Auspicious Moon

There are some very interesting things going on with the Full Moon tonight. I’m going to run through them very quickly and let everyone draw their own conclusions as to how to apply this lore to any working being done.

Simply due to being a full moon we know that it is symbolic of the Mother full in belly. The moon is also associated with the mind, mysteries, the womb of the underworld, secrets, transformation, and the spiritual.

It is the first full moon of the New Year and as such is the Beth Moon according to the Beth-Luis-Fearn Calendar. It is a moon associated with new beginning, birth, initiation, and the starting journeys. Also for some reason my intuition says it is important that the tree of Beth is often called “our Lady in Silver.”

This full moon is occurring during under the sign of Sagittarius, which in very short form is about being free and carefree. It is a fire sign with is associated with the will, energetic, change, and passion. Being a mutable sign, it is very adaptable. Sagittarius is also ruled by the planet Jupiter, which is all about home, hearth, career, wealth, and prosperity.

Depending upon who you ask and which almanac you refer to it is either the Beaver, Mourning, Snow, Dark, or Fog Moon; most commonly the Beaver Moon. Whichever way you chop it though it is about the onset of winter, preparation, and a time of being busy within the home but otherwise resting. The lore behind the Beaver Moon is two-fold. It is the time unto which trapper’s are advised to set their final trap to catch beaver for their fur before winter, and it is also the time in which beaver’s are very busily trying to finish their stockpile and preparation going into winter before hunkering down in their lodges.

The last point of lore that I am going to relate is that it is a lunar eclipse. Lunar eclipses are a threshold/crossroads time associated with major change, transformation, new beginning, and the start of a journey.

Draw whatever conclusions you would like but I personally find this synchronization to be very auspicious.

Boidh Se!

-Spanish Moss

“Lost in a thicket bare-footed upon a thorned path.”

Emperor’s New Clothes

So the blog got a make over. Tell me what you think.

Boidh se!

-Spanish Moss

"Lost in a thicket bare-footed upon a thorned path."

We Are Eternally in Debt

We are in debt; each and every one of us. I am in debt and so are you. Financially some of us certainly are, but this is not the debt unto which I speak. We collectively are in much greater debt. We are in debt to every person that came before us and helped to make the world a fit place, the very existence into which we were born.

We are in debt to those that put in the labor to delve into thought that produced works of philosophy that have, and continue, to shape modern philosophy.

We are in debt to anyone that chose only to take from the land what they needed, and did their part to keep a restorative balance thereof.

We are in debt to every scientist, whether we agree with their conclusions or not, whom have strived to uncover the secrets of existence so as to make the world a better place.

We are in debt to each person that took the inner teachings of their religion to heart and pour forth the same compassion, love, and kindness back upon the world.

Yes, some of us were victims of circumstance of our birth; and not every person before us did their part to keep the sky blue and the blood of the world clean. The question that lay upon our hearts is whether we pay our debts to those whose work has made life thousands and thousands of times better than it would be without such collective effort or if toiling in our own situation without regard for the good is the way to best live up to our potential. Will the debt our children and their children’s children on down a line into unknown obscurity inherit from us be of the same worth as to such that we were handed by merely being born human?

The list is continuous: We are in debt to Plato. We are in debt to Leonardo Da Vinci. We are in debt to Sir Isaac Newton, to Ghandi, to Mother Teresa, to Mozart, to our mothers, to our fathers, to every single person whose life, whether intended or not, made the right circumstance within the vastness of infinite possibility so that we too may experience the story and glory that is life.

How do we pay all of these people back? The answer lay simply in our deeds. Be mindful of you actions and make any small effort to begin to repay the debt handed down; and perhaps the debt that our descendants inherit from us will be a glorious mountain worth more than its weight, a mountain of debt worth carrying on.

Boidh se!

-Spanish Moss

"Lost in a thicket bare-footed upon a thorned path."

Stop Throwing Meat Out With the Bones

Several years ago I first noticed a lot of commotion about not reading certain Contemporary Pagan books as a means of protest to their poor quality, false information, or controversy. The reasons as to why to avoid such-and-such book are well meaning. For instance, a book offering up false information could do great damage to someone new to practicing the Craft. In this same vein, I have told people, “Read this, don’t read that.” My advice in that situation has to do with attempting to give someone a firm foundation from which they can apply critical thinking. I will try to explain in an example.

