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Boys will be boys

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The Promise of Spring - Imbolc for Secular Witches

I am the spark before the fire From winter’s cold, I do inspire I am the promise of the Spring I am the tiniest of flames

-Kelliana, “Brighid’s Flame”

As we begin to come to the end of (an unseasonably warm) January, a tiny candle flame appears on the horizon. The beginning of February is marked by a number of “signs of spring” holidays, among them Candlemas, the Feast of St. Brighid, Groundhog Day, and of course, Imbolc.

Now, depending on where you live, Imbolc (or Imbolg) and the Feast of St. Brighid may be celebrated sort of interchangeably. In Ireland, the day is called Lá Fhéile Bríde and it is as much a celebration of an old Gaelic festival halfway between the solstices as it is a celebration for the nation’s other favorite saint. 

The religious and spiritual significance of the holiday is very entwined with the traditional activities we often see depicted online. The reed crosses, the dollies, the ceremonies, the offerings of oatmeal and milk - all of this is wonderful, but it can leave secular witches feeling left out in the cold.

So what’s a witch to do?

The main importance of the holiday, apart from venerating the blessed Brighid or the unconquered Sun, is hope. The glimmer of new beginnings, the warm hearth in the midst of winter, and the promise of renewal with the coming spring. It is a time to evaluate where you are, to determine what can or should be cleansed from your life, and to begin planning your way forward.

If you’re inclined to divination, cast your fortune for the coming season. Contemplate your path to personal growth. What obstacles are in your path? What is holding you back from flowering and how can you either conquer it or work around it? Where would you like to see yourself this year? What changes do you need to make?

Take a day to focus on self-care. Winter darkness can be hard on those of us with depression or Seasonal Affective Disorder (amongst other things). A day spent doing things that make you feel happy, healthy, and fulfilled can buoy your spirits and help get you through that winter slump. Have a home spa day. Watch your favorite movies and eat your favorite foods. Curl up with a good book. Or, if you’re socially inclined, have an outing with friends or loved ones. Visit a favorite shop or cafe. Go see a movie. Plan a date with your sweetie or your bestie. Reconnect with yourself and with the wider world in a way that brings you comfort and joy.

Start on your spring cleaning projects. It’s a bit soon to begin airing out the house, despite the January warm spell (thanks a lot, climate change), but you can still begin clearing the clutter. Organize a closet or plow through one of those projects you’ve been putting off. Scrub down your kitchen and/or bathroom - they ALWAYS need it - or clean out the fridge. Do a few loads of laundry, or just pick up whatever clutter is keeping your space from feeling relaxed and harmonious. If you’ve been saying you’ll get around to it, consider this your Round Tuit.

If you’ve got a green thumb, start planning your spring planting. The gardening catalogs are starting to show up in mailboxes, and they can be treasure troves of inspiration. Places like Seed Savers and Burpee will even send you a free catalog if you just want to have a look. Look back on last year’s garden. What worked? What didn’t? What do you want to try growing again, and what new and exciting plants would you like to try?

Start a new project. If you’re crafty with yarn and textiles, make a stashbuster project with the odds and ends you’ve got sitting around. If you’re a maker of shiny things, pick up that special piece you’ve been waiting to work with and make something gorgeous. Brainstorm ideas for new artwork or sculpture or costuming. Fill a few pages in your sketchbook. Fiddle around with some writing prompts and see what happens, or pull out that old piece you’ve been meaning to finish. Find a creative outlet and let the ideas flow.

And if you can, watch the sun rise. There is nothing quite like the light of dawn on Imbolc day. There’s something peaceful about it. The sun seems to wink at you through the early morning clouds, as if to say, “Soon.”

Happy Imbolc, everyone!

[tomcalt]

Nineteen Flames For Brigid

Excerpt from “Tending Brigid’s Flame” by Lunaea Weatherstone

This prayer litany can be done all at once or over nineteen nights. You can offer one prayer each night or do it “Twelve Days of Christmas” style: on the first night, offer Flame 1′s prayer, on the second night offer the prayers for Flames 1 and 2, and so on until on the last night you offer all nineteen. However you get there, when you’ve lit that final flame, remember that Brigid holds the twentieth flame, which is eternal.

Flame 1: Wisdom

Brigid of brightness, I bid thee welcome, Brigid of blessing, come thou in. Brigid of strength, I bid thee welcome, This night and every night, this day and every day.

