The Shaker Bonnet Pattern (vintage)

Dear Reader,

I've been so busy with other things that my project of making vintage hats and head coverings fell by the wayside. I'm picking it up again and this is my first project of the year. I want to say this is the pattern that I used to make my calico bonnet but I'm not sure. I don't remember. So, I'm going to make this up (again?). My yarn stash is rather large and I'm still deciding on colors. I'm leaning towards white with the ornamentation and trim done in blue. Or perhaps blue and the pretties done in white. Like I said, I'm not fully decided. I could go pink with everything but that big stash of pink yarn I have is being saved for another shawl project.

Godspousery Notes: Keep trying.

Image from Pexels.com

I haven't been feeling well. It's been having an effect on my mood disorder along with the weather. On the whole, I've been just mildly depressed over the last few weeks. It has been exhausting. Last night, I was feeling rather disappointed about how I had so much to do and just not enough time, or so it seemed.

Frey made a very good point. I didn't have to do everything. I just had to keep trying. Some days I would get more done than I would on other days. Some days, I would get less done. I just had to give every day my best shot. Even gods couldn't ask more from me than what I could do.

Beloved, my mortal husband, regularly points out that I try my hardest and do my best every day. I had this silly idea that Frey and Loki would expect more than that. I suppose it is because the over culture that I live in teaches me that gods have demands that exceed our ability to meet them and that it is hubris to dare think that we can ever please them by just being our ordinary selves.

It was really sweet and I really appreciated that reminder that my best is good enough, even on days when I am not as able to do everything I had planned to do. I didn't really grow up with that message, so having it from multiple sources as an adult helps me remember that.

The care and feeding of Wands.

Dear Reader,

Perhaps the most iconic tool of witchcraft and magic is the wand. They have been a part of popular tradition since antiquity and with good reason. Just like ritual knives (such as the athame) and ritual swords, the wand is a magical tool that is excellent for directing spiritual energy and focusing said energy. Unlike ritual knives and swords, a wand does not need especial care in handling beyond what is simply practical.

At its simplest, a wand is a stick for pointing. They may be adorned with crystals, gems, and feathers. They may be fashioned from exotic woods, metal, or some combination thereof. Generally, wands are held in the practitioner's dominant hand as this is the hand that most people naturally project their spiritual energy from. Some practitioners may be ambidexterous or project naturally from their off hand. It doesn't change the function of the wand as long as you are holding it comfortably. Even if you are using a wand with your receptive hand, you can still project energy through it. It is a bit like teaching yourself how to write with your off hand, it's a little messy in the beginning but it gets easier with practice.

It is my habit to store my wands on a high shelf so that my children don't play with them. Because they are not generally sharp and pointy, wands don't require things such as scabbards to safely store them. Depending on the length of your wand and how many you have, you can keep them in a roll up knitting needle organizer, a zippered crochet hook case, or even a pencil case. There are some who say that wands must be as long as the user's forearm. It is my experience that the size of the wand does not matter as much as the ability of the user to focus their energy through it.

Wands allow for precise direction of spiritual energy. It is the difference between using a fire hose to fill a bucket and using a garden hose. With practice and care, it is possible to direct energy without tools, but tools make it easier to get more control over that flow of energy. Wands are very good for finely detailed magical energy work, such as drawing sigils as part of a ritual. (Some enterprising practitioners have pencils they use as wands and have them do double duty in a ritual.)

There is some debate as to which style of wand is best for use. One that incorporates metal in its composition could be argued to resonate more readily with the user on the basis that metal is a natural conductor of energy. Crystals are useful to act as an enhancer for the energy that the user is putting through the wand, adding their own energetic signature to the working. Crystals are also useful as magical lenses to focus energy as well. For this reason, they are often included in modern wand making.

In the end, the user's comfort holding and using the wand is the first principle to consider. It is possible to have a beautifully crafted tool that is just too uncomfortable to handle on the basis of its construction. I have given wands away as gifts because of this. After the factors of comfort are taken into consideration, the user's aesthetic preferences and the planned work for the wand should be considered next. A wand that is intended for spell casting by way of moving it through the air will have different traits than a wand that is intended for spell casting by way of moving it through food that is to be consumed. (As a kitchen witch, I have a special wooden spoon just for this purpose.) They may be similar or identical to the uninitiated, but each wand will have different qualities that sensitive users will note.

