Air

2 days ago, while one of my friends was over, I looked up into the sky and saw above me an enormous feather. It was a cloud formation and it was really, really big. I perceived it as a good sign and moved on with my day.

That night, I then rearranged my room which opened up a lot of space for casting and general living conditions.

Yesterday, I woke up and decided that it was the day I should start my Air Training. I was planning on waiting to get my 5 subject notebook to start my Elements Training, but it really felt like the right time to start, so I went along with my intuition.

When I first went to start meditating, I could  not get into it at all. I've never had that problem before. I tried all the different methods I could think of but to no avail. I then thought "Hey, I'm trying to meditate on the Element of Air. Why don't I open my window, light an incense stick, and then try?"

Incense Burned: Nag Champa
Candle Burned: Working Candle
Stone Held: Amethyst Crystal

The Chant I Used:
"Earth, Air, Fire, Water
Earth, Air, Fire, Water
Earth, Air, Fire, Water
Air
AIR
AIR!"

After this, a few different things surfaced in my mind. One was a golden falcon, soaring on the wind. Another was a golden eye. Just a symbol of an eye, sort of like the Eye of Ra. The words "The wind on my face reflects," entered my mind. The rest of the day was a bit trance-y, and I really paid a lot more attention to the different aspects of the Air element than I had before. Sound, smells, the wind against my body, etc. It was all magnified. It was a very interesting day! :)

That's all I have for now, I will keep this blog updated with my Elements Training! I think I will be working with Air for quite some time now. Keep checking back for news!

Image from PaganNews.com

Be Seeing You!

Anouchka

New Bedroom Setup

Last night at around 10 or 10:30, I started feeling really weird about the setup of my bedroom. I haven't much liked the setup for a long time, but it really started to bug me last night because of how cramped it was. So I decided to move things around. My altar is now on my North wall while my dresser is on my West. That doesn't sound like a huge difference, but it really is. I have much more space in my room now. And I feel better sitting with the door to my room next to me instead of behind me while I'm at my altar.

Automatic Writing - 02/16/2012

I am not the one you seek, I am the one who seeks you. I do not govern over the burial grounds of those passed over, I govern over the ones who see beyond the veil and into the aether. I am all that is astral, all that is lost, all that can ever be found. I am a force to be reckoned with, a being filled with the ancient powers that were lost in the night. I am creation. I am destruction. I am birth. I am death. I am life.

Petrified Wood, Natural Magick, & The Elements

Hello people! :) I am starting out this blog post with absolutely no idea what the finished product will look like! I'm just going to keep typing and see what I end up with! Should be fun!

The first thing I'm going to write about is something very unfortunate that happened the other night. I was hanging out in a friend's basement and my petrified wood wand fell off of my lap, onto the cement floor, and snapped in half! :( I love that wand, and I am always so careful with it, but I forgot it was on my lap and I moved. Silly movement. :( But hey! My friend Dani came to my rescue & superglued it back together for me. AND it's holding! :) So that's some good news.

In other news, I've been reading this book called Natural Magick: The Essential Witch's Grimoire by Sally Dubats, and it's really pretty useful. It has an entire section on divination! It lists & describes different elemental scrying rituals including single candle, group bonfire, and ember scrying for Fire; smoke & cloud scrying for Air; scrying with a bowl of water, obviously for Water; and crystal ball gazing for Earth. I love the descriptions for all of these, and I am planning on using/trying them all, I just wish that there were more techniques especially for Water & Earth. There are many ways outside of a bowl of water or a crystal ball to scrye with these elements. However, I am going to be keeping a journal on how these scrying techniques work for me, and I will keep my blog updated!

Lately, some friends of mine & I have been very much about the elements. We're working to learn as much as we can about them, and to stay balanced. I'm following the example of one of my friends and taking one element at a time, doing hour long meditations, and then separate work to balance myself with that element. I'm doing this so that I will have a deeper understanding of the elements, and so that I will be better able to work with them in my magick. I will gladly keep track of my progress and post it here! :)

Well so far that's all that's new with me witchy-wise!

