The author, age 5-6 and her grandfather Martin.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>Folks often talk about how they learned magick at the knee of their grandmother, but I\u2019ve come to realize that while I have learned many things from my grandmother, the real metaphysical teacher in my life has been my grandfather. \u00a0Though probably not in the way that most \u201cwitch history\u201d stories tend to play out through personal myth.<\/p>\n
First, some back story:<\/em>
\nMy maternal grandfather was a devout Italian Roman Catholic, a Marine in World War II, and had been on his way to being a professional baseball player when injury and the call to service changed his road. \u00a0He was a civil servant in Philadelphia who knew everybody, took in dogs that didn\u2019t make it in the police force, and grew basil, roses, and a fig tree out of the concrete backyard. \u00a0He knew the in\u2019s and out\u2019s of the 9th Street Italian Market, and kept the basement bathroom stocked with liquor, though he rarely drank more than a beer while watching the game. (I\u2019m sure my mother will correct me on some of these details, but this is how I remember him.)\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\nHe passed away in 2009, after suffering an neck injury in 2006 that affected his ability to swallow food and lead to his slow and eventual decline. \u00a0Near the end of his life, and especially after, I began dreaming of him vividly, where we had long and extensive conversations about the nature of things. I feel\u00a0keenly that the changes in my life that set me on my current path were through his guidance, but surprisingly \u2013 it\u2019s not these afterlife tete-a-tete<\/em>\u2018s that I\u2019m referring to back in the introduction.<\/p>\nI think metaphysical insights are often delivered in the most mundane forms, and it\u2019s those basic things he taught me as a young person that have stuck with me. \u00a0I have collected some of these memories here to share:<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you scratch a dog under their chin, you\u2019ll be their best friend.\u201d<\/strong><\/em> \u00a0I have yet to meet a dog that this isn\u2019t true for, and the same goes for most cats and horses. \u00a0My grandfather said that it was because a dog couldn\u2019t really scratch themselves in that spot. \u00a0I\u2019m not sure if that\u2019s really true for all breeds, but dogs and cats aside \u2013 making someone else feel good in a way they can\u2019t do for themselves sure goes a long way in fostering a relationship. \u00a0It also means possibly putting your hand in danger if you\u2019re not respectful or careful.<\/p>\n\u201cKeep your eyes ahead of you and ears behind you, but also keep an eye on the sidewalk too \u2013 you never know what you may find.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> My grandfather walked everywhere around Philadelphia, and was famous for finding loads of spare change and random lost treasures. \u00a0So he taught me to be on the look out for possible treasures as well as uneven sidewalk, while\u00a0also looking where I\u2019m going, and\u00a0to listen for people and things behind me. \u00a0Whether negotiating a new city, or the woods, the advice holds true. \u00a0Keep your wits about you, but don\u2019t overlook the details because you never know what you may find.<\/p>\n\u201cSometimes desires and beautiful things have hidden consequences.\u201d<\/strong><\/em> \u00a0He never actually said this quote exactly, but I will never forget the time we were walking past a community garden, and I, a child of maybe 3 or 4, fell in love with the big beautiful sunflowers hanging over the fence. \u00a0He knew who owned the plot, and so he plucked one of the gigantic blossoms for me, handing me the stem. \u00a0The stem was surprisingly prickly on my little hands; I was shocked and dropped it. \u00a0I remember feeling bad that I had wanted something, yet wasn\u2019t resolved enough to carry it myself \u2013 and that he had picked it for me and it would stop growing. \u00a0He probably carried it home for my grandmother to put in a vase, but I don\u2019t remember anything past that moment \u2013 but I know he didn\u2019t scold me. \u00a0But I will never forget that feeling and sense of responsibility.<\/p>\n\u201cThere\u2019s no harm in asking, if it\u2019s something you want that\u2019s worthwhile.\u201d<\/strong><\/em> My grandfather reveled in pleasing his only granddaughter. \u00a0He took me on trips to tack stores and shops all around the Philadelphia area to aid me on my quest for model horses. \u00a0When we traveled to Arizona to visit my aunt and uncle, he (along with my uncle) took us to Scottsdale so we could tour Arabian horse farms, including getting to see the newly birthed foals. If I wanted to visit Sunset\u00a0Beach (North Cape May) to find shells and \u201cdiamonds\u201d or the Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor to see baby sea turtles, off we went. It may sound spoiled, but we shared so many educational experiences, exploring the landscape, and I carefully saved my own funds to pay for the things I wanted. \u00a0If it was something directly under my grandfather\u2019s control, he found out who to talk to, or judged where the line was and worked his way through it. \u00a0I still follow his model today.<\/p>\n\u201cHave wood and tools, will build imagination.\u201d<\/strong><\/em> My grandfather may not have been an expert craftsman, but he was still pretty handy with building materials. \u00a0When I was 5, my father and grandfather built me a little cottage in our backyard, where I spent quite a bit of the next decade\u00a0using my imagination in. \u00a0The Fates ushered a long line of \u201cbest friends\u201d through my life at a quick pace. \u00a0It seemed almost a joke \u2013 if I connected with someone, they were most likely going to be out of my life due to a move within the year \u2013 until I was 15, when we were the ones doing the move. \u00a0With my brothers being 7 and 9 years older than me, I spent a lot of time outside, alone in the backyard, with my base operations being that cottage. \u00a0I collected seeds, flowers, and peeled bark for \u201cpotions\u201d, made moss gardens, and made friends with the snails. My grandfather also built stables for my model horses. \u00a0While most other girls were playing out dramas with their barbie dolls, I was contemplating proper barn management and potential breedings. \u00a0My grandfather especially loved making things out of odds and ends, as well as giving old things new life, instead of wasting anything. \u00a0Which is most likely an influence on the reclaimed wood paintings I do today.<\/p>\n\u201cFind Nature wherever you are.\u201d \u00a0<\/strong><\/em>My early memory of connections with nature all come alongside the figure of my grandfather. \u00a0I explored the ocean from jumping off his shoulders into the breakers and digging up clams on the shore. \u00a0I discovered the beauty of lakes and streams on our trips to New Albany Creek and Strawbridge Lake, crossing tiny bridges and studying the water flow. \u00a0He taught me how to catch catfish by hand, and how to skip shells and stones. \u00a0He showed me that even in the concrete jungle, you can grow thriving basil, fragrant roses, and a formidable fig tree. \u00a0There is beauty everywhere \u2013 and you can find it if you put in some effort.<\/p>\nThrough all of this, by his example, my grandfather instilled in me a sense of adventure, curiosity, awareness, responsibility, creativity, and confidence \u2013 everything you need to know work successful magick.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Folks often talk about how they learned magick at the knee of their grandmother, but I\u2019ve come to realize that while I have learned many things from my grandmother, the real metaphysical teacher in my life has been my grandfather. \u00a0Though probably not in the way that most \u201cwitch history\u201d stories tend to play out […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2676,"featured_media":67,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,12,13,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-66","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metaphysics","category-modernpractice","category-myth-and-folklore","category-tradition"],"yoast_head":"\n
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