Merry Christmas

Welcome Winter

Wishing you a warm and wonderful winter solstice.

Have a magical day.

Warm Wishes for a Wonderful Samhain and a Happy Halloween

Another Crone to share

I am the one who weaves the strands of your destiny and inner wisdom into the rich tapestry of Life. I am the one who says always honor Me by being true to yourself at all times and by having the courage to walk with Me.

Another Day, Another Crone

"I am one whose wisdom is ancient and timeless. I am one who understands the place of suffering and joy in life, and sees that they are two sides of the same coin - they are both what we pay for our passage. I am one who is filled with love for humanity and for Mother Earth. I am one whose knowledge is deep and strong. I am wise."

For the mid point of October I share one version of the Charge of the Crone.

Charge of the Crone

Hear the words of the Grandmother of Time:
She who has been known as
Hecate, Erishkagel, Cerridwen, Kali-Ma,
Anna, Perenna, Spider Woman,
and many other names
– some feared, and some loved,
but none ever ignored.
She it is who brings wisdom and
the awareness of eternity.

She has been the Maiden, and remembers that joy.
She has been the Mother, and recalls that pleasure.
But age has changed her,
and taught her the mysteries of
the Wheel that is ever turning,
the Wheel that is life, death, and rebirth.
She is the whirling tornado, the erupting volcano,
the rising tidal wave, the trembling of the
earth’s crust.

With age comes an understanding of the past,
and a glimpse of the future.
For, in the turning of the Wheel,
the past is the future,
and the future is the past.
She is the Learned One, the Teacher,
the Bringer of Inevitable Change.

She is the Dark of the Moon, the Hidden One,
the invisible unknown that lies ahead.
But do not fear her for she is not malicious,
and her touch, however harsh, is love.

Only in ignorance is she scorned and reviled.
Those who do not know her,
parody her as the ugly old woman
whose powers were said to blight crops
and sour the milk in the cow.
It is fear that turns her age into abomination,
her wrinkles into hideous deformity,
and her voice into an evil and manipulative cackle.
For those who sought power over the earth were afraid
to face her wisdom and her unalterable truth.

But in the old days, we sat at her feet to learn the most ancient lore.
From her came the knowledge of the healing herbs, and the chants and songs that shaped our lives.
She sat in honor at our councils, our marketplaces, in our homes.
She governed our governing, and interpreted our laws.
She gave focus to our changing seasons.
She was our teacher, our oracle, our promise of rebirth.

Come, honor her as of old,
listen now to the words of Wise One,
the ancient Seer, the Crone!

A Crone for the Day

Behold the Crone... 

Dancer of Time 

Completion of the Sacred Cycle 

She Who is Wisdom 

Beloved, respected and feared 

Honored as Grandmother, Ancestress and Hag 

In the end ~ there is beginning, 

Death brings Birth, Life renews through Her 

Behold the Crone, Dancer of Time 

Mother of worlds, Maiden of re-birth, 

Child of the next generation 

Dancing through Time 

She Who cuts the cords…Of life and death, 

Grandmother of all 

The Crone comes…….. 

Silently, powerfully, relentlessly 

Crossing space and time, 

Holding the threads of life and death, 

Mistress of endings and beginnings 

Speaking through elders 

I am the Crone…. 

The Grandmothers….The Wisdom of Age…. 

I am Hecate, I am Kali, I am the Eternal One 

I cross space and time, 

Holding the threads of life and death, 

Mistress of endings and beginnings 

I am completion of the Cycle 

Maiden….. Mother….. Crone..... 

I have come as the Goddess, 

And in me... all life renews 

All things are possible 

The Crone comes dancing 

Silently, powerfully, relentlessly, 

To all 

by Abby Willowroot

Another Day another Crone.

The Crone is a symbol of inherent wisdom that comes from experience. She has lived through love, sorrow, hope, and fear, coming out of it all a wise and confident spirit. Through these experiences she has learned the secrets of life and death and of the mysteries beyond this world.

And a little hand embroidered piece to decorate during the Samhain season, I plan to make her into a little sachet filling her with rosemary for remembrance.

October 2nd another Crone image

Affirmation of the Crone

Ancient Crone,
You are the source of eternal knowledge
That leads to the completion of the spirit.
Let my soul seek your lessons,
And strive to understand your mysteries.
I will not fear the darkness
For I know you wait for me within it.

Use this affirmation to seek the wisdom of the Crone within yourself.

Welcome October

I plan to post images of the Crone throughout the month of October. As we go deeper into the darker months of autumn and winter what better way to honor those days then with beautiful images of the crone.

