Change in the Air

Sometimes, you can just taste the change. Autumn and the dark time of the year seems to always bring change to my life. This year is no different.

Most obviously we are moving again. From out of my country solitude back to the city. Closer to friends, closer to available work. It's going to be a good change, I can feel the build-up and magnitude of more that this move is going to bring. I look forward to it even as I will miss my secluded nature filled home out here. It was good for us, to get away, to let time and the quiet heal the wounds of the past. I got to listen to the coyotes, be surrounded by the ravens and crows, feel the peace and watch the horses. It solidifies my goal to have a home in the woods, and to get to that goal we return to the city lol place of money making life bettering opportunities.

But besides this obvious outwards changes this Samhain has brought some subtle inner changes. I've discovered new things about my practice and path, where it needs to go, how the world may perceive it, and just what I need to do for myself and for my gods. I think, well no, I know these changes are going to effect this blog. How remains unclear. It may just get a face lift and a name change, it may dissolve entirely for a new start elsewhere. I'm looking forward to it whatever shape it takes, as it will give me an opportunity to be more active online as well as in my practice. Right now much of what I want to say and explore just doesn't seem to fit, so transformation is need.

Movement, Momentum, Action, and Success.

It's a wise lesson I learned this late summer and will propel me into winter and the next year.

I leave you all with a stunningly beautiful haunting song and music video that I first saw on Lady Lavorna's blog. It suits my mood these days and really is just a lovely piece.

Best

Branwen

Magic on the Fly

Sometimes you just get a call and realize that someone needs a little extra boost. Or sometimes your day is just struggling and a kick from beyond is needed to change course. In these cases and so many others it is appropriate to jump up and work a little magic.

Today, I needed to make everything turn up Aces for someone special.

It only takes a few moments, a few bits and pieces, some powerful intention. All in a days work for a witch.

So Mote it Be!

Chicken Stock for the Soul

They say you shouldn't cook when you are upset.

To an extent I can see where they are coming from and why they would say that. When you cook your mixing, stirring, and creating energies. Energies that manifest in a tangible experience for all the senses, and is in fact meant to be consumed by the body. Your body is your temple, so you don't want to poison it with bad energies or bad food.

However, if the act of creating (in this case cooking) can pull you up and out of a mood. I can disconnect, focus on the ingredients, focus on the meal, comforted by the smells, and let the rest go. Of course it helps that I have been programmed to be comforted by food lol. A close friend told me recently that food was my porn and that might be the case.

So here we are today in the early days of October. There is much on the plate to do, and much that hasn't manifested that I was trying to. It just so happens that today is one of "those" days. But we can't stay down, can we? Certainly not, and in order to rally for the betterment of the day (and for my love's sake as I don't imagine coming home to a depressed person isn't pleasant after a full day of work). This is where we cue the kitchen!

Ahh...just now the smell has hit me and I can already feel myself lightening. In our house, cooking has become a staple. The more ways I can find to make things tasty the better. This has meant parting ways with a lot of the standard methods of cooking that my mother used lol, things in packets/boxes/bag pre made are fairly scarce here. Out with the packets of taco seasoning, and enchilada sauce. Out with the hamburger helper, and canned soups.

And out with canned chicken stock. (ok not completely I do have cans of chicken stock, just in case!)

A few nights ago I made us a herb roasted chicken from The Pioneer Woman's blog. A delicious and EASY recipe (so much yum). And as per usual once we had eaten our fill of chicken and had our chicken salad sandwiches, I saved the little carcass to make delicious homemade chicken stock. You could also save chicken bones from other recipes and freeze them till you have enough.

• 1 chicken carcass (approx. 3 lbs of chicken bones)
• 1 onion (rough chopped with skins on)
• 4 cloves of garlic (smashed with skins on)
• 3 stalks of celery (rough chopped leaves and all)
• 2 carrots (rough chopped)
• handful of parsely (or whatever fresh herb you have)
• pinch of tarragon (or whatever dried herb you want)
• 3 bay leaves
• salt and pepper to taste

Put all ingredients (except the salt and pepper, that goes in last) into a large stockpot and cover with water and bring to boil. Once it's boiling turn the heat down to a simmer, cover and let simmer for 2-3 hrs.

