Meeting Dead People

I had a dream last night . . . although I'm not sure this was a "dream." One of my good friends who I went to grade school with and then high school lost her mother about 10 years ago. I sort of knew her mother because I spoke to her when I used to visit my friend. She was pleasant, often blunt and to the point but had a nice sense of humour. A few years before she died my friend donated a kidney to her mother. So, I'm safe to say that they were quite close as mother and daughter.

Last night I saw my friend's mother in this "dream" state. I bumped into her and was shocked to see her. I told her that her daughter missed her very much. I then told her that she should spend more time with her daughter. My vision was very vivid although it was hard to look my friend's mother in the face. Her face seemed distorted or blurry.

I haven't talked to my friend in years but I have her on Facebook. I decided to look at her profile today and her status read, ". . . the dreams need to stop. I feel like I am going insane . . ." I wrote to her right away and asked her what that meant. She sent me a private message stating that her mother sometimes shows up in her dreams and gives her messages that manifest in the mortal world. She wanted to know what to think about these dreams. I reassured her that her mother is still around and looks after her. I let her know that it not a bad thing at all and she should continue to converse with her. I also told her about my meeting with her mother. I wasn't going to tell her because you never know what people think about that . . . my friend and I went to Catholic school together and I think she still holds some of those beliefs. She also told me that she had a dream where all her dead relatives were at a dinner that looked like the Last Supper and they wanted to meet her dog. I thought that was nice.

Usually my dreams come in symbols . . . I don't usually converse with dead people . . . or at least I haven't since I was a child. I've been doing some chakra meditations . . . perhaps my third eye is opening.

Meditation Inspiration

Much of witchcraft deals with visualization. Visualization of objects, colours, ideas in your mind or a visualization of how you would like the future to be. I do have a meditation practice which remain somewhat Zen (a clearing of the mind) but when it comes to certain visualization techniques I have some difficulty. You see, I'm one of those people who has a difficult time visualizing things clearly in my mind. I also relate it to the fact that I seem to have difficulty with "spatial intelligence." I cannot tell if furniture will fit in my home by just looking at it. I cannot tell how far a car is down the street and if I should wait for it or cross the street now. So, I do find visualization exercises or techniques somewhat challenging. It is something I'm working on.

I'm currently reading Kerr Cuhulain's book, "Full Contact Magick". A complete review will come later but I wanted to share a visualization technique that he suggests from Dr. Jonn Mumford, a doctor of Eastern medicine and yoga which is called "CASE". CASE is an acronym which spells Colour, Action, Size, and Emotion. What you can do is imagine the brightest and most vibrant colours, objects that move and have action, huge objects that are much larger than the size of our brains, and objects that we might have some emotional feelings toward.

I often try to meditate on the chakra system to open them and move the energy through my body. Sometimes I'm successful but sometimes I find this difficult. In this type of meditation you are supposed to start at the base or root chakra and open all of them moving up through the spine until all the energy moves up through the body and out through the crown chakra. To open each chakra you are supposed to see the related colour and open it. This I have trouble doing. I meditate in lotus position with my eyes closed, as I am most comfortable, but I cannot always see the colours. I think I will take the advice from Dr. Mumford and Cuhulain and try applying it. I think it may also help to visualize actual objects rather than a simple sphere of colour. I was thinking that fruit may be helpful, as it comes in a variety of vibrant colours. We will see what happens and I'll keep you posted.

Divine Shopping Intervention

Ever walk into a store and find something unique and figure that it was put there just for you? I was shocked to walk into one of my favourite spiritual stores in the Annex, Toronto and find a pentacle, surrounded by Celtic knots and the Tibetan Buddhist endless knots in the centre. Now, if you don't know anything about me, being a Irish Wiccan that has studied and incorporates a lot of Buddhist thinking and works with a lot of Tibetans, I very much appreciated this. This is the kind of intercultural-interfaith mixing that makes me excited! I like pulling meaningful ideas and concepts from various traditions and combining them. It was apparently made by a Toronto artist.

I've put it together with other Buddhist, Christian and Wiccan items in my living room . . . including one of my favourite statues of Buddha in, what I like to call, the "Jesus pose." Nice to see him with his hand open on a lotus, rather than meditating, reclining, or decapitated.

Do you have any unique items that you feel were left for you to see, pick up or buy?

Beltane Growth--Mysteries of Life

Seeds really are a mystery of life! I wonder if people take for granted how amazing it is that a tiny seed when planted in the ground and given water just knows how to grow. I wish I knew more about the science of it. How does this tiny little seed know when to start growing and how does it even start to move? Why doesn't it start growing the in package? What triggers its movements? It's these simple miracles that excite me as a Wiccan.

