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ofcloudsandstars · 4 years ago

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October Magical Dates and Astrological Transits

Welcome to the most fantastic month of the year! My birthday month Halloween month!! We are sandwiched between two powerful full moons that will take us on a journey deep within ourselves to find where our energies could be suppressed, where we feel oppressed and how we can empower and transform ourselves. Each major celestial event feels like part of a chapter of self discovery and empowerment that leaves us shedding away what we no longer need and having to transform ourselves to evolve into an elevated new level.

As usual I will make additional posts on some important days as they come but below is the full month of October!

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Week 28 - 4

1st - ☾♈ Full moon in Aries Happy Lunar Festival to those who celebrate it!

We kick off October with a full moon!! The fact that this month is framed by full moons and full of transits that force us to confront our buried emotions sets the tone for October and for us to make peace with our shadow sides.

This moon is very special for a number of reasons as it's the Harvest Moon (the full moon near the Autumnal Equinox) and it's the Aries full moon which packs a lot of power. The Aries full moon often asks us to step aside and focus on our needs and goals especially in relation to our partnerships or what we may contribute to a relationship. This full moon may be an aggressive presence in rocky relationships where people's needs may erupt to the surface if they are not being met or honored by their partner.

This fiery moon will be conjunct Mars rx and Chiron in Aries merging our unresolved childhood traumas with our repressed energy and motivations that the mars retrograde brings. Full moons can be cathartic and this can demand us to bring release to what we may have buried away. Challenges can trigger our deep emotions that may get expressed through explosive anger, yet it's a time to take note of what those feelings are and try to heal by making healthy decisions that honor our feelings. This moon will also trine Venus in Leo which will help to smooth it out and bring a pleasant vibe to it's energy. Venus does want to have harmony and trines love unions so in the realm of relationships this can bring a moment of peace or compromise and a window to discuss anything that needs to be addressed in relationships. Finally this full moon may feel intense with the squares coming from Jupiter rx, Saturn and Pluto rx in Capricorn. We may feel burdened by our responsibilities, restrictions (especially with Covid regulations), the powers that be that are constantly avoiding reform. This can also add to the tension of the mars conjunction and feelings of repressed anger or suppressed energy. We will be craving release. It's a good time to focus on how we can redirect our energies to honor our needs especially in relation to our inner child and what needs we were neglecting before. Full moons are great for release and attraction magic so you can use the energy to draw your new reality towards you, however if you are feeling the frustrations of the squares, take a moment to do some visualization meditation to really ground the energy and emotions of the reality you want. Try to avoid going into manifestation carrying that frustration or else it can seep into the reality you are trying to attract your way. With the moon in Aries, it's a great evening for fire-based magic. Candle magic goes well with attraction and manifestation spells.

2nd - ☾♈ Venus enters Virgo

A new sensuous cycle begins as Venus enters Virgo. When Venus is in the sign of healing yet practical virgo, we tend to express our love and care for others through acts of service and being supportive towards each other. We tend to find enjoyment and pleasures in things that are sensual yet practical. We may feel more inclined to treat ourselves through self care that honors our health and physical well-being. We could easily feel guilty if we are too self-indulgent or frivolous in this time. It's a wonderful transit to practice self-love in the everyday tasks such as taking care of our bodies and appreciating wholesome foods and activities. The shadow side of this energy can be us being overly critical of ourselves, picky with our partners or worrisome. However instead of worrying about what we cannot fix, we should try to turn the energy inwards to help nurture ourselves and whichever insecurities arise, find ways to be patient with ourselves and focus on inner healing.

3rd - ☾♉ Pluto direct in Capricorn Moon enters Taurus

The energy of this outer planet is moving direct finally. Though it is still in it's shadow, the period of introspection, inner soul-connecting and facing our deep shadows has come to the end of this phase. It's now time to address the grip of power coming from powerful authorities which dominate our lives and undermine our power. A lot of these themes were already brought to light this year and these themes will grow only more climatic as we approach the year 2024 when Pluto will complete it's return for the USA's government chart. (Even if you don't live in the USA, the impact of these political events can ripple across most of the world). The structures revolving around massive businesses run by oligarchies and police states are slowly decaying and transforming and the period of reflection has come to it's end for now.

4th - ☾♉ Moon in Taurus When the moon is in Taurus, it's a good time for taking things slow and to relax. It's a great time for kitchen magic, earth and plant-based magic and self-care magic.

----------------------- Week 5 - 11

5th - ☾♉ Same as above yet this moon will be void of course so it's a good rest day and best to not start anything new.

6th - ☾♊ Disseminating Moon | Moon Trine Sun Moon enters Gemini

The waning gibbous moon is a great time for taking stock of your progress during this lunar cycle and celebrating any little successes you’ve managed to accomplish so far no matter how small. It’s a lovely vibe for socializing, spreading generosity or just taking the moment to enjoy life. When the moon trines the sun it’s a harmonious time that brings a lot of luck. When you take stock and realize that you may not be where you’d like, then it’s a good time to catch up on work to help you out or do magic to bring opportunities for doors to open for you. It’s a good time to wrap things up or spend time socializing or alone enjoying life!

7th - ☾♊ Mercury in Scorpio opposite Uranus rx in Taurus Draconids Meteor Shower

The combination of Mercury opposite Uranus rx along with a meteor shower can bring unexpected happenings, sudden epiphanies and new insights. This energy can also lead to other unexpected happenings which can bring discord and slight chaoticness. Though today is not a great time to make plans, it is a great time to go with the flow and be open to exciting encounters or changes in our paths that life may bring us. The energies today may bring many surprises and sudden changes that may electrify us as it brings something new to our routine yet it can also impact areas such as transportation or technology and cause it to have issues. Give yourself a bit more time with commuting or patience with electronics today. Magically this is a great time for trance meditation with binural beats to help bring in new insights or activities such as freewriting to get your stream of consciousness out.

8th - ☾♋ Moon Enters Cancer

When the moon is in Cancer it’s a good time for magic around the home such as cleaning and cleansing, kitchen magic and bath magic. It's a great time for self-care rituals and water-based magic.

9th - ☾♋ Last Quarter Moon Mars rx in Aries squares Pluto in Capricorn

Though last quarter moons are generally reflective, this last quarter may feel very intense with Mars rx squaring Pluto in Capricorn. We may feel the same themes of being repressed by authorities or powers that be that surfaced to our consciousness during the Aries full moon being revisited today. We may reflect on how these powers have suppressed our energies in the past and contemplate how to overcome them today. It's a great day for road-opening and barrier breaking magic to get rid of obstacles in our way.

10th - ☾♋ Venus in Virgo trines Uranus rx in Taurus

This transit bring a lot of benefits for us to try new things or meet new people that can help us push our boundaries and broaden our perspectives. It's a great time to honor our values and individuality (especially in the themes of our health and work ethics) by exploring new hobbies or anything outside our usual routine. This is a great time for creativity and experimentation especially in the areas of you connecting with your individuality.

11th - ☾♌ Sun in Libra squares Jupiter in Capricorn Moon enters Leo

Today is gonna feel dramatic and optimistic yet with a shadowy side to dive into excess and pump things up. Jupiter squares tend to add gas to the flame which is great for our enthusiasm and energy levels yet it can lead to over abundance, over confidence, over spending and over indulgence. Paired with the moon entering dramatic Leo and our confidence levels and disregard for our usual restraints may fly out the window. (HAha it's my birthday today...) It's a great day for partying and enjoying life yet also knowing when to pull the plug. Make sure to budget yourself wisely today, put on lucky or protective charms and not over indulge. It's a great time to show gratitude and make offerings towards the spirits that look over you.

----------------------- Week 12 - 18

12th - ☾♌ Balsamic Moon | Moon Sextile Sun Jupiter in Capricorn sextiles Neptune rx in Pisces Mercury in Scorpio sextiles Venus in Virgo

The Balsamic Moon is the waning crescent moon after the last quarter moon. It's the perfect time until the new moon to shed what you no longer need. It's a time of taking action for banishing, cleansing and shedding. The next few days will have aspects that will push us to face our shadow selves along with hidden traumas and ask for us to shed what is no longer needed. With the Jupiter and Neptune rx sextile, it will make it a dreamy and magical day. It would be an excellent day for magic, celebration and exploring our creativity and path. Jupiter will want us to expand on our creativity and connection to our spiritual side today with it's sextile with Neptune rx. Anything ranging from divination, trance meditation, astral projection, dream magic and journeying would be a great idea today as the energies will encourage us to experiment. Mercury will also sextile Venus which will push us to want to deeply explore our connection to sensual pleasures in a healthy and practical way and maybe create that connection between what is healthy, wholesome and practical which can enrich our minds and connect us with our souls. Today is a great day to plan a ritual, do meditation and any type of magic that encourages you to explore yourself and your boundaries.