Enjoy the smell. I know I am. *inhales deeply* It's just a happy smell. The parsley and the chicken, just good stuff.

Once your house smells divine, you've had a snack because you got hungry, and the stock has simmered for hours and has reduced by half. Take out the carcass the big pieces etc. If you have lots of big pots this is easier to do, by pouring the liquid thru a colander into another pot. But you can just fish them out if you don't want to mess another pot. Once all the big chunks have been removed, you need to strain it further with a small mesh or cheese cloth. Cover freshly strained liquid and let sit in the refrigerator for several hours or over night.

Letting it sit will allow the fat to the rise to the top and congeal allowing you to scrape it off. You don't need to get rid of ALL of it, but most so your stock isn't greasy. Once the fat has been removed you can store the stock in whatever freezer friendly container you wish. I will be experimenting with storing them in ice cube trays this time round. The theory is to make it easier to use the stock in dishes instead of having to thaw out large chunks. So we'll see. :)

I'm feeling a little better, I think it's about time for that snack lol.

Till next time.

Summer days, and sacred projects

Summer is upon us. Well upon me anyway, not so much my pagan family that lives in the East Bay with their highs of 70 degrees lol. Here at the ranch daily tempt is getting well into the 90's and the air conditioner gets turned on daily.

Something that I have come to learn about myself is that in the Summer time I really don't want to have to do anything. I think this stems from conditioning as a child, we usually moved in the summer. Which meant long car rides of nothing but reading, listening to music, drawing and the like. Interpesed with stopping to look at historical and otherwise points of interest along the freeways of the country. Not a whole lot of social interaction, lots of quite, lots of relaxing. That's what I like in the summer.

When it's hot, I don't really want to move, I don't even want to eat. *gasp* But in our adult society at least this is not the reality of Summer. Summer energy tends to manifest itself in people in high energy, go, go go! Now, now, now! I find myself in a constant state of having to take a deep breath and not flick my tail at things that would normal roll off my back with a laugh and no issue.

Hmm...oh well gotta find a way to deal with the summer grumps. Maybe some sort of warding spell...I dunno I'll have to chew on it.

In the mean time, things have slowed down to a lovely leisurely pace at my house anyway. The evenings are spent in quiet company, something light for dinner. We've been doing a lot more reading and projects which is just perfect for me.

I've taken my hand to appliqué and embroidery (poor though it may be). For a while now I've been wanting a specific Sacred bag for some of my scara, namely my Amazon cord, and crown. I've had an emblem for a long time (as in since I was 9), and it's changed only minutely over the years. It's something I've wanted to incorporate more in my public practice as it has a large role in my personal stuff. So when I think of a bag for my sacra, it surely must have my emblem. I'm thinking it will be an envelope type bag/case, but before I get to construction I have to finish the emblem.



Besides the raven (which is red because that happened to be the only felt I had around and it will look nice with my red bag) there will be three interlocking rings with a sword through the middle. Since this is my first major embroidery project it will no doubt not be perfect, but hey it's the intention and the energy that counts.

All I know is that I'm enjoying my evenings with a big ol' glass of sweet tea and working on my case.

Ta!
Branwen

Of Peacocks and Community

Yesterday I woke up at 6 am to screaming below my window. Somewhat frazzled as to who would be screaming outside my window when I live out in the middle of nowhere I peek my head out the window and what do I see?

A peacock.

I later come to find out he was an escaped peacock and was captured and brought back to safety, but still odd thing to see in the California hills.



I don't know what the spiritual and symbolic significants of being woken up with a peacock on your roof is, but surely it has to be something right?

Peacocks aside, yesterday was a day about community. I don't know about other covens and networks but CAYA is a pretty tight knit group of characters. We've been through a lot with each other and continue to go through it. Yesterday I was struck that many of those whom I love in my community are hitting a rough patch, and instead of doing the same ol' same ol' light a candle on my altar, I decided that since I had the time I should do someething bigger.

