Second Moon – Last Quarter – Part One

I didn’t really intend to blog today, but I cannot find my beloved journal!  I record my retreat experiences in there.  I always end up sharing some details here and save the more personal material for my paper journal.  Now I don’t know where it went…  I feel as if I’ve looked everywhere!  Who fairied it away!?

I suppose I should make the most of it and post some thoughts here.

I began my retreat after returning home from work.  I was running late this morning so, instead of a morning charm, I recited a “late afternoon charm” and gave the water to some of my plants.  I then did a devotional at my shrine and lit incense for the Gods.  I meditated for a little while but, being congested, I had a difficult time of it.  Breathing deeply also agitates my throat at present.  After a few deep breaths, I was coughing up a lung.  I did my best to relax my mind.  I did Ian’s “bones, blood, and breath” exercise which I rather like… yet even that was difficult to focus on.

Clearly stillness was not for me this day.  After supper with my husband, I headed outside to pay honor to the Nature Spirits.  It was raining and, while this was probably not the most ideal environment for someone with a cold, I didn’t worry about running into other people.  The forest was full of trickles, gurgles, and bird song – but no other people.  I made an oblong loop, hardly deviating from the trail.  I left offerings and felt an otherworldly presence strongly.  Perhaps more than one.  Something was mischievous…

I saw a female turkey rush away in the distance.  She was alone.  I spotted some flowers on the ridges.  I’ve never seen this kind before. They were petite and white with a hint of purple on the edges. When it is dry, I will have to bring a camera into the woods.

Everything takes on a different hue in the rain.  The moss and lichen, of course, are more verdant.  The shapes of trees are more evident when they are glistening.  The quartz in the boulders sparkle.  The buds on the trees dazzle as if covered in glitter.  Still water takes on a misty, ethereal fuzz.  It’s as if the barriers are weak…

I mentioned a mysterious entity.  I felt watched in an area I don’t often stop in.  As if something wanted me to know this was its boulder – “get off now, thank you very much.”  I went in after that.  I needed to blow my nose anyway.

I spent the rest of my evening doing laundry and sewing.  I have ideas twirling around in my head.  Brighid is kind to me and blesses me with inspiration.  If only I had more time in the day…

Tomorrow evening I will continue my devotional.  I hope I find my paper journal…  Its absence has truly agitated me.  I feel a bit off kilter…