Reading for the Intermediate Witch: A note on questionable sources.

Dear Reader,

As you plow your way through the lists of books people like myself provide, you will find authors of some question listed. Authors such as Zusanna Budapest, who on one hand has contributed a great deal to the literature that comprises the body of knowledge about witchcraft but at the same time have taken questionable if not down right atrocious positions on human rights issues. You will find this manner of problem in all bodies of information.

Some may choose to throw out the author's work all together because they do not want even a passive suggestion of support for their positions to be suggested about themselves. Others may choose to act as though the authors do not exist. The tricky thing with both of these positions is the fact that in many cases we are benefiting from the work done by these authors regardless of if we support their positions or not.

Questionable sources are present in any manner of research that you will do. Some, like Robert Graves, will invent material to make themselves look more like an expert with out any supporting evidence but their own opinion. The White Goddess is an interesting book and contains a good amount of information in it, but about 85% of it is Robert Graves inventing mythology because subsequent research into the matter turned up no evidence to support his arguments. Now, I am an author of fiction. I have no problems with invented mythology as long as it is acknowledged as such.

Things get fuzzy when you start looking at the foundational literature of modern witchcraft and paganism. You start finding things in there that you can't help but question. Like did Leland invent the goddess Aradia or did he find an actual hereditary cultus of worship? When you read The Witch's Bible from Janet and Stewart Farr, you start to question if sexual initiations were really part of covens when you consider familial traditions that many of the early Wiccan authors say they come from, because this raises the question of sexual abuse of minors.

Just as the medical community is leery about using Asperger's name for a medical condition when it came to public knowledge that he was a Nazi scientist and they seek for a way to use the information he acquired with out carrying on the Nazi overtones, many in the pagan community are attempting to do so with the questionable sources of their respective traditions.

In cases where those sources have done harm, it is important to first address the harm that has been caused and attempt to heal it. Reparation should be part of pathwork of any religious tradition because all religions at some point has done harm to some group of people (if not many groups of people) in their history. And one should acknowledge the questionable sources as questionable and decide what elements of the source are deemed acceptable for study and use.

An Alternate View on Eclipses.

Dear Reader,

Many in the orthodox Filianic and Déanic community regard viewing an eclipse as taboo. It is argued that they are bad luck and the dimming of the celestial lights of the Sun and Moon should not be viewed lest the miasma of bad luck falls upon the viewer. I have an alternate perspective that I propose.

A solar eclipse is a wonderful event where the Moon moves before the Sun and allows us to view things like the Sun's corona safely. I would contend that this is a quite literal in this world version of the Daughter mitigating the Mother's brilliant light allowing us to see something of the Mother with her. Now, I would additionally contend that the solar eclipse is a fortunate event because of the relative rarity of observing one. Within the Filianic and Déanic myth cycle, epiphany happens but once.

The lunar eclipse is a mysterious emotion evoking event where the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow. It allows us to see the ephemeral glow of 'Earthshine' over the entirety of the Moon during the event of a total lunar eclipse, like last night's. It makes the features of the Moon stand out all the more dramatically as the Moon moves from the penumbra into the umbra and then back into the penumbra. Where a solar eclipse is limited to a small region for a brief period of time, a lunar eclipse is visible for the entire world that is under the night sky at that time.

To relate the lunar eclipse to the Filianic and Déanic myth cycle, I would contend that the lunar eclipse is akin to the Daughter's descent into the world and into death with her resurrection and ascent into Heaven. If the solar eclipse mirrors the mystery of the Nativity mythos (phase one being the conception, full eclipse being epiphany, and phase two being the Daughter going into the world as she reaches adult stature) then the lunar eclipse mirrors the mystery of the Eastre mythos.

I can only see it as fortunate to have the holy mythos of Nativity and Eastre played out upon the heavens above. I, however, am something of a heterodox heretic. I believe that while ancient peoples had wisdom that we struggle to access and understand, I do not believe they feared that all was lost during a solar or lunar eclipse. If you lived long enough, you will have witnessed multiple partial and total eclipses and know that the Sun and the Moon survive the experience as shall the world.