13th - ☾♍ Sun in Libra opposite Mars rx in Aries Moon enters Virgo

Mars will be incredibly bright in the sky this evening as the sun moves opposite it. We may notice a red star shining brighter than usual in the evening sky as the sun fully illuminates the retrograding planet. However energetically this aspect can bring up external events that can force us to reckon with our sources of motivation, our source of drive and repressed energy or anger. Where we may feel that our energy is stifled or repressed can come out unexpectedly through events that may trigger us to face this aspect of ourselves. With the moon now in virgo we may be able to look at these passionate emotions through an analytical yet healing perspective. We can easily find solutions to express our emotions and understand them in a clearer light. Today would be a great day for shadow work in understanding our repressed energy and how we can find a solution to express and release it.

14th - ☾♍ Mercury retrogrades in Scorpio

Every other planet this year has had some time off so it's no surprise Mercury is ready to join the club. Mercury is about to go retrograde for the next few weeks, diving us into our deep underworld to face the shadows hidden in our psyche. Eventually it will retrograde back into Libra forcing us to re-evaluate our personal values and relationships. Whatever shadows that are unaddressed lurking in the corners of our mind will come out now to be reckoned with. Just in time for the spooky season!

15th - ☾♎ Sun in Libra squares Pluto in Capricorn Moon enters Libra

To add to the flavor of yesterday, today we get to experience the INTENSE square of the Sun and Pluto locking horns. This energy can trigger fears of being controlled against our will or more aware of our shadows that may bring up our need for control. There could potentially be ego conflicts with other powerful people or authority figures that will tighten their grip on everything. We could either feel pigeon-holed today which can create challenges that force us to either defend ourselves or make a major change or cause us to crave power in order to control the situation around us. If desires for power emerge today, pay attention to what your shadow self is telling you and reflect on the source of these deep rooted fears. Is it coming from past negative events? Traumas? Even past lives? Is it from current events? Working out what negative emotions may arise today can give us insight on the general theme of this month of where we feel that our energy is repressed and how we can make changes to break free from our current shackles. (There is also this theme coming from Uranus still being in retrograde as well). Additionally the moon will have entered Libra and begun it's new moon phase and will be opposite Mars rx today so there will be emotions emerging from repressed energy that we will be more aware of and be able to observe. With mercury retrograding in Scorpio it will be a great time for shadow work today as well.

16th - ☾♎ New Moon in Libra Sun in Libra opposite Chiron rx in Aries

The moon will be opposite the sun today as it begins it's new cycle in Libra. The new moon in Libra asks us to review our values, what makes us balanced and our relationships for this cycle. This libra season our values have been questioned, along with perhaps, our stance in situations or previous compromises which could have undermined our freedoms and repressed our emotions. We will be asked during this new cycle to re-align with our values, evaluate the relationships that still align with our best selves and make changes in areas that do not reflect our values or that may suppress us. This moon will also square Jupiter, Saturn and then Pluto in Capricorn tying together the themes of where we may feel burdened and oppressed. Especially with the global political climate it's a good time to see where our complacency has lost us our freedoms and where we need to take action to ensure us a better future.

This new cycle may feel more confrontational than the usually harmonious libran energies we are used to. The Sun will be opposite Chiron rx in Aries bringing us potential sudden external events which could trigger our inner trauma, show us where we need to heal physically and mentally and make us more aware of adversity that we need to overcome. We may be brought to more awareness of what trauma could have fed the shadow sides or toxic traits that have been holding us back. As we are in Shadow Work/Shedding season it’s a good time to look into these traits during the beginning of this cycle and shed away what no longer holds value for us.

17th - ☾♏ Eros enters Virgo Moon enters Scorpio

The lil' asteroid of passions and inner fire moves into Virgo today shifting our inner fuel to find more spark in the areas of life revolving around service our health and practicality. We may be more reasonable and solution-oriented while pursuing our passions. We may find more interest in sex that is acts of service towards our partner or healthy exercise embedded in our routine. With the moon entering Scorpio it's a good time for sex magic and shadow work.

18th - ☾♏ Venus in Virgo opposite Neptune rx in Pisces Sun in Libra squares Saturn in Capricorn

Today may feel like it will drag on forever with the hard Sun and Saturn square bringing a dull desaturated filter to the world. We may feel restricted and burdened by our responsibilities or by authority. This may feel extra unpleasant with the new wave of Covid that may look to restrict our freedoms and make us worried about our stability. Additionally Venus will be opposite Neptune's Retrograde which is a recipe for some messiness. This could be a helpful time of reflection where we could have been seeing another person (or even more abstractly- a business, an idea or alignment of whatever) through rose-colored lenses that could be ripped away by this transit. We can finally see them for who they are and how they might have hoodwinked us in the past. On a negative side if we haven't yet learned the lesson this opposition can be the recipe for scammers or more people to come and take advantage through glamours and tricks. Be wary of your spending today, your boundaries, your CREDIT CARD INFORMATION ONLINE lol (negative Neptune transits ALWAYS brings out the scammers), and make sure to put up your wards today. It can be a day that drags on forever and may feel a bit gloomy especially with the moon still in Scorpio but you can help it go by quickly by working with the Venus and Neptune rx opposition to seeking out art that aligns with your values or spiritual beliefs. Watch films that make you feel magical or paint, draw, write, create what you love when you get a moment. If the Saturn square makes creating anything too difficult then watching a movie or favorite show can help with the escapism.

----------------------- Week 19 - 25

19th - ☾♐ Venus in Virgo trine Jupiter in Capricorn Mars rx in Aries squares Jupiter in Capricorn Ceres direct in Aquarius Moon enters Sagittarius

Though yesterday could have felt heavy, today the energy will feel Spectacular!! The mood will shift to being more lighthearted and optimistic with the moon now in shimmering Sagittarius. The jupiter energy may feel a bit more fiery and sparkling than usual with Jupiter squaring Mars rx which will only swell our inner desires and passionate emotions and drives that will need to explode outward!! If we are feeling repressed, there is no hiding that energy any longer with this volcanic transit! However to help bring some joy to this energy we have Venus in Virgo trining Jupiter bringing harmony to our values and creating luck in areas of generosity, spending time with loved ones and honoring our values and what we love. This is a day asking you to align yourself with what makes you feel most authentic. Lastly the little dwarf planet Ceres goes direct finally so we will feel that boost in areas of being nurturing and caring towards others especially in regards to our roles in our community. Now that we have took some time to nurture ourselves during it's retrograde, it's time to consider how we can contribute our support to our communities.

20th - ☾♐ Waxing Crescent Moon | Sun Sextile Moon

With the moon in Sagittarius during this waxing crescent period, it's an excellent time to experiment! Review on what you've reflected on or what intentions you've set during the new moon in Libra (aligning with our values and relationships that serve our greatest good / seeking harmony and justice and not compromise for the sake of "peace") and try out new things that align with your goals. Especially after yesterday's transits we may have a better idea of what those things are and with the moon in Sagittarius we may feel more aligned with our personal philosophies and faith. Optimistic Sagittarius will want you to expand on these ideas and experiment in any way you can!

21st - ☾♑ Venus in Virgo trines Pluto in Capricorn Moon enters Capricorn

With the moon still in it's waxing crescent experimental phase, we may get a boost of intense and incredible energy asking us to reconnect to ourselves on a soul level. With Venus trining Pluto we get that added intensity and passion connecting us with our values on a visceral, powerful soul level. Anything that can bring us joy and satisfaction or loved ones or beliefs can be connected with on a deeply intimate level. A new relationship during this time would be very intense (great time for a soul mate), yet on a negative side this transit can give power to obsessions which we must be aware of how to curb if it goes too far. However today is an excellent day for love-attraction magic if you want something deep and intense, decorating our space to have meaning or reflect our values or express ourselves in any genuine way. This is a good time for soul-searching, attraction magic, sex magic and anything art-based.

22nd - ☾♑ Orionids Meteor Shower

With the moon in Capricorn, it's a good time for organization, addressing our tasks and responsibilities, ancestor magic, earth and mineral based magic and during the void of course, reviewing our work this cycle so far. The Orionids Meteor Shower can bring in energy from beyond to help us broaden our insight. If you catch a glimpse of a 'shooting star' make a wish!

