Books & More Things

So, I went to see my good friend, Cliff who was at Little Mysteries this past Saturday doing a booksigning for his latest book, An Ogham Wood. This is a story that is going to be told in a trilogy with this being part one. It is a mythical fantasy full of beautiful imagery, dialogue, etc. I just started reading it, so I haven't gotten very far into it, but I love what I am reading so far. It was great seeing Cliff, as the last time he was up, he was busy doing his mundane work in the city & I didn't get a chance to see him. One other time was brief, as he was recording a radio show & his lovely wife, Lady Daphne and myself had a visit, full of girl-talk. Just seeing Cliff & hearing stories of the Hollow made me miss it even more & I am in the process of figuring out what weekend to go for a visit (Yes, it will be very soon).

At his book signing, I got to meet more faces from Facebook that are on my friends list. Krista and her bff, Krissy came along with Krista's 2 children. They made the hour long trip from the Valley to come up to get their copies signed & to bring Cliff a huge bag of Jerusalem artichoke roots for his garden. They were so nice & funny. After the book signing, we all headed down to the Old Triangle ( a local Irish pub) for some lunch. I had my Little Man with me, as well. The conversation over food was great. I learned about a series of books that I must check out, The Dresden Files, as if I don't have enough books on my plate to read and got to share a few laughs with friends. It was a great day, in spite of the piss-poor rain.

Also, while I was at Little mysteries, I managed to pick up a few more treasures, some new patchouli incense, Circle Magazine, the 2011 Llewellyn's Magical Alamanac (which I thought I already had, but didn't) and Fairy Tale Rituals. There were a few other books I wanted but they will have to wait til I have read all the other books. I am also reading American Gods by Neil Gaiman...all I have to say is the I love, love, love this book!! If you haven't read it, do so before it becomes an HBO series next year.

Anyway, that is all for now. I have some reading to do.

~Rowan
)O(

I'm Baaaaaack!! Miss Me??

Well, after a long hiatus, I'm back. I just hate it when life gets in the way of the important things like blogging...lol!! No, seriously, in the past 2 months there have been a lot of changes going on with me. I ended one job and moved onto another that is giving me the freedom to grow as a hairstylist. Bills were being put on the backburner as I concentrated on getting rent & groceries paid, thus, I lost the internet.

During that time without being "connected" I did a lot of soul searching (after the withdrawals went away) and decided to make some changes in my life. I am eating healthier with hardly any junk food in my diet, I've been doing yoga on the Wii every morning with my son, I meditate more to feel the connection with the Divine, I've been drinking copious amounts of water to keep hydrated, I walk to & from everywhere to keep in shape (thanks to the Gaga on my iPod) and I am surrounding my self with positive people who aren't there to bring me down.

I have also been reading a lot while my youngling plays the Wii. I ordered a book a few months back from Little Mysteries and when it came in, I devoured it. It was right up my alley in terms of how I want to practice my beliefs. It is a book by Peter Paddon called, "A Grimoire for Modern Cunningfolk" If you're not into the whole Wiccan influence of Neo-Paganism, this is a great way start to change your whole perception of the Old Ways. There's no complicated rituals, no altars to worry about, just good old fashioned Crafting. I first heard of Peter Paddon by my good friend, Cliff. I glanced at his copy of the book the last time I was up at the Hollow and ordered it when I got home, along with a book by Robin Artisson called "The Ressurection of the Meadow" Still waiting on that to come in.

