Yule decorating . . .

Wow! I can't believe we're already at the end of November. Where does the time go? I've been so busy with classes and getting my business up and running that it seems the time has just slipped away. Although, that being said, it also seems as if time has been standing still. I've been waiting patiently (which is a feat in and of itself for me) to move into my new space at the Harbor Wellness Center. The time has finally come and I'm going over today to clean up and do some painting. I'm a jumble of feelings, mostly good and positive, but there's that little creak in the door and I'm trying hard to keep out the nagging doubts.

I have managed to set up my Yule altar and get the lights out on the house. Half of them won't work and so I find myself replacing them, on the cheap. I found two lighted wreaths at ACE yesterday for $2.99 and spent $13 on a new lighted garland for our light pole. We still need to replace (or fix) one of the net lights along the front hedge . . . I'm leaving that mess up to Brian along with stringing electrical cords to my lighted window boxes. Once everything is taken care of, I'll share some pictures.

Here are pictures of my altar . . . hope you enjoy!

Life does that . . .

It was a little chilly this morning when I took the dogs for a walk and it's been cloudy all day. Not that I mind a little bit of coolness after a hot and humid summer, but am I ready for fall? Perhaps, but definitely not ready for winter and the cold and snow that comes with it.

This month has certainly been filled with ups and downs. My dog, Shelby, has transitional cell carcinoma (which means he has bladder cancer). We're ever watchful and have decided to do palliative care rather than put him through sessions of chemo and trips to unknown places with unknown people. He seems to be doing well on the medication given to him by the vet and I'm hopeful he has many more months with us.

On Sunday we came home after being out doing errands and at supper time I noticed that part of Keeya's lower beak was missing. We're not sure what happened, but a trip to the vet was in order for pain meds. I'm amazed at how far avian care has come as they were able to fashion a makeshift beak for her until her's grows back in. Poor little thing!

My dear friend's husband lost his job (but got a new one right away). Still, my trip to Pennsylvania has been postponed indefinitely. Bummer!

On the upside, it's my 21st wedding anniversary this Thursday. We're not celebrating in a big way, but we'll be spending time together and that's what really matters. It's also my friend Carl's birthday this weekend so I've planned a birthday bash for him which I'm really looking forward to.

There are many ups and downs along life's highway, but if we can stay focused and not get derailed by the twists and turns in the road, we'll make it through, hopefully, with a smile on our faces at the end of the journey . . .

Lughnasadh

Lughnasadh is just around the corner on August 1st. This Sabbatt is especially meaningful for me as it completes a full turn of the wheel in my journey as a Wiccan. I've come so far and learned so much and am looking forward to continuing my journey with the turn of the wheel for the coming year.

Lughnasadh is the first of three harvest festivals. It is a time to celebrate the fertility of the Earth and the abundance she provides. It is a time to honor the Sun God in all his glory as he starts now to make his decline.

I spent a considerable amount of time putting together my altar. As I took down my Midsummer altar and put things away, I gave thanks for all the blessings that have come during this time. I spent time contemplating each item I placed on my Lughnasadh altar making it a spiritual journey into the meaning of Lughnasadh and what it means to me personally. Listening to my intuition yielded some great additions, like the Vanadinite crystal I've been working with.

I enjoyed taking the time to set up my altar for Lughnasadh and I'm looking forward to celebrating the Sabbatt with fires blazing!

Have a Blessed Lughnasadh!

Litha/Summer Solstice

Litha is the Sabbatt that is celebrated at the Summer Solstice. The Goddess is in her full pregancy ready to give birth to the God. It is the longest day of the year and it's about celebrating the power of the Sun. The crops are growing heartily and the earth is warm and inviting. It's a time to spend long sunny afternoons enjoying the outdoors and getting back to nature.

I've created my Litha altar with reverence for the God and Goddess, but also with fun and frivolity in mind. Midsummer is a time to let your hair down, swim skyclad (if you're so inclined) and just enjoy 'being'.

Do you see the purple orb in the top right hand corner? Magick at work!

If you're looking for a ritual to celebrate Litha, I've added one to my 'Sabbatts and Esbats Ritual Pages'. It's a simple ritual that can be done in the great outdoors, but one that can also be done inside if required.

Wishing you a Blessed and Happy Litha!

Imbolg ~ February 2nd

Here in the northern hemisphere, most of us are still in the grips of winter. For our ancestors, snow covered the earth, the nights were still long, and the festivities surrounding Yule and the Solstice are long since past. Food supplies were beginning to dwindle and become moldy and the promise of spring seemed far away. Yet with all this, they still celebrated. In the cold darkness, they found reason for hope, thus creating a holy day, a festival, a feast.

Imbolg became an important festival to the Celts who were pastoral herders. Imbolg (pronounced em-bowl/g) means 'in the belly' and refers specifically to the pregnant sheep and more broadly to Mother Earth who is beginning to show signs of life. Another name for this holiday was Oimelc which means 'ewe's milk', an important life sustaining beverage for the family. Because it was so important, an offering of ewe's milk would often be left overnight for the God/dess as a libation to encourage bounty.

Imbolg is also considered a great fire festival with the emphasis on the light of the fire rather than on the heat it gives. The sun's light is noticeably with us longer each day and is our assurance that the Wheel is turning and that spring and summer will return.

Other traditions observed during Imbolg are meditation and divinations to determine what a person should focus on magickally or spiritually for the year, writing poetry or weaving (crocheting for me) in honor of Brigit, rituals to ask Brigit or another personal diety for inspiration, or simply rituals of gratitude for the growing light. In many Wiccan traditions, Imbolg is also a time for initiation.

Imbolg is about the first signs of spring, the promise of returning life, about sunlight and ripening and the growing conviction that the community will survive another year. Perhaps so but in my neck of the woods we're expecting up to 13 inches of snow with wind gusts of 40 to 50 miles an hour over the next two days. Spring may be on its way, but it sure is taking its damn time about it!

Have a blessed Imbolg!