23rd - ☾♒ Sun enters Scorpio First Quarter Moon Moon enters Aquarius

We enter the Spooky Season officially as the sun enters the dark and mysterious Scorpio. This season marks the middle of autumn where everything is starting to wither and decay, the nights are growing longer and we are feeling the chilly winds that kick up the skeletons of dead leaves. With Mercury retrograde in Scorpio still the deep underworld themes of Scorpio will feel strong as we are asked to face our inner shadows as we descend into the darkness. Today also marks the first quarter moon in Aquarius. Looking back at the New Moon in Libra we can think on the themes of us aligning with our values and people that support and reflect that as well and with the first quarter moon that theme will ask us to strategize on how we can express these unique part of ourselves as part of our roles in our community. The themes of the community may be brought to the surface with this first quarter moon and many people may want to take action, however this moon phase is best for reflection and taking that pent-up energy to strategize. There is always a time for action during the waxing gibbous phase when energies are more harmonious. If you are feeling blocked and restricted during this square it's a good time for barrier-breaking magic to dissolve any obstacles in your way. Focus on what opportunities you'd like to attract or what you need to move forward and do magic to bring that your way or break through whatever is holding you back.

24th - ☾♒ Venus in Virgo trines Saturn in Capricorn

This is an excellent day to work on your self love, self confidence and commitment to your values with Venus trining Saturn. If you have been having a rocky relationship with others it's a good time to work out the rough patches. This is also a good day for artists that may be procrastinating on work or that put a project to the side to continue building on it. Additionally it's a great day for love attraction magic (or any attraction magic with this theme: ) with a type of relationship that is long lasting, committed and reliable.

25th - ☾♓ Sun conjuncts Mercury rx in Scorpio Moon enters Pisces

The theme of our inner descent will be front and center today with the sun conjunct Mercury rx in Scorpio. It's a good time to take the day slowly, not make any serious plans and do some self reflection and shadow work. Whatever emotions that may arise we need to bring awareness to and release what no longer serves us. Especially during this time of year it's a great time to be aware of our shadows, make peace with repressed energies and release toxic beliefs that are holding us back. The day may also feel a bit melancholy with the moon's added energy entering Pisces. We may feel like we could be drowning in our darkness and the shadows of others around us. We may be more aware of others shadow selves and be influenced a little easier by their presence due to pisces's nature of dissolving boundaries. If others that are not aware of these qualities of themselves suddenly lash out today, it's best to carry some obsidian, put protective wards around yourself and keep to your safe corner.

----------------------- Week 26 - 1st

26th - ☾♓ Waxing Gibbous Moon | Sun Trine Moon

Whatever you have been reflecting on, strategizing and working on, now it's time to put those plans into action with the sun trining the moon! This aspect brings a lot of luck, harmony and magic in the mundane to spring out today. If you put plans into action, make the first move, release something new, then there is a lot of potential for great things to fall into place. If you may have been feeling blocked or frustrated on the first quarter moon, this phase may help you with new insight on how you can progress forward. If you did barrier-breaking magic to dissolve obstacles on the first quarter moon, you may see wonderful results or sudden 'open-doors' appear today. Keep on look out today for opportunities sent by the universe! Use lucky charms and glamours and send out good energy to attract it back to you.

27th - ☾♓

Today is an excellent day for rest with the moon in Pisces. There are no demanding transits and with this being the last day of the moon in this sign, there will be a void of course that will ask us to slow down and chill out. Pisces energy loves to day dream, nap and escape so it's a good day to indulge in some bath magic, take restful naps, smoke or watch something light hearted.

28th - ☾♈ Mercury retrograde enters Libra Venus enters Libra Moon enters Aries

Venus reunites with it's home sign Libra bringing the themes of harmony, partnerships, justice and values to a crescendo in this part of the cycle. Mercury rx will re-enter Libra bringing these themes to the surface of our mind as we reflect on these aspects of our lives. It's a good time for introspection in these areas, shadow work, understanding any current challenges regarding these themes for ourselves, especially as we move closer to the full moon that tends to bring out external challenges and themes with it's opposition. This day will tie back AGAIN with the initial full moon starting this month off and all of the other points and themes about our repressed energies and how we align with our values as the Moon enters Aries and creates an opposition with mercury rx in Libra. We will be able to connect dots on how our previous compromises or alignments could have repressed our true passions and energies and we may have to face sudden bursts of anger or hidden fire that we weren't aware of before, yet it could shed light on our current journey.

29th - ☾♈

When the Moon is in Aries it's a great time for channeling courage, hexing, fire-based magic and creating new things. However as this is the end of the moon's transit in Aries as it faces it's void of course which wants us to rest and reflect, it's a good time to reflect on our inner drive and our repressed emotions and how we can healthily release them. This void of course is a good time to reflect on the themes of the last full moon in Aries and how you have integrated what you've manifested into your life.

30th - ☾♉ Moon enters Taurus

With the moon in Taurus it's a great time to take things slowly and relax. It's a great time for kitchen magic, earth and plant-based magic and self-care magic.

31st - ☾�� 🎃 HALLOWEEN 🎃 Full Moon in Taurus Sun in Scorpio opposite Uranus rx in Taurus

It's HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!! And to top it off it's a powerful Blue Moon! (A Blue Moon is a Full Moon that occurs twice in a month!) A Blue Moon is powerful showing second chances, boosted luck and new windows of opportunity so this is a fantastic time for release, casting spells, banishing or any type of magic! In this post here where I compare the sabbats to the lunar cycle, Halloween reflects that balsamic moon period where it's time to shed, banish and release, so tonight we can banish what no longer serves us and bind what seeks to strip us of our power. We may feel very inspired after this whole month of self transformation and looking at our repressed energies and what is binding us in it's brutal authority. It's time to break those barriers apart! With the Taurus full moon we are asked to look at our resources and what we value physically and if that aligns with our soul. What materialistic things or paths were we clinging on to? Do they reflect our most authentic selves? This will be brought into question and be brought to change with the Sun opposite Uranus rx (also this full moon conjunct Uranus rx) forcing us to undergo transformation which can help break old habits, old mindsets, expand our perspectives and evolve. A bit like a death and rebirth which is in theme for Halloween. With this opposition, this can bring unexpected and exciting encounters or events that will shake up our worlds. We may have to suddenly adapt to change as a new chapter and reality get brought into our lives. It could either bring havoc or freedom, however if it's something that could trigger a negative response in you, you may have to consult that shadow side and see if there is a trait you may need to let go or that is holding you back from evolving. However just to protect yourself it's always good to carry some protective charms and wards especially on a day like Halloween.

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#october #celestial #astrology #transits #full moon #halloween #witchcraft #magic #celestial witch #space witch

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feverinfeveroutfic · 3 years ago

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chapter twenty nine: drink your poison

“your heart beats faster, you cannot breathe; you're feeling nervous inside. you feel the passion, it makes you seethe; you feel the temperature rise!” -”deadly nightshade”, joey belladonna

All summer long, Sam traded in between hanging out with Alex and Joey. That whole tour between both bands proved to be one of the best she had been on before: the one with Stormtroopers wasn't nearly as eventful as those three months. They not only had showers and rooms of their own courtesy of the record label, but so much more was happening between herself and the two of them.

It all hinged on her riding with either band to the next stop. If she rode with Testament, she stayed the night with Alex; if with Anthrax, she hung out with Joey. She dared not swap rooms with either one, either, given Alex was always there by her side and Joey was a night owl now with the booze mostly out of the picture.

Meanwhile, there was the artistry. As far as she knew, Scarlett was a patient lady. But she always made art whilst next to either of those two men and among either of the quintets, with either her journal or the canvases she bought back in Raleigh. Charlie kept those old ink drawings she had made for them on the previous tour at the front of their van so everyone saw them upon the drive by.

She made paintings of all five men from Testament along a string of five days in between gigs in Oklahoma City and Kansas City, in which both bands didn’t play a show. She completed the painting of Louie literally five minutes before they had to go on in Kansas City, but he had insisted on taking it out there onstage with him. Prior to the curtain lifting for them, he picked it up and, careful not to make the still wet acrylic paint that made up his hair bleed onto another part of the canvas, he carried it flat in both hands as if it was a tray of dinner. Sam and Alex watched from the back of the van at his running all the way to the back doorway, to which one of the stagehands held it open for him.

The two of them glanced at one another once he went inside: by the time she stood there off to side, she realized what he had done to the painting and propped it up right behind the drum kit with a camera pointed down at it. Every so often during that gig, the display behind them switched over to that camera and Sam’s painting was showcased for everyone in there to see. Indeed, over the next string of shows there in the Midwest, the five of them had put their paintings right behind their respective places on stage: Chuck kept his portrait as well as the drawing that Marla had made for him for Christmas on a stool right next to him.

Even when they head banged, they made sure those pieces of art never moved out of their places.

All the while, if there was one band whom she missed, it was the Cherry Suicides. As the Midwestern stint came to a close in early September and they headed out to the Pacific Northwest in time for Alex's twenty first birthday, Sam realized she hadn’t heard a word from Zelda or if the four of them were even still together. All she heard about was the new album named for her but that was where it all started and ended.