So I did an impromtu community working, on my kitchen table, around my Sidhe summer altar. I really am blessed in my current situation, to not be working and still be living comfortably it is the very very LEAST I can do, to put that time and my energy to lend to my loved ones that need it. It was peaceful and enjoyable to sit at my kitchen table and attend to my community, to the ones with specific needs & to the general well being. I think I may just have to do this more often.





I really wish that more people around the world would take the time and energy to think about how "family" how "friends" should work, and put the effort in to make it so for all those they care about. If everyone did that, if EVERYONE treated their friends and family as they wanted to be treated and cared for, think about what the world would look like.

In the meantime I will continue my walk, trying to be an example of the ideas and ideals that my family instilled in me, that I have formed myself, and that I want to show exist to the people I love (who may not have been lucky enough to experience it before).

Somewhat of a rambling, non-nonsensical post. But I will leave you with the two wee beasties that also lent their energies and blessings to their cat brethren, and kept me company on the warm summer day.




To all my CAYA family, I love ya'll!

Aes Sidhe Elixir

Good Morning fair people!

I'm very happy to be able to post this blog, it's been burning away in my mind for weeks now, and it's all come together so well which makes it all the more sweet.

About two weeks ago my parents came by with a big ol' bag of fresh cherries from their cherry tree that exploded with fruit while they were preparing to move. I like to think it was the trees going away present for them, as in the 3 years they lived there it has never been as bountiful.

So there I am with a big bag of cherries FAR too many to eat, what is a girl to do?

Brew something magical that's what!


Cherries have always been an odd fruit to me. They come out in the brightness of summer, but they seem anything but jovial to me.
This undercurrent of darkness, definitely not innocent, delicious, often paired with alcohol lend to that more mature complexity. I can't say as a child I ever yearned to sit with e a bowl of cherries the same way I did with Strawberries.

Now usually I may chock this up to me being weird, but lets take a moment to think about the pop culture associations with this fruit. Most of them sexual (poppin' cherries), most of them seductive (knotting cherry stems with ones tongue), and while there isn't any real fairy tale references with them, the scenes in The Witches of Eastwick concerning them leave an imprint on the mind.

So with all this in mind, while I chopped and pitted the blood red buds, it became clear to me that the energy was very Fay, very Sidhe. Playful, seductive, complex, dark and bright. It was around this idea and energy that I brewed this potion.



After chopping them up, I covered them with Everclear, to steep. Some people use vodka, and it does work but generally you want good quality vodka to better get the flavor that your steeping. I like Everclear because it does get a very clear flavor in the end, that and I'm not so hot on vodka lol.

I put the jar on my the Sidhe corner of my altar, made a few offerings, shook it up once a day and honestly forgot about it for a while. Since it was fruit it really didn't HAVE to sit as long as it did to get all the flavor. 3-5 days is usually enough. But as this is a sidhe elixir they had other ideas, and all the pieces didn't come together to make the lovely potion till yesterday, the day after the Solstice. ;)

My good friend, Brenda, came over for the occasion to laugh at my antics and add her own special brand of trixy energy. (Well that and it was her birthday and I was making her dinner and watching movies and such XD )



With some simple syrup and various amounts of delicious liquors, rose water, peppermint and rose petals, an elixir was born.



Aes Sidhe Elixir:
Under the golden beams of the sun, there is the freedom of summer. Memories of childhood days spent in revelry and innocents. The air is heavy with the perfume of summer, fruits ripen on the vine in vibrant colors. It is a time of action, it is a time of life. And yet...out of the corner of your eye, there in the shadow is a shade of something darker. The wind whistle a tune of sweat and seduction, and you know the fay are at hand.

Elixir and potions are great for adding extra "oomph" to spells, as well as special offerings. When left as an offering this elixir will bring more fairy and fay kind to your life & surroundings. Sidhe magic is complex and deep. Excellent for adding steam to love spells, great for charming inspiration to come your way. Not feeling so magical yourself, a sip to bring back the sparkle. Would be an lovely and welcome addition to any Midsummer ritual or spell work.



May everyone fill the magic of the summer sun, and go out and make life happen!