The scholarship and primary premise that Margaret Murray argues in her book The Witch-cult in Western Europe has long been debunked as not only false but contriving in the manner of presentation and handling of primary and secondary sources and evidence (1921). In short, her scholar peer group rejected both her primary theory as well as the manner in which she made her arguments. One such example is that she would quote out of context or only use a portion of a text when the rest did not support her argument. As a result of all of this, this book is not something someone new needs to be concerned with. However, as a result of Murray’s before mentioned problems and the plethora of recommendations given against this book by scholars and by Elders, it is often pushed to the side and never picked up again; which is a problem. Serious and experienced Witches and Contemporary Pagans need to read this book. NEED!

The primary reason as to why this book needs to be read to so that the practitioner can see the influence that this book has had upon modern practice. Yup. It was one of the foundational shakers-and-mover books that our early Elders were reading when they were trying to piece together not only our history but also fragments of broken lore. Reading it in this context puts you in their position and so the stream of change that occurred as a result can better be seen. Secondly, by reading this book you will gain your own first-hand experience and knowledge of what the book actually says about what. No more taking someone else’s word for it. The last reason I am going to give relates to other lore in the book. Although Dr. Murray drew conclusions that have been dismissed and a lot of her source material was horribly mismanaged, she did cite things and make readily available a very wide range of otherwise ignored folk lore in regards to Witchcraft. Lore regardless of what false information was forged from it can still be of great value to a practicing Witch, the trick is to discern and apply critical thinking about. Read it, pick it apart, think on, and be informed from the source. In the end, who know what you may think. Personally, as flawed as the work is, and I recognize it as being such, I have found bits of lore therein that I really like and am not sure I would have come across otherwise.

As a second example, let’s look at the book, The Tree: The Complete Book of Saxon Witchcraft*by Raymond Buckland (1974). This book is often criticized as not being factually accurate in regards to Saxon history, religion, or practice. To old Uncle Buck’s credit, he says right in the beginning of the book that he developed it all. That’s right; he made it all up so as to be able to use a basic Wicca liturgy as a vehicle for exploration into Saxon practice. On the one hand it should be fairly obvious as to why a beginner would want to avoid this book, but what about someone that has been around the Contemporary Pagan block? I say go read it, just do so knowing what you are picking up; a book full of Buckland’s own inspiration, albeit with much inaccuracy, with some interesting stuff in it.

So my advice to anyone that has been practicing for a while and has a good foundational knowledge; go read all of the books you avoided because you were told to, for good or bad, see it for yourself.

Boidh se!

-Spanish Moss

"Lost in a thicket bare-footed upon a thorned path."

*Note: Re-released as Buckland’s Book of Saxon Witchcraft.

Descent Inward: Carrying Our Own Spiritual Sun

My wife’s recent post over at Birthing with Brigid got me thinking. Therein she mentions attributed associations between the three trimesters of pregnancy and the three guises that our Lady of the Moon doest wear. Several things in the lore kinda jumped out at me that say that such a correspondence has some validity in application if one were inclined to work such into their practice.

Back at Autumn Equinox our Lord was sacrificed into the Underworld, and at Samhain our Lady descended through the gates, underwent the trails, and finally rose to Her throne beside him. If we think of this cycle combined with the mythos of the Sun’s death and rebirth cycle portion of our Wheel’s lore, then it is easy to recognize that She was with child at the time of the journey. It is also interesting to note that this time of the year is also usually thought of as being associated with the Hag, which my wife associates with third trimester, and that the time between Samhain and Yule is the period of rest, reflection, and silence.

To truly appreciate this image, I went back and reread the story of our Lady’s travel and tried to keep the mental image of Her as being full bellied in the middle of month eight during the passage. If you have a BoS version, go read it, if not then this will do.

This mental exercise brought forth other bits of lore. Our Lady descends inward to be stripped of all identity so as to be able to join with that part of Herself that makes Her whole. Throughout the entirety of this Initiatory experience whereby She becomes the Queen of Hell, in addition to already being the Queen of Heaven, She has carried the spiritual Sun in Her womb that will be birthed forth at Winter Solstice.  

There is actually a lot more going on here that I am going to leave unsaid. After all the Craft is a mystery religion. Just go through the exercise and see what is brought forth to be harvested unto the soul.

Boidh se!

-Spanish Moss

"Lost in a thicket bare-footed upon a thorned path."

Project Repetitive Silence

There is a project I am working on that early on presented me with a bit of a moral dilemma. The project is simple really; find a problem that religion faces and argue a solution. The dilemma occurred when I could not think of anything that wasn’t arguing what people should or should not believe or practice, which quite frankly is against the teaching of the Craft. Witches are free in their path and nobody can dictate for another their life, to attempt to impose otherwise is inwardly damaging to the perpetrator of such attempts.