She never saw them there at any show up to that point.

But if anything, she and Belinda met a whole other myriad of people along the way, especially Overkill and Vio-lence. They all seemed to be on the fringes of music as well: whenever they had a stop somewhere, some other band was playing that night and they were filling out full arenas with their makeup and enormous hair. There Sam and Belinda walked about the streets of Des Moines, Iowa in their ponytails and their dark clothes compared to the literal look of modeling there up on stage. There was one band that the two of them had developed a fancy for, Skid Row, all because they seemed the least dolled up out of all of them: front man Sebastian stood there at the stage with his black jeans and long luxurious blond hair with a powerful voice that could be heard from clear across the vast floor. But it all felt so alien to the both of them, and they sought comfort in their friendships with the thrashers.

There came a point, when the whole circus headed back out to the West Coast and she had difficulty believing that the whole thing was in fact real given the sheer extent of everything, especially once she found out Slayer was on the tour with them that all of it was in fact happening. She and Belinda finally met them after what felt like an eternity: these four men wrapped up in rich black leather and with longer hair than Anthrax and Testament themselves put together.

The bassist Tom was a big chunky Hispanic boy with long inky black hair and a big goofy smile plastered on his face.

“Heard a lot about you girls,” he told them both as part of his greeting to them. “You girls and those other crazy girls from Rhode Island, is it?”

“Yeah, the Cherry Suicides,” Belinda had said.

“You’re the artist, right?” he asked her. “The girl who made the paintings of Testament and the drawings for Charlie?”

“I’m an artist but no—“ Belinda gestured over to her right behind her. “—those were all from my lady here, Sam.”

Sam herself leaned forward and Tom flashed her a wink as a result.

She sat there on the plane on the way out to Seattle and she wondered where else she could go from there. Perhaps around the world for real that time. She had never really been to the Emerald City before, not even when Anthrax toured up there the first time around in the two summers before, especially since they had a curfew and the hotel was right outside of the city as well. Portland, she had been to with them, but never Seattle: only the outskirts and the inner part of Tacoma.

It would be the first time Slayer toured there as well, and Testament had gotten as close as Yakima and Spokane themselves. Seattle seemed like such a strange place to her, all tucked away in that particular corner of Washington. No one went up there unless they were willing to live within the rain and fly a plane. But apparently, there was a whole scene of music going down up there, one that reflected the entire thrash movement to an extent given it was all away from the world and radically different from everything else.

Soundgarden were a mere sliver of it all: Charlie had invited the two girls with him to see another band there, one who were about to release their big debut in the coming months, yet another quintet called Mother Love Bone.

They left the plane, followed by the airport, and the bunch of them stepped out to the cool afternoon: where it was still very much summer everywhere else despite it already being autumn, a fine gray marine layer courtesy of the Puget Sound sank over the entire region and beckoned an early season rain just in time for the evenin. Sam ran her fingers through her hair as she peered up to the gray sky overhead: Alex joined right next to her with his eyes squinted and his lips parted a bit. The color washed out from his face so he resembled to a ghost of sorts, a young spirit ready to walk the streets alongside the Puget Sound. A faint drizzle began to fall over them once a piece of cloud covered the sun overhead.

Slayer had already left for their hotel, but Greg and Eric joined the two of them there at the curb: their black clothes only added to their ghostly appearance. A cool breeze blew their hair back a bit so they resembled to the very wisps of clouds right over them. Sam thought back to the Day of the Dead ceremony back home in New York City, except they had no hoods over their heads; Alex turned to her with his eyes squinted a bit and his skin looking as milky as ever right there.

“It's utterly lovely here,” he said in a low voice as he adjusted the skull ring on his right hand.

“Yeah, even here right at the city's rim, it's just beautiful,” she added.

“I hope it rains even more tomorrow,” he declared with a little raise of his eyebrows.

“Hey, yeah! You can have a little Seattle rainstorm for your birthday, Alex.” She glanced about the deserted parking lot before them. Across the way stood all manner of tiny shops and places that made her think of the casinos back down at Lake Tahoe and in Reno.

“It kind of reminds me of Carson a bit,” she said, “in a sense that there's not really many people here.”

“Not nearly as wet and soggy there, though, I'd assume,” Chuck joined in from behind her.

“Nah, it's not even remotely close to being like this,” Sam assured him as she adjusted the strap on her overnight bag and on the courier bag Alex had given her.

“So who're you staying with tonight?” Greg asked her; and she realized that she still owed him an encounter just to satisfy the bet with Alex himself.

“I'm gonna be with the five dicks from New York,” she replied right as Belinda walked up behind her, and she gaped at her.

“Five dicks from New York, I'm calling that from now on,” Belinda said and Eric laughed out at that.

“And I assume we're the five dicks from California,” he cracked.

“And Bel and I are about to see five dicks from Seattle tonight, too,” Sam added on top of that, which brought a laugh out all of them.

“There's Charlie!” Belinda pointed up the sidewalk.

“Alright—we'll see you guys later—” Sam threw her arms around each of them as well as Louie as he came up right behind them; she held Alex a few seconds longer just to feel his softness a bit more. Even though it was his twenty first the next day, she hoped that he would take it easy on the alcohol when the time came for him. She wanted that softness to stay intact with him.

She then let him go and she followed Belinda up the sidewalk in order to meet up with Charlie and Frank, both of whom took them to their hotel at the base of Capitol Hill. A quick shower for both girls and a change into their clothes and both men knocked on their door once more.

Sam ran a hair brush through her hair as the two of them conversed about the whole scene there in Seattle right behind her.

“So where'd you hear about these guys, Char?” Frank started them off.

“Aurora told me about them,” Charlie replied, “she talked to me while we were in North Carolina about this band out of Seattle that would probably take the whole glam thing to the next level because they're just huge in their sound. Like they have some genuine soul to them. None of that cheese that we've been seeing a lot lately. She told me they're a little bit punk influenced, too—think that might have something to do with it.”

“Cool—what're they called again?”

“Mother Love Bone. She also told me that they're bit of a supergroup around here, too: formed from three other bands—I wrote them down because I wanted to check them out while we're here in Seattle, too.”

Sam turned around right as he took a piece of paper out from his back pocket.

“Green River, Skin Yard, and Malfunkshun—Malfunkshun spelled phonetically.”

“Sounds like they know how to party up here,” Belinda noted.

“That's what Aurora told me,” Charlie said as he tucked the paper back into his pocket. Sam brushed her hair a bit more and then she spritzed a bit of perfume onto her neck.

“I love that smell on you, Sam I am,” Frank told her.

“I got this when we were in Des Moines,” she said, “courtesy of Bel here.”

“It fits your body chemistry like a glove, Sam,” Belinda pointed out. “Like you just climbed right out of the shower.”

“So you girls ready?” Charlie asked them.

“Yessir,” Sam replied as she picked up her purse from the top of the table there and slung it over her shoulder.

They headed out of there right as the fine Puget Sound drizzle fell over their heads. Charlie led them over to the far end of the sidewalk when something across the street caught Sam's eye. She looked over at a guy in the cushions of the bay window of a coffee shop with his sleeve rolled up his arm, past his elbow. Belinda followed her gaze as well.

Frank sniffled and sneezed right then, but the sheer sight of that man there in the window only added to the thought that ran through her mind at the moment.

The shine of the needle. The sticky darkness that resided inside of there. He gritted his teeth at the vile feeling through him.

“Holy shit,” Belinda muttered right into her ear.

It was right then Sam knew that they were in deep from that point onward.

They crossed the street, away from that coffee shop and up the pavement to where the band in question was playing that night.

Frank continued to sniffle and sneeze a bit as they made their way inside of there. The four of them congregated on the edge of the room because everything else before them had a dark veil over it and no way out of there in one piece. Something smelled of burning iron and a chemical but nowhere in there was a fire place.

“There's a lot of drugs around here right now,” Charlie noted as they backed up towards the doorway.

“Yeah, it's making me sneeze like crazy,” Frank said as he rubbed his nose.

“What's that smell?” Belinda asked them as they nestled together in that only safe spot of the room, right near the door and within the stream of fresh air: the one place without a trace of drugs to be found.

“Someone smoking cocaine, I think,” Frank said, “I would know because I tried crack recently. It smells just like someone burning up metal—meth and heroin both smell like that, too.”

Lucky for them, Mother Love Bone took to the stage up front there. Even from clear across the room, Sam could make sight of the five of them: the two guitarists near the edge of the stage. One with long smooth hair down past his shoulders and soft features, and the other with his face hidden out from view. The former made her think of Alex in a subtle fashion, from the depth of his eyes to the shape of his nose: he missed that gray stripe and he lacked Alex's sensual edge as well. The bassist strode up behind them with a big bright purple crushed velvet cap with a lacy ribbon wrapped around the crown there and a plain white sleeveless shirt. She couldn't see the drummer and she didn't have to, either, not with that big bold frontman there at the front, with his long blond hair down to his waist and streams of glitter all around his eyes.

