Our Handfasting

the ring shot

I mentioned in a previous post that we had a full Wiccan Handfasting. I thought I'd elaborate on that!

It was both elaborate and formal, but the feeling (I thought) was also very intimate.

At the time, I was a belly dance teacher and had a troupe. They are all friends, and I asked them to be my attendants. I planned a themed wedding, "historical" bellydance. I bought fabric for all of them and made their costumes, and a friend made poufy shirts for the guys.

the altar from one side

My coven and a few additional folks were the circle participants. The HPS cast the circle in advance, after they set up the altar, kept it on the down low, though it was not hidden. The only folks IN the circle were coven, close family and circle participants.

We had couples at the quarters, for blessings from the elements, we had cups and a unity cup, we had the cord, we had the broom but I also added a sword with the broom as my own little touch, perfectly suited to my hubby and I.

HP and HPS with us

Funny story:  We had brought our own video camera, and my husband set it up to record during the ceremony, and a friend was asked to hit the button at the right time.  My dad also brought his video camera and had it set up to record at a different angle. A friend of ours also brought his video camera and held it while recording.

Not a single camera managed to record the ceremony.

Our Attendants

Our camera somehow shut itself off... it has like 5 minutes of just the very beginning before anything actually happened. My dad's camera recorded 45 minutes of static.  My friend's camera had no picture, and the sound when in and out so you can't even really listen to what was said.  True story. We'd always joked in the coven that there was no point bringing electronics into a circle, and this ceremony proved exactly why!

Coven and Circle Participants, even the kids had a part.

Our wedding was a blast! Almost everyone, even those who hadn't a clue, said it was one of the most moving and beautiful weddings they'd been to. And of course we had the BEST reception!  My belly dance instructor gave me a good rate to hire her to dance at my wedding, and she was fabulous. :)  After the performance, my troupe and I danced, then everyone danced but it was mostly belly dancing, with friends just boogieing along for fun. :)  Best wedding ever! lol

mom's corsage, a cd case/egyptian sarcophogus gift, the garter, my dance teacher

Favorites: Books

Some friends that are new to the Craft had asked last month about books to read. So I whipped up this list quick-like and gave it to them.

This is NOT a comprehensive list of to-read books. It's just a list of books that influenced me the most, my favorites, ones that I would even read again (and again and again, in some cases!).

These are in no particular order except for the heading they are under. :)  The book titles are amazon links.

The books I found most influential from day one to today!

• Cat Magic   by Jonathan Barry and Whitley Strieber - the first (fiction) book I ever read that presented witches as anything other than evil devil worshippers. Very witchy and is what sent me on my witchy path quest.
• Diary of a Witch  by Sybil Leek - the first non-fiction non-evil-devil-worshipper witchy book I ever read.
• Earth Power  by Scott Cunningham - the second non-fiction witchy book I read.
• Drawing Down the Moon  by Margot Adler - different pagan paths
• Spiral Dance  by Starhawk
• Positive Magic  by Marion Weinstein
• The Witches' Goddess  by Stewart Farrar and Janet Farrar
• True Magick  by Amber K - Amber K is my magickal "grandmother". She initiated the HP/HPS who initiated me. I will always  love her books! (the link is to the 2nd edition, which is quite expanded since the 1st ed that I read)
• When God Was a Woman   by Merlin Stone
• Real Magic  by Isaac Bonewits - I have read it twice and am thinking I may be re-reading it again soon. Discussion of what magic is, how it works. Changed my paradigm.
• The Science of the Craft  by William H. Keith -  another paradigm shifter... introduces the idea that quantum physics may be behind the reality of what we call magic.  May be true, maybe not. It was still well worth buying so I could read it several times.
• Jambalaya:The Natural Woman's Book of Personal Charms and Practical Rituals  by Luisah Teish  - don't let the title fool you. Luisah is a priestess of Oshun and this is an awesome read.
• TheFifth Sacred Thing  by Starhawk (Kindle version) - fiction, but it's Starhawk's pagan vision of post-society collapse. pretty awesome. She's trying to make a movie of it.

Books I have on my bookshelf I've read, learned from and that I won't give up

This is NOT a comprehensive list of what's on my shelf... ha!

• TheWitches' God  by Janet Farrar and Stewart Farrar
• Coven Craft  by Amber K (Kindle Edition) - The craft of forming covens
• Candlemas  by Amber K  - Llewellyn published books for each Sabbat, this is the one for Imbolc.  I have some of the other books in the series but they weren't published by Amber K. The ones I have are good.
• Circle Round  by Starhawk - raising children in pagan traditions. Awesome.
• Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs  by Scott Cunningham 
• The Complete Book of Incense, Oils & Brews  by Scott Cunningham
• Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem & Metal Magic  by Scott Cunningham
• The Truth About Witchcraft Today  by Scott Cunningham  - I use this little book to educate non-pagans because it's pretty generic, very accessible to mundanes and not over-the-top.
• The Law Enforcement Guide to Wicca by Kerr Cuhulain

And all the other books by Starhawk, Marion Weinstein, Dan and Pauline Campanelli, the Farrars, Doreen Valiente, Cunningham.

Check back now and then. I'm sure I'll be adding to this list!