I did arrive at a solution, after spending most of yesterday morning mulling over various completely subjective problems. Who am I to say these issues I imagine are problems for others? Just as my dilemma was rooted in the lore of the Craft, so too came the answer. Somehow I had become too wrapped up in wording and was allowing it to reign. Instead of arguing what anyone should or shouldn’t believe or do, I decided I would instead pick a practice common throughout religion, the Craft being orthopraxis and all, and argue how that particular practice can be beneficial to anyone, purposely picking something that would stir the pot and be controversial.

So as I delve into my research and twist my thoughts about this project, which I am dubbing Project Repetitive Silence (for no particular reason at all), expect to see occasional musings and babblings in regards to it. Oh and just in case anyone is curious as to what I picked. I decided to argue the benefits of ritualistic prayer regardless of whether an individual is theistic or non-theistic. Simply put, atheists and deists alike can get something from the ritual use of prayer. Now before anyone rams my boat and starts flinging gibbidy-gloop at the parade, please note that Buddhism, one of the World’s largest religions, is non-theistic; no belief in deity required. Plus I have found lots of peer-reviewed “science-like” studies that show self-proclaimed atheists lowering stress, a.k.a benefiting, via prayer done in this way. Anyway, off to dig in dusty mounds of electronic journals and row upon row of long forgotten e-tombs (ebooks).

Boidh se!

-Spanish Moss

"Lost in a thicket bare-footed upon a thorned path."

Tying Bonds and the Role of the Priesthood

This morning I have started gathering my notes and putting together a basic agenda for a planning meeting for a Handfasting for which I have been asked to officiate. I am deeply honored; and it has me reflecting upon my decision so many years ago to pursue ordination. It was made so as to be able to better serve the community.

Now, it has been a while since my Priestly role has put on the ministerial robes. A good bit of my service the past couple of years has been wearing other mantles of the Priest; Devotee, Initiate, Coordinator, Mediator, Counselor, Friend, Father, Husband, Witch, Planner, Ritualist, and much more. Therein I have taught classes and workshops, Wiccanings, Dedications, Initiations, countless Esbats and Sabbats, been the Priest at Festival Rituals, held Ancestor Rites, Daily and Weekly Work, and even Last Rites; and a whole host more both public and private. I have done all of this and yet having done these things is not what makes me a Priest.

I know this confuses some people, especially when so much of our Western rhetoric for what constitutes clergy is wrapped up in this. Nope, what makes me a Priest is a devotion unto the divine whereby I have undergone extensive preparation so as to approach the altar of our Lady and our Lord to undergo transformation, take the oath, and accept anointment before the Gods, their Priesthood, the Mighty Dead, and my own heart, through which the facilitation of the work of the Gods was taken up as the path underfoot. For me that work is largely mediated through the community. For others the manifestation of the task of the Priest or Priestess is otherwise conducted. They, like me, are a tool that our Lady and our Lord wield just as we use tools in our Craft and life. As there are many different tools upon the altar, each different with different functions and purposes in the rite of creation, so too are the Priests and Priestesses akin to differing tools with differing functions and purposes in the manifestation of life.

It is hard work to do all of this and to try and remember not to take one’s self too seriously, to keep the focus upon the work, and to remind the ego that it is a mere tool and not that which is. As far as the Handfasting goes, it is good to remember that it would go on with or without me. I am simply someone that can help two people express their love, and if I let ego get involved then I will be of no service to the Gods, the couple, greater community, or myself. In their union I see the divine love of all existences; and just the fact that I have been asked to play such a vital role in the myth of these two people’s lives has humbled me.

Boidh se!

-Spanish Moss

"Lost in a thicket bare-footed upon a thorned path."

Where Our People Have Been and Come From

I was sitting here thinking about the Contemporary Pagan community. As I do quite a lot; if truth be told. This morning while mulling over various such things, I started thinking about some of the cultural differences between religions and the ethnic/cultural signifiers that some of them have. Many different religions have traditional foods or even languages that they consider sacred, special, or of significance to their practice. Reflecting upon this in relation to Contemporary Paganism, my initial thought is that we are lacking as a religious group these various things which other religions seem to have. Of course I was wrong and almost immediately concluded as to why, but the thought did occur.