“Hello, Seattle!” he declared into the microphone. “This first song is for all you people! All you people there at the back there!”

Sam and Belinda glanced at one another in surprise.

“We are Mother Love Bone! I am L'Andrew the Love Child and this is quite the cornucopia of delights up here—love rock awaits you, people!”

It hit both girls like a tidal wave, more so than the very stench of the burning cocaine and heroin before them: the vents on the ceiling took the whole cloud on the floor there so they could breathe better. Where every other person before them burned those drugs away into their lungs, the four of them stood there in the doorway and relished in the fresh air that came in from behind them and the music before them.

His voice seared into their minds, much like how Joey's voice stayed with them. Almost immediately, she thought of Joey himself. The whole band reminded her of Joey and Alex, from the powerful, extravagant voice to the rich and strong guitar work. Their songs wormed their way into her mind as well: she knew she would be hearing “This is Shangri La” in her head for days on end from that point onward. The stench of marijuana caught their noses, which in turn made Frank cough more, but it came as a relief to both Sam and Belinda, especially with the rain outside picking up into something one step beyond a drizzle.

“They're fun as hell,” the latter remarked.

“I know, right?” Sam said right into her ear.

He threw his blond hair forth as if it was a genuine mane and then he lifted his head to show off the glitter underneath his right eye.

“Zelda would like them,” Sam told her, to which Belinda nodded her head with her eyes wide.

“Kinda like how she would like Skid Row, too,” she added, and Sam nodded.

Even though it was a tough crowd before them, both girls found themselves dancing a bit at one point. There was that one song at the end “Heartshine”, where Sam pictured herself nestled in between both Joey and Alex. Her love and her friend with benefits. Both of them had her heart.

There was no way she could pick and choose between the two of them because it wouldn't be fair to either of them.

She thought of herself dancing for both men: her hips about in a circle for them both and her breasts high and perfect for them as well. Their hands on her skin to top it all off, too.

The four of them were practically outside in the rain at that point because it was all too much for them to bear in there. But lucky for them, that was the final song and Andy bode the delirious crowd before them a big hearted and jovial good night: at that point, he had put on round white glasses with purple lenses and a big tall dark blue hat upon his head as if he was Mickey Mouse.

“That crowd was just awful,” Charlie said, “but I really liked them, though.”

“I did, too!” Sam added as they began on back down the street towards their hotel. The rain had waned back into a fine drizzle at that point and albeit with the incoming darkness.

“I'm gonna need another shower after that,” Belinda confessed.

“Yeah, that was insane how much drugs were in there,” Charlie agreed with her, and he turned to Frank. “How're you doing right now?”

“A sniveling sneezing mess,” he replied as he rubbed the tip of his nose.

“We'll all clean off and then have dinner,” Charlie declared as they crossed the street yet again. They passed the coffee shop on the other side of the street once more: the man who shot one up his arm was still there in the bay window, except his eyes were closed and even through the dim evening light, Sam could see his pale complexion.

It took them a full hour to shower off, one after the other, and at that point, it was almost nine o'clock in the evening.

“Happy birthday, Alex,” Sam declared as she dried off her hair and let it hang over her shoulders.

“Happy birthday, little man!” Frank proclaimed. “He's finally old enough to drink now.”

For the rest of the evening, she thought about what to do for him that next day, especially since they had to play a show there in Seattle right after Anthrax and Slayer's sets in that respective fashion. Belinda didn't have her leather working tools onhand, either, but that strap that the two of them had crafted for him held up well in the last two years however. Neither Scott nor Dan had any ideas as to what to do for him other than give him a cake after the fact, either: and Joey was out of the question at that point himself.

At one point she caught Anthrax's set and Joey held that white Flying V guitar upon his body once again as if it was a complete extension of him. That time around, he wore a black billed hat with the word “Injun” scrawled on the inside there. She hadn't even seen him all day at that point, either: to see him there made her wonder if he had an ace up his sleeve at the time. At the end of their cover of “Antisocial”, he glanced over at her and showed her and Belinda both that definitive lopsided grin.

They rounded out their short set with an extra large and loud rendition of “Gung Ho!” that ended with a little dual solo from Joey and Dan both, and someone in the audience throwing something at Scott. He ducked down as the jug landed on the stage right next to Charlie's drum kit.

As they left the stage, Joey leaned forward into the microphone.

“Don't be throwin' cider at our man Scott, now,” he taunted the person there and a few people in the crowd clapped at that.

He then padded off of the stage last and greeted Sam with a big open lipped kiss.

“Whoa,” Belinda breathed, and Joey laughed at that but he dared not let it get to him.

“Come with me,” he beckoned both girls, and he led them into the backstage area.

“Eric!” Belinda called out right then; thus she ducked away from them but Joey led Sam onto his dressing room. She left the door slightly ajar but he was quick to bring her to the corner behind the door. Slayer were taking to the stage as he slid his tongue into her mouth and his hands up the curvature of her back.

“I've treated you so poorly,” he said to her in a low enough voice for her to hear over Slayer's intensity.

“No you haven't,” she vowed to him. “You just have a little problem with alcohol is all. I don't want you anywhere near it ever again.”

She took the hat right off of his head and placed upon her own.

“Adorable,” he complimented her as Tom let out a high pitched shriek that made her stop right in her tracks. It made her think of hell on Earth itself.

“Tommy screams like a demon sometimes,” Joey told her, nonchalant.

“If you're the Devil, I'm proud to be a part of it,” she said.

“Nah, Sam, you know us. We're not really into the whole Devil thing—they just seem that way is all.”

“But still. If you're the Devil, I'm proud that to be a part of the whole thing.”

Joey's bottom lip trembled at that.

“Make love to me,” he begged her in a low voice. “Make love to me—please.”

“I'll do something even better for you,” she told him as she put her lips onto his, and then she moved down his neck to his collar bones. Joey held still as she moved down his hot body, all the way down his chest and towards his waist. He shuffled around and pressed his back to the wall: she lifted the bill of the hat from her forehead so she could have a better view of what was there.

She tugged down his shorts and gave him a gentle soft kiss right underneath his waist. She thought of giving him a vampire bite like she did with Alex, but he appeared to enjoy the feel of her lips there more than anything.

“Yeah, that's the spot right there,” he breathed at the soft delicate feeling under his belly button, “—ooh yeah—yeah, right there.”

She tugged his shorts down a bit more. Her tongue on his skin and within her mouth would do him justice.

She could tell he wanted it.

She started out small from the head and then she moved inward to his body, as far as she could stand it. But of course the tip reached the back of her mouth and she coughed and gagged at the feeling. She let go of his firm skin and coughed better.

“You alright?” he asked her.

“Yeah—it’s just the first time I gave a big ass blowjob standing up like this.”

Joey chuckled and he tucked his hands behind his curly head. She looked up at him with her eyebrows raised.

“You look like you’re about ready to sing some lounge stuff,” she told him.

“Lounge—I lounge around and kiss asses all day is what I do best,” he said. She tried it again and that time she got it for real. Joey groaned in his throat as she fondled the smooth curvature of his hips and his thighs with the tips of her fingers. He tipped his head back and gave her yet another soft pleased little groan.

“Yeah, nice li'l deep throat there,” he muttered, “yeah—yeah!” His chest heaved at the feeling and he treated her to soft little whimpers as a result. She was blowing him on Alex's birthday. Something about it gave her a feeling that she could do literally anything from that point onward.

She ran her tongue along the taut skin when she noticed Joey was about to come right there. She held onto him and he gasped at the feeling.

“Fucking hell—you're—you're—you're gonna kill me!” he stammered.

“Not if you can help it, big boy,” she teased him. Joey came right in her hands right there and he fell down onto the seat of his pants, out of breath and dizzy. He fell onto his side and Sam shook her hands about to get it off of her skin.

“Joey?” she called to him. He was out like a light right there.

She bowed out of that room in search of a bathroom just to wash her hands. Right there at the other end of the backstage area, she spotted that door and she ducked in there without a moment's hesitation. She washed her hands with that soft smelling soap and then she ducked out of there once again, only for her to run into Alex and a little brown bottle of Seattle's own in hand.

“Hey!” he greeted her with a mischievous grin.

“Hey!” she retorted back to him.

“Where you going?”

“Back to Joey's dressing room. But it is your birthday after all.”

“Indeed it is!” He took a sip of beer and the crowd erupted into applause for Slayer.

“How was your day?” she asked him once the noise out there died down a bit for them to hear each other.