Branwen

Returning Home

This past weekend (extended weekend as it included Thursday and Friday), some of the Amazons including myself, journeyed down to Orange County to visit and priestess at the Goddess Temple of Orange County, an astonishing temple in the middle of business district Irvine. Where Ava and her women create a space of safety and sanctity for ladies of the L.A. area. It really is amazing that such a place exists, and they have put a lot of work into it.

And while the Goddess Temples hospitality was amazing, and the ritual went smashingly, and many adventures were had, after four days of being inside or in a car I was looking forward to home.

So this morning before the sun heated us up to a summer temperature and while the wind was still dancing a cool breeze I ventured out under open blue skies to reconnect with nature and wiggle my toes in the dirt.

There is something about being outside that just makes me feel wholesome. It is my most favorite place to do magic or ritual. The pure unfettered energies swirling around you simply cannot be simulated within walls.


I did the full trek of the property, going down to the creek and lighting incenses under my favorite tree. The creek is a sanctuary of it's own, the trees creating a den by the gently running water. It's down here that I come to do magic, it is very peaceful. In fact come the next new moon, I have to come down here and burn my cauldron of spent spells, but for now I just sat, sang, and enjoyed the fresh air.

It's very rare that the Ranch is empty on mornings like today, usually there are handfuls of people coming and going when the sky is this blue and the weather hasn't turned the morning too hot. It was so nice to be able to walk around and scavenge for turkey and crow feathers, and other treasures without being interrupted by people. Didn't find any crow this morning but came back with a good haul of turkey.



After saying goodbye to the creek, I wandered down the road to the mail box. There are some wild grapes blooming on the way with large bees busily going about their tasks. It really is a lovely walk to my mail box, I'm very lucky even if it is a long way lol.





Now usually that's enough for me and my allergies and I go back inside. But after being cooped up so long (yes we did go to the beach and that was lovely, but doesn't quite cut it for this earth sign ;), and since the weather was so nice I decided to wander up the hill behind the house as well. I'm very glad I did. Up by my favorite oak are the most fantastic crop of Milk Thistle. They are really beautiful with big flowering bulbs just swaying in the wind.



Anyone got some good interesting ideas that involve thistle? I'd love to do something with these beauties just don't know what.

All and all a successful walk, I'm feeling wonderful and am ready to face cleaning the house lol.

But before I get on that, I leave you with images of the bounty of my travels; today and this weekend.




Blessings to all of my sisters, who I got to laugh, eat, and do magic with this weekend. It was such an experience to share with you all, and I am so happy to know you that much more.

An Experiment in Ink

For those of you that don't know I currently reside out in the country side within site of the beautiful Mt. Diablo. The property was once a walnut farm but is now a horse ranch, but still is littered with Black English Walnut trees. Last fall when we moved in ther ground was literal covered with them, you had to step very carefully at night for fear of tripping on them.

Being the naturally witchy person that I am (and a bit of a pack rat) I simply could not let the walnuts go to waste and collected a good basket full that I have yet to use through. More recently I noticed there were still pods left, decaying in the dirt, and I was struck with a notion.

Walnut Ink.

Now granted I wish the notion had struck me earlier when the pods weren't in such an advanced state of decay but oh well. On the night of the new moon I stole out in the chilled weather with my flashlight to collect them. It seemed the best time to collect decayed walnuts, at least magically anyway.

Walnuts, have a long loved history as food. Archeological excavations can trace the roasting of walnuts back to the neolithic period. The Roman's regaled is as the Royal Nut of Jove, a name which has long stood and influenced it to this day Juglans regia being it's scientific name. So it is no surprise at all that the tree and nut also have a history with witches and magic.

"Worthy of mention also, in Leland's Book [Charles Leland, Magic and Occult Remedies, 1892] is the story about the walnut witches. Manuscripts from old witch trials in Italy speak of this walnut tree which (it is said) had always been there and was in leaf all year long. For centuries, legends were told of the great witch gatherings in the town of Benevento, at the site of an ancient walnut tree. In the year 662 A.D., Saint Barbato converted the Duke of Benevento (a pagan) to Christianity and had the tree cut down. The witches replanted the walnut tree from seed, and legend says it still stands in Benevento. Bottles of Strega Liguore, manufactured in Benevento today, bear labels upon which appears the old walnut tree with a group of witches and satyrs dancing around it." This activity was associated with the worship of the Goddess Diana.
- Raven Grimassi, Ways of the Strega, 1995, p. 11

