Already tired of the heat of the summer? Tired of long days and short nights, sweltering sun and unpredictable and humid summer storms? Already looking forward to the cooler months, to crisp evenings and warm scarves? Delicious gifts of joy and cheer?
So am I! So that's why I'm so excited to announce a winter writing project that is int he works - Magical Musings and Memories: a joint compilation of holiday cheer."
My good friend Vickie over at Aoibheal's Lair invited me, as well as a group of her wonderful lady friends to contribute to Magical Musings. Her idea is for all of us to include holiday memories, crafts, recipes, poetry, and other fun, exciting, and jolly articles and art projects. What a great idea!
I'm excited to be invited to contribute to a fun project like this, and I'm excited for the friendships and connections that will be made throughout this process. The holiday season might be just under six months away, but there's no reason to not get started now!
So check out "Magical Musings and Memories: a joint compilation of holiday cheer" on these various media platforms, spread the good tidings, and see you over there in December!
Last
night with a sparkler in each hand, I drew huge banishing spirals into the air,
thinking about the year that had just passed.
“Out with the old” I whispered,
over and over again.
When
the time felt right, I reversed my spirals, spinning inward, with the hopes to
bring luck and love to me in 2014.
“In with the new!”
As
the sparklers began to burn out out I went crazy with my magic, dancing and looping
large streaks of burning color into the air.
“Out with the old, in with the new, out
with the old, in with the new, out with the old, in with the new!”
When
the light finally died, I released my intentions into the cosmos with a cheer. “Happy New Year!” My friends, enjoying
their own magical moment of sparklers and nighttime joy, shouted with me. “Happy New Year!”
That
was my last bit of magic for 2013, and my first bit of magic for 2014. Not bad
for a year of intense ritual experiences and divine revelations… I’m not much
of a resolution type person, but I really hope 2014 has just as much magic as
2013, if not more. 13 is a witch’s number, and I’d really say that 2013 was the
Year of the Witch for me, but 4 is my number, and I’m really hoping that 2014
is The Year of The Space Witch.
Last
night, home and slightly tipsy from champagne, I drew a card from my new deck,
gifted to me from a dear witch friend. For this first reading of a brand new
deck, Le Tarot des Femmes Erotiques, I drew the seven of pentacles. “Wait for
the Moment” it tells me. Whereas 2013 Space Witch would have been annoyed and
impatient, 2014 Space Witch is wise and understanding. I recognize the advice
to wait wait wait as the current
theme in my life.
Wait.
The Cosmos have been telling me for months. For years. Wait. Now is not the
time.
So
I get my seeds and soil ready and I wait and do all the work I can for when the
time is right, because I know when the time comes I need to be ready.
Wait.
So
I started the day of 2014 with some more magic, making monkey bread and bacon
and drinking champagne. (The Space Witch is a classy witch, for sure.) As I
roll balls of dough I whisper into the food “Out
with the old, in with the new, out with the old, in with the new, out with the
old, in with the new!” I add a pinch of nutmeg for divine inspiration,
cloves for a spicy kick, and cinnamon for an extra oomph. I can’t wait for this
hot, goey, breakfast treat. So of course I take it out of the oven too quickly.
The inside is still raw. “Wait!” the
Cosmos remind me with my uncooked breakfast.
Oh
yeah. Right. Maybe I still have some work to do on this whole patience thing, after all...
And
later we get to enjoy pork loin, cabbage, and black eyed peas. I do live in the
South, after all, and I can use all the luck I can get, and black eyed peas are
lucky indeed. I’ll probably give some to the nature and land spirits later, or
to the house wights.
But
today isn’t just the New Year. No! It’s the new moon as well! How fortuitous!
So I’m thinking about making some incense or oil later today, too. Maybe
tonight with the darkness is deep and the night is cold.
The
oil will be a mix of lavender, jasmine, sandalwood, cypress, and myrrh. The incense
perhaps a bit complicated as I work out the perfect recipe. But I’m hopefully
for the magic of this day to carry me through the next year, to capture it into
a little jar of scent and energy.
2013
was rough for many people, and 2014 won’t be without its challenges. But aren’t
you so excited?
It’s
been a long time since I’ve had either the interest or energy to send holiday
cards. When I managed the coffee shop I was just too busy and tired and crabby
to even consider it. And of course being in school is also a valid excuse to be
lazy, right? But this year I decided I’d try to put forth more of an effort to
get into the holiday spirit, so I’m sending holiday cards.
I’m
already ahead of the game (slightly) because at some point a few years ago my
husband and I bought boxes and boxes of cards so we have a lot to use. That
means I didn’t have to go shopping for cards, which is great because who has
time for that?
I
did have to go through my address list (still the same list that we used when
we sent out wedding announcements in 2007). So I had to edit the list some,
changing some last names because of divorces or marriages, adding some names
and addresses as my friends and family continue to grow, and sadly deleting
some addresses because I’ve lost touch with a few people or because of deaths
over the years
Then
I sat down this morning and turned on my “White Christmas” playlist on Pandora
(told you I was putting forth extra effort) and I addressed each envelope and
added our return address. (Which has prompted me to buy some address labels
because this is ridiculous.) Of course I spent too much time matching the
perfect cards with the perfect people, paying attention to flashiness, glitter,
modesty, religious content, potential political messages, etc.
As
I wrote a message in each and every card, I realized that this shouldn’t be a
mechanical process. When I write “Hope you all have a magical holiday season
and many blessings in the new year”, I really mean that. After all, I’m a
minister and a priestess. When I write or wish “blessings”, it’s not just a
random word I’m throwing around. I really do wish these people (and others!)
blessings for the new year. 2013 was very hard on many people, and I hope 2014
is better. You all could use all the blessings you can get!
As
a witch, wishing someone Christmas Magic might have the potential to be
something special. I’m not really casting spells or charms on my Christmas
cards in a traditional sense, but regardless of one’s background and current
practices, this holiday season holds special meaning for many people. Even when
I was conducting group therapy up at the state psyche hospital, one of the
girls said rather dreamily “Christmas is just so magical.” And she is right, I
think. It is magical.
Christmas
Magic is a special type of magic, so when I write “I hope you have a magical
Christmas” perhaps maybe I’m adding just a little bit of magic into the world. Some
of my cards are going to family members I haven’t seen in years and years, and
others are going to friends I see every day. But that doesn’t mean that they
all can’t enjoy some extra magic this holiday season, or that they won’t benefit
from some extra blessings in 2014.
So
quiet unexpectedly, writing holiday cards became an act of magic and intention
for me this morning. I turned on the lights on my tree. I lit some candles. I turned
up the Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby. I got comfortable with a cozy sweater and
I wrote holiday cards, sending out a little bit of magic and a few little
blessings to those I love and those I have loved.
Because
regardless of one’s practices and beliefs, we could all use a little something
something extra this season.