“Oh, it's been fun! Chuck and Tiffany took me out to lunch at the top of the Space Needle and then we went to this one place right outside of town... did you know there is an actual sound garden up here?”

“Really?”

“Yeah, it's this big metallic sculpture that's fenced off but they took me to it. I don't think it might be open tomorrow because it's Saturday. But—it's definitely another thing we gotta do together when the time comes, Samantha.” He took another sip from the bottle. “Come on, I'll take you back to Joey's room.”

He took another sip before he walked in there with her, and he spotted Joey on the floor right behind the door.

“Is he alright?” Alex asked her.

“Oh, yeah. He just—had one too many is all.”

“Oh, shit.” He tipped the bottle back into his lips.

“By the way, how's it feel to legally drink now?”

“Excellent,” he confessed. “I dunno if I'm gonna do it a lot tonight, though, especially since we're going on after Slayer.”

“How many so far?”

“Just a couple,” he told her with a wave of his hand. He kicked back the brown glass bottle and took a big swig of its contents. He set it down before his body and showed her a little smile. Even though he stood still, she could tell that he had had a few at that point.

“Alex,” Sam said in a low voice: she could see it in his eyes as they drooped a bit.

“Samantha—Samantha? Samantha.” He bowed his head a bit and continued to show her a smile.

“Just exactly how much is 'a couple', Alex?”

“It's enough, I can tell ya that.”

“Alex.”

“Samantha.” He let out the biggest belch right there, one that made her retract back a bit.

“Your ancestors back in the home country felt that one, Alex,” Greg called from right outside the door.

“Oh, no, pardon me—that came right outta—outta my ass.”

She giggled at him and he giggled back at her. She moved in closer to him. Joey was unconscious right there but it didn't stop her from moving in closer to Alex.

“You gonna—you gonna—you gonna—what're you gonna do?”

“Kiss you—”

Her lips grazed up against his; he held the bottle out from his body so she could have more space for him.

“That's good, yeah,” he said in between embraces.

“We might have a cake ready for you, baby,” she whispered to him.

“This is better than any cake, my dear artist,” he retorted back to her as she put her hands on either side of his face. “Hell, yeah—hell yeah! Hell to the yes! Fuck—fucking hell—”

He pulled back and shook his head about a bit. Slayer picked it up once again out there; Sam eyed the pale washed out look of Alex's skin and she thought of that man in the coffee shop on the way to the Mother Love Bone show.

“You're not going to puke again, are you?” she asked him, concerned.

“Nah,” he assured her. “Well, I might but I won't do it on you, though. I promise. I promise, I promise, I promise.”

She giggled at him and the droopy look of his eyes.

“Alex—you're so cute when you're a little bit tipsy,” she told him.

“I'm—I'm—I'm as loose as a pussy when I've got a few in me, lemme tell ya...”

She giggled at him.

“Let's see—you're going on in a bit. There has to be a way to rid of the booze without you barfing it up.”

“I'm probably gonna have to barf anyways,” he told her. “There is some bread over there.”

“Bread and crackers under the vanity mirror,” she said as she made her way over to the mirror in question.

“Bread and circuses,” he said with a hiccup. She handed him a handful of oyster crackers as he took a seat on the small dusty couch on the other side of the room, away from the door and away from Joey's unconscious body.

“I wanna have fun with you,” he confessed with a hiccup.

“We are having fun, though,” she pointed out. “It's your twenty first birthday, Alex. It's all about having fun! You only turn twenty one once in your life after all.”

“That's right, right? You only turn—” He swallowed. “—a certain age one time, don't ya.”

He let out a whistle and looked on at her, dazed.

“You alright?” she asked him.

“Yes! I feel like I'm about ready to fall right to sleep, though.”

He took another sip from the bottle and then another bite of oyster cracker. He practically swallowed it whole.

“Well, chew it, Alex,” Sam was scorn.

“Just melts in your mouth,” he pointed out with his mouth full, and he took another couple for himself.

“Keep eating it, though. It should absorb it up inside you. You're gonna be on soon.”

“By the way, we're gonna make another album for you, my darling artist,” he said in a broken voice once he swallowed it down.

“We will, too,” Joey blurted out right then, and Sam and Alex looked over at him. He was still unconscious but by some sheer magic, he had said that out loud without a shred of irony. The two of them looked at one another: Alex rubbed the exhaustion out of his eyes.

“What's Testament's new one going to be called?” Sam asked him.

“'Souls of Black',” he said in a hushed voice. “At least, that's what Eric told me. He wants us to play on Clash of the Titans. Like if we get it done in time, we can get it there.”

“And when's that supposed to be?”

“Uh—next summer, I think? I think? I dunno. I can't really think about things too much.”

“Well, you boys better get on it soon,” Sam encouraged him.

“Yeah, that's the plan anyways,” he told her. “Once we're done here, we mosey on into the studio and run like hell. I think it's gonna be formidable, Samantha. We're as tight as we've ever been.”

“Tight like a tight pussy?” she joked to him.

“Tight like a tight pussy, yes!”

He popped more crackers into his mouth.

“You ought to record something after you've had a couple,” she suggested, “you know just to see what you can make out of it. It'd be true psychedelic metal right there.”

“I don't really know if I can, though,” he confessed with a soft chuckle. “I don't know if that's not really something you can do when you're off your rocker and three sheets to the wind.”

“What about three sheets to my wind?” she asked him as she crawled closer to him and hovered right above his body.

“Oh, my, Samantha—”

“Was that 'oh, my' said in amazement or were you calling me yours?”

“You're good,” he remarked with those eyebrows raised up again. She put her lips onto his, and she tasted the salt from the crackers as well as the hops from the beer.

“I'm gonna need a drink after this,” he confessed to her.

“You are drinking, though,” she insisted.

“No, drink of water,” he corrected.

“I see. Well, drink your poison, baby.”

“Drink your poison and get nasty wit' it,” he cracked and she giggled some more.

“Alex!” Eric's voice floated from outside of the room.

“Oh, shit, I gotta move!” he said as he stood to his feet and rubbed his eyes. “Thank you for the bread, too—that actually helped me out a bit.”

Sam stood up herself but then Alex stopped her right in her tracks.

“Samantha?”

“Yes?” She turned her attention back to him as he lounged there in the doorway with a lax look to his deep eyes.

“Tonight—go to bed and dream of a beautiful gray stripe,” he said as he ran his index finger over that little tuft on the crown of his head.

“I always do, baby,” she assured him with a wink. “Go give 'em hell.”

He ducked out of there and back to his band: he still had his balance right then. She hoped that the bread really helped out and he would keep it together that evening as she made her way to the spot behind the door. She adjusted the bill of the hat and stooped down for him.

“C'mere, Joey—c'mere, baby—” She scooped him off of the floor and lifted up his head for a better look into his face. She set a hand on his forehead and pushed the hair out from his eyes. He opened them a bit and showed her a little dimpled grin.

“There he is,” she said with a smile herself; with her free hand, she took off her hat and set it upon the dark curly crown of his head. “There's my little Injun boy.”

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thepatchworkcrow · 5 years ago

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Witchcraft Asks #1-105

So, just for @dearpenumbra and because I’m wide awake and bored and want to answer them: Here is the list of the 105 witchcraft questions I just finished answering. I answered one each day but feel free to answer them all at once or however you want to do it. Tag your it!

1. Are you solitary or in a coven? I am technically a solitary, though I have friends with whom I occasionally celebrate the sabbats and do other witchy things with.

2. Do you consider yourself Wiccan, Pagan, witch, or other? I use ‘Pagan’, ‘witch’, and ‘Druid’ to describe myself. My path of Druidry is inherently pagan because of its reverence of the earth and all life, and it contains practices that are part of witchcraft.

3. What is your zodiac sign? I am a Cancer!

4. Do you have a Patron God/dess? I do, for sake of Tumblr, I call them The Hunter and The Lady of the Lantern. They’re deities I’ve not found in any mythology- sort of my own unique perspective / interaction with the divine forces of the universe, and so I keep the names I call to them in ritual private.

5. Do you work with a Pantheon? I do work with other deities beyond my patron god and goddess. A lot of them are from the various Celtic pantheons and include: Brighid, Gofannon the Smith, Cerridwen, Mannanan Mac Lir, and Gwyn ap Nudd.

6. Do you use tarot, palmistry, or any other kind of divination? I read tarot, runes, and ogham. I own an agate scrying mirror, but it’s very finnicky and I’d love to learn palmistry some day.

7. What are some of your favorite herbs to use in your practice? (if any) I use sage for cleansing, mugwort for a couple of blends of incense for divination, and lavender to cleansing, peace, intuition, etc.

