44 Days of Witchery, Day 25: How do your close ones feel about your witchy path? Do they know? Why or why not?

Oh boy. Um, the short answer is No. My husband knows, obviously, and is pagan himself. So he's completely comfortable with it, and the altar in our bedroom. His family is kind of pagan/atheist. So I'm not sure if they know, exactly, but they don't really care.

Most of our friends know, and are also pagan and/or don't care.

My family, however - that's a different story. (Though I did link to this blog off my Google+ profile page, which they're on, and I'm using my real name, so...if they've stumbled across this blog they haven't said anything.) My family is very conservative Christian, with the exception of my mother's mother, who is the lone Democrat. But probably would still not approve of my beliefs.

I really don't know what would happen if they found out I was pagan; I'm sure my father's parents would be sending us letters and cards and trying to witness to us over the phone and save our souls and I don't know what else. Dad would probably just give us stony silence. I have no idea what my mother's reaction would be.  But yeah. They don't know. And living on the west coast, while we live on the east coast - I don't feel the need to tell them.

44 Days of Witchery, Day 24: Your Moon Sign

Well, my moon is in Capricorn. Being a sun sign Taurus with the moon in Capricorn, I'm a pretty earthy person. Pisces rising keeps me from being TOO practical. Pisces keeps me dreaming. :) But Capricorn gives me my really deeply rooted beliefs - with Taurus giving me the stubbornness to hold onto them. When I'm working, I want my work to be up to MY standards. And everyone else's work should be too, heh. Pisces keeps those standards from being too awfully horrible. But I do have a work ethic, and staying power.

My books say Capricorn has a "stabilizing and restrictive effect on the shifting influence of the Moon." Which could explain why I value Temperance so much; I am not a moody person. The Moon usually represents emotions, and Capricorn is a fairly unemotional or undemonstrative sign; so that makes a lot of sense to me. It also says that "If you have the Moon in Capricorn you have an alert mind and are very eager to learn. However, you are not interested in vague theory; you want to put your knowledge to use." (Quotes are from The Only Astrology Book You'll Ever Need by Joanna Martine Woolfolk.) This also makes a lot of sense to me; Sascha likes to go off on various abstract theories and I just kind of stare at him and nod as it flies over my head.

"If you have a Moon in Capricorn, you are organized, ambitious, and usually a prodigious worker. Self-sufficient and a bit solitary, you are haunted by a feeling of responsibility, of a task you must perform." Not so much on the ambitious part (I'm sure that's the Pisces influence mitigating that!) but I'm pretty organized, self-sufficient, and a bit solitary, for sure.

"Unknown to all but your closest intimates, you suffer from feelings of loneliness. Often you conceal this with a dry sense of humor. Your secret terror is of being abandoned or having someone you love cease to love you."  Oh dear god, do they KNOW me? That IS my greatest fear - abandonment, rejection. Yeah. That's pretty much exactly me, there.

Moon in Capricorn tends towards pessimism, which is also very true. And then the fantasies that my Pisces Rising likes to dream up... "What if this happens? Then this would happen and make this happen and then this person wouldn't talk to us anymore and..." So I'm a bit of a worrywart, and often nearly convince myself some chain reaction is going to happen when NOTHING has gone that way yet!

My Moon is also in the Tenth House, which Parker's Astrology says this about:

"'I love the world' is the motto here, and the instinct to put it to rights could be a channel for the Moon's action, eliminating cruelty and fostering the best of the maternal instinct, in the broadest sense of the word."

I can see that. It's not so much I love the world, as I hate people and think they're stupid for the things they do and they should just FIX IT and if they don't, maybe I need to get in there and FIX IT FOR THEM, heh. Parker's Astrology says this is also the placement of many famous people. Huh.

Interestingly enough, The Only Astrology Book You'll Ever Need mentions that the Moon in the tenth house "brings career benefits through women or female members of family." Given that if I do have a career, it'll be in defense of Women's Rights, that's rather interesting.

44 Days of Witchery, Day 23: A favorite candle

I found a gorgeous green, large pillar candle advertised as a "Brigid" candle. The scent just blew me away. It's a lemongrass-verbena candle, apparently - all I know is that it smells DELIGHTFUL. I used to keep it on the altar, but lately it's lived in the kitchen, and burned on the stove while I do dishes or otherwise work in the kitchen. (So long as I'm not using the stove!)

