Under the Light of the Moon

Tonight, as I sat outside enjoying a few solitary and quiet moments of 'me time' I felt the urge to write- something that has avoided me like the plague here recently. So, join me in my moments of reflection while I sit on my front steps...
I sat down on my porch, looking up as I do every night to note the stars, the phase and course of the moon and the night air surrounds me. I realize that the moon is brighter tonight than it has been in awhile- most likely due to the beautifully warm day we had, followed by this cold and clear night. Looking at the moon, and seeing the way that it illuminates the earth around me, I see. I see that how the moon grows is how I find myself each day, and the way it lights things up tonight is a reflection of my own growing sight. With each passing day I see more, and have to wonder "what if" less. I am claiming myself and my gifts.The darkness is my friend, but the light of  the moon is a gift... As I sit and see, I note that my neighbors across the street have a candle burning in one of the bedrooms. It made me wonder if perhaps someone was enjoying a quiet moment of self reflection like me... or are they perhaps casting a spell or enjoying the touch of a lover? Who knows. The beauty of the moment is seeing the flame of the candle shine through the curtains that are used to shield ones-self from the outside world. Everyone's light shines through at some point. Then I look out at the house of the neighbor next to them- her front porch always reflects the colors and symbols of whatever holiday is approaching. Even now I smile at the bright green shamrock that is lighting her front window and the green light bulb in her porch light. She is always happy whenever I see her... perhaps she truly feels the lively spirit of each holiday as each holiday comes in and again departs.

Tonight is blissfully quiet.

The coming full moon is going to be potent I think.. I hope that everyone has a magical week in the days that lead to it.

Blessings!

Back at last

I am so sorry on my month long absence... I've been trying to squeeze in every last drop of family time possible between life, appointments and "oh craps". My hubby has officially deployed and now I'm trying to get back in the swing of things. A lot of stuff has happened that I'm aching to blog about, so you'll have to bear with me as I try to squeeze in blogs between last minute holiday prep and some traveling to help out a few friends in Seattle that are in desperate need of assistance...

So, as it's late and I've been up since 3am making trips to the airport and crying, I'm just going to write a quick outline of things coming up:
1.) Dream Walking with Stars
2.) December Full Moon Ritual/meditation
3.) Yule and the Dark Moon

Those are the big things right now, though I'm sure that I'll add more to that once I settle in for some good, lengthy typing. =)

I hope that you all are well, and I can't wait to get caught up on everyone's blogs!

Blessings to you all this beautiful season!


A parting thought...

Night of the Full Moon- November

Tonight I held my first solitary ritual since stepping down from my role and leader for the military circle I had run for the past 2 1/2 years. I had forgotten what the solitude of self can feel like, and I must say that I enjoyed it immensely. I will forever love group rituals, but after tonight I am reminded of how important it is to practice alone as well.

Something that I did and haven't done in awhile was take the time to gaze into my scrying mirror. I have tried many forms of scrying- water, stones, fire, etc.- and in all my trials I have discovered that that one method at calls to me and works without fail is my black mirror. It was actually a gift from Stephen many Yules ago, and has been my scrying method of choice since then. Just looking at it for a moment will allow most anyone to see the "waves" within the blackness, just waiting to part so that the seeker may seek. I saw many things in my mirror tonight, some of which I asked for, others came unbidden. I was afforded the opportunity to speak with my guide as well as my totem tonight (two separate things for me personally), and was provided some insight on how to go about this new path that I am on, as, admittedly, I've been feeling a little lost. I know the power is within me, it's just been a matter of finding it and working with it now that my rituals have changed so drastically. I'm not sure if that makes any sense, but I at least know what I'm trying to say!

I also made some moon water tonight- something I have neglected to do the past few months. As a dear friend and fellow priestess of mine told me on Samhain while she was acting as messenger for The Morgan, "The Darkness is your friend." Those words have stuck with me since that night (and I apologize for not blogging about it yet!), as the darkness of self is something that I've been learning to recognize and work with, as there can be no light without the darkness. Part of this, going back to the moon water, was also putting a smokey quartz into the water as I charged it with the light of the moon. While the full moon offers illumination at it's fullest, the smokey quartz, to me, represents the darkness that has come over the earth as winter settles in around us (for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere). My goal for this winter, as it will just be me do to the needs of Uncle Sam, is to spend this winter in the blessed solitude of my home and of myself, in hope of finding those things within the darkness that are beneficial, so that I may expand upon them, as well as those thing which hinder, so I can learn to control then do away with them.

Now that my circle is closed, I feel Nyx calling me into a blessed sleep where I I hope to be blessed with dreams of meaning that I will remember upon waking. =)

I hope that you all had a blessed night and that you will take time this winter to embrace the darkness and use the night for a good dose of introspect. You may not always like what you find, but ignoring it will do a hell of a lot more damage that confronting it. Besides, not everything that resides within the darkness is negative.

Be Blessed.

To the Hopi- The month of purification and renewal

The full moon for February is know by many names. I chose to use the Hopi name for this moon because, for me personally, purification and renewal is what's up on the menu. =) Many of you have read my blog on the death in my family (and thank you for the warm wishes and happy energy sent my way), and my mom and I have decided to leave on Sunday and make the drive to southern New Mexico to settle my grandma's estate. I have packed a small bag with items for energy/magical purification as well as a bag for physical purification. I got to thinking about it, and when the magnitude of the task at hand hit me with the realization that we'll be cleaning out a trailer that hasn't been opened in almost 5 months, I decided that I needed to go down prepared. And in this process of cleansing and sorting, I plan to concentrate on my own life and the bedraggled state it's been in this past week, and cleanse and purge all the negativity and remaining "nasties" from being sick. I think it's an outstanding plan. =)

Because of this cold I'm still fighting, I decided to not do any of my normal full moon activities, such as making my moon water, because I don't want any "energetically tainted" things residing on my altar for the next month. However, I did cleansing the drains of my kitchen sink (because it's been a good while since I've done that), using the method I found on Mrs. B's fabulous blog: http://www.confessionsofapagansoccermom.com/2011/02/clearing-your-sink-and-magically.html#more, then Jaelynn and I did our normal nightly ritual with her new Goddess Candle (I took a picture for your viewing pleasure!). After that I took a nice hot back with some chamomile, drank some homemade herbal tea, and hit the sack!

Now that I've talked all about my life, let me give you some magical correspondences for this moon!

Astrology wise, today is the end of the Aquarius and tomorrow begins Pisces! Good colors to work with are light blue, aqua and purple. When I think about things to do for this full moon, the first thought I had would be to lay down, put a pretty piece of amethyst on your third eye and soak in the light of the moon. If it is too cold to go outside, that's fine, just find a comfy spot in the house and bring the moon into you! Feel the light of the moon recharging your body, mind and soul. Easing away any pains or problems you're facing and replacing that energy with the light and love of the moon/goddess (whichever you prefer). Do this until you feel the light within your entire being and that it's created a sphere around your body. Slowly take this light and pull it into you, keeping only what you need, then sending the rest back into our beautiful Earth. Make sure you eat a little something afterwards if you need additional grounding!

Hope you enjoy! Many blessings to you this full moon!