Bring on the Sun!

It's been cloudy, snowing and cold the last few days which leaves me yearning for the sun and the light. I found this poem on Adelina's blog 'Path of the Christian Witch' and thought it a wonderful way to bring the light inside - even if it is dark and dreary outside. I hope it shines a light in your dark places.

~ Canticle of the Sun ~
St. Francis of Assisi

Most high, all powerful, all good Lord!
All praise is yours, all glory, all honor, and all blessing.
To you, alone, Most High, do they belong.
No mortal lips are worthy to pronounce your name.

Be praised, my Lord, through all your creatures,
especially through my lord Brother Sun, who brings the day;
and you give light through him.
And he is beautiful and radiant in all his splendor!
Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness.

Be praised, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars;
in the heavens you have made them bright, precious and beautiful.

Be praised, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air,
and clouds and storms, and all the weather,
through which you give your creatures sustenance.

Be praised, My Lord, through Sister Water;
she is very useful, and humble, and precious, and pure.

Be praised, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
through whom you brighten the night.
He is beautiful and cheerful, and powerful and strong.

Be praised, my Lord, through our sister Mother Earth,
who feeds us and rules us,
and produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs.

Be praised, my Lord, through those who forgive for love of you;
through those who endure sickness and trial.
Happy those who endure in peace,
for by you, Most High, they will be crowned.

Be praised, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death,
from whose embrace no living person can escape.
Woe to those who die in mortal sin!
Happy those she finds doing your most holy will.
The second death can do no harm to them.

Praise and bless my Lord, and give thanks,
and serve him with great humility.

Candlemas/Imbolc

Imagine my delight and surprise when I realized that February 2nd is Candlemas! What a wonderful time time to usher in my new-found path with light to guide my way!

Candlemas marks the midpoint of winter - halfway between the shortest day at the Winter Solstice (December 21st) and Spring Equinox (March 20th). Also on this day is celebrated Imbolc, a festival marking the Goddess' cyclical change from Crone to Maiden. It's a time to celebrate the increased strength of the sun as winter is giving way to spring. It's time to pull out the seed catalogs and gardening journals and start dreaming about bountiful gardens and blooming flowers.

Candlemas commemorates the presentation, by Mary, of Jesus in the Temple, forty days after giving birth to him. Jesus, quite literally was and is, the light guiding us out of the darkness. It's a time to buy your candles for the coming year and do a blessing over them (I buy black and orange Samhain candles in the fall for the following year as it's hard to find them now). Here's a simple candle blessing ritual . . .

Candlemas
Candle Blessing Ritual
Items Needed - candles, annointing oil (I like Frankincense, Myrhh, Sandalwood, Cypress, Elemi, and Lavender in a blend)

Hold the candle in the centre with the wick towards you and rub the anointing oil into the wax starting at the middle of the candle, turning the candle deosil (clockwise) and work your way up to the top as you say:

Lord Jesus,
You are the Light of the world.
I praise You and ask You to guide my steps each day.
Help me to love You and serve You faithfully,
and to carry my daily cross with You.
Now turn the candle so that the base is towards you, holding it in the centre, rub the anointing oil into the wax starting again in the middle, turn the candle deosil (clockwise) and work your way up to the top as you say:

Bless this candle,
and let it always remind me
that You are my Light in the darkness,
my protector in danger,
and my saving Lord at all times.
Hold the candle between your hands and say:

Lord Jesus,
I praise You and give You glory,
for You are Lord for ever and ever.
Amen.
And so this Candlemas I'm going to begin the day with pancakes (representing the sun), I'm going to a Vision Board Party (how serendipitous is that?), and I'm going to clean out the fireplace and enjoy a fire with my hubby contemplating our hopes for the year. And when I lay my head down to go to sleep, I'm going to offer a prayer to the God and Goddess, Jesus and Mary, thanking them for all the blessings in my life and for all the things I'm grateful for . . .

The Path of a Christian Witch

I just finished reading this wonderful book called 'The Path of a Christian Witch' by Adelina St. Clair. She blends together beautifully Christian and Pagan beliefs and traditions. I found myself saying 'yes!' on more than one occasion and crying softly in others. She gets it!