Flame 2: Hearth and Household

Brigid of the threshold, come thou in, Brigid of the hearthfire, take your ease, Brigid of the cook-pot, sup with us, Brigid of all comforts, live in our hearts.

Flame 3: Ancestors

Ancestors all, I embody your legacy, Ancestors all, I ask for your blessing, Ancestors all, I offer Brigid’s flame To light the needfires of deep memory.

Flame 4: Flamekeeper

Brigid of the timeless flame, bless your [children]: Those who keep the circle bright, Those whose faith has never failed, Those who keep your name ablaze.

Flame 5: Healing

Brigid of the holy waters, Brigid of the soothing hand, Brigid of the miracles, Touch me with healing.

Flame 6: Poetry

Brigid of lore, deepen my understanding, Brigid of bards, increase my eloquence, Brigid of poetry, lead me to beauty, Brigid of word and beauty of thought.

Flame 7: Courage

Brigid of the golden shield, Brigid of courage, Brigid of the sunbeam, Increase thou my trust.

Flame 8: Righteous Causes

Brigid, lend your righteous sword To those who work for justice, To those who speak the truth, To those who seek a better world.

Flame 9: The Oppressed

In the name of Brigid, who empowers the oppressed, In the name of Brigid, who released the enslaved, In the name of Brigid, who lifts up the downtrodden, May all her people be honored and free.

Flame 10: Children

Brigid the midwife, bless every birth, Brigid foster mother, protect every child, Brigid of springtime, bestow on each childhood The innocence of wonder and the magic of joy.

Flame 11: Women’s Causes

Mighty Brigid, your keening women call to you: Strengthen our voice, Strengthen our resolve, Strengthen our sisterhood.

Flame 12: The Earth

Brigid, preserve this planet, The stones and the seas and the skies. Brigid, spread your green mantle For the greening of the earth.

Flame 13: Animals

Brigid, protect the earth’s animals, The fish and the beasts and the bird. Brigid, shelter your creatures As your sheep shelter lambs from the wind.

Flame 14: Water

Brigid of the clear dewdrop, Brigid of the pure wellspring, Brigid of the pool of knowledge, Teach us to honor the gift of water.

Flame 15: Creativity

Bright Brigid, flame of creation, Kindle my enthusiasm, Fire up my passion, Ignite my imagination.

Flame 16: Nourishment

Brigid of the overflowing milk, Brigid of the good brown loaf, Brigid of the endless butter, May all beings be nourished.

Flame 17: Peace

Peace of the swan and peace of the [cattle], Peace of the hearth and peace of the open door, Peace between neighbors and peace between nations, The deep peace of Brigid within.

Flame 18: Gratefulness

Brigid, I thank thee three-times-three: For my birth, my body, my spirit, For my kin, my clan, my tribe, For my home, my work, my knowledge of thee.

Flame 19: The Three Flames of Brigid

May the hearthfire of welcome warm me, May the temple fire of faith sustain me, May the forge fire of change strengthen me, And Brigid’s love encompass me, now and evermore.

[Note: Some words have been changed.]

[tomcalt]

If your SO can't make a decision about where to eat, play the 5-2-1 game. You give them 5 restaurants, they pick two, and you pick from those.

My gf of 3 years is the queen of “wherever” and “I don’t care” when it comes to this. This little game fixed our problem immediately. It takes the pressure off of her, but still gives her a choice about where to eat.

(this can also work with kids and indecisive friends)

[tomcalt]

Leo - Magical Me

Larger than life and proud and precocious, Gilderoy Lockhart fulfils many archetypal Leo qualities. The most striking is magic. We have the sun in our sights more than any other cosmic figure, and this relates closely with the public appearance, fame and inspiration. It’s why we see so much of Leos. When Meister Eckhart was asked, ‘what does God do all day?,’ he answered, ‘God gives birth. God is creating the whole universe at this present moment’. This is the continual effusion of Leo, like solar illumination turned inward in a constant exhibition of cosmic inspiration and creation. They play with thoughts, ideas, visions, and spectrums on a psychic palette. It seems to give a capacity to manifest the inner world and become the centre of the universe. Leo thoughts and dreams can really come true. So can disaster and catastrophe. This power is there, and they often long recognise this ability, but find it difficult to put their finger on.