The Crone or dark mother is the last aspect of the Triple Goddess, together with the Mother and the Maiden she represents part of the circle of life. This aspect is the most often misunderstood of the three as she represents our destruction, decay and death. Here, as in nature, the death of Winter is followed by the promise of rebirth in the Spring. Her color is black and she is associated with the waning or new moon, Autumn and Winter.
In her positive aspect she is often depicted as a Grandmother, a wise woman, or a midwife. The word Crone is derived from the old word for crown, suggesting the wisdom that emanates from the head like a halo. Her own child baring days are past; she is the wisdom keeper, seer and healer and midwife, whose knowledge is sought out to guide others during life's hardships and transitions. 
Today as woman live longer they have grown to reclaim their power. The Crones encourage us to be wild and free, they show us the strength and courage within us all.

All kinds of stitching going on

I have be slowly plugging away on my Greenwoman #2 hand embroidery piece, in between days

when I let my fingers rest from pushing the needle through fabric I pull out my trusty crochet projects this one below is for my sister and is just a granny square using Lion Brand Mandala yarn in the Spirit colorway.  I was too lazy to open up the entire afghan because I usually loose several stitches

This is 4 cakes of yarn and measures from the foot of my queen bed to right where the pillows start so far.  This one should be finished soon.  The other crochet project I have going is using the shell stitch and the Mandala yarn in Wishing Well colorway, does it look beachy to you? When I first saw this

Yarn it just look like something should be made up that would like right at home in a beach house.  I have a few autumn projects I need to start stitching and I want to make something using felt and floss

Living in Florida we don't get much in the way of leaves changing color so this year I plan to make some of my own along with a few other small projects to decorate for the season.

Right now my main concern is completing the greenwoman embroidery and the afghan I'm making for my sister, then it's time to get some projects planned and started for the Yule and Christmas season.
For now I will leave you with a few Florida Fall decorations

Happy Autumn and a Blessed Mabon to all of you.

Welcome Autumn and a Blessed Mabon to All

Welcome September, Good bye August!

Well I have to say the month of August has kicked my butt big time and it was showing no signs of letting up.  I know we all experience these when it rains it pours moments in our lives and last month I’m had one.
Just when I thought things were turning around that dark cloud found me again, so I am pulling out my trusty sword and paused to do battle this time it’s computer crashing time.  The continuous mystery of my car’s problem, and lightning striking much of the essential electronics in my household not to mention the one going mystery of my son’s car problems a computer crash just wasn’t on the list of things to do this month. Rant over.

Aside from all that aggravation I have managed to get some Slow Stitching in this week on the Greenwoman #2 piece.

greenwoman #2

I finished the hand embroidery on the piece for the Stitch at Home Challenge I call it Herbal Tea and will use it as a banner in my herb garden. My inspiration for this piece is my love of brewing blossom tea in clear tea pots, always a hit at my tea parties.

herbal tea

the inspiration

The theme for the challenge is Burlesque which translates to an absurd or comically exaggerated imitation of something and not the fans and feather boas.  Anyway I finished well before the deadline of the 15th, to my great surprise the Kreinik threads didn’t unravel or run when I washed it.
I finished stitching the Green Woman hand embroidery piece last week, now I am trying to decide whether to frame her or make her a wall hanging or pillow cover.

greenwoman #1

I am also making crochet progress on the afghan for my sister, I am working a simple granny square using Mandala yarn by Lion Brand this is Spirit colorway, so far just two cakes have been used.

It’s odd for me to be crocheting an afghan, usually the summer months in Florida are too hot to have a large project on my lap even with air conditioning yet I have been itching to crochet and so far the heat isn’t bothering me.
We have a few brief but very drenching rains most afternoons so I don’t need to water the plants though most are dying off for the summer.

After falling ill a few days after my birthday I remained sick for the entire month of July, how a simple summer cold can go to bronchitis and then pneumonia is a mystery to me. I am much better though still not operating at 100% but hoping to put the black cloud of August behind me.

The start of a new month so I plan do a house clearing ritual today to sweep away all of the negativity that August left of my door step.  I will mix some mistletoe, rue and oak wood to aid in my house cleansing as a floor and door wash, speaking these words below:

Cleanse this space, remove the past
Banish all negativity at last.
Return this space with Joy and love
I ask for Your Blessings from Above.

After the floor wash I will smudge the house with sage mixed with a bit of frankincense speaking these words:

Air, fire, water, earth
bless this house, my home and hearth,
cleanse this space, remove all ill,
heed my words and my will.