And now Yule is yet again upon us. Even though Samhain is my fav. time of year, I still get all warm & fuzzy with Yule. There's something magical in the air this time of year and I'm not talking about snow. My son is all excited with all the decorations, music, etc. I've been listening to Blackmore's Night on the stereo (Winter Carols). The tree is up, the Yule log ready, baking is almost done and the lights are up in the windows & on the patio. Another reason I like this time of year...my birthday falls just after the new year and as I get older, I relish the fact I don't look older ☺

Blessings,
Rowan
)O(

Musings of A Melted Witch

Well, summer is upon us all & the warmth of the sun shines brightly upon us. With summer comes the firsts harvests from our gardens, whether urban gardens on balconies or acres of gardens on your homesteads. In a few weeks we will be celebrating the first harvest of the season with Lughnasdh or Lammas. Now this year I did attempt to grow a little garden, but as in years past, my thumb grows more & more a non-green color. Even on my first visit to Twa Corbies, I planted thousands of parsnips in Cliff's garden. By my second visit, the parsnips didn't sprout...at all and Cliff had to transplant them to another location where they did eventually sprout.

Also this summer, in my personal life, I had to deal with a parent who was in hospital. My mother went in for a triple bypass & came out with a quadruple instead. While she was in hospital, my father stayed with me on wknds. This meant that this witch had to retreat back into the closet. Down came my altar, certain pictures off the walls, Pagan-themed decorations that I had made were hidden away and books were hidden in the closet bookcase or under the bed (as my bookcase is too full, now). I did have a scare, however, when my cat was sleeping under my bed & my dad went looking for her & found her. I was at work when this took place, I just happened to call home to see when Dad was going to the hospital to see Mom. I panicked!! He must've seen my copy of Doreen Valiente's book, Witchcraft for Tomorrow and Marian Green's, Natural Magic. They were right on front of the cat and there was no way he couldn't have seen them. After work I looked under the bed to see where exactly they were. He must've seen them, but he never mentioned anything to me. That was too close a call for me. I come from a very Anglican (Episcopalian) family, Paganism is not accepted at all. Even when I was younger & went to a Fundy Christian church (yes, I did) they weren't happy with me. This is why I am still in the "Broom Closet"

My mom's surgery went well, but a week & a half after getting released from hospital, she developed a nasty infection on her scar. It was so bad she was ambulanced down here to the city where she stayed for almost 2 weeks, hooked up to drainage tubes & IV's. My dad stayed with me on wknds, so blogging was almost impossible, so was going onto my "witchy" facebook account. So, now I'm back.

I've been doing some subtle changes to this here blog. I'm going to be experimenting with new layouts & backgrounds. I've added a calendar, so you all know what I'm up to, what meetings I'm going to, when I'm going to Twa Corbies, Sabbats, Esbats, etc.. So, please bear with me over the next while as I attempt to master Winzip for some new layouts.

Blessings to you all,
Rowan
)O(

My Journey Continues

Merry Meet, all. Just a blog about what I've been up to since starting my new job. I have a new thing I'm very interested in and it's a journey that I've been taking. I blogged about it in my Deities page about 2 wks ago. I've been really keen on meeting with my Animal Totem and I have met with him in the Lowerworld. In case you haven't read about Asra, you can here.

I'm also reading a good book that I recently picked up called, "Exploring Spellcraft" by Gerina Dunwich. It's a very informative book without being too wordy. She explains things for both Wiccans & non-Wiccans. I'm about halfway through it, so I can't give an informative opinion on it yet, but what I've read, I've liked. I found it on a sale table at Little Mysteries for $8. I also bought another book, "Devoted to You" by Judy Harrow. I haven't read it yet, but it is about honouring Deity in the 4 Fire Festivals (Samhain, Imbolc, Beltaine, Lughnasadh)

Tomorrow will be my 1st meeting with the newly formed Halifax Black Hat Society. We're having an informal meeting at Perk's on the waterfront, just a little coffee-talk. I'm basing this group on it being purely social. I'm hoping to set a time where we can get together at my place for a Mystical Movie Night at my house. I'm looking at close to Beltaine, so we can watch "The Wicker Man" with Christopher Lee. I also have lots of ideas for crafty things we can do, swaps, book club, etc. I'm a little disappointed in some of the Pagan groups here in my city that I belong to. If you don't show up to any meetings, for any reason, the admin get all pissy and remove you from the Facebook group. I find one group a bit clique-y. The admin are a group of friends who really don't want input from the group, even though they say they do. When you suggest something, they shoot it down. With the HBHS, I don't want that, I want to hear everyone's ideas and make the time to get them done. No topic or idea is off limits.