I've posted some pictures here of the sunflowers and chives that I planted in my apartment as part of a Beltane ritual. It's only been a week and I'm amazed at the growth. When I moved to downtown Toronto after my separation I gave up a huge balcony where I did a lot of container gardening. I grew all kinds of plants and vegetables; in many ways it was a lot like having an outdoor garden. I'm currently trying to find new ways to bring that back into my life. I feel a need to foster that positive plant energy!

I recently downloaded a series of Wiccan podcasts and I was listening to Ellen Dugan being interviewed. She specializes in plants and herbs and has written many books. I was motivated by her attentiveness to the small details of living in nature. She really encourages people and particularly pagans to pay attention to what is growing around them. There was a funny little story she told of being outdoors at a Pagan ritual during a very hot day. She said that some people were complaining about being outdoors and she wanted to say, "HELLO!?! This is an Earth-based religion!" She wants people to commune with nature and figure out what kind of trees are around them, what the bark feels like, what to the leaves smell like, etc. . . . don't walk past nature, delve in and become a part of it! We truly are animals of nature, even if it sometimes hard to believe living in the city!

I've bought Ellen's book "Natural Witchery" which I would like to review soon.

We All Come from the Goddess

This is one of my favourite chants! I've been using it in meditation and trance. Enjoy!

Beltane Celebrations

As a solitary witch I enjoy my meditation practice and my solo circle casting but at feast celebrations like Beltane I like to step it up a bit. This year I invited another "witchy"friend over and we celebrated together. For the evening I came up with a series of rituals and activities that we could participate in. We also included my partner, who is not a Wiccan but I wanted to share this with him.

Not being tied to any particular tradition, I developed my own ideas based on research and suggestions from other online witches. I built my altar on my circular dining room table with Mary (my main Goddess) at the centre. More to come on Mary in future blogs. I bought two bouquets of flowers and set out a circle of candles with a few green candles for growth and healing in larger holders. We started the evening by baking Beltane cookies that are meant to awaken your passions after the long winter. The recipe for Beltane Passion Cookies was found on the web and I highly suggest them. When I make them again I will add more crystallized ginger and stir it well so that it is evenly distributed.

We then coloured eggs with crayons and dyed them in food colouring. I haven't done this type of activity since I was a kid for Easter . . . but it was so much more liberating to draw pentacles and the sign of the Goddess on them! We did this all while listening to some brilliant Pagan/Wiccan music that I downloaded of iTunes. Then we planted sunflower and chive seeds. You can't do Beltane without getting your hands dirty in the soil.

To end our ritual we wrote our intentions and wishes for this new season on paper and burned them in the cauldron in front of the Goddess. We hope She helps us find new inspirations in this blooming new season! The evening ended with some fresh fruit, wine, and tarot card reading.

Having grown up with very prescribed Christian traditions, I must say that developing your own Wiccan rituals and activities based on the intentions of the season is more meaningful and satisfying to the soul.

Merry Meet! Welcome to a New Start

Merry Meet! Here is a new start to blogging. This is the second time that I've maintained a blog; the first blog I had was quite popular, if I do say so myself. However, I've just erased it as I had not updated it for several years. I let it go after my separation from my ex-husband . . . but my life is much different now. Time to create something new in my life! :)

I want to share my thought around something I feel strongly about. Having grown up a Roman Catholic and spending time as a Zen Buddhist I've realized that this has prepared me for Wiccanism! Intrigued? I feel that I've learned a lot in both those religions (and I haven't left them behind completely) but I have always held a set of values that align with Wiccanism. It just hasn't opened itself up to me until now. It's a little hard to explain but I now have a whole blog to explain myself and explore my thoughts. I've become excited about the faith and I'm trying to get my hands on as much information as I can.

Within the last few years I've realized I'm a witch (and could have possibly been one in a past life) and I've finally found a faith that aligns with my beliefs and values. It started to come to me as I came to the realization that I'm an empath and can sense others' emotions. In a sense, I don't see auras, I feel them! I didn't realize that that was what I was doing and how it was negatively affecting my moods and thinking. I needed to find ways to protect my energy. Hence, Wicca offered me a way to channel energy and protect my own . . . but that's only a start :)

Join me as I explore Wiccanism and withcraft. I will share what I learn, read, study, and the other interesting witches that cross my path. My challenge, I live in the city . . . not always the easiest place to practice the craft!

Blessed Be!