It is my opinion that the argument that ancient peoples held such fears is a modern attempt to make them seem more primitive and unsophisticated than ourselves. As such, I reject the argument that our ancestors feared eclipses. I do believe that there were taboos and such events were held as holy and of great spiritual significance. I don't think we'll ever know what those taboos were or the significance of the events beyond what little we can piece together through third, fourth, and fifth-hand sources. We must remember when considering anything beyond a first hand account, the transcription writer has an agenda that will color their translation/transcription.

Migraine weather is no fun.

Dear Reader,

We're on the eve of an awful storm blowing in over the next day or three. The boys' school has already called and cancelled all on campus events until Monday at noon. So, I guess they technically have a snow day on Martin Luther King Jr. day. My vision is a bit wonky right now and I just don't feel great. I'm sorry that I don't have a nifty new post for you today recommending something awesome.

Really, all I can say today is if you're not feeling well, make sure you take the time to rest and recover. Don't do like I often do and try to force yourself to do ALL THE THINGS when you're not up to it.  Because you'll just feel even more rotten. Trust me on this one.

If you're in the path of winter storm Harper, please follow all proper safety measures. Make sure you have a plan for if you are snowed in. If you must travel, please for goodness sake, keep a blanket or two in your car in case you get stuck somewhere. Some water on hand is a must for any weather emergency where you have to worry about being stuck. Remember, you want approximately one gallon of water per day per person in your household. Emergency food supplies that don't require power to make are also vital.

Please, stay safe in the event of being caught in this massive storm. Heh, I guess I did give some recommendations despite my migraine. Dea works through us in many ways.

Veiled Witch # 20 - Be Kind to Yourself

Dogged persistence serves us well until you run out. You run out of time; you run out of energy; you run out of clean laundry? No matter what it is, you run out of some vital resource that powered your persistence. It is part of the reason why New Year's Resolutions get abandoned at about this time of year. You may find yourself at a place where you just can't do the thing. The trick here is to be mindful and kind to yourself.

Remember, you are not a machine someone can set off running and not worry about. You need time to rest and recover. You need time to take care of your needs and time to relax. View setbacks as an opportunity to regroup, rest, and prepare your next move.

ETA: I got my numbering wrong on the video title. I originally posted it to the wrong blog. It was a bit of a mess. But I finally got it over here.

Veiled Witch: Moment of Zen 2

Just a peek at my writing process. I happen to glance over a few times because I'm checking the clock. And one of 'em I'm a little sassy. The music in the background is Marconi Union's Weightless. It makes for a really calming soundtrack for writing.

Dea loves us, how do we know?

Dear Reader,

Having a crisis in life makes it easy to question the benevolence of the Divine. Even though I am not a follower of the Abrhamic faiths, I am familiar with the lamentations of Job and the sufferings that he endured. It is a common experience to endure suffering and question if one has fallen out of favor with the Divine.

The question of suffering and the goodness of the Divine is a topic for another day. But, when in the middle of suffering, how do we know that Dea loves us? It is in the moments of relief that come to us during our suffering, the odd times when it is a little easier to breathe despite the burdens we carry. It is in the ability to endure the suffering that demonstrate's Dea's love for us because she has given us that ability. It is Dea's love that helps us to carry on when all seems lost because she is the light of hope.

How do we know that Dea loves us? Because there is hope in this world, no matter how difficult things become, there is always something to hope for. Even if it is the eventual end of all suffering in this incarnation through the passage known as death, there is always something to hope for. Things may be exceptionally grim if the greatest hope you have in that moment is that you shall have your suffering end by way of death, but hope remains.

And hope can be a ladder that can lift us up out of the depths of despair. This is also a sign that Dea loves us. It is an indication that she reaches forth her hand to even the most lowly to raise them up by any means she may, be it spirit or worldly. Hope is a mutual thing that we share with Dea. For she holds hope in us that we may fulfill our potential to be our greatest good and draw closer to her in this life and all lives that come after. This is also love.

Recommendation: Keep a Journal.