Brightest Blessings to you all,
Rowan
)O(

New Book I'm Reading

Got a brand new book today...a splurge. It was recommended on Little Mysteries' YouTube video by Renee. My friend Lisa also read it & said it was an amazing book. I just started it, so I really can't say what it is all about. What I have read so far, it is about learning all about the 4 elements Pagans frequently use in ritual. There are little quizzes to see what element you are or what you are drawn to. No, it's not like what the element is that corresponds with your zodiac sign. So far, as I read, I'm more of a water-Earth type person. I am a Capricorn, an Earth sign, but I was surprised to see a lot of water coming up with me. I'm only on page 75, as I write this, but so far I really like it.
I know we all invite the elements into ritual, but do we really know about them? I find, so far, that this helps out a lot about the 4 elements. It's a basic book, packed with a lot of info. Great for newbies & adepts alike. Why am I starting to sound like a book reviewer?? I'll update this posting as I read.

Brightest Blessings,
Rowan
)O(

New Goodies

So, I needed a pick-me-up yesterday, I headed into my Pagan store to look around. Ok, I just can't go in & look around without getting something. I ended leaving the store after about a half hour with a goodie-bag filled with assorted crystals, new Sandalwood incense and a book.

The book is called, "Spellcraft for Hedge Witches" by Rae Beth. I'm not at all familiar with her & her writings. I started into the book last night before going to sleep. I like it, in spite of the fact I know nothing of the author. If any of you out there know about her, let me know.

My little goodie bag of crystals had about 9 stones on it, along with descriptions of them. I got a clear quartz, moonstone, jasper, 2 pyrite, jade, kyanite, blue lace agate, & magnesite. The only stone without a description was the magnesite, which resembles a wad of chewed up gum. I Googled it and this is what I found:

"helps with motivation, visualization, grounds intellect, cell purification, convulsions, bones and teeth and helps lessen PMS"

Busy, Busy, Busy!!

Well, so far November is going by without a hitch. I went to the Witch's Ball last weekend, met a lot of great folks there. See posting below about it. Had a really great time!!

Found a few more blogs to follow, as if I need to follow anymore, but I can't resist. I hope to be adding more Buttons to my new Button scroll thingie **Thanks, Bella** So, if you have a button,let me know, I'll add it. Speaking of Blog Buttons, I think it's time for me to update mine. Now that I have a more fitting picture up top, I should have a button that reflects that, right??


I found a new (to me) online Pagan shop. It's called Sacred Mists Shoppe. They have a ton of wonderful goodies for sale. From altar supplies, to clothing to bath & body, even mineral makeup. I want one of everything they have...no, seriously, I do. I ordered some silver & gold mini candles, as I find them hard to find at a good price, and I also ordered a Yule altar basket. They take PayPal, which is great. I also found while surfing on eBay, 2 Celestial mini candle holders and a purple & black Pentacle altar cloth. These are my Yule gifts to myself.

I've also been doing some major housecleaning in my BOS. You see, a while back I was given a lot of pages (a couple hundred, approx.) that my so-called "mentor" printed off for me. All she did was Google a ton of stuff and did it up in a 3-ring binder. I knew what she did, but being a nice person, I didn't call her out on it when I should have. So, for the past day, I've been going through what she gave me (what a waste of good paper, not very Pagan of such wastage to deceive) and tossing most of it in the recycling bin. A lot of it repeated itself, repeatedly. Recycle. Since I received this "gift" around Imbolc last year, there was a lot of Imbolc stuff that, again, repeated itself. With all that repeating, she should've been more careful proof-reading what she was passing off to me, right?? That was how I knew she was Googling. So about 80% of what she gave me is now going to be recycled & made into new products that would serve a better purpose than what she intended for me.