I should have smudged the house at the start of summer I usually do a house clearing at the start of each season but this year has been in a flux so things fell by the wayside.

To start off this months reading the newest copy of the Wiccan Wheel mysteries has arrived so I will begin reading it later today. The next book is available for pre-order though I'll wait on ordering for a while since release date in March 2019.

I do enjoy the books in this series the magical working is not the over the top fantasy stuff,  its everyday nature based modern day Wicca practice of ritual and spells, which makes these book a good mystery mixed with a little magic.

I bought a copy of Maia Tolls The Illustrated Herbiary which includes 36 oracle cards tucked into a vellum envelope in the back of the book.

the book

the cards

tucked away

On my reading table I have two new to me publications I am reading, the first feeds the earthy side of me and the second one feeds my love of plants and natural dyeing.

Here are the links for the magazines 

http://www.ravenous-craft.com/zine

https://rebeccadesnos.com/plants-are-magic-magazine

My latest piece of jewelry is the small stone cairn with a bit of beach glass dangling from beneath the pendant.

I wish you all a a safe and Happy Labor Day Weekend.  

Summer Begins

The month of June has just flown by in a flash, our weather has turned to our rainy season and with it the stifling humidity has made breathing a little labored.  My morning walks have begun earlier and some days moved to the gym rather than the park.

While the temperatures rise outdoors I find myself spending more time inside,  in addition to getting some letters written I've had time to visit the library for a few books to read which I can add to my reading challenges. 

I have a few crafty projects underway after making several Greenman embroidery pieces I thought it time to try a Greenwoman piece and came away with a lovely pattern.

 I began my current project knowing I wanted to use floss with herbal and greenery names so I was off to my local needlework shop.  I found what I was looking for in Weeks Dye Works and Gentle Arts flosses,

I love the colors but the floss does tend to knot which had me using shorter lengths of floss and yet it still tangles.   So I am taking my time and giving a whole new meaning to slow stitching.

My progress so far, I decided to once again go with the amber for the eyes and used a variegated floss DMC 111, the acorns are both done in brown shades of DMC floss.

I also finished a between the main projects piece, it was a free pattern from the DMC Stitch A Long Facebook group.

 I experiments with this piece leaving loose ends of floss as part of her hair, I like the effect and want to use it again on a future project.

Welcome June

What's been going on.

Wow! Can you believe Memorial day is here?  Where does the time go? So often I ask this question yet I still wonder, then I take the time to look around me and see what has been accomplished in those days.
Some of the time I'm tending the plants in my garden or pulling weeds and clearing debris, watering and repotting, it all takes time and as I grow older and move a little slower the time doesn't stop and wait for me to catch up, it keeps moving.

On Friday all my potted plants had to be  moved to make room for supplies and equipment that will be used to stucco my house.

Then mid way through the weekend the rains came from sub-tropical storm Alberto visiting us this weekend.  That can't be good for the grass. Sigh!  The groaning of the cement mixer all day Saturday made the day seem extra long, why wasn't the time flying by then.  The headache I woke with in the morning stayed with me most of the day.  The sun stuck around most of the day as well and by 8:30 Saturday evening the workmen left for the day. 

Sunday morning started off with some rain and clouds then gave way to sunshine and the return of the workman.  The cement mixer didn't drone on all day but the work did and right outside the window where I was stitching away.

And stitching I did until the Aine piece was completely stitched

The next time I work a Sashiko piece I will be sure to use sashiko thread, while the perle cotton that came with the kit did the job I found some of the stitches look thicker in places which could be because of the twist. 

I completed the Green Man embroidery May 11th, this is another Urban Threads pattern and not my own design.  

I worked im on 100% cotton muslin and  used 2 strands of DMC embroidery floss 890 is the main green color and 987 and 986, for his eyes I was trying for amber and decided on DMC 111 which is a variegated floss I think I got the look I wanted, he is about 8x8 inches and I think this one will be framed.  

I am designing a few new pieces to embroider but now that all the stucco work is done on the house I need to spend time rearranging my plants and the garden in the front and the back.  June 1st begins the Florida hurricane season so I need to get everything in place so when the winds blow through I can move stuff quick and efficiently. And with all the rain we've had this week some of the plants may need larger pots.

I really need to get back to posting more often so I am going to try at least for a weekly post.

Warmest Wishes for a Wonderful Beltane.

My wish for you on this lovely May Day!

The wheel of the year has turned once more, the day of Beltane stopped at our door.  