Then I started thinking about why they have these things. Frankly, it all goes back to the place and culture from which they grew, with some outside influence just to balance the mix. Considering this, I must conclude that Contemporary Paganism does have some signifiers; however, they are not readily recognized because they are the same signifiers that exist in our parent culture from which were born.

Like it or not; Contemporary Paganism is a Western Religion. As such, our cultural signifiers, and much of our daily lives for that matter, are those that are the same unto the rest of Western Culture. It is our paradigm that is different, amongst other things; such as the apparent differences in practices and beliefs derived thereof. In fact, many of these signifiers for which I mention though they arrive at our door from mainstream Western society are in fact rooted in ancient Pagan practice. Looking at all of this, I can see many such signifiers in my own practice and the practice of my local community. As there are many differences within the sphere of what constitutes the West there will be many variants therein; which is completely normal, for example, the local traditions of Contemporary Pagans residing in Italy will be different than those in Canada.

One example of a local practice, in much of the United States, which I say having seen it in Ohio, Georgia, and North Carolina, is in regards to the holy day held at Autumn Equinox. It has taken on many of the festive qualities of the American holiday Thanks Giving. I have lost count of how many feasts I have been to for this Sabbat where the meal is a huge turkey with all the traditional Thanks Giving sides. This is a localized signifier that has rolled into our practice here in the US. The same can be said about traditions surrounding Winter Solstice. Yule Trees, gift giving, and Santa are all a part of the lives of many Contemporary Pagans around this time of the year. Whereas we are quick to point out that these traditions have roots in ancients practice, let us not forget that these too are cultural signifiers that we share with many in the Western World. The difference is the significance given, but at the end of the day it is these things that show where we as a people have been and come from.

Boidh se!

-Spanish Moss

"Lost in a thicket bare-footed upon a thorned path."

Others Church: A Glimpse into Recruit Memory

For anyone that doesn’t already know it, I am in the military. I joined while still in High School, and off to recruit training shortly after graduation. By that time I had known for years that the military was for me. The decision as to the Marines vice the other branches was due largely in part by the influences of a couple of my teachers. As a result, Veteran’s Day and other honoring of our own warriors, dead or alive, type holidays ring strong within my being. War is not something any of us want, but as long as there is conflict then the few must put themselves in the center of it for hearth and home. The ancients knew this to be true, and it is still so today.

Thinking about Veteran’s Day and being a Witch in the Corps, I decided to give a rare glimpse into one of my experiences as such. I am going to talk about Others Church. So what exactly is Others Church? Before I get into that there is a bit of other primer that needs to be set or else the color won’t show.

Others Church as I am about to describe it may no longer exist in this form. After all, it has been eleven maybe twelve years, in all honesty I don’t feel up to the math this early in the morning. Needless to say the Corps has changed a lot since I first joined. When I arrived at The Island (Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina) we were in old tri-color cammies, in black boots that had to be polished, and a whole list of other make you feel your age things. The military is organic and so too was/is Others Church.

On Sunday morning in recruit training those that are spiritual, and let me tell you that boot camp brings the spiritual out in people, were given four hours of not being yelled at or otherwise stressed/harassed in order to attend church services. When it became time to go, we were divided into three groups; Catholic Church, Protestant Church, and Others Church. Basically if you weren’t Catholic or some form of Protestant you were an Other. There were six of us in my platoon of about seventy; a Buddhist, a Seven-day Adventist, myself, and three whom I do not recall. This was not how my Drill Instructor (DI) described it though. A lot of boot camp is a blur of memory but his words still ring soundly.

My DI explained Others Church as being, “Where they worship sticks and shit.” Please excuse the vulgarity, but it is a direct quote. Anyway, the six of us were sent off to this place called Others Church. The facility itself turned out to be a large building full of smaller rooms, each labeled by the “other” faiths. Thus during recruit training I had arrived at a small room full of Contemporary Pagans, with a small sign on the door that said, “Wicca.”

Navy Chaplains, the Corps doesn’t have its own, are fairly clueless when it comes to any religion outside of the Abraham Family. As such, the term Wicca is used as an umbrella term for all of Contemporary Pagans. It is wrong, but its inclusion is a start. So in this small room labeled thus, there were about a dozen people, and as I would find out, this was below average, with the norm at about twenty.

The Wicca Group was completely Recruit led. Every Sunday we were all put in a little room and left to our own devises for four hours. Who could ask for more? The only effort that appeared to have been made was that there was an old copy of A Witches’ Bible, missing the front cover, put in the room for our use. Though the ignorance of the Chaplaincy shows through with this act, they had inadvertently started something truly beautiful.  