It's an amazing candle, and I'm going to have to figure out where I can get another one eventually...

44 Days of Witchery, Day 22: Current Moon Phase

Well, it seems to be a full moon tonight. It's in Virgo currently. I'm not really sure what to say about that.

44 Days of Witchery, Day 21: A Favorite Scent

Oo. I have several, actually. I've always loved the scent of lilacs.

Orange and Clove is a combination of oils I LOVE.

Peppermint.

Garlic sauteing in oil before I add the rest of the ingredients.

Freshly cut grass.

Tarot Tuesday (also 44 Days of Witchery, Day 20: A Picture of a Tarot Card and its meaning)

Sorry for the poor quality, I used my webcam today.

The Page of Swords came up in a reading for me today and I immediately identified with it. I actually had a lot of swords show up today, of the "cutting through the bullshit and telling it like it is" variety.

You see, I may have unfortunately alienated my parents, and a few other relatives, by being so pissed off about Rush Limbaugh calling Sandra Fluke a "slut." I think I am rightly pissed off, as he, in effect, called me a slut as well, as well as every other woman on birth control. And as far as I know, Limbaugh's book is still on my parent's headboard, they still listen to his radio show, and still borrow his newsletter from my grandmother when she's done with it. My father used to tape his television show and watch it. So I basically said on Facebook that he thinks I'm a slut and a prostitute, and since they listen to him, do they think the same? 

Personally, I think everyone who still supports him approves, in some way, of his hate speech. But the way I phrased it caused my dad to comment with "wow, I didn't realize your opinion of us was so low."

I commented back and asked if they'd stopped listening to Rush, and if so, I was sincerely sorry. No one replied. 

If standing up for what I truly believe harms my relationship with my (conservative christian) family, then I guess that's the way it must be. I'm tired of hiding who I am and what I believe. I'm tired of hiding that I'm a feminist, an environmentalist, a liberal, and a pagan. 

I am following the Page of Swords, and I am cutting through the bullshit.

44 Days of Witchery, Day 19: Fire Element

Hm. I am mostly an earth-and-water girl. My Venus is in Aries, which is part of why I love Sascha so much. I need a powerful man I can respect; someone who is more powerful than I am. I'm full of fire and passion. ;)

Other than that...mmmm, fire. I love candles. I love bonfires. There's something about the fire, the flickering orange light, the soft cracks and pops, the heat rolling off it in waves. I've always loved the phrase "cleansed in fire." (I'm sure this is partly influenced by my love for dragons....)

My favorite goddess is a fire and hearth goddess. Brigid is a wonderful, maternal influence in my life, and I love her dearly. Home and Hearth magic is really where I tend to focus; I want my home to be a welcoming, calm center for all who step into it. I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, cooking, working with "fire" (though naturally, I hope to NOT be working with actual fire most of the time!)

And incidentally, my main toon in World of Warcraft is a Fire Mage! (Yeah, I'm a geek. :P )

44 Days of Witchery, Day 18: Paranormal Experiences

I have had many paranormal experiences; those who read my LiveJournal can go check my paranormal tag. I don't think I'm ready to share them here yet.

I'll simply say I have three spirit dogs that follow me around on occasion. And when I say dogs, I mean big, burly, Rottweiler looking dogs. They are my guardians; at the same time I am their guardian. How I found them (they found me?) is a long, involved story that I'm not ready to share in this blog. Maybe someday. :)

44 Days of Witchery, Day 17: Picture of Nature (Fire Element)

I had to go looking through my photos to find a picture of fire; this is actually one my father took on a camping trip. He's a much better photographer than I am!

44 Days of Witchery, Day 16: Favorite Witchy Websites

Well, for all my tarot needs I go to Aeclectic Tarot. They have descriptions and pictures of every Tarot deck you can think of, as well as interpretations of cards.

For finding astrology charts, I head to AstroDienst. Pretty easy to input your birthdate, time, and place, and get a full chart. There's a lot of free stuff, free charts and basic interpretations. More in-depth explanations cost money.

I really enjoy Pagan+Politics and The Wild Hunt for news and politics from a pagan viewpoint.

And that's pretty much it. If there's specific things I want to know, I google. So maybe Google.com is another favorite site, LOL!

I've found a few interesting articles on WitchVox, but not enough to classify it as a favorite site.

