Dear Reader,
The chaos of the holidays is hitting full force. I've been madly making gifts and getting ready to bake a ton of cookies. We've been cleaning and trying to get the apartment ready for Yule. I realized yesterday there's no way I am going to keep up with blogging until things settle down. Which looks like that'll be in about three weeks, if I'm lucky.
There's a growing number of Independent Filianists and Déanists in the community. They may find the language in the predominant orthodox texts frustrating or difficult to connect with. I humbly suggest they consider the Children of Déa Version of the Clear Recital. This was a project done by independent Filianists for independent Filianists. It has all of the classic wisdom texts updated for today's needs. It also has adjusted the language to be more inclusive to a larger range of people who may have been put off by the use of 'maid' in the other renditions of the Clear Recital.
This version of the Clear Recital also contains things that have been mystically revealed to members of the independent Filianist community over the last five years regarding the Holy Mythos of the Creation and the Holy Mythos of the Daughter.
I had some difficulty with formatting this work's notation on the cover, I am not the sole author but I was the chief editor. The others who had worked on this project have chosen to remain anonymous. All of the proceeds from the purchase of this version of the Clear Recital go to charity. (Presently, I have been making preemie hats for the local NICU with yarn that has been funded by this work. I'm up to 60 hats at this time.)
I happily have returned to making videos again. I am sharing with you the devotional poem from the Unabridged Filianic Calendar Devotional that is in honor of this holy day. I will try to get another video (or possibly two) up before the end of the Julian year. While it is late in the Filianic year, this is the traditional time of giving gifts. If you or someone you know is interested, this devotional may be a delightful gift as you move through the Filianic year. It is set up differently from A Year with Déa, as there is no correlation between the Julian calendar and the Filianic calendar, but the format focuses on daily devotionals and holidays, all of which are a bit movable because of the difference between the Julian calendar and the Filianic calendar.
All of my rambling aside, here's the poem and I hope it brings you joy.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Upon the first holy Night
Upon the waves walked the Mother-Bright
Swathed in sea-foam white
She conceived a child of Light
Blessed is that holy Night
Blessed is the holy Mother-Bright
Dear Reader,
It's the holiday season and one of the most popular decorations out there is mistletoe. It is a plant that is found on trees like oak where it has put its roots into the tree and lives off of the sap of the tree. Mistletoe is perhaps infamous for its role in Norse mythology but this time of year the Victorian kissing ball of mistletoe is what reigns supreme. According to 'tradition' if you kiss a person beneath a sprig of mistletoe they will be your true love in the coming year.
It's a poetic and romantic notion. It also completely ignores the dangers of mistletoe. All parts of this plant are toxic. The pretty white berries are perhaps the most toxic part of this plant. If you choose to acquire a kissing ball, get one made of faux mistletoe. If a berry drops and a small child or curious pet eats it, it can kill them. Play on the safe side of this decoration and go with something that you just have to dust off and hang up next year.
Dear Reader,
While it is the holiday season, there is a lot of envy, jealousy, spite, and just plain meanness going around. This kind of mindset powers what's known as the 'evil eye' and can lead to your luck turning a bit sour. It seems to be a bit worse with how fractious politically things are right now and just the bitterness that many have over this Covid-19 business. I was going to post something different this week, but my guides insisted that I really should share a passive defensive measure that one can take to stop these unwanted energies from disrupting their homes, which should be a sanctuary of peace, safety, and respite from the outside world.
For this spell, you will need a small jar, sand of two different colors, a small amount of pebbles, and a small amount of something sharp (thorns, broken pottery, shattered glass, or tacks all work well). Layer the sand with the pebbles and bits of sharp things between the layers of sand. As you work, focus on the sand and pebbles grounding the energy being thrown at you and your home. The sharp things are defensive measures that acts like a psychic hedge of spears around your home that will discourage those who would consider working against you or your family.
When the jar is full of these things, twist on the lid and put it somewhere that it can be seen from the outside of your home. Mine is sitting in a window that looks out on the entryway of the apartment building. This is one of those spells that you don't need to refresh. It acts as an energy sink and is constantly powered by the spite poured in your direction. The more energy thrown at it, the more effective it becomes at grounding, disbursing, and redirecting the energy into passive defense of your home.
(Note: This may be the second time I've posted this spell. The archives go back a bit on this blog and I am still trying to organize them.)
This week we are looking at the rune known variously as Thurisaz, Thorn, and Thurs. The letter combination associated with it is 'th' and the sound of 'th' as in the beginning of the word 'thing'. Many people of the contemporary sort associate this rune with Thor. I personally do not. It may have become clear as we have worked through the runes, I don't assign gods and goddesses to most of the runes. Other diviners do so, but only if the rune is explicitly about that deity, I see it as a more open ended proposition.
The rune poems that reference Thorn under the name Thurs or Thurisaz are considered to refer to giants (jotuns). They speak of giants as being the bane of women and the cause of misfortune among men. The rune poem that reference Thorn under the name given here simply describes the unpleasantness of literal thorns. In all cases, Thorn is described as baneful and unpleasant, at best. These descriptions lead me to be disinclined to associate this rune with Thor, who is a friend of humanity and the Defender of Midgard.
In the direct association, Thorn speaks of obstacles and difficulties. These are passive resistance against the querent's goals, much like the thorns on a rose bush is a passive defense against that which would take the blossom or the fruit. In the reversed (upside down) orientation, Thorn speaks of more severe restrictions and challenges to activity. This rune equates directly to the five of Staves in the tarot deck, speaking of struggles that can either bring about edification and wisdom as one defeats the challenges (direct orientation) or difficulties that bring about suffering, misery, and blockages on one's path to their goals (indirect orientation).
This might sound a little odd, but I have a favorite cane. I bought it at an estate sale for three whole dollars. It is from the Adirondacks and is hand carved. It's a very simple thing, as you can see in the pic. But, what I love about this cane is that it can double as a magical staff. That might raise a few eyebrows. Most people think of magical staves as six foot long things with all sorts of doodads attached to them. In my book, simple is better.
It serves two purposes. First, it lets you carry a magical weapon on the sly. Second, it's highly portable unlike those six foot staves that will get you questions for store security if you carry them into your local grocery store. And, I'll be honest. it makes for a legit weapon on the sly too. If you take a look at the head of the cane, that'll give you a decent knock on the nose if needed. (The skinny end could also be good for poking or tripping people as well. I may not be a nice person because I have these thoughts.)
I honestly don't know what kind of wood it is made from. I do know, however, it is from the root end of a tree by the bark left on the handle end and the shape of it. I can use it to ground energy very effectively. I can also use it to draw up energy from the Earth easily (don't let the rubber stopper on the end fool you, that's just so I don't scuff up my in-law's floor when I visit). It's a bit unconventional but that's my thing. I'm the same witch that's used pencils as wands, I tend to improvise a lot. But, I love this cane. It fits perfectly in my hand and is just the right height. It also does an excellent job of transferring energy.