8. How would you define your craft? It’s a path of Druidry dedicated to the Wylde Hunt.

9. Do you curse? If not, do you accept others who do? I have cursed- only in extreme situations, and the curse I used was aimed more at making the target realize how negative and toxic the bullshit they’ve been spewing/causing is. Sort of a “You’re going to realize the full horror of your actions” kind of a thing.

10. How long have you been practicing? The summer solstice will mark my 13th year.

11. Do you currently or have you ever had any familiars? I have familiar spirits: a black dog that goes by the name Yew, and a raven with a gold stripe on its beak named Gildenbeck. I’ve never had a familiar in the sense of a pet who does witchy stuff with me though.

12. Do you believe in Karma or Reincarnation? I believe in reincarnation and that our cations in one life affect the next. I’ve done a past life regression before, but that’s a story for a post that isn’t QUITE this long.

13. Do you have a magical name? I used to. I’ve got through a number of them over the years, changing them out as I see fit. My most recent one was actually the name I started this blog under: Brenna Adaira, but I’ve since outgrown it, and don’t really feel the need for one.

14. Are you “out of the broom closet”? Yes. I have been from the very beginning.

15. What was the last spell you performed? Shit. I don’t even remember. I’m not super big on spells. Anything more complex than carving a candle and charging it with intention to leave burn on my altar is usually not something I bother with.

16. Would you consider yourself knowledgeable? This is a silly question. As I’ve been practicing 13 years, and as someone with a bachelor’s degree, I’d say yes. I am knowledgeable about a number of things. However, I recognize there are many things I’m not knowledgeable about and there is always room for growth and learning.

17. Do you write your own spells? Since they’re very slapdash? Yes. They get written as I’m throwing spell components together to just DO THE THING.

18. Do you have a book of shadows? If so, how is it written and/or set up? I have recently started compiling a more formal grimoire of my path and all of its integral components. My working book of shadows however is always a sketchbook that gets carried around with me literally everywhere. It’s got drawings, scribbled poetry, journal entries, cut and pasted pictures, ritual outlines, musings, research notes, etc. and it’s all pretty out of order and chaotic. But I love the freedom of not having to be too careful with how I structure things and just let everything happen organically.

19. Do you worship nature? I do not worship nature. I honor the forces of nature; I treat them with respect and work to do my best to live in harmony with them. We are part of nature, not separate beings.

20. What is your favorite gemstone? Oof. This is a tough one. Moss Agate or Moonstone... but also Citrine and Opal. xD

21. Do you use feathers, claws, fur, pelt, skeletons/bones, or any other animal body part for magical work? I have a pheasant wing fan I use for smoke cleansing. I also have a small set of antlers that I’m still meaning to make into a proper headdress for ritual wear. Right now, they sit with my statute of The Hunter and the rest of my Wylde Hunt stuff.

22. Do you have an altar? Usually, yes. At the moment I don’t because I’ve been sort of in-transit for months. I’m moving back home at the end of the week though, and setting up an altar is the FIRST thing I intend to do.

23. What is your preferred element? Air. I love wind, stars, storms, gentle breezes through the forest, music, singing, the power of words.

24. Do you consider yourself an Alchemist? Not even in the slightest. XD

25. Are you any other type of magical practitioner besides a witch? Already answered above, but I’m a Druid! ^_^

26. What got you interested in witchcraft? I answered this in my previous post.

27. Have you ever performed a spell or ritual with the company of anyone who was not a witch? Yes! We used to frequently invite non-pagan friends to celebrate sabbats with us. One year, we actually erected a Maypole in my backyard and did a maypole dance.

28. Have you ever used ouija? Nope, and I would never. I don’t need it to speak with my guides, I don’t wanna poke at the dead, and I don’t trust them as reliable tools.

29. Do you consider yourself a psychic? I have strong intuition, but I wouldn’t call myself a psychic.

30. Do you have a spirit guide? If so, what is it? I have a couple, but the main one appears to me as a sort of elven / druidic entity (kinda Tolkien elf-ish with the blonde hair and all that). He goes by the name of Brannan and has been sort of my Druid guide both before and during my OBOD studies.

31. What is something you wish someone had told you when you first started? I wish someone had taught me really basic grounding and centering exercises and energy work first. Instead, I jumped right into gods and spells and rituals and all sorts of silliness early on in my path.

32. Do you celebrate the Sabbats? If so which one is your favorite? I haven’t this past year or so because I’ve been trying to get my bearings post-college again. But my favorite is Midsummer. It’s closest to my birthday, marks the anniversary of my dedication to studying witchcraft, and is just always a super heightened time for me spiritually speaking.

33. Would you ever teach witchcraft to your children? Yes. There’s another, longer blog post coming about my thoughts on this, but the short version of it is that I would rather give them some manner of religious context and collection of traditions and heritage than leave them completely on their own to consider the big universal questions religion is supposed to answer.

34. Do you meditate? Not nearly as often as I would like, but at least a couple of times a month.

35. What is your favorite season? Autumn. I love the gloom and the smell of the leaves, and the rain and how windy it gets, and the colors, and of course all of the things like pumpkin spice and Halloween. It’s another time of deep spiritual work for me. This is when the Wylde Hunt rides, and I mark my progress on my path in devotion to them.

36. What is your favorite type of magick to preform? I don’t actually like doing magick other than charging and burning candles. I’m sort of a lazy witch and usually find it more necessary to do inner work to get through a problem than to try and effect change in the world around me.

37. How do you incorporate your spirituality into your daily life? I take actions that align with my spiritual goals: living in harmony with the natural world, creating beautiful things, never stopping my own growth and learning, and compassion for others. I recycle where I can, try to reduce waste and reuse things. I take walks in nature and spend time in the woods. I stay informed so I can vote in ways that put people in power who care about our world. I take time to notice beauty in small places: a bird flying over head, stars in the winter sky, the way the sun is coming in through a window. When all of life is sacred, the spiritual path is not separate from the rest of your life. It becomes the lens through which you frame your life.

38. What is your favorite witchy movie? If I had to choose.... damn. I really can’t. The triad of Hocus Pocus, The Craft, and Practical Magic kinda take that place. I love them all in different ways.

39. What is your favorite witchy book, both fiction and non-fiction. Why? My favorite witchy books... Non-fiction: Living Druidry by Emma Restall-Orr, because it’s a look at Druidry through a Druid’s eyes. It introduces Druid concepts without the formal textbook layout, and I love reading about her experiences. Fiction: The Tree Shepherd’s Daughter and the associated series by Gillian Summers because who wouldn’t love a book about an elf who talks to trees whose day job to hide among humans is to make furniture to sell at Renaissance Festivals? Like... It’s just good, okay?

40. What is the first spell you ever preformed? Successful or not. This got answered in my last post.

41. What’s the craziest witchcraft-related thing that’s happened to you? And so did this one!

42. What is your favourite type of candle to use? I typically use those cheap chime candles or tealights. They burn down quickly and are easy to get ahold of.

43. What is your favorite witchy tool? I would have to say my drum. I love love love love raising energy with it or doing trance work while drumming.

44. Do you or have you ever made your own witchy tools? All of my wands have been handmade and my altar statues are all sculpted by hand. My ogham staves are handmade, and I’ve made a set of runes in the past, but they weren’t fond of me. XD

45. Have you ever worked with any magical creatures such as the fea or spirits? Ohhhh yes. Lots! The Wylde Hunt is one such example, but I’ve also worked with goblins and other various fae.

46. Do you practice color magic? I use color associations loosely, but don’t adhere to them too much.

47. Do you or have you ever had a witchy teacher or mentor of any kind? I did, sort of. My mom’s best friend was the one who bought me my first tarot deck, taught me how to read, etc. She gave me witchy homework now and then, but it wasn’t really a formal mentorship. She’s like another mother to me though, and I love her lots. <3

48. What is your preferred way of shopping for witchcraft supplies? Unfortunately, my preferred way is no longer possible. My local shop closed down in Feb of 2017 and I have been super sad ever since. I’m still trying to find a suitable alternative.

49. Do you believe in predestination or fate? I believe that we have free will and that the Universe sort of fills in the gaps. I think somethings are sort of “meant” to happen, but I don’t think everything is set in stone.

50. What do you do to reconnect when you are feeling out of touch with your practice? I light candles at my altar and just open myself to the energies, or I go on a walk with my friend, Mark. We always get into super deep conversations that get me back in the vibe.

51. Have you ever had any supernatural experiences? I could fill an ENTIRE post just on this alone, but yes. Plenty.

52. What is your biggest witchy pet peeve? Answered!

53. Do you like incense? If so what’s your favorite scent? I love incense! I tend to burn a lot of Dragon’s Blood, though I’ve recently discovered one called Mountain Heather that I am ALSO in love with.