You see, at some point in the unknown past, who knows whether it was years, months, or weeks, some recruit had written some simple instructions in the back cover of our “Bible” as we jokingly called it. On one hand, this was in jest, but on the other hand by doing so it helped to insure the book stayed in that room. The instructions were simple. They outlined the roles and duties of two officers of the group, the aptly named “Leader” and “Teacher.”

It was each officer’s job to name their successor the moment they took over. With recruit training only lasting thirteen weeks, this was important. As I am sure has been guessed, it was Leaders job to decide what was to be done week to week and to lead it; the recruit that was Leader when I arrived like to lead a lot of meditations. It was Teachers job to teach guided discussions whereby we talked about whatever topic people wanted to know more about; the recruit who was Teacher when I arrived was fond of tarot and other divination, his discussions were often filtered through the lore of such.

Eventually, these two individuals graduated and a new Leader and Teacher took over. The role of Leader was taken over by one of the older recruits, he had previously been in the Army, who was a solitaire Druid associated with Ár nDraíocht Féin, and I became Teacher. The two of us were chosen because we were the only ones in the room who had any actual experience not solely from books. I was Teacher for about six weeks before my own graduation approached and I passed the mantle to a Recruit that had, albeit only learned from a couple of books, practically memorized some of Scott Cunningham’s work.

There you have it, that is my tale of Others Church, Wicca therein, and how I spent six weeks as the appointed officer only known and named by fellow recruits as Teacher. It was all simple, organic, and full of so much beauty. It makes me wonder just what form has evolved and taken shape in that small room since last I sat there. Happy (early) Veteran’s Day!

Boidh se!

-Spanish Moss

"Lost in a thicket bare-footed upon a thorned path."

Witchy Blog Award

Unexpectedly I was nominated for the Witchy Blog Award by Lord Shawnus over at Blausternscholnge. Thank you is all I can say.

Here is what the award is all about according to those that started it, along with the rules, and my own nominations:

Today is a very special day. Not only is it Samhain, the most important Sabbat on the Wiccan Wheel of the year, but it is also the unveiling of a project Cassandra and I have been working on for a couple of months. Over the past weeks, we have both been graced with several blogging awards, but we couldn’t help but notice that none of the awards floating around were Wiccan in nature. And so, the idea was born to create an award specifically for Wiccans/Pagans/Witches.

Thus the purpose of this award is to bring positive recognition to those bloggers who share their experiences on the less-traveled path, whether in the form of a journal or by standing up for themselves and others. Our award logo was a collaborate endeavor made with love that we are both very proud of. So without any further ado, onward to the details of the newest award to find its way to the blogsphere!

The Rules:

Post the award logo within your blog post

Thank the blogger who passed the award to you

Answer the seven questions below

Nominate five Wiccan/Pagan bloggers (If you don’t know five other Wiccan bloggers, nominate as many as you can)

Notify your nominees of their pending award

Give a short description of the blog/blogger and why you nominated them

Stop by Ayslyn’s Corner  and Book of Shadows to add your name to the list of bloggers awarded

You may customize the questions as long as they are still Wiccan- and Pagan-related

Seven Questions (and my answers):

How did you “discover” Wicca/witchcraft?

I am a second generation Contemporary Pagan and so I encountered Wicca and Religious Witchcraft early on. I believe I was about nine when I started attending CoR (Church of Rhiannon) where I met my first of the Wicca and other Witches.

Do you grow herbs?

I usually grow a few herbs every year along side some vegetables. I, however, have kept a pot of rosemary for several years.

Are you “in the broom closet”? If not, share your coming out experience.

I can’t really remember every being in the broom closet. I do remember being advised by my Dad to mind who I told at school. I generally just don’t talk religion or politics in mixed company, so it rarely comes to a point to where I need to decide to divulge my spirituality to anyone that doesn’t already know.

What tradition do you follow?

I am an Initiate of both the Alexandrian and Eternal Harvest Traditions. One is British Tradition Wicca, and the other Traditional Initiatory Witchcraft. My personal practice is also heavily influenced by other forms of Witchcraft, such as Traditional Witchcraft, folk witchcraft, etc.

Do you consider yourself a witch, Wiccan or Pagan (or maybe something else?)

Yes.

How much of witchcraft/Wicca are you able to incorporate into your everyday life?

Daily life is what the Craft is all about. It is in the practice thereof that the work of our Lady, our Lord, and the inner pathway is done.

Do you have a familiar? If you do, tell us how you meet him/her and how s/he takes part in your practice (if at all).