God Checker is a fun site, listing hundreds (thousands?) of Gods and Goddesses, arranged by pantheon.

44 Days of Witchery, Day 15: Thoughts on the Afterlife.

Oo. This is a difficult one. I don't really know? There's so many different ideas. There's 1) nothing, you're dead. 2) Reincarnation. 3) Some sort of spirit-heaven thing. (Heaven, Valhalla, Hel, Hades, Purgatory, etc.)
Honestly, I don't give a lot of thought to the afterlife. I cannot believe in a god who, just because of a lack of belief, would condemn an otherwise good person to eternal suffering. If you've done all that you should; been a good person, helped other people, lived a good life - I don't think it should matter what you believe in. If there is a heaven, you should go to it. If there is karmic reincarnation, you should move on to the next highest level.
I don't necessarily believe bad people should be punished eternally, either. I do like the idea of karmic reincarnation; if you didn't demonstrate in life that you learned specific lessons, back you go to do it again! There's a short story called The Egg, by Andy Weir, that I particularly like. Go, read it. It's a very interesting perspective on reincarnation.

44 Days of Witchery, Day 14: A favorite pagan holiday that you celebrate

Gotta be Yule. I grew up loving Christmas; just because I'm not Christian anymore doesn't change my love of the holiday! I love winter, first off, and then with the greens, and the bells, and the ribbons, and the holiday cheer, and the buying of gifts...and the decorating!

We now try to do a vigil for the sun on Winter Solstice, when we can. It's not often that it works out, because usually Sascha has to work, given that the solstice is usually a few days before Christmas. 

The one Vigil that was really successful was back home in Oregon, before we left to drive to North Carolina the first time. We stayed up all night with a few of our friends. And then went out to the butte just before sunrise and watched the sun come up. We had lamb stew, and colcannon, and lots of horsing around, and I think some gaming. It was an awesome night, and an awesome way to say goodbye to our friends before we moved. 

I just love the entire holiday season. I love the holiday baking, and the decorating, and the scents. I've always loved the music, too, but I feel like I need to find more pagan substitutes for the overly religious Christmas music.

44 Days of Witchery, Day 13: Witchy Books

Well, the first book that immediately comes to mind is The Goddess Companion by Patricia Monaghan. I love its daily pieces of poetry or song, and the few paragraphs about each. It draws from all religions, and it's just lovely. My review is here.

Next would be the Corpus Hermeticum. I need to re-read it, it's been a while. 

I am also a pretty big fan of the Tao Te Ching. 

I've also enjoyed Ceisiwr Serith's A Book of Pagan Prayer and A Pagan Ritual Prayer Book. Both have pretty wonderful prayers in them that have inspired me to write some of my own. More detailed reviews here and here.

One book I need to find a copy of and finish reading, because I had to turn it into the library back home before I was finished, is Women of the Golden Dawn: Rebels and Priestesses: Maud Gonne, Moina Bergson Mathers, Annie Horniman, Florence Farr by Mary K. Greer. It was really interesting, what I got to read of it. 

I actually have a wishlist here on Amazon of pagan-ish books I want. That's my pagan/goddess list, but I also have an astrology/philosophy list here.


For a full list of witchy books I own/have read, check out the Witchy Books page at the top of the sidebar on the right. Or follow this link. 

44 Days of Witchery, Day 12: Picture of Nature, Air Element

Sunset over the Pacific Ocean.

44 Days of Witchery, Day 11: Witchy Tools: Oils

I have a few oils; I don't use them often. I keep forgetting to drop a couple drops into my bath water. 

I have Clove Oil, Mandarin Orange Oil, Peppermint Oil, and Rosemary Oil.

I have a little glass cup on my altar, that I occasionally put some water and a drop or two of oil in. I LOVE the scents of all three individually, and I'll occasionally combine the clove and orange.

44 Days of Witchery, Day 10: Your Sun Sign

My sun sign is Taurus. (I could write about my entire astrological chart, and probably will mention some of it, but since there's another day devoted to Moon Sign, I probably won't go into great detail.)

So first I'll put up the stuff from astrology.com about my sun sign and bold the stuff that I feel applies to me.

