s a sign near them that reads, “Turtles be warned: human hand may be dangerous.”

Here’s a view from Lake Placid.    I believe that’s Mount Marcy in the distance – the tallest mountain in NY State!  Isn’t it beautiful?

Today we went to my favorite local antique shop. The last time I was there, I saw an old herb cutter and it really caught my fancy.  Since then, I’ve seen other antique herb cutters in magazines and I decided that, if it was still there, I would buy it!

It’s older and needs some cleaning up, but it’s just the thing for chopping up large quantities of herbs!  It has a really earthy energy to it as well and I can’t ignore its very lunar appearance**.  I have a fondness and fascination for older tools.  They are often sturdier than most things you can find in big box stores these days, and reusing something is very sustainable thus very Druidic in my opinion!  Even if I decide it’s too rusty to use with food, it will be a great tool for other herbal workings.

It’s Wednesday now.  My vacation is half over but I’ve already had a great adventure!

 * Day trips aren't just good for the wallet - they are arguably better for the environment than taking a plane to a faraway destination!  I keep reminding myself that so I feel even better.  ;)
** On a very practical level, its shape allows it to fit in a bowl.

This pretty much says everything I think about this lovely movie.  If you’re looking for something whimsical and earthy, this is definitely for you!  It has some very deep themes that most children are likely to miss, but I still highly recommend it for the little ones too.

Now although the little people in this film aren’t magical in the way we think of the word, it did make me wonder whether the little people some speak of really would be magical.  What if they really are just little people without any spiritual agenda?  Hmmmm….

An offering for the upcoming Spring Equinox ritual.

Wow, I’m pretty excited about this.  I just hope they don’t turn it into another “Beowulf.”

I used to hate felt.  I thought it was difficult to use, pulled and warped in annoying ways…  Then I figured out how to work with it!  Now it’s one of my favorite fabrics.  It doesn’t fray easily, comes in many fun colors, and can be made from natural materials (wool) or recycled materials.  I do worry about the plastic fibers and dying process, but that’s something I’ve been concerned about as a whole as someone who sews.

Anyway, on to my creations!

I might have shown this before…  But this is a Rowan Tree Spirit.

Purely for fun and whimsy – a Tree Spirit of Hearts

Several gnomes – including a younger one.  I rather like him.  Some were made with a felt that had silver circles.  I’m not sure how I feel about them…

Some wee Green Men.  Squee!  Could become ornaments or pins.

Green Men pins!

And of course, more baby dragon ornaments.

I’m not sure how much will end up on Etsy since I’m really trying to build up my stock.  The Renaissance show is going to be three days long…  I’ve done two day shows before but I’m just worried about not having enough.  Especially the little things.

The downside?  Sometimes they become cliquey.  Sometimes they think they’re serving the whole Pagan community but only carry Wiccan books or take a very eclectic approach that can make it difficult, even infuriating, for traditional witches, recons, and other paths to make any connections.  But the most annoying thing is when they don’t support local artisans.  Or, if they do, not to the extent that they support Chinese factories.

Which brings me to this post from nefaeria: “Does Every Goddess Need to be Homogenized?”  Her post was inspired by this blog entry from Three Shouts on a Hilltop: “Celtic Statuary for Sale: But Please Leave Your Brain Behind the Counter.”  I was reminded why I wanted to write this post in the first place – so many Pagan shops carry things like this and it’s spiritually and intellectually insulting!  It’s part of why I started to make my own statuary out of fabric.

Another annoying thing I notice in many New Age stores is that the people running them don’t really know where the herbs or gems are from.  So many stones are the same wholesale grab-bag types you find in tourist shops in woodsy locations.  I once had a discussion with a local shop owner from New Hartford, NY (Sticks n Stones - now in Waterville, NY).  He sold gems, meticulously researched where his merchandize came from, and mined for some specimens himself with the permission of various landowners in the area.  (My husband actually bought my engagement stone from him – a Herkimer diamond.)  He often lamented the unethical mining of gems.  When Pagan shops sell stones but are unable to say where they were from, how they were mined…  That’s alarming and seems to undermine the tree hugger facade they are so desperately trying to achieve.

Same thing with herbs.  Some shop owners can’t tell you where they’re from.  Or they got them from someone else but don’t know if they were wildcrafted, organic, or covered in pesticides.  For the love of the Gods – please learn about your merchandise and educate yourself about these important topics that your consumers are likely to wonder!

Thankfully not all Pagan shops are like this!  Some people do their homework.  Some people lovingly craft their own merchandize.  Or they ethically mine, grow, or harvest it.  They can answer your questions and even recommend further reading – from the New Age section and beyond!  Those are the people I want to laud on my blog. With that, expect some updates about my shopping experiences – online and in person.  I already have a few good reviews gestating in my brain.

I overheard some kids talking today.

“Who is Mother Nature?”

“You don’t know?”

“Mother Nature is God’s mother!”

Totally made my day.  :)