A witch in her territory

Like all predators, a witch has a territory and patrols it regularly.

Gemma Gary

In his blog post here, Steven Posch reminds us that our Craft must be local if it is to be valuable to us. What power do we have as witches if we don't know where the sun rises in relation to us standing at our front door? What wildflowers might pop up in our back yard? (I know urban witches, you might never see wildflowers, but dandelions count! find your own local power!)

 He listed a number of excellent questions, which I saved to come back to eventually. Now I have and I admit, I had to look one thing up. (where the nearest spring is!)  So here are my answers. I have decided that I do not patrol my territory enough... it took me a long time to come up with some of my answers!

What is the Moon's current phase?     waning crescent

At this moment, in what direction is the Moon?         far east, to rise around midnight

From where you live:

Where on the horizon does the Sun rise on the shortest day? The longest?    southeast (from trees), east (just north of the road from my house)

Where on the horizon does the Sun set on the shortest day? The longest?     southwest (over the creek woods), west (over the trees that block sight of the road)

How many hours of light do you get on the shortest day? The longest?   a little over 9, a little over 15

Where is the nearest body of water?     out back, behind my backyard and the yard lot behind me is Blackhawk Creek, which empties into the Mississippi

Where is the nearest river? Why is it named as it is?  Mississippi from the native americans who called it "father of waters" also Misi Sipi "big river"

Where is the nearest spring?    Burlington IA, 1.5 hr drive

Where does your drinking water come from?   From the Mississippi, through a water treatment plant

Where is the nearest oak tree?   My neighbors one house over and behind

Where is the nearest fruit tree?    a volunteer mulberry on my fenceline

Where is the nearest holy place?    my yard.  next I'd hazard a guess that the closest to me is Sunderbruch park... everything west of me on my road is old agri properties, but the park is undeveloped woods with recently (starting in 2005) added trails for hiking, offroad bikes and horses.  I call it sacred because in a small city, to have that much undeveloped woods in-city intended for people to move around in without motor help is sacred... it gets people in the WILD. Also, this whole area was settled by native americans for thousands of years, and I'm sure is riddled with their sacred sites, lost to us now.

In your area:

What is the predominant type of rock?      limestone and other sedimentary rocks

What is the soil type?    fertile brown, with some clay

What are the three predominant native trees?    maple, oak, linden

What are the three largest raptors?    owls, redtail hawks, bald eagles in winter

What is the largest native feline?     bobcat

When do the deer rut? Give birth?     last half oct-december, May-august

What are the predominant winds?     north, northwest, west, south

From what direction does most of your weather come?    west, northwest

What are the three most important crops? When are they planted? Harvested?     corn (mid-april/early may, sept-nov depending on it's purpose), soy (around april 25 unless too wet, sep-nov), livestock (sorry this isn't a crop! but it's true)

Can you name:

Three local wildflowers that bloom at Bealtaine?     may apple, sweet william, wild ginger

Three local wildflowers that bloom at Midsummers?    Queen Anne's lace, wild clover, purple coneflower

Three local wildflowers that bloom at Samhain?        late goldenrod,  might still be Queen Anne's lace, blazingstars

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 :)

44 Days of Witchery - Day 44

44 Days of Witchery - Day 44
Witch's choice!

My new tattoo! :)

It marks a new phase in my life.  I am part of a new coven. I'm working on some changes in my life. And well I just fell in love with this design.

It is from an stone age tribe of people who lived in Siberia, the Pazyryk. I am fascinated by the designs of their tattoos, and wouldn't mind another in this style. This tattoo is the first one (the 4th total) I've gotten that I chose to be deliberately visible. All the others I chose to be in places that would be covered up all or most of the time. This one, I'll probably want it seen at least in the summer.

44 Days of Witchery - Day 43

44 Days of Witchery - Day 43
A magical recipe.

In the coven I used to be in, we drank Faerie tea almost every Litha and then would take a "faerie walk" where there was some wilderness.  Our recipe was similar but I think we were doing faerie tea before this book came out... or perhaps we got our recipe from the book! I wasn't in charge of the tea and faerie walk planning. :)

~ Faerie Tea ~

(For seeing the Fae)

Combine in a teapot:

3 tsp black tea
1/2 tsp chamomile
1 tsp dandelion root
1/2 tsp elder flower
1/2 tsp hops
1/2 tsp mugwort
1/2 tsp raspberry leaf
1 1/2 tsp rose hips

saying as you drop the herbs into the pot or filter basket:

"Black for power; apple of night, root of the sun, Lady’s blessing, Lord’s leap for joy, then between the worlds to Fairy bramble, with token of love, brewed to bring Fair Ones close to me."