Taurus, the second sign of the zodiac, is all about reward. Unlike the Aries love of the game, Taurus loves the rewards of the game. Think physical pleasures and material goods, for those born under this sign revel in delicious excess. They are also a tactile lot, enjoying a tender, even sensual, touch. Taurus adores comfort and likes being surrounded by pleasing, soothing things. Along these lines, they also favor a good meal and a fine wine. The good life in all its guises, whether it's the arts or art of their own making (yes, these folks are artistic as well), is heaven on Earth to the Taurus-born.

It's the Bull that serves as the Taurus's mascot, and along with that comes the expectation that these folks are bull-headed and stubborn. Yes, they are. Hey, this sign has a Fixed Quality attached to it after all, so expect that things will occasionally grind to a halt. That said, Taurus doesn't start out with the intention of getting stuck. They simply want to get things done, and it's that steady, dogged persistence that winds up being viewed as stubbornness. Bulls are actually among the most practical and reliable members of the zodiac, and they are happy to plod along, as it were, in pursuit of their goals. The good news for Bulls is that once they get to the finish line, they'll swaddle themselves in material goods. A self-indulgent beast? Perhaps, but if you toiled as laboriously as these folks do, you'd need some goodies, too.

Taurus is ruled by Venus, a lovely goddess who didn't deny herself many things. In ancient Roman mythology, Venus was the Goddess of Love, Beauty and Pleasure, and Taurus has pretty much taken up where she left off. Bulls are fond of all things pretty, whether it's in their home, at a museum or on the stage. Life as one sweet pas de deux is how the Taurus-born like it. To onlookers, this may look like so much materialism and blessed excess, but Bulls really aren't interested in living without beauty in their lives. Beauty to the Bull also comes in the way of a happy home life, one that includes a partner and a stable relationship.

Taurus values harmony in their personal lives, so they'll work hard on keeping their mate happy. The Bull's penchant for sensual pleasures, of course, can only help things along! Bulls can also be the sappiest of sentimentalists. Will all this overweening attention to their mate turn a Bull into a possessive mess? Probably not, although these folks do have to manage their tendency to latch on a bit tight. At the end of the day, however, Taurus's are true romantics and loyal to the core.

The Element associated with Taurus is Earth. No pie-in-the-sky for these practical folks, since they'd much rather be on terra firma. Bulls tend toward conservatism, and this is often seen in their day-to-day behavior. No far-out schemes (that's Air) or shrieking ultimatums (more like Fire) here. Taurus much prefers to take each day slowly and steadily and work toward their ultimate goal. Along these lines, those born under this sign are happy to stick with their projects until they have reached a successful conclusion. They are also extremely patient and dependable along the way. Does that sound earthy enough? The only kink in this well-oiled chain is the heckler in the gallery that tries to upbraid the Bull. These folks may not have a hair-trigger temper, but it's short enough. Bulls in a hissy fit can get pretty argumentative, but eventually they'll calm down and come back to center, since these folks would much rather be Zen. The Earth in this sign does tend to act as a balancing mechanism so that things never get truly out of hand. For every one person who considers the Bull a pain, there are two who will say 'No way!' and happily take the Taurus' gentle charms any day.

Seeing as how Bulls are generally strong and well-built, it's no surprise that these folks enjoy testing their strength on the field of play. Expect to find a Bull engaged in a spirited game of hoops or mountain climbing. Hiking is also a favorite pastime, since it keeps Taurus close to their beloved earth. Indoor adventures are also favored by Bulls, which is why the opera or ballet is right up a Taurus's alley. When it comes to love, the Taurus-born are devoted, romantic and somewhat possessive. Their sensual nature has a way of erasing any mistakes! Since Taurus rules the neck and throat, Bulls would be wise to keep a silky scarf at hand, ideally in a warm (and soothing) earth tone.

The great strength of Taurus is in their stability, loyalty and dogged determination. Bulls want to get the job done, and they will. What better way to get the riches they so fervently crave?


As you can see, the majority of that was bolded! I have Pisces rising, which does give me the occasional flight of fancy. But overall, yeah, I'm a pretty earthy, stubborn person. I have a really nice singing voice (one of the few things I'm slightly vain about!) and I LOVE to dress up, but fabrics MUST be pleasing to the touch. I like leather, I like velvet. Suede, soft wools. Good food. Not a big fan of wine. I'm a pretty good cook, but a far better baker. I can be stubborn as a bull, for sure. Alex usually knows how to get around my stubbornness, but when I dig my heels in on something, well. Fuck you, that's what. I do hold grudges, but you have to do a lot to earn my ire. Interestingly, it's easier to get on my bad side by being mean to my FRIENDS than it is by being mean to ME. The two people I actually hold grudges against? Never did anything to me. They screwed over some of the people I care the most about. And that's something I can't forgive. 