Image from Pexels.com

Dear Reader,

In today's digital age, the practice of keeping a journal seems quaint. At the same time, there is a great deal of value to be found in this practice. Firstly, it gives you a record of your experiences for you to consult and consider at some future time. If you are keeping a prayer journal, for example, this is where you can record prayers made and answered. If you are keeping a magical journal, this is where you can record your magical experiments and their results. Journals are wonderful tools that allow us to save information and refer to it in the future.

Revisiting old journals as a habit can help you see how far you have progressed from where you were in the past. It can also help you see what things have been chronic challenges for you and areas where you have growth potential. Some choose not to revisit their old journals, deciding to leave the past in the past. This is a very personal decision to make. But the fact that you have that old journal, regardless of the format it is in (digital, paper, or some combination of the two) means you have valuable information at your fingertips about yourself and your experiences.

Update

Dear Reader,

As you may have noticed, I haven't posted in a few days. My life became somewhat complicated due to some issues with people outside of the family. These issues are mostly resolved but it made for some upheaval. I have been stalled in my writing on multiple fronts because of said upheaval. It's been hard to get back my equilibrium after getting startled like that. I'd go into more details but they're not really relevant beyond the fact that I had my world shaken up for a little bit.

I have begun the process of making a backup of older material on here. While I could just use the backup feature with the blog, I honestly have no idea what I'm doing with it so I am going the copy-paste route. The last time I tried using the backup feature here on Blogger, it went awry and I was unable to use it. Fortunately, I didn't lose any data and it wasn't a problem. Just a matter of I had no clue what I was doing and I did something not quite right in the process.

I was reviewing my book of shadows and realized that over the last year, I really haven't done much in the way of magical working or divination. I plan on correcting that. Last year was a really hard year for me because of a particularly severe bout of depression. I'm doing much better now and I hope to meet the goals that I had set for myself last year, this year. And maybe add one or two on for this year as well.

I am in the editing process on the psychic's handbook that I finished writing in November. So far, this thing isn't looking too shabby. It is set up in a workbook format. I know it will not translate well to an eBook format. There will be another version without the worksheets being produced for eBook and paperback. I feel a bit bad that I couldn't add more to this book, but there is literally too much for me to cover in a single book. I did my best to provide a working overview of the topic. Hopefully it will be useful to someone. I wrote it as the book that I would have wanted back when I was trying to make sense of being psychic myself.

Reading for the Intermediate Witch: By Oak, Ash, & Thorn

Title: By Oak, Ash, & Thorn: Modern Celtic Shamanism
Author: D.J. Conway
Publisher: Llwellyn Publications, St. Paul MN, USA   Date: 1999
ISBN: 156718166

The material in here is a bit dated. The book is twenty years old. At the same time. Conway details ritual practices that are actually highly effective when used properly. She is a well established author whose writings are focused on the practical side of magical studies. This book gives a good overview of the ritual practices that are, in many ways, foundational to modern neo-shamanism within the United States.

Perhaps the most valuable elements in this book is the discussion of how to move in the spirit realms whilst remaining in the physical one. Where Conway focuses on the modern Celtic neo-shamanism, much of what she presents on this topic can be applied outside of that framework.

Equally interesting is the intersection between what's become commonly accepted knowledge of psychic energy centers and Celtic lore. Her instructions on manipulating and adjusting psychic energy centers and one's spiritual appearance are well written and easily followed. The discussion that Conway has and her instructions on how to handle spiritual ailments are equally so.

Divination notes: World Quarterly Outlook for the 1st quarter of 2019

Dear Reader,

Because I miss posting about divination, I'm going to start alternating posts about Filianism with posts about Divination on Mondays. Today, I am posting a tarot reading that I am doing for the world at large for the first quarter of 2019. The deck I am using is the Tarot Art Noveau from Antonella Castelli and produced by Lo Scarabeo. The artwork of this deck is strongly reminiscent of that of Alphonse Muncha. Very graceful lines in this deck and light colors. I find this to be a generally positive deck to read with. Even the traditionally more negative cards come up positive aspected more frequently than not.

The spread I am using is pictured to the right. It is known as the Celtic Cross and is a good spread for general information about a situation and upcoming events. Let me go over the card positions and their meanings before I start laying down cards.