In general Walnuts (and it's woods), have associations with both male and female deities and energies (Diana, Jove, Aphrodite, Thor, Vashaan, Vishu) Making it's energy more spiritual and earth based. The tree and many of it's parts are know for healing properties (the leaves used in skin treatments as an antiseptic etc.) The Walnut is about energy, it's about transitions (from nut to tree, tree to decay), it is about wealth and death (the brain like shape of the nut did not go unnoticed)

With all that in mind it seemed like an excellent candidate for making spell ink. Dark Moon Spell ink, imbued with the powers of transformation, binding, and what lay beyond.

So after the fun of stalking through the dark moon night collecting rotting brain shaped nuts, what's next?

Next is putting them in a jar covering them with water and sealing the lid. Just let it stew in the sun and the growing moon energies on your altar, or your porch for at least 2 days (Or so I read.)



I let mine sit for a week on my porch in site of the tree from whence it's nuts came. Then brought it inside to sit on my sill in the sight of the owl, beside my skull with a big chunk of onxy inside for potency.

Then I poured it all into a pot. A pot that I didn't mind if it ya know was stained horribly and what not. Put it on my stove and added a 100 year old nail. Apparently the tannins which ionic iron combines with to make iron tannate compounds, which is what make nice black stainable ink.



Bring that to a boil and let simmer. For a long time. Pretty much till almost all your liquid is gone. Oddly enough you'll smell the faint aroma of cinnamon, very odd, but true.

Once it's good and simmered, you then strain it. I used cheese cloth first just one layer to get the big pieces out, then doubled to get the smaller debris out. And pour it into a nice jar or bottle.



Now do I have walnut ink or stain? I'm not entirely sure. You see, for honesty's sake between my readers and I ( I'm going to be grandiose and say I have readers lol.), this is the first time I've attempted this. To my untrained inexperienced eye what came out of my pot seems too watery to be true ink. I suspect it is mostly due to the pods I collected being in too much a state of decay to have enough materials to properly boil away. So in future this next experiment will have to be done in the middle of the harvest time not waaaay at the end.

HOWEVER, I am sure I at least have a good stain. It certainly stained the chopstick I was using to stir with. Which can be used for all kinds of fun and magical things, I'm thinking I may hand it over to a papermaking witch I know to color some of her paper.

In any event it was a fun experiment, I hope you all enjoyed it too!

Some more links to Walnut Ink Making:
Making Walnut Ink - SCA Approved
Magpie Making Walnut Ink
Wiki Walnut Ink

The Gods Blessing on you all,

Branwen

Fierce Femininity

Over the past couple of years my spiritual life has become more and more involved and just better. With that being said it is my intention to update this blog on a regular basis of once every two weeks at the least.

Last year I went through Initiation into The Lady Yeshe Rabbit's Amazon Dianic Lineage. I had entered into that process with the mindset of getting in touch with my Femininity and to become comfortable with it. I felt as that there was something missing from me because I wasn't as comfortable in pink and lace as I am in leather and black. So I spent a good portion of my beginning intitation playing the opposite game with myself, wherein do the opposite of whatever my instinctual answer would be. Instead of choosing a blood covered war goddess, I tried working with the a healer and elegant lady.

Needless to say this did not bring about the change I had thought I was looking for. You will not see me suddenly the epitome of Victorian womanly elegance (unless I happen to be in costume for that at the time) frills and soft subtle grace are still things that do not come so very easily to me. No at the end of it all, I came out fully embracing the wild fierce side of me that is my femininity. Praises to the Morrighhan and her ass kicking lessons.

Why am I bringing this up? Why do I feel like sharing this?

Consider it a proclamation, my firmly placing a flag in the ground to defend and bring forth that fierce energy for women to feel safe in and revel in even for just a short while.

It seems in my humble opinion that after one goes through the trail by fire and does the work to become a High Priestess, she then has to decide what sort of High Priestess she's going to be. Every one's skills and talents are different, and from them come that special flavor of magic that only she can craft and bring to the table. And it's a process in itself and may change over time, but for the here and now I know this is what I want to cultivate for myself to give to my community whenever needed.