If not using an automatic tea maker, boil water in a kettle and add to a teapot that was warmed with a bit of hot water before the tea leaves and herbs were put in. Let steep for five minutes. Warm a second teapot by swirling inside it more hot water from the kettle. Pour out the water and strain the brewed tea into this warmed pot. Add to taste in your teacup whatever sweetener and milk you like. You may want to have something to eat such as cookies or tea biscuits (Scottish shortbread is very good and can be found in most supermarkets), or other tea snack. This can be part of your Cakes and Wine ritual toward the end of your spellwork, or you can use it to set the mood prior to your Faerie magics.

(From "Green Witchcraft III: The Manual", by Ann Moura) 

Edited to add:

I found the coven recipe that we used for our Faerie tea. 
"Equal parts of Elderflower, Chamomile and Lavender, bring to a boil and make a strong mixture."
We used  2 cups water and 2 tablespoons of each herb, boiled for 3 minutes and steeped for 30. Let it cool and then refrigerate overnight. In the morning, the tea was mixed 1 cup tea to 2 cups elderberry nectar and kept cool until the ritual.

Knowing now what I know, I would not boil the herb at all. Instead I would make an infusion by adding a quart of boiling water to 1 oz of dried herb (the 3 herbs divided equally  1/3 oz each) and steeping it a couple hours, then strain and chill.

I think it would be interesting to compare the two recipes and their effects.

44 Days of Witchery - Day 41

44 Days of Witchery - Day 41
A spell I've done.

This is an ongoing spell I guess.

These hands are castings of my own hands. You can get these plaster kits from the craft store, you mix up the plaster, and then you have this bucket mold that you stick your hands or whatever in it, and hold in there for a certain amount of time till it's firm enough. Then after you remove your hands or whatever, you pour in the plaster and let it set. When you pull away the molding stuff, you have a cast of your hands.

I spelled my cast hands as a prosperity/money/all good things receiving kind of spell. I keep a gold colored dollar coin in it, as part of the spell to multiply money/prosperity. While this spell hasn't made us rich, we always seem to have enough, sometimes with little windfalls that allow for the extras. I consider it a success. I've left it alone for a long time so perhaps I'll cleanse it, renew it and reboot the spell.

Then I should buy a lottery ticket, eh? lol

44 Days of Witchery - Day 40

44 Days of Witchery - Day 40
My altar, if I have one.

I'm posting a picture of the Ganesha altar we set up this month for the 10 day festival of Ganesh, Vinayak Chaturthi.

I didn't have a lot of proper Ganesh stuff, but I used what I had and made a pretty paper banner spelling out His name. :)  My son added an offering of candy from his stash.

Next year I'm trying for a more traditional altar!

44 Days of Witchery - Day 39

44 Days of Witchery - Day 39
Something that inspires me.

Seeing any part of this. O Beautiful Nut, blessed Lady!

amazingsky.net

44 Days of Witchery - Day 38

44 Days of Witchery - Day 38
A Famous pagan/witch!

Amber K and Azrael K!
This picture was taken in October of 2011, when Amber K and her partner Azrael came to the Iowa Pagan Pride fest as the guests of honor.

Amber K is my witchy "grandma". She is the initiating HPS of my own initiating HP and HPS. I had last seen them over 10 yrs ago when the coven I was in brought them here for workshops. So it was great seeing them again! 

Together they gave a couple workshops at the Pagan Pride fest, as well as set up a little booth to sell books and Ardantane patches.

44 Days of Witchery - Day 37

44 Days of Witchery - Day 37
Witchy tools:  Cauldron

These are my smaller cauldrons.  Actually, the littlest black one I gave to my son so it's technically his. :)

I have a much larger one, a real cast iron cooking pot, very old. It's at the bottom and back of my storage closet!  I couldn't bring myself to dig it out just for a photo. lol

I have a thing for copper and brass cauldrons too.

This one isn't really a cauldron I guess, but it reminds me of the Gundestrup cauldron but with greek or romanesque figures. My stepmom let me have it, she said she got it in a box from an auction and had no idea what to do with it. MINE. lol

44 Days of Witchery - Day 36

44 Days of Witchery - Day 36
Flower of your choice, and its magical properties.

I know I mentioned Lilacs already as my favorite scent. They are also my favorite flower so that's the one I chose for this. However, I didn't know their magical properties...

According to Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs, Lilacs are good for protection and exorcism. In New England they were planted to keep evil away from one's property. Bring fresh cut lilacs into the house to drive away ghosts! Who knew. I think this must be why none of the houses I've lived in were haunted... lilacs are also my mom's favorite, and every spring we'd have several bunches in vases all over the house. 