And so begins my journey as a Christian Witch. This seemingly antagonist term brings together those things that mean the most to me spiritually - my love for Jesus and my love of nature and the Divine Feminine. And so begins my year-and-a-day on this new path. Time to clean up the old altars that have been sitting gathering dust; time to rearrange and reorganize my sanctuary; time to go through my mountains of books with new eyes; and time to make time for what's important - developing my spirituality.

And so along with the Sacred Masculine and Divine Feminine (God/Goddess) and my deities (Jesus and Mary Magdalene) and a host of Angels, Saints and Spirit Guides, I begin a new pilgrimage full of hope and wonder and excitement. And it seems I'm not alone (although I already knew that). There have been guideposts along the way. Like the old picture I found of Jesus in a thrift shop. Like the angels whispering sweet nothings in my ear. Like the picture of Mary Magdalene I found just today. Like the angel statue I found kneeling down offering me a candle to light my way.

And so with renewed vigor I put one step in front of the other . . . and I'm on my way.

Next on my Reading List - "The Expected One" by Kathleen McGowan.

Living in the Light

As an Energy Worker I'm very aware that Universal Life-Force energy is available to anyone who asks for it and that it does not belong to one particular religion or tradition. And in this context, I became what I believed to be true - neutral. And well, honestly, I was afraid of people finding out that I was Wiccan. This left a big hole where my soul should have been. I've been walking around for months in what seems like a coma.

And then there's this person called Jesus. He's been part of my life ever since I can remember and he's been with me at several pivotal points in my life - sitting right there next to me - so real that I could reach out and touch him. So how can I, who feels his presence so profoundly, shut him out of my life? The answer is simply - I can't. I need him and I want him to be part of my life. Period.

And so how do I incorporate Jesus into what is essentially my Pagan life? I'm looking for those answers now and I believe it could be in the form of Christian Wicca. I know, I know, there can be no such thing. Or can there? I'm finding out . . .

I'm reading a book now called 'Jesus through Pagan Eyes' by Reverend Mark Townsend. Even though I'm in the beginning chapters, it's making so much sense! He's separating the historical Jesus from the Christ made up by the church. They're two different people you see. I want to know the historical Jesus. The real man. The man who laughed, cried and fell in love - who in fact taught love. Plain and simple. No dogma, no doctrine, no thou shall and shall not. Just love. To love and be loved. I believe Jesus's message was pure and to the point. That's the Jesus I want to know.

And I want to keep the Wicca I choose to follow - that of the Goddess (the Divine feminine), the Earth, and the spirituality of Wicca. This is what feels good in my heart. This is what brings me to that place of peace and calm. That connection with nature and the moon and the seasons.

And so on this path towards Christian Wicca I'm sure I'll fall, stumble, maybe even fall off a cliff or two, but I'll keep moving forward and listening to the one who guides me, who watches over me and who loves me . . . no matter what craziness I put him through!

Happy Mabon!

I'm off to Canada this coming Wednesday and will be gone through to the 25th so I wanted to wish everyone a Happy and Blessed Mabon and if you're looking for a simple, yet meaningful, Mabon Ritual visit the 'Sabbats and Esbats Ritual Pages'.

I leave you with pictures of my Mabon altar . . .

Burnin' Up the House!

Well, not exactly, but I am doing a lot of burning! I've discovered a new hobby in Wood Burning and have been busy burning any and all pieces of wood I have stored away in my basement art studio . . . and there is plenty to be found!

I've decided I like wood burning so much that I've opened a new Etsy shop to share my wood burning aspirations with you. Check it out and hopefully you'll find something you like!

The Morrigan

Hello and Merry Meet everyone!

You might be a little startled by the title of this post . . . but fear not! Lately I've been feeling a little off-balance. It's almost like I'm ignoring a side of me that I'd rather not deal with. I call it the shadow self. And it seems that this shadow self of mine wants to come out and play. Who can blame her . . . it's pretty cool out here!