54. Do you keep a dream journal of any kind? I keep weirdly vivid dreams in the notepad function on my phone. It’s usually right near my pillow and I just tap what I remember in there and try to go back to sleep.

55. What has been your biggest witchcraft disaster? Man, I can’t really think of a time things went horribly wrong to be honest.

56. What has been your biggest witchcraft success? Maintaining my practice and developing it into something uniquely my own.

57. What in your practice do you do that you may feel silly or embarrassed about? I know some people would say having spirit guides and such is silly. There are others who would say that energy work and psychic vampirism and the like are kinda woo-y and weird too.

58. Do you believe that you can be an atheist, Christian, Muslim or some other faith and still be a witch too? Anyone from any religion can be a witch. Witchcraft is a practice, not a religious path. Anyone can learn to raise and manipulate energy regardless of which deity they do/n’t worship.

59. Do you ever feel insecure, unsure or even scared of spell work? I just don’t usually feel a need for it. It’s usually able to be solved by mundane means or by doing inner personal work.

60. Do you ever hold yourself to a standard in your witchcraft that you feel you may never obtain? Don’t we all have perfectly aesthetic rituals that leave us feeling profound as a standard which we don’t ever quite meet? Aren’t we all secretly pining for Tumblr/Instagram worthy altars?

61. What is something witch related that you want right now? I actually really want to get a Tarokka deck, which is a tarot-esque oracle used in the D&D Curse of Strahd campaign. I want them for the campaign, but also to use for actual divination because it sounds like fun to try.

62. What is your rune of choice? I’m very partial to Kenaz (light, illumination, guidance), and Laguz (movement, water travel, magic, intuition).

63. What is your tarot card of choice? The 8 of Cups, The Star, and the 3 of Swords are all sort of cards I look at to determine if I’ll love or hate a deck.

64. Do you use essential oils? If so what is your favorite? I do use some, albeit sparingly. I’m rather fond of patchouli, sage, and a heather one I found.

65. Have you ever taken any kind of witchcraft or pagan courses? I’m currently wrapping up the Order of Bards Ovates and Druids’ Bardic Grade Course.

66. Do you wear pagan jewelry in public? Right now, my everyday necklace is a nine-pointed star which is supposed to represent the 9 sisters of Avalon, of whom Morgan le Fay was one.

67. Have you ever been discriminated against because of your faith or being a witch? Yes. Once, in early high school by a teacher. And once in college by some preppy sorority girl who wandered over to the LGBT clubs’ table at a Campus Life event looking to cause an argument.

68. Do you read or subscribe to any pagan magazines? Not magazines, but I follow a number of blogs both on Tumblr, Patheos, and Wordpress.

69. Do you think it’s important to know the history of paganism and witchcraft? Yes. Absolutely. The Burning Times weren’t about real witches. Modern paganism is not ancient paganism, and the context of myth, traditional practices, etc. are important.

70. What are your favorite things about being a witch? The language and tools I have with which to describe my experiences and think about and interact with the rest of the universe.

71. What are your least favorite things about being a witch? Being a conscious being and co-creator with spirit is freaking hard, yo.

72. Do you listen to any pagan music? If so who is your favorite singer/band? My absolute fave is Damh the Bard, but also give S.J. Tucker and OMNIA a listen. <3

73. Do you celebrate the Esbbats? If so, how? I used to do Dark Moon tea and meditation time with the Dark Goddess. Usually if I do something for any of the moon phases it’s sort of spur of the moment these days.

74. Do you ever work skyclad? I don’t, because I currently lack private space to do so.

75. Do you think witchcraft has improved your life? If so, how? Well, I am an empowered being with knowledge and love of the Universe and the divine connections between us all. I’m also equipped with various techniques for performing inner transformative work as well as affecting change in the world around me. What’s not to love?

76. Where do you draw inspiration from for your practice? My practice is a lot of “Solitary Wicca” meets OBOD druidry, meets a sort of Dragonheart ‘knights of the Old Code’ sort of feel. It’s about nature, creativity, and living honorably.

77. Do you believe in ‘fantasy’ creatures? (Unicorns, fairies, elves, gnomes, ghosts, etc) I do. I don’t believe they exist corporeally in this plane of existence though.

78. What’s your favorite sigil/symbol? I’m not sure I could pick one... but if I had to, I’d say the symbol for Awen.

79. Do you use blood magick in your practice? Why or why not? I’ve used blood in magic exactly twice. Once was in a dedication rite to The Hunter, and the other was to the Wylde Hunt. Both times it was blood from something like a paper cut or popped blister, whatever that was already available. I used it as a potent source of energy but also as a sympathetic tie to myself. Since I was dedicating myself to said entity, using it as a taglock made sense.

80. Could you ever be in a relationship with someone who doesn’t support your practice? Absolutely not. Thank you, next.

81. In what area or subject would you most like your craft to grow? I’m looking to pursue the OBOD’s further courses. I want to become a celebrant for the order and perform marriage, death, etc. rites for others within the order as well as those in the pagan community.

82. What’s your favorite candle scent? Do you use it in your practice? I love candles that smell like mulled spices or coffee or pumpkin. I don’t use them for magic, just for ambiance.

83. Do you have a pre-ritual ritual? (I.e. Something you do before rituals to prepare yourself for them). If so what is it? I ground and center before every ritual. Beyond that, I’m usually doing magic on the fly.

84. What real life witch most inspires your practice? Emma Restall-Orr, whom I’m not sure would identify as a witch. She’s technically a druid and author of various books and I love how gritty and honest and earthy what she shares is.

85. What is your favorite method of communicating with deity? I like to get somewhere quiet, and channel them through sort of automatic writing. I also frequently use visualization / meditation techniques to go to my sacred grove and speak with them there.

86. How do you like to organize all your witchy items and ingredients? What is this... organize you speak of? All spell components are in wee jars in a drawer. xD

87. Do you have any witches in your family that you know of? My mom was a practicing Wiccan when I was little, and my sister has interest in witchcraft.

88. How have you created your path? What is unique about it? Answered in my last post.

89. Do you feel you have any natural gifts or affinities (premonitions, hearing spirits, etc.) that led you toward the craft? If so what are they? I have a strange knack for vibing with plants/crystals/etc. and just knowing what they can be used for. I’ve also always had the ability to sort of see/hear things not there: spirits, fae, etc.

90. Do you believe you can initiate yourself or do you have to be initiated by another witch or coven? To be initiated implies you are entering into a group. The OBOD gives you the opportunity to initiate yourself if you aren’t close enough to a grove, but the point stands that it’s a ritual given to you by someone else. You can dedicate yourself to a specific path, but initiation implies you’re being included in something you once were not included in.

91. When you first started out in your path what was the first thing or things you bought? I’m pretty sure it was a new tarot deck, tbh. It’s been too long. I don’t remember.

92. What is the most spiritual or magickal place you’ve been? Answered in the last post: but Avebury, England.

93. What’s one piece of advice you’d give someone who is searching for their matron and patron deities? They aren’t necessary for a balanced and successful path. I know it can be weird not having a specific god/ddess but it’s really really really not necessary to find one right away to be able to have a successful practice.

94. What techniques do you use to ‘get in the zone’ for meditation? I dim the lights, drink some coffee or wine, get somewhere comfy, and put on some quiet music.

95. Did visualization come easily to you or did you have to practice at it? It used to come a lot more easily to me. I realized I was using it as sort of escapism and stopped, and have been building it back again.

96. Do you prefer day or night? Why? I prefer night. Everyone else is asleep and it gives me time and space to think and work on things without being disturbed.

97. What do you think is the best time and place to do spell work? The best time and place is when and where you need it most.

98. How did you feel when you cast your first circle? Did you stumble or did it go smoothly? We forgot to include a means of opening the circle in our first ritual’s notes. So... sort of a stumble.

99. Do you believe witchcraft gets easier with time and practice? Yes... and no. Because with time and practice, you come to find deeper things, and bigger truths. It builds upon itself.

100. Do you believe in many gods or one God with many faces? In my belief system, all gods are separate beings, but all a part of the Great Song of Creation that gives life to the universe.

101. Do you eat meat, eggs and dairy? I do! No restrictive diets here.

102. What is your favorite color and why? I can’t truthfully pick one. I’m fond of burgundy lately.

103. What is the one question you get asked most by non-practitioners or non-pagans? How do you usually respond? “I really like your necklace; what does that symbol mean?” To which I say “I got it at a renaissance festival; it’s supposed to represent the nine sisters of Morgen LeFay.” which seems to be an acceptable response.

104. Which of your five senses would you say is your strongest? Probably my sight.

105. What is a pagan or witchcraft rule that you preach but don’t practice? “Always cast a circle.” I recommend it for new folks, but I rarely ever actually cast one myself.

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