Last night was Halloween. Did you dress up? Have trick-or-treaters at your door? Halloween (October 31) is the holiday I reserve for the fun, cultural aspects of this particular season. I enjoy the knocks on the door and walking around in the dark. I admit I take a perverse pleasure in getting to peek inside people’s homes. I don’t enjoy the abundance of cheap sugary crap and “sexy” costumes, but much of that can be avoided with a little creativity... Read more
Halloween/Samhain approaches. It’s my High Holy Days! But there is so much going on in my world right now that I can barely focus. I’ve missed the last two Maxim Mondays – the week before was the middle of Navratri and yesterday I was attending to family things. I’d like to share some of what’s going on in my world and what I’ve been up to, along with a few thoughts on the season. First, I was able to meet... Read more
Today is the third day of honoring Saraswati, goddess of knowledge, wisdom, maturity and personal authority; it’s also the final day of Navratri. Tomorrow I will celebrate morning puja and then pour cream into my tea. Saraswati puja typically involves blessing one’s tools of work and one’s books – and then not using those items for an entire day. Those things are not really possible in my hyperliterate house. There is no way all the books in our house could... Read more
The first three days of Navratri have passed. Three days of making purification (via kala), three days of dark red candles and meditating on the fierce love and thunder of Ma Durga, three days of praying that injustice, ignorance and illusion be razed. I have been running the iron pentacle, energetic meditations on sex, pride, self, power and passion. I have been adding an offering a day to the altar. So far I have rice, water, turmeric, and cumin. Now... Read more
After doing my dark moon cleaning of the altar, I changed my altar just a little in preparation for Navratri. For the next 8 days I’ll observe this beautiful Hindu festival of Shakti principle. (I wrote about Navratri last year and recommend reading it for a little background.) Navratri focuses on the manifestations of Durga, the Mahadevi, or in my Feri eyes, the Star Goddess, the Great Source from whom we all emerge and to whom we all return. For... Read more
I love my friends. I’m loyal to a fault. I often cling to relationships well past their ‘use by’ date. But if I’ve decided that you are a Friend, it takes a lot to shake me off. Moving so much, so often over the last fifteen years has taken a toll on many of my friendships. I’m still as fond of my old friends as ever, but it can be difficult to maintain or even renew some bonds. But now... Read more
I love October. It’s my favorite month. I adore autumn, with the changing leaves, the fresh grey skies, the cool, crisp air, and warm sun (when we had it!). It’s also a month of holidays. Between mid October and early November I feel like it’s my High Holy Days. Here’s what I’m looking ahead to: Oct. 15 – the dark moon Oct. 16-24 – Navratri (Hindu observance of the Goddess in Her Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati forms) Oct. 18 –... Read more
A working knowledge of Greek would be helpful in this endeavour to explore the Maxims. I’m guessing an oath is making a promise, or swearing by something or some one, a deity perhaps. I would agree that is unwise. If an oath means a ‘swear’ word, well…. I fucking love swearing. I would like to get out of the habit of taking Christ’s name ‘in vain,’ as I think it is disrespectful, even though I do not personally honor him;... Read more
I’ve met a new friend. We jumped right into some deep waters. She’s made some less than conventional life choices and has faced the consequences of people she loves telling her that she needs to get right with Jesus. I can relate, I told her. I’ve given many people many reasons to stop talking to me. Not only did I get a divorce in my early twenties, I ran off with a younger woman. Two good reasons for excommunication right... Read more
You might have noticed the full moon over the weekend. In this corner of the world it was hard to ignore. Big and bright, making puffy clouds shine silver one night, glowing gold and orange in a clear, starlit sky the next. According to many sources around me, this full moon was especially powerful. I don’t often make magic at full moons; I usually reserve that for the dark moon. Full moons usually make me spacey and a touch giddy.... Read more
A Witch's Ashram
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