I found a great book over the summer that I'm finally getting a chance to read now. I got behind with my reading when I was momentarily caught up in an "eMance" with a guy I met online. I should've listened to my gut about him, but nooooo, I had to lose myself over a wee bit of testosterone. Anyway, I digress. This book is called "Faery Magick" by Sirona Knight. I love it so far, and I just started it last night. I'm about 1/2 way through it already. It has some really great ways to build a faery circle, spells, rituals to attract different faeries to you, as well as tales about the Wee Folk. If you're into the Fae, I do recommend this book.

Anyhoo, I have to get going, I have witchy things to do around the house, things to pick up at Little Mysteries and finish my errands I have to get done on my day off. No rest for the "wicked", huh??


)O( Blessed Be,
Rowan

My Pagan Wishlist

As I receive the items on this list, I will check them off:

• A larger cauldron, so I don't burn myself anymore.


• A wand, preferably made out of Rowan, but if not, that's ok.


• A censor.


• A Boline, to assist with magickal workings.


• More candles, a witch can never have enough.


• A mortar & pestle, so I can make my own insense, grind herbs, etc.


• A Goddess/God statue for my altar.


• Some pretty fabric to make new altar cloths.


• Books on the Craft, I can never stop learning.


• A candle snuffer.


• Runes, I've always wanted to learn them.


• Some more crystals, like candles, I can never have enough.


• Some essential oils & herbs


• A chrystal ball for scrying

My New Book I just bought yesterday

Ok, I've been on a little shopping kick this week with 2 faeries & a book (The Way of the Green Witch) Yesterday after I got off work, I traipsed over to Little Mysteries and got another book. I also got 30% off it, cuz of their frequent buyer card. That's the 3rd one filled since last winter.

Currently, I have at least 3 books on the go: the 2 that I bought this week, as well as, "Witchcraft Today" by Gardner. It's a bit of a read, but I think I like my newest acquisition best. It's up there with a few of my other books. I am a bit of a book junkie. I'm also reading the Sookie Stackhouse books when I'm at work in between clients.

I can never have enough to read. Blessed Be )O(

My Books

Ok, I posted these pix on my facebook. I have about 3o-something books that I've read (or am currently reading) that I've acquired in the past year & a half.

My BOS; Wicca by S Cunningham; Living Wicca by S Cunningham; Green Witchcraft1,2,3 by A Moura; Green Magic by A Moura; Spiral Dance by Starhawk; Healing Craft by S&J Farrar; Witches' Bible by S&J Farrar; Witchcraft Today by G Gardner; Wicca for Beginners by T Sabin; Wicca by V Crowley; ABC of Witchcraft by D Valiente; Witches' Grimoire by J Nock; Wiccan Year by J Nock; The Way of the Green Witch by A Murphy-Hiscock; The Way of the Hedgewitch by A Murphy-Hiscock; Llewellyn's 2008 Witches' Companion; Llewellyn's 2010 Witches' Companion; Llewellyn's 2009 Magical Almanac; LLewellyn's 2007 Witches' Datebook; Witches' Almanac 2008/09; Witches' Almanac 2009/10; Inner Temple of Witchcraft by C Penczak; The Secret World of Witchcraft by J Karl; Sabbats by E McCoy; my other BOS.

On this shelf I have a container of altar supplies (candles, incense holder, Athame, cauldrons, Pentacle, altar cloths). On top of the container I have a couple more altar cloths and a huge binder that I also use as a BOS. The books are:

Priestess of the Forest by EE Hopman; Simply Faeries by R Harvey; Faery Magic by S Knight; Clan of the Goddess by CC Bronwen; Inner Temple of Withcraft Companion CDs by C Penczak.