Leos style of interaction with the universe brings grand mental images and symphonies to life. They design alluring eye candy to captivate the onlooker and bring them into a brand new scene of existence. J.K Rowling, the creator of Gilderoy Lockhart, is joined by an impressive heritage of Leos. This is such as Tom Robbins, Beatrix Potter, Emily Bronte, Enid Blyton, Herman Melville, to name a few, whose creative influence sparked worlds of magic with the wand of words. It’s also why children are so drawn to the Leo’s presence, a child’s boundless imagination set free in an adult’s body with the resources to make real. Leos believe in the magic all surrounding and within them. They believe so they can see, and it’s not naivety, because Fire is skeptical by nature. It’s subtle, interactive, intuitive, and grand. It can be felt and touched with the senses, the sixth being a precognitive phenomena - ‘thought manifestation’, cinematic portraits of marvellous art, images, and landscapes painted into reality like a canvas, a certain ‘knowing’ about people’s backgrounds or trauma upon meeting them.  The company of Leo can be like attending magic school. You begin to see the world with brand new eyes and cast spells with the mind. You re-learn to view everything as you once did, before you were told to grow up.

Cherry

[tomcalt]

So I work at a library and about a month ago I helped a little old woman who is legally blind figure out how to listen to our audiobooks on her tablet. We got to chatting and I mentioned that I always listen to audiobooks while I knit, which made her very excited and she told me all about the afghans she used to make when she could still see. She was so sweet and I was so glad to be able to help her figure out a way to still enjoy books without being able to read.

Yesterday I answered the phone at work and when I said my name the woman on the other line got so excited and said “Madeline?? You’re exactly who I wanted to talk to! This is Marie Brandon, you helped me about a month ago. How late are you working today?” It was her!! And about an hour later she and her husband showed up, and she was carrying a huge stack of old knitting patterns for me, and her husband brought in a few boxes full of yarn. They couldn’t stay long but I was so touched that she remembered me, and I struggled to not just flat out start crying when she handed me the patterns. When I looked through them later I realized it was her entire personal collection from over the years, including all her personal notes and drawings and even some photographs of her finished pieces. No one in my family knits, and to have someone pass on their legacy to me like that was incredibly moving.

This isn’t what I usually post here, but with life being especially dark lately I wanted to share a moment of happiness and a reminder that a bit of kindness goes a long way ♡

[tomcalt]

I installed a ‘Relationship Saving Station’ at Ikea to help keep couples from fighting.

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- @jistring

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Screams

Into the void

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A stranded rusałka’s guide to; connecting with the old ones

So, this has come up as a subject in the Slavic discord (you should totally join, it is a wonderful place). I have had a number of people ask me what it is I do to connect to the old ones, how do I reach out. So I have decided to make a post, and maybe give a few examples.

Disclaimer; I am by no means some omnipotent being who knows everything and has everything figured out. This is just what I do, based off research, conversations with others and personal experience.

First of all… Pray. A lot of people don’t like that word. For a lot of people, it is a word associated with mindlessly repeating words that are not our own to appease a distant diety. That is not what I mean. Talk to them. The old ones always listen. When I talk to them… I tell them secrets; I tell them about the annoyances and fears. I tell them the mundane; like when I feel low and lonely because the sky is grey and gloomy. The big; like that I am afraid of the shadows the talk to me. And everything in between.

Another way I have found much love for is dedicating my creativity to the old ones. Write, draw, sing and dance. The old ones do not care if you are a professional. Your devotion is enough. The effort and intention counts.

Maintaining an altar for the old ones is a very good way to connect to the old ones; it has the virtue of being as simple or as complex as you wish it to be. You can make it as personal as you wish, decorate it with fruits and flora of the season, your own craft, candles, crystals… Cloths etc. It can be as small as a tin box with a candle light and some leaves, if you have to hide your beliefs or simply don’t have the space. Tending to your altar, adding to it and changing it up is a wonderful exercise of connecting with the old ones.

Along that note, making offerings is another very good way. I have found many people around me struggle to come up with fitting offerings so I will suggest some down below. I personally like to use blood (normally own) as an offering to the two old ones I communicate with most often, as well as baked goods and different flora. Those are rather universal offerings, and can be used in addition/mixed in with other things. So here are a few examples of offerings and altar decorations I make and use;

Morana; dog rose, lilies, poppies, chrysanthemum, crow and raven feathers, fresh blood, bones (I like to use bones from my meals), graveyard dirt, black and white candles, obsidian, labradorite, dried fruits, velvet, rag dolls, pieces of paper with things I’m afraid of

Veles; pine cones, willow leaves, daisies, coins, bear or cattle statuettes, black, grey, and green candles, song lyrics, sheet music, drawings quartz, emerald, lightning stones, most fabrics really, apples, blueberries, raspberries, herbs, incense, secrets I’m not supposed to tell anyone written down on things like napkins, pieces of fabric etc.

