For Toadbile :)

Well... I've been doing everything but posting...to most anywhere. I have absolutely no real excuse for this. Pardon the lack of Greyness in your blogging diet. ^_^ I've been lazy...albeit productive in other areas.

Samhain

For Samhain, I co-hosted the first ritual in a somewhat new Pagan networking group for NC called PEER (Pagan Educational Empowerment Resource). There's no hierarchy and it's just a group of us getting together and working on... well educating and empowering others through knowledge... oh and cake. Always cake... Well, to kick off the new group (I'll post our link, just cause, below...) my friend Rowena and I did an ancestor farewell ritual before the bonfire was lit. It was of our own design. We opened widdershins and continued to request the elements attendance. We called the Shadow Raven, a side of the Crone and The Horned One, Hunter and Hunted. We shared cakes and ale in honor of those who had passed, semi-homemade spiced wine (as we didn't make the actual wine specifically) and zucchini bread. We gave some to the Others and especially to ones lost to us. We burned our offerings in the fire. And man, was it a huge bonfire. Then, we danced and...proceeded to get soaked immediately after. The skies decided to wait until we finished bringing in all the ritual bits and bobs to drop the inch of rain it promised in the forecast. It was such a fire, it smoldered till mid-morning.

The only thing that went wrong was the freakin' white sage wouldn't stay lit. It was too damp outside, and perhaps my sage was a little older than previously thought. It smelled good though. I've never had issues with my sage staying lit...till then. If that's the only trick played on us that Samhain, I am happy for it. It was a success and so was the party after. Of course, I decided that the night of a gazillion raindrops would be the first time I slept in a tent...on the ground. Everything got wet save for us (in the wonderfully waterproof sleeping bags) and the tp. Yay, a sense of humor to start out the new year.

Resulting Effects

After calling the Horned One, it is interesting how it might effect someone who has never felt so drawn to Him until relatively recently. Bringing that sort of energy, so golden and resilient yet cool and grounded, into my life has helped me understand more than I thought I might. I've said things I thought I'd never say and stood by them without fear, because I said it through truth and honor. I've been more motivated to work on certain aspects of my life. Sad to say, it is easy for that energy to get away from you. It's like calling on a rushing river and trying to swim through it. It can be done, but you have to know which way the current is rushing in order to move forward. It has helped me become more aware of the parts in my nature that keep me from moving on. I have to deal with it now, or I'll have to deal with the exponentially expanded version later. I've made the decision to ride the Horned One's energies and am enjoying the experience. As, I'd hope anyone who had the experience to do so would. It is easy in this female focused subculture to gloss over the masculine side. I know I am guilty. I just didn't understand the energies until this year. I am glad to say I'm starting to get a pretty good grasp on things concerning the side of the divine known loosely as the Horned One.

I will publish Rowena's recipe for the spiced wine in a separate post for anyone interested in it. Blessings to you and yours.

http://www.peernc.org/