Be Seeing You!

-Anouchka

Where Inspiration Lurks...

Today on Facebook, CharmingPixieFlora posted the question: 

"Where do you find your inspiration?"

This is my reply blog!

There are a great number of places in which I find my inspiration, number one being in nature. I've been inspired by the tallest, most magnificent trees and by the smallest veins on the most ordinary leaves. I'm inspired by people, animals, rocks, even by architecture.

Whether or not I'm looking for inspiration, I always seem to find it when I need it the most. Whether that be when I am very sad and in need of a cheerful boost, or just when it's time for me to start writing or drawing again. Inspiration always has it's way of finding me.

This may be the work of Mnemosyne's Muses, the 9 Greek women who inspire humanity's artists. This would suggest that the Muses not only come to your aid when you ask it of them, but also when they are the only ones who know you need it.

In my opinion, the Muses have many different ways of showing themselves. They may appear to you as human; a person you meet and are suddenly inspired by, a friend who inspires you, a family member. They may also appear to you as an animal; perhaps a pet who inspires you to draw a portrait of them, or an animal in nature that strikes a fire in your creative mind, etc.

But to those who are open-minded, the Muses may appear to you in such things as trees, insects, intricate weavings or buildings, portraits, sculptures, even candles. It's an amazing feeling to glance at the flame of a candle and suddenly be whisked away by it's spark of majesty & wonder.

Some people don't believe in the concept of Muses, but they cannot deny that there is a force in the Universe that Inspires. This is a fact of life that can not nor should not be ignored. One of life's most wonderful gifts is the gift of inspiration. With the right inspiration, one may accomplish anything!

Just take today for example: I was about to turn off the computer for the day and not write a blog until tomorrow. I saw CharmingPixieFlora's question on Facebook, and I was inspired to write this post. I hope this answers your question! Blessed Be!

Peace, Love & Light!

-Anouchka

Image by ch3shirecat on deviantart

The Hermit's Song

This is a poem/song I found in a book called The Celtic Book of Seasonal Meditations. It reminded me of a friend of mine who identifies with the tarot card the Hermit.

The Hermit's Song

Dear to me is my little hut in the woods

Where pine-nuts and berries are my food

And the sweet well-water which refreshes me.

Sad would I be to leave my brothers the trees

For to me they are a living temple of my God

Which the wind makes to speak his praise continually.

Dear to me also are my little brothers the birds

Who daily sing their offices at dawn and dusk,

And the woodland creatures who keep vigil with me.

Sad would I be to leave the herbs and plants and grasses

That have been my strength and salve in times of weakness,

And the living streams that tongue the praises of my God.

Dear to me is my little brother the fish

Who joyously jumps from the well to feed me

And nourishes body and soul with his wisdom.

The Hermit Tarot Card

 

Goodbye Christmas, Hello Winter?

My first blog post today was about waking up to the snow, which was wonderful! In this post, I inform you that today is the day we finally took down our Fraser Fir Christmas Tree. I find it odd that the first day of real snow, we take down our tree, lol! But it had to be done. It was starting to look a tad ill, and a bit like a fire hazard.

After Mom got the tree out to the curb, she told me she was going to be vacuuming and to collect any of the pine needles I might have wanted. I'm glad she mentioned it, because I wouldn't have thought to keep them! There are plenty of spells and things that call for pine needles, and now I have a pretty nicely sized Ziploc bag filled with them. :)

The tree also left behind a little gift. Among the fallen needles, I found a tiny little pine cone, maybe half an inch in length! I thanked Spirit for the gift, and it is now sitting on my altar. I don't have a camera that can take a good enough picture of it to show you, because of how small it is.

Anyway! The rest of my day went pretty well. I played Scrabble Cards with Mom again, wrote a blog post about totem animals, and hung out with Kyle! Now I'm off to write some of my new material into my bos!

Baggy of needles!

Be Seeing You!

-Anouchka