At the center of the cross there are two cards. The card labeled 'S' is the signifier card that represents the subject of the reading (also known as the querent of the reading). Covering it is the card at position one which describes the situation or the problem the querent is facing. Card two at the base of the staff is the moderate past card. Card three is the distant past card. Card four is the future with out any change and card five is the immediate past. I usually read the cross portion of this spread in the order of querent's card, card one, card three, two, five, and card four.

The cross formed, there is the staff to consider next. Card six represents the querent's hopes and fears. Card seven is their 'house and home' or the immediate environment around them's influence. Card eight is the influence of fate or the hand of the Divine. Card nine is the total outcome. Sometimes it is very similar to card four but sometimes it is very different. Preface made, let's get to the reading.

Signifier: The Hermit - This card speaks of loneliness and a sense of isolation (be it self imposed or not) from one's social support structure. This card also speaks of a search for meaning within spirituality.

The Situation: The Fool - This card speaks of new beginnings. At the same time, there is a danger lurking if we are not careful to watch where we put our proverbial feet and rush headlong into every new and shiny opportunity that presents itself.

Deep Past: The Magician - This card speaks of power and of a showman of great skill. It speaks of this person ascending in power on the basis of their bombastic ability to fool the onlooker into believing their slight of hand.

Moderate Deep Past: 9 of Swords - This is a card of dangerous seduction. Duped by the Magician, the maiden of this card has fallen into a trance and is unaware of the dangers that surround her. This is also the card where the seeds of coming conflict are sewn.

Recent past: The High Priestess - Secrets and mysteries are revealed. Hidden knowledge has come to light with mixed results.

Future with out any changes: Knight of Coins - Bold and practical movement forward shall happen. The beginnings of wrongs being righted by way of might. The will of the downtrodden shall be heard.

Hopes and fears: Queen of Coins - Hopes for a stabilizing figure are high. Fear that said figure will be vain and self-absorbed and unable to truly stabilize the situation is equally prominent.

House and home: 8 of Cups - Anxieties about the future trouble the world. Concerns that good times are left behind in the past and that the future brings only calamity and regret are most potent.

Fate's hand: Knight of Swords - Strife and arguments will come to the heartbreak of many. Fights over what is right and wrong will become bitter. We are advised to focus on the most compassionate way to handle these arguments and to remember the humanity of others whom we disagree with.

Outcome: 2 of Wands - Fickle communication and coy words will begin discussions that lead to major changes on the emotional and spiritual front. Hidden motives drive these discussions and should be carefully investigated before any action is taken on these discussions.

First Quarterly Divination Session is OPEN

Dear Reader,

As you may be aware, I perform divination. My favored tool of choice is tarot but I am skilled in a variety of divination processes. It's been a focus of my study for many years. This year, I have decided to offer a free reading each quarter of the year. This is the first session.

To qualify, please Comment below. Out of the first twenty comments, I will choose someone at random to do a free reading for. (I would use a larger number but I only have a D20 as my highest valued die in my dice bag. Also, I think die is the correct singular of dice but I'm not sure, if I'm wrong, I apologize.)

If you would like to pay for a reading, please contact me via email and we can discuss your needs and payment arrangements. I will happily trade a reading for a reading, so don't feel shy.

Commenting on both this blog and Veiled Witch's Mirror disqualifies you for this session.

Wishing a blessed Epiphany to you.

Dear Reader,

I sincerely wish you and yours a blessed Epiphany day. And a happy New Year to all of you who are not celebrating Epiphany. Within Filianism, Epiphany is the day of the revelation of the Daughter in her Mother's arms. It is the final celebration of the Nativity season. It is also the Name Day of the Daughter, for the scriptures read that the Mother pronounces:

Her Name shall be called Inanna
For She shall be Lady of Heaven.

It has been a challenging season for myself and my family. Illness has been making the rounds and proving difficult to shake. At the same time, however, there has been a good deal of peace and calmness to our Nativity/Yule celebration that may have helped everyone get better a little faster.

Epiphany is a Greek word that means revelation of something that was hidden. In modern common usage within then English language, epiphany continues to retain that meaning but has also acquired the meaning of sudden insight and understanding. It is my hope that epiphany day has not only brought upon us the blessings of knowing Dea more fully through the Daughter but a sense of insight and understanding of the goodness within humanity through Dea. For the scriptures teach that the human heart is a microcosm of the universe and Dea is present within us as well. May it be that the light of epiphany allow us to see Dea's presence in others and honor her in all ways.