I've been very drawn to the Arthurian legends the last few days and wasn't quite sure what to make of it. The book in the Marion Zimmer Bradley series that keeps making itself present is the 'Mists of Avalon'. If you're familiar with this book then you know all about the Morrigan, the half sister of Arthur. And it seems that the Morrigan wants to play with me and has been showing herself to me in various ways. One of those ways is bringing into my hands a book called 'Celtic Lore and Spellcraft of the Dark Goddess' by Stephanie Woodfield. I've just begun to read it and am making my way through Celtic lore in order to have a better understanding of this goddess.

Most people say that it's not wise to work with this goddess, but I have a different feeling about her. I'm not afraid, although I will give her the respect she deserves certainly. Rather, I'm fascinated by her. By her power, strength and confidence and by her 'kick you in the butt' get going attitude. I like that. I've been lackadaisical in the Craft and am in much need of some butt-kicking. Although I have a feeling that she's also gentle and kind and will hold out her hand to help me up when I've fallen down . . . provided I don't whine about the falling.

I have to say I feel stronger, more focused and determined than I have of late and although I haven't officially begun my work with her, I feel that she's already by my side, helping me out, showing me the way.

And so, I have Mary on the one side and the Morrigan on the other. Not a bad combo wouldn't you say?

Elemental Rosary Prayer

Hello and Merry Meet everyone!

I'm full of anticipation awaiting the arrival of my new rosary. It is being custom made by Jayne Wood of Infinite Spirit who makes the most divine traditional and non-traditional rosaries. I have a few custom rosaries by Jayne, one being my Goddess Rosary and the other my pink quartz lotus mala. I love both of them and use them frequently.

My new Rosary is an homage to the elements and a wonderful rosary if you follow a nature-based path as I do. So while I wait patiently for my rosary to arrive, I went ahead and created a prayer to go with it. It is adapted from several poems from different authors, notably Dorothy Morrison, Ralph Metzner and a lovely young woman called Kamonra.

I hope you enjoy using this prayer and be sure to check out Jayne's site at the link above. I'll be posting pictures of my new Rosary here and on the Rosary blog once I get my hands on it!

Pentacle Rosary by Jayne Wood, Infinite Spirit

Elemental Altar

Hello and Merry Meet everyone! I hope you're all finding your way over here to my new blog from 'I Heart the Goddess'. I had an URL from Godaddy that unfortunately has lapsed because I didn't want to renew it and so it's not available to view online anymore. Ah well, out with the old, in with the new!

I've been struggling spiritually for about the last six weeks and have been attending mass with my friend hoping to find what I seemingly lost. I even went so far as to think of joining the Catholic church. Chalk it up to menopause, the realization of a past life experience and the fact that I really haven't been acting upon my faith as a Wiccan. Realizing that I have not been following through with Sabbatt and Esbat rituals and it's no wonder I feel empty and lost.

So, with this newfound realization, I am, so to speak, back in the saddle. I am planning a Blue Moon ritual for August 31st (the second moon of this month) and am also planning for Mabon. My altar will begin it's transformation towards the end of this month and I'm planning on making a Mabon thanksgiving upon my return from Canada at the end of September. A few days late, but still celebrating the Sabbatt.

I'm also connecting with the elements. I'm spending more time outside and today I'm even going to the pool to hang out in the sun and water. My spirit is saying (actually it's yelling) YES! I've also created an elemental altar in my kitchen window. I've put some stones there that I gathered from Sedona, creating a cairn. I have a crystal quartz cluster that I received in my Reiki class. I also have an angel that a new friend gave me at the end of our time together in Sedona. And, I'm having a new Elemental Rosary made (more on that in another post).

I'm feeling better than I have in weeks and all because I've reconnected to my true path. I had wound myself up so tightly thinking that going back to church and becoming something I'm not would feed my soul. I was wrong. What feeds my soul is what I've been doing for the last two years. Only now I realize that the Goddess has called me to action. No more laying around thinking about doing ritual or saying prayers. It's time to break out the candles, incense and athame and put myself to rights . . . and for this I am truly blessed!