I wish for you a very magical day, with the blessings of the Goddess sent your way.

And here is a lovely Beltane Chant by Doreen Valiente.

Time Flies, the Wheel Turns to Beltane

It has been a crazy month with lots of hustle and bustle, running hither and yon and trying to keep on an even keel and stay healthy.  Not always easy but doable.  Early this year I had some great news in regard to my blood work all my numbers were back in the normal range, my main goal was to get my A1C down out of the pre-diabetes range and I'm happy to say I did.  When I opened the page with my test results I did a little happy dance and when I saw my doctor a few days later I had to restrain myself to chanting I told you so.  At the end of 2017 she had wanted me to start checking my blood glucose which baffled me because I wasn't diabetic and my numbers did drop a bit so I didn't really understand but I told here if there was no change I would try the daily testing for a few months.  Now there is no need.  I am currently working on lowering my cholesterol a bit more, even though I am in the normal it has been elevated over the years and as a heart attack survivor I like to keep it in the safest range I can. 

On to my garden, with the winter freezes we had here in Florida my garden took a big hit and I lost the majority of my plants when on more than one night the covers used to protect my plants came off in the wee hours of the night and truth to tell on several evenings I didn't check the weather report and missed the freeze warnings and the alerts I usually get via email somehow didn't quite make it through, or maybe I had to sign up again after a year. 

On the upside, several of my plants did survive and began blooming in the early days of Spring and are still surprising me this week.
The Jasmine is cold hardy so I was happy to see all those fragrant white flowers appear on the equinox in March.

I bought a few little daffodil plants because they just sing spring and I placed them along side my succulent plants one of which I lost.

The daffodils would be placed on my outside altar later in the week for my spring ritual.  I think for once I'm glad to have only container plants for the past two years other wise I would have lost quite a lot more.  The 2 rose bushes are gone and so are the 4 hibiscus plants and the mandevilla, so on .

The Orange Canna lily survived the freeze being a perennial makes a big difference but I really thought she was lost than last week she gave me this lovely flower and a few new shoots poking through the soil.

The Mexican petunias have also come back though not all of them but I'm quite glad these did, I cut off all the dead parts and they are just filling out nicely.

Friday I went off to purchase a few plants to add some spring color to the drab front yard.  My house is gray so the color is an improvement

The new plants consist of lantana and penta to attract butterflies, lavender and rosemary because I just love them both though I haven't had any luck growing lavender in about 4 years but I keep trying. There is also a lemon balm plant.

This rosemary was just so lush and full I had to buy it, I will transplant all the new plants into the larger pots this week, the bag of soil in my garage I thought was potting soil is actually garden soil, great for flower and vegetable beds but not so great in flower pots.  I hope to have a thriving garden in a few weeks.

On the crafting front I have been busy working on my hand embroidered projects, I am still working on the Urban Threads Greenman pattern and happy to say nearly finished with the embroidery.

I'm looking forward to finishing it because my fingers get sore pulling the needle through the extra layer of fabric I have for the backing and the pattern is printed on stitch and wash product and after moving the hoop around it tends to move about and wrinkle at the edges, though smooths back in place easily enough.

My newest hand embroidery is this piece I call  Entering the Forest Clearing on Beltane Eve. Just when I thought the stitching was complete I noticed there was no ground to stand upon. I must have 'erased' the ground when I was pressing out lines when I made a few changes. So literally I am back to the drawing board. Some day I will learn not to make changes midway through my designs.

I am currently reading The Witches of New York by Ami MacKay, as part of the 

This book Baba Yaga by Toby Barlow  was also read for the challenge  last month. It wasn't my cup of tea but I finished it, I think for e I just kept waiting for it to get interesting and it didn't.

 http://melissaseclecticbookshelf.com/2018-witches-witchcraft-reading-challenge-sign-up-post-2/

I chose Crone level as my goal which is 16-20 books, as per the rules from the website (link above):

• Any full length book that includes a witch as a main character or includes major witchcraft elements counts. They may be fiction or non-fiction. However, they should not be reference books which are not read cover to cover-I will leave this to your discretion.

I have read a few other books for this challenge though I don't always snap a photo because I am forgetful.

Midsummer Night's Mischief ,Bell Book and Candlemas, Yuletide Homicide all by Jennifer David Hesse, these are a cozy light mystery. 

My most recent non-embroidery project was these cute little Goddess/Spirit dolls using craft clothespins, bits of fabric, beads, buttons and charms.

These work up quickly and really have spirit to them.  The clay faces are made using a mold and air dry clay.