Godspousery Notes: How to talk about IT?

I was asked a very good question on a comment a few weeks ago. I've been mulling over how to reply to it and I turned to Freyr for advice. Honestly, I wasn't sure how to explain the relationships between different pantheons. It came perilously close to a taboo that I've been given and I just couldn't figure out a good way to parse things. Freyr, being a diplomat and ruler himself, had some interesting things to say.

1. It isn't my place to dictate how deities relate. What my experience of how deities interact is different from what others experience. All of which is different from how the deities interact with each other and their business with each other.

2. Being a hard polytheist didn't make me a bad follower of Dea. It may make me a confusing person for people who are soft polytheists and for monotheists, but it doesn't make my relationship with Dea bad. It just made it different, which is ok because everyone has different needs that Dea meets.

3. In an infinite universe of infinite possibilities, there is an infinite number of ways for deities to interact and they all happen simultaneously. Because of the limited scope of human comprehension, we can only be aware of a limited amount of this information. Every deity that has been worshiped, is being worshiped, and will be worshiped exists. All religions are valid because of infinite possibility. We're just limited because we can't comprehend it all.

Freyr then gently reminded me that a bunch of very smart physicists detailed this sort of thing when I was young and that it was silly of me to forget one of the reasons why I fell in love with theoretical physics does apply to theology.

He then told me not to worry about what other people thought about my relationships. It didn't matter if it looked 'normal' or 'proper' as long as it was healthy and it worked for me. All of my taboos focus on keeping me healthy and relatively sane. All of my devotional work focuses on health and well being.

The books I write come out of the place of health that I am encouraged to maintain. My daily prayer devotions all serve to give structure to my day, which helps keep me healthy. My daily rituals of devotion again serve to structure my day to help me stay grounded in the present and healthy. The writings are the fruit of that structure.

Recommendations: Use cotton balls to clean wax melts up.

Dear Reader,

This week's recommendation is a little bit of a housekeeping tip that I learned from somebody who sells those nifty scented wax tarts. When you've used all but a little bit of your wax tart, take a cotton ball and run it around the inside of the still warm bowl of the warmer. It will soak up the melted wax. It may take two or three cotton balls, but it will clean it up right quick and easy. If you save them, they make good emergency fire starters.

Then you have the situation where you've basically run out of scent but have a ton of wax left. This is a great opportunity to make your own candle. Tie a cotton string to a pencil and a nail to the other end of the length. Place this in a jar so that the nail rests in the center of your jar. Pour your wax leftovers into the jar and let it harden. And as the majority of the wax leftovers sit in the jar hardening up, you can clean up the still liquid bit left in your warmer with those cotton balls. 

If you have access to candle wicks, they work a lot better than your cotton string for making your own candles. To stick the end of the wick with the weight on it down, dip it in your melted wax and quickly stick it to the middle of your jar. Then hold the wick in a vertical orientation (this way your candle burns evenly) and add your wax. If you want to scent your candle, while the wax is still liquid add one to two drops of scented oil. NO MORE.

On the 10th day of Nativity my true love gave to me...

A cold.

Pretty much the entirety of Nativity this year has been quiet and not terribly festive. The kids have been sick. Beloved has been sick. And now I have a cold. On the other hand, everyone loved their gifts that I gave them and the kids still had a good time despite having the flu last week. Beloved is fully recovered from it and back at work. I am optimistic that by the time Distaff day rolls around next week, I'll be over this cold.

I made plans to rest for Nativity. Take some time off and relax. It turned into the sort of rest you get when the four of swords pops up in your tarot reading instead of the rest that comes when you get the ten of cups. It makes me curious if this is an omen of how the coming year is going to fare. I make plans and those plans come to fruition but not in the way I anticipated.

Also, I have learned something about myself. I have no idea how to relax. I've been half stir crazy because I'm not knitting or making something. I put away all of my project books. I am only doing little tiny things like washcloths that I can finish in a day because they lower my stress levels. I finished all of my unfinished projects from last year right before Nativity. So I have nothing to finish. It's driving me bonkers. I'm making myself wait until Distaff day to start spinning again or to start planning out birthday and Yule presents.