Grand Sabbat 2015

our encampment altar

Grand Sabbat!

My spiritual bucket is not only full, but my PSG trauma is healed. I know it seems silly but there was so much build-up in preparing for PSG and to hang out with good friends there that when we were evacuated it just seemed a huge wound left on our hearts.

Grand Sabbat was amazing though. Weather was perfect, the site was amazingly beautiful, and everything seemed magical.

This event is hosted by Steven Posch and by invitation only (the site being small and limited in how many campers it can accomodate). It is not a festival, but a long weekend event that focuses on one ritual, the Grand Sabbat. The ritual harks back to traditional witchcraft lore and the ecstatic celebration of the Horned God.

Call: Blessings be with our ancestors!

Response: May it be so!

C: Mother of Witches, lady of the moon!

R: I adorn my King!

C: Lord of the Forests, King of the people!

R: Lord of Life and Death!

C: Life to the Horned God!

R: Life to us too!

C: Worthy of worship!

R: Worthy of praise!

C: He is rising!

R: He is coming!

C: Shin-ing!

R: Ri-sing!  

Lyrics for the Women's procession of the God, by myself and Alana.

receiving hands

I'm still not quite recovered from the sadness of the canceled PSG.

I've been with friends a few times to hang out around the fire, and had fun. But it's not quite the same as PSG.

I have two more pagan events to go to this month, so hopefully that will heal my heart.

My ankle is doing a little better. In a week I will need to work for about 5 days, and I've been hard-core staying off my foot to let it heal as much as possible to be able to do that job.

This picture is of some hands that I made many years ago. Someone in my coven was pretty hard hit in the money department after PSG, and asked about money magick.  I use these hands in almost all my spells in which I'm doing a working to receive something.

If you'd like to make your own, you need to go to a craft store and buy a kit for making a mold for plaster. The kit usually has a picture on it of a baby's foot or hand, as usually the kit is used to memorialize baby feet or something. The bucket needs to be big enough for your own hands. You mix up the gel first, then put your hands together the way you want them to be finished. When the gel sets, you need a friend to pull the bucket off, carefully sliding your hands out. Then you pour the plaster into the mold and let that set. When you are done, you have a perfect set of your own hands like this.

Enjoy :)

PSG 2015

I just realized this is my 100th post. I guess it's good that it is about Pagan Spirit Gathering. :)

So, my vacation started sucky. It had rained just before we got up to pack for PSG.  So I stepped out on the porch steps to move my car and slipped and fell. I at least sprained my ankle pretty bad. It was painful to walk on and swelled almost instantly. What a bad omen! I refused to go to the doctor though. We couldn't afford another bunch of medical bills after last years PSG broken wrist.

So we packed up (we meaning my hubby did most of the work) and drove out anyway. When we arrived we asked the son of one of my covenmates to help us unload and set up, as I was not in any shape to do anything but supervise. 

Pretty much all I could do was hang out under our EZ-ups and sit. I had a cane that was just enough to get me to the porta-potty or to bed. This sucked.

Then it rained. And rained. In fact, it flash flooded on monday, it rained so bad. People had to be emergency evacuated from some campsites. My husband went out to help as we had some friends in the flood zone. On tuesday morning at the morning meeting, they announced they were canceling PSG and evacuating all of us. I cannot tell you the heartbreak this caused.

On tuesday evening, we decided to get together and have a big potluck, as we had so much food intended for potlucks and eating during the week and it might all go to waste otherwise.

One of the things I love about my coven is all the kids. Kevin has plenty of friends among our tribe, and these kids are a joy. I love them all! Though I have to be honest and admit that with my bum ankle, I was a little overwhelmed by all of their chatter in my little camp kitchen, but Melanie rescued me and shooed them out. lol

Wednesday morning we packed our vehicles and left. I overdid it of course because I felt bad that hubby had to take on the brunt of the work, but I did what I could to help. It was a mess. The mud tried to suck shoes off. I would have worn my rain boots but my foot and ankle were too swollen.  It was a sad, sad day, that 900 people left and went home, broken and depressed. Several people lost considerably... cars, tents, clothes, vendors lost some merchandise.

Most of my coven and some other friends went back to Many Hands House to recover. I went home to prop up my ankle, though on friday night I went out to hang with my friends and try to celebrate the summer solstice. It was hard though, we were all still depressed.

Blessed Litha to you.

Alcohol, Apathy and Aliens

My friend was feeling sad and wanted her friends to come over for cheering up. She was also interested in sharing my love of the Alien movies and having a movie marathon.

We all got together and we all got drunk, and the Alien movies played... but we never really got around to watching them. LOL  I think we did other things... like pedicures and such. ;)


But we did set up that altar to Ripley, with my finished face-hugger plushie and a shot of booze.

There were a bunch of us there, but I only got a picture of me and two others. We had a super good time though!

Camping... again!

Yes, that's right, we couldn't get enough of each other so we went camping AGAIN the very next weekend. We had not planned to camp this weekend, as it was Memorial Day weekend and the campground was full. But we really wanted to be together again.

The weekend was not as nice, weather-wise, as the previous one. We had some sunshine, and it was warm enough one day for the kids to swim. After that though, we had some rain on and off.

We still hung out though. There was more time without rain than there was with. We had EZ-ups to sit under, and a tree over those. The kids also hung out for a bit in a camper.

We still had a great time! Though by the end of the weekend, we had no clean, dry clothes left. LOL

The highlight of our weekend was when Rachel made a pinterest find! She cleaned out a watermelon, put a spigot on it and filled it with a boozy drink! What the wha!  She's a keeper. ;)

Looking forward to lots more camping this summer!

Camping!

Wow! May really warmed up to be lovely so far!

The coven decided we needed to camp. Our full-time RV traveling member Christine is back to her summer spot so we decided to all camp there too. The weekend forecast called for rain and storms all weekend but the most we had was a few sprinkles on sunday. It was amazing.

Christine planned a few crafty ideas for the kids (at one point, when our outer grove members showed up, we had 25 kids in our group!). They made bleach print banners and painted paper banners.

We had a huge potluck sit-down meal with everyone. Amazing food! So many kids! LOL

Christine also planned a new moon ritual for saturday night on the beach. She and a few others went down to the beach and drew a pentacle in the sand ahead of time. Then later that night we went down to hold the ritual. It was amazing. The darkness, the wind blowing, the sound of waves on the lake. It was very powerful.

I have to say, camping with my ladies is the BEST. We hate it when we have to leave! I wish I'd gotten a photo with all of us in it. Oh well, maybe next time!

May Day!

It's that time of year again! May Day at Many Hand's House!

Though Ostara heralds spring; for me, May Day is what I look forward to the most. By this time, it's warmer, and we can usually ditch the winter coats!

At least this year the weather was lovely and we ditched all the coats! lol  Unfortunately I got no picture of me this year, and I rather liked the lovely turquoise dress I was wearing.

Singing the May Pole is always easier when we have drummers!

In fact, any party at Many Hands House is rife with music! Many of the folks that come are musicians and bring their instruments to play and sing. Of course, the kids love to join in. ;)

Blessed May Day to you!