44 Days of Witchery - Day 35

44 Days of Witchery - Day 35
Something that I think people who don’t know much about paganism/witchcraft should know.

Pagans and witches are just people. We love, need, laugh and cry just like everyone. I like to chat. I refuse to argue. I have better things to do with my time, like ... live life.

If you want to learn and understand, email me. :)
If you want to troll and argue, move along. 

44 Days of Witchery - Day 34

44 Days of Witchery - Day 34
Rune of my choice.

I thought I would share a rune stone that someone made for me. It's a combination rune that she embellished a little.

I believe it's a combination of wunjo and sig. I'm not strong on runes so I had to consult my meaning key. :)

wunjo:  Joy, happiness, good news, ecstasy, harmony, unity
sig:  Sun, victory, warmth, success, triumph

I remember thinking the meanings would be useful at work, so I kept it at my desk. :)

44 Days of Witchery - Day 33

44 Days of Witchery - Day 33
Faerie of my choice

I don't know if merfolk are considered "faerie" but I think any of the "other" folk are fae, at least to me.

I don't consider myself "otherkin" or anything. I just like the merfolk. I love to swim and used to pretend to be a mermaid when I was a kid.

This is a poor scan of the original artwork by Lubov. I have a tattoo in progress of this lovely merman on my back. 

44 Days of Witchery - Day 32

44 Days of Witchery - Day 32
A pagan/witchy artwork.

I used to visit my grandmother and she often would give me a box of things. I also got a couple boxes of things when she passed.  I found this ink drawing in her things.  It was drawn in 1915 (Grandma was born in 1916 I believe) by a gentleman named Frank.

I am rather fond of it, and need to get it framed. I wish I knew it's story.

44 Days of Witchery - Day 31

44 Days of Witchery - Day 31
A favorite pagan/witchy movie.

44 Days of Witchery - Day 30

44 Days of Witchery - Day 30
Witchy tools:  Wand

 I'm not a huge wand user. More of an athame girl. <<shiney>>

But this is from the corkscrew willow in our yard. It's a slow work in progress. I'm not done prepping it.

We also have walking sticks and twigs for crafting from this willow.

44 Days of Witchery - Day 29

44 Days of Witchery - Day 29
Water Element

A person can hardly live in the area I live in and remain completely disconnected from Water.  I live in a city along the Mississippi River (or just, The River).  In fact, where I live is the only place where The River flows east to west.

The River permeates our lives. It floods almost every year, and we adapt. Many people live on one side of The River and work on the other. We who live here are often crossing back and forth if not daily, usually weekly, at least monthly.

It is beautiful; giving us amazing photos of itself, it's wildlife, giving us entertainment. It is ugly; the site of industry, pollution, contaminated water and fish. It drives people to great lengths to clean it up. To avoid it. to seek it out.

I happen to be very fond of Ancient Egypt and it's mythology, and I see The River as that Great River... a reflection of the celestial Nile. The water that flowed through the Nile in Egypt has flowed through the Mississippi. It gives me a deeper connection to the mythology of Egypt, especially since we are nearly at an almost perfect annual inundation every spring/summer.

It is Water, with all it's beauty and challenges. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

44 Days of Witchery - Day 28

https://www.etsy.com/shop/katwise

44 Days of Witchery - Day 28
A picture of a witchy I-want-it-now!

I don't care what color it is.
I don't care how I get one.
I WANT ONE OF THESE SWEATER COATS.

Now please.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/katwise


PS:  She sells a how to booklet on how to make one. I bought it already. I have some sweaters, mostly black and grey. I just need a serger that can stand up to making it! I'm not sure my serger will survive.

UPDATE:  I don't have one of the Katwise coats but I did get myself a sweater made by a friend, Saren, of Vespertine Fabrications. Contact her for awesome fiber art clothing!

44 Days of Witchery - Day 27

44 Days of Witchery - Day 27
Picture of Nature (Earth Element)

Tree
Yellow lichen growing on a tree
very earthy to me

44 Days of Witchery - Day 26

44 Days of Witchery - Day 26
A Witchy Podcast

Well... I don't really listen to podcasts much! I used to but the job I had at the time nixed that.  I never got back to listening to them.

So I went looking for a witchy podcast. I only tasted a couple but wasn't satisfied. I finally came to PaganFM and am listening to it right now. It's ok. I'm not into listening to politics so I doubt I'll keep listening to this, right now I'm waiting for the next song to come on and that's really it.

So, if you have a favorite witchy podcast that's ABOUT witchy stuff and not just politics... frankly, I get enough politics day to day... if I'm going to use my very valuable time to listen to a podcast, then I do not want to have it be about politics. Anyway, if you know of one, do share. I'm interested. :)