My use of the word familiar is not the popular mainstream one whereby a physical animal, such as a pet, is an aide in the work. Other than the magick that my pets bring into my life simply by being a companion, they are not otherwise this form of familiar. I do, however, have several astral construct familiars, called fetches, which serve in various capacities.

You will find a new tab above for the award. If you have received the award, please submit the form on that page and I shall add your name to the list!

The first nominees for the Witchy Blog Award from Ayslyn’s Corner are as follows! Congrats to each one of you!

Aysyn’s Awarded Bloggers (as of 7 November 2012)

Awarded Bloggers

The Enchanted Solitaire

The Pagan Pair

Cauldron and Brew

Biblebelt Witch

COS Wicca Mom

The Life and Times of a Forever Witch

Cin

The Gratitude Journal of Ms. Lilypads

Medieval Witch Project

Stay for a Spell

Blausternschlonge

Southern Fried Witch

Lady Imbrium’s Holocron

Adventures and Musings of a Hedge Witch

Ramblings of a Hedge Witch

the organized hearth witch

4 of Wands

The Den

Since many of the Witch blogs I follow are already awarded, or nominated by Blausternschlonge, I only have a couple here:

The Crossroads Companions- I love this blog. The practicality of the combined practice of Witchcraft, Druidry, and Ceremonial Evocation, coupled with the devotionals to Hecate and the Horned Lord, makes it well worth the read.

The Water Witch in the West- Triskele is my sister in the Arte and a very talented Witch, Initiate, and Priestess to boot. However, this isn’t why she gets my nomination. Her blog discusses her personal revelations and practice as she lives it day to day. It is herein that the quality of the blog shines through. Now go read it.

Aight. So that is all I have. Like I said, I would nominate more but I think they all have already had such.

Boidh se!

-Spanish Moss

"Lost in a thicket bare-footed upon a thorned path."

When Divine Gently Reminds: Just a Slap Upside the Head

I’ve been reflecting a lot about this blog. In all honesty, it has led me down a road I did not expect when I started, and I have learned many valuable lessons.

When I started, I did so because I miss teaching, and when my work with my Lady and my Lord led me to believe that this was the reason I was being nudged towards writing a blog I thought that this was why. Boy was I wrong. So even therein is a lesson; a gentle reminder that the plans of the Gods are not our own. Writing this blog to try and share what I have learned quickly turned into a poor substitute for teaching. I quickly became frustrated.

A few friends of mine that are writers had some simple advice. I shall now bestow it to whoever stumbles here. Write. Alright, there ya’ go. That was it. Now why is that important advice? Frankly because continuing to write has forced me to step into an inner place that was causing my frustration, a place I thought I had long since resolved. Alas, it seems my Lady and my Lord decided I needed to be reminded that I am human, have faults, and that no matter how much work I have put into my being; I remain with an ego, shadow, and dweller, and will not be parted from them until the initiation into death.

I have worked really hard to write something worth reading; to put the Traditionalists’ message out there. Our voice has been silent for a long time. This doesn’t mean we are gone, just silent. Keeping. There are lots of reasons for this, and I am not going to get into them. I will suggest that anyone reading this reflect upon why the trained and Initiated, regardless of the form of religious Witchcraft (TW, BTW, TIW, etc), have stepped back and become quite. I have written such because this is where I have been tugged by the divine tether. For a long time it felt like I was writing into a vast empty void and it was hard. It was hard because I have been writing about something very close and personal to me. It was hard because I worked hard and was not seeing any fruition. It was hard because I have been dipped back into the crucible and the current is shaking loose the foundation previously built. Suddenly all of that changed. In one fell swoop, a bit back, my effort became not about any of the things I thought or the unconscious need for approval and reward that our ego seeks; I was really clueless that this was occurring for a long time. Just looking at this has taken awhile. On that note, I hope I am not deluding myself even here.

In the oneness of that moment it became a mirror—a mirror that looking into and seeing the splendid along with the horrid is its own ambrosia. My writing this blog has been a reminder, a humbler, and a trail. I pray that this does not change. I am human, I am perfectly flawed, and I love every moment of it. The taste of what has been taught is indeed without compare; which I only scratch the surface of here. Even better yet, I know that the meal set before me is not over. Maybe later I will move onto other things, but for now writing is a part of the journey.   Every now and then everyone needs a good slap upside the head.

Blessings!

Boidh se!

-Spanish Moss

"Lost in a thicket bare-footed upon a thorned path."