I like gardening and working with plants, but I tend to get bored and forget about the garden and let it die. (I think that's my Pisces Rising coming out, because with a Taurus Sun and a Capricorn Moon, you wouldn't think I'd leave projects in the middle!) I like walks in the woods, but not hikes. 

Overall, I do tend to be a pretty stable person; I know I seem more volatile here, but this is where I rant. I tend to bottle things up in real life. I dislike losing my even temperament, but when you DO make me lose my temper, you'd best run. (I think I've truly lost my temper once.) I'm not sure I'm exactly zen, but I do pride myself on staying centered. Temperance has been my Tarot card for a very long time. I like things stable around me; I don't like uncertainty and change. (And yet I'm a military wife - oh dear god you can't even understand.) I think that may be something Alex likes most about me; he knows when he comes home, whether he's been gone an hour, a week, or eight months, that home will be the same. I won't change - not in personality, at any rate. 

I am impatient for little things (would that water just BOIL already?! when will my books arrive?!) but I can wait pretty much forever for the important things. (no, I don't know exactly when he'll get home from deployment. I will wait.) 

So yes, overall, I am a very stereotypical Taurus. I have the occasional flight of fancy (Thank you, Pisces!) but other than that, I am a grounded, patient, stubborn bull.

44 Days of Witchery, Day 9: A Favorite Mythological Animal

Hm. Mythological Animal. Given the state of my house, I'd have to say dragons, lol. I have dragons EVERYWHERE. 

I don't hoard, or collect, what are you talking about? Just because I can't bring myself to sell any of my books - EVER - and I must have ALL of the series that I follow (I'm a completist, okay?) that doesn't mean I hoard things, right?

I mean, I have a ton of jewelry I never wear. And I like shiny things. And I'm always cold and curling around Sascha's heat...mmmmm, heat. 

Dragons? I have no idea what you're talking about. *shifty eyes*

44 Days of Witchery, Day 8: Photo of a Magical Place Outdoors

This is a photo of a forest back home in Oregon. I love the mistiness and the trail leading off into the forest.

44 Days of Witchery, Day 7: Air Element

Given that Day 12 is a picture of nature: air element, I don't think that's what they mean for today. So...I'm just supposed to talk about the element of air, I guess?

I'm not a very airy person. I have Mercury in Gemini (as does my husband!) so we talk a lot and communication is easy and constant between us. That's about the only air in my chart. Now if you wanted me to talk about earth, or water, or even fire, I could come up with something. But...air?

Well, I guess one thing that goes with the air element is incense, and I do enjoy that. We burn Nag Champa in the bedroom (god, I love the scent of Nag Champa!) We picked up some amber the other day that we want to burn in the car. And we found something called "Vampire Blood", lol, that smells really interesting. We've been burning that in the office. 

I don't work with the element of air much at all. My husband has a bit of weather magic, but I do not. I just...don't really know what to talk about here!

44 Days of Witchery, Day 6: A favorite god

Hmmm. This one's a little harder than choosing a goddess. I don't identify as closely with the masculine half. I'm going to go with Ganesh (Ganesha, Ganapati), actually. The Hindu elephant god of wisdom. He's also known as the Remover of Obstacles. 

Wisdom itself is something I strive for. Most hermetics have a word that embodies what they strive for, what they want to BE. (I'm what you might call a hermetic pagan, there's more on that farther back in the "hermeticism" tag) My word is wisdom. Not knowledge; wisdom. Knowledge is the more practical "how" whereas I want to know the "why." 

I want to know the history of things; how this came to be needed. Why we need something to be the way it is. If you look at WHY something was needed in the past, you can look at things now and know what is needed NOW. Those are generalizations, of course, but that's why I yearn for Wisdom rather than knowledge. 

But back to Ganesh. Some stories have him married to the goddesses of Prosperity, Intellect, and Spiritual Power. Others have him married to the goddess of Luck and Prosperity, or the goddess of Culture and the Arts. 

My little statue of Ganesh sits on my altar as a way to focus myself towards learning. To help open my mind to wisdom.