Mokosh; roses, lavender, chicken feathers, flowery materials (such as shawls and table cloths), phallic statues and imagery, knitted handywork, locks of hair, sweet foodstuffs, red, brown, white and purple candles, interestingly shaped pebbles, carnelian, drawings, daily matters, such as things I need to remember organised on a list

Perun; oak leaves, nuts, steel, blue and white candles, silk, fresh produce such as bread and spiced meats, leather, celestite, sapphire, lightning imagery, white feathers,

Jarilo; any and all flowers, knives and daggers, braided bread (I’m not sure what it’s called in English), wreaths, strawberries, oranges, scented candles, essential oils, quotes that inspire courage, dove/hare statuettes, blood, straw dolls, dyed cotton fabrics, soldier figurines

[tomcalt]

slavic mythology asks

Perun: the sky tears open with thunder - are you scared or are you one with the storm?

Veles: someone breaks a promise that meant everything to you - what do you do?

Jarilo: the spring came and with it the memories - which spring do you remember best and why?

Morana: the time of your death has come but you are given a choice - how do you want to go?

Mokosh: a plant grows on your grave after you die, carrying a piece of your soul - what plant would it be?

Svarog: summer's sun burns your skin and breaks your heart - which summer do you regret the most?

Zorja Utrennjaja: you open your eyes to the delicate light of dawn - what is the first thing you think about?

Zorja Vechernjaja: the sky is dark and the air sweet - what pleasure do you long for?

Leshy: you walk through a forest filled with whispers and hungry eyes - do you stray from the path?

Baba Yaga: the night is heavy and bitter - what is the worst nightmare you ever had?

Topielec: you wade in water on a quiet evening - is it a lake, a river, or maybe sea?

Żmij: you see before you a creature of hundred eyes and sly smiles - do you banish it or befriend it?

[tomcalt]

Mokosh

The primeval Slavic goddess. Believed to be the first strictly personified goddess in Russian history, Mokosh was a goddess of the waters of life, the earth (especially fertility in the earth) fate and spinning. Later, she evolved into more “feminine” dominions, and the people dismissed some of her vastness, setting her up to be more as an example for women than as a sacred and awe-inspiring deity. Worship and recognition of her has increased rapidly in the past 20 years over many parts of Russia.

[tomcalt]

Mokoš (Old Russian Мокошь) is a Slavic goddess mentioned in the Primary Chronicle, protector of women’s work and women’s destiny.She watches over spinning and weaving, shearing of sheep, and protects women in child birth. Mokosh is the handmaiden of Mat Zemlya.

Archeological evidence of Mokosh dates back to the 7th century BC. As late as the 19th century, she was worshipped as a force of fertility and the ruler of death. Worshipers prayed to Mokosh-stones or breast-shaped boulders that held power over the land and its people. In Eastern Europe and especially in modern day Russia, Mokosh is still popular as a powerful life giving force and protector of women. Villages are named after her. She shows up in embroidery, represented as a woman with uplifted hands and flanked by two plow horses.Sometimes she is shown with male sexual organs, as the deity in charge of male potency

[tomcalt]

Goddess Embroidery

[tomcalt]

slavic goddesses

women: the softest creatures with the strongest bite

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Mokosh (Мокошь)

Mokosh is a protector of women and a Slavic goddess of life. She weaves people’s fates and her milk falls to the ground in form of rain. After Christianization, Mokosh was identified with Saint Paraskeva and Virgin Mary, but many people worshipped her even then.

Mokosh is pregnant every year in the early spring, so it is taboo to spit on or strike the ground. The festival dedicated to this goddess is celebrated on the Friday that falls between 25th October and 1st November and women are not allowed to work on this day. Disregard of this rule may bring on blindness or turn you into a frog. You can honour Mokosh by embroidering your clothes with her image. The more, the better.

It is very advisory to bind your oaths by touching the ground, swallow lump of soil to consecrate wedding vows and confess your sins into a hole in the ground instead of a priest. If you ever want to get more of Mokosh’s blessing, sacrifice to her you food, flax sheaves and skeins of wool. You can also sacrifice to her a ceremonial embroidered towel. Be careful about it, though, because it might get you pregnant.