This last Saturday, we had our Full Moon Women's Circle Grove of Artemis this year we are going through The Women's Wheel of Life by Elizabeth Davis and Carol Leonard for each of our full moon rituals. This last ritual was of the Blood Sister and was amazing and could be a whole post to itself, but the part that is important was the last activity.

It involved all the women chanting, and going up to the Priestess who invoked the Goddess and getting painted with war paint "blood". The war paint was made from lipstick and olive oil and really had a slick feel to it. Needless to say I took the opportunity have my face bathed in blood.

There is something primal and oh so real about rituals like this for me. I really feel like they bring out my true self, my real power and potential. Dancing a chanting around the circle face covered in red blood, it was so enthralling to see everyone and move through that wealth of energy. To see some of my sisters meet me eye to eye with shock and a bit of fear, others to feed off the energy and delve deeper into their own primal need to be savage and untamed. Seeing the surprise of those who didn't expect themselves to enjoy it so much. And ultimately that's what I want to nurture and bring out.

Society overall is too restricting on everyone, and certainly on women. How often do we get the chance as grown women, to run down forested hills bare foot, to let our hair dance and tangle in the wind and not care who sees it. To cover ourselves in muck and blood and be unafraid if mother sees? Not often if at all. It is in ritual that we can access this side of ourselves, the parts of us that still remember the lifetimes when we cut down our enemies, when dirt, blood, and dyes where badges of honor.

This is my pledge as a High Priestess to bring those opportunities to the women of my community, and to the men of my community. So that we do not have to go so long without unlocked the door to our primal fierce self.

Blessings of the Gods on you all,

Chieftain Branwen
High Priestess of Warrior Bardic Wisdoms

Inner Sanctum

It's been a long time since I've wrtten anything on this blog. Mostly for the fact of being completely enraptured with actually doing ritual/magic/coven business. A lot has happened in the meanwhile. I've been Ordained a High Priestess in The Lady Yeshe Rabbit's Amazon Dianic Lineage. Which has just been a gateway to so much that it really deserves it's own post. I've moved out of the City, thus making the title of this blog somewhat obsolete, but may be moving back lol. Went to Pantheacon, which was a crazy whirlwind learning experience in itself (also another post lol). Done spell work out the wazoo for various things, stumbled across my new favorite way to make warding charms (nother post).

But for this post I think I'll focus on something small, and something I haven't shared before. My altar.



I have two main altars (not counting the little ones that spring up unknowningly), my large home altar that is in my kitchen window sill. It's the one everyone sees, where most the spells sit, and really is the center of my home. It's a great altar that currently has at least two very large spider webs, and two friendly spiders living in it.

The altar above however is my bedroom altar, the one that not a lot of people have seen. It's dedicated to my patrons, it's my power base. If the kitchen altar is the throne room, then this altar is the inner closture.

I'm dedicated to the Dagda and the Morrighan, in my public priestessing and in my personal practice. As such there is a lot of red in my life lol, and it's at this altar that I pay the most homage to them. There is my icon of the Dagda's club I made from redwood, wildcrafted crow feathers, altar cloths of linen woven by my Grandmother, my spell bowl, and all manner of other sacred tools.

I don't follow any pattern to how I put altars together, it's just what I feel is needed in the moment. Oddly enough all the skulls are on my main altar not this one lol.



Every morning I light my candles, I ground, center and shield. I give my devotions to my Gods, ask for wisdom and thank my Ancetors, and do whatever spell work I need to do for the day.

I don't know how others view their altar, I know many people who set up individual altars for their Gods, and all different ways of doing things. But for me, here at this place, it's were I go to put on my game face. It's the place I can let all the gaurds and walls down, take a deep breath, connect with the essence that sparks my life and gets my heart pounding, and arrange my thoughts/emotions to what they need to be for time and situations. I think it helps that my altar is also my jewlery box lol. Because it is like dressing and acessorizing the soul for the day.

All and all I think it's a lovely set up.

Blessing of the Gods upon you all.

Branwen