Sunday, October 31, 2021

Samhain Blessings

 


And as the light around us fades

In golden shadows through the glade,

Like distant echoes down the hall,

we answer Samhain’s ancient call.

From everlasting times ’til now,

To storied lands, we all must bow;

Where magic rings within our souls

And as we shatter, we are whole.

This is the night to join the Dance,

Partake in all-renewing trance;

Where worlds within and out are One,

Our sacred journey now begun.

To greet the ones we loved before,

Our kith and kin from days of yore,

Forgiven foe and long-lost friend –

We dwell among you yet again.

For now the worldly veils are thin,

Where hope and healing can begin.

Our deeds are done; the hour is late

To rest within the arms of Fate.

By fin and feather, leaf and bark,

As sun now banks to sheltered spark;

This year of trial and joy is past

Within the Circle we have cast.

And as the light around us fades

In golden shadows through the glade,

Like distant echoes down the hall,

We answer Samhain’s ancient call”~ Marc Hirsch

Saturday, October 30, 2021

Samhain Eve


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

Wednesday, October 27, 2021

Stitching Goddesses and Books to Read

 A stitching update for my Goddess a Month personal challenge.  Here are the latest 3 goddesses that I finally stitched and washed of the stitch and wash away product. I haven't ironed them yet.

For July the goddess Isis, her wings took forever to finish

Ariadne was my choice for August and she stitched up rather quickly.
The goddess Kali was for September, her arms look a bit sickly but after several attempts at drawing them I just said stitch it.
All in all I am happy with the results and will be happy when the last few are completed.  I fell behind with July and finally caught up in September after putting her aside to work on Ariadne and Kali.  I was avoiding the wings.  There are days when I  just don't feel like stitching, not many but I have learned that if I'm not feeling it then don't because I always wind up pulling out stitches.

The 2 new Witch 'Craft' books I pre-ordered a few weeks ago arrived this week, I am pleased with both
I have been crocheting for decades and these books had to be added to my collection, I have read Opal Luna's blog for a few years and made a few of her patterns so as soon as I knew the book was ready to pre-order I jumped on it.  

Other books on my reading table are Hemlock by Susan Wittig Albert, the newest in the China Bayles mystery series.
I have been reading this series since the 1990's and love how the characters have evolved over the years as well as the overall content of the stories.  This series began my love of herbal gardening, this is the 28th book in the series which began in 1992 with Thyme of Death.

This little gem by Katie Daisy How to be a Moonflower, because I love her artwork, oh and my newest teacup.




I'm also reading Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman, with the Book of Magic waiting in the wings.
I forgot I had bought this last year I began to read it but was still in so much pain I couldn't concentrate so I put it aside on my embroidery table and didn't realize it was under a dozen pieces of fabric waiting to be stitched.  I started it and so far I'm enjoying it very much.
On my visit to the Cardiologist office last Friday this beauty was greeting patients in the office. I just couldn't help snapping a photo.
This was my last visit with the cardiologist until February 2022, unless something comes up which I truly hope isn't going to happen.  I am on the well check list so each month I will receive a phone call from the office to check that all is well, if I need medication refills etc.

Well the hour is getting late so I will leave you with a bit of humor.




Okay time to go my needles are threaded and my teacup is almost empty.