Gearing Up for the Impending Storm

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for north Texas--the location of the Lair and its inhabitants.  Here 'tis--

          * TIMING... FREEZING RAIN IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN THURSDAY EVENING AND CONTINUE THROUGH FRIDAY.           SOME LIGHT AMOUNTS OF SLEET ARE ALSO POSSIBLE FRIDAY.

          * MAIN IMPACT... ICE ACCUMULATIONS WILL CREATE HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS ON AREA ROADS...             BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES. SIGNIFICANT TRAVEL IMPACTS ARE POSSIBLE DURING THIS EVENT. ICE                       ACCUMULATIONS WILL MAKE ROAD SURFACES IMPASSABLE AT TIMES THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON.

          * OTHER POSSIBLE IMPACTS... ICE ACCUMULATIONS MAY BRING DOWN TREES AND POWER LINES... AND                 COULD CAUSE POWER OUTAGES.

          * ACCUMULATION... ONE QUARTER INCH OF ICE TO OVER A HALF INCH OF ACCUMULATION IS POSSIBLE                   DURING THIS EVENT. AS TEMPERATURES CONTINUE TO FALL ICE WILL STICK TO ALL SURFACES. VERY                   LIGHT SLEET ACCUMULATION IS POSSIBLE FRIDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN BELOW FREEZING                       PREVENTING ICE FROM MELTING AWAY.

There are travel advisories for the area already.  

We, at the Lair, are all ready for the snuggly "nesting" which is about to occur.  Ice and snow and freezing rain equal blankets and cocoa and hunkering down with books and boardgames.  Black-oil sunflower seeds will be set out for our wild neighbors in the Gardens.  The Pond has been "winterized" (we turned off the fountain/waterfalls to prevent the system from freezing internally).  We're ready--plenty of "reserves" and leftovers in the 'fridges and freezers, spare water in pitchers (and spare hot water in thermal carafes) "in case," and candles at the ready.  

Keep us in your thoughts, my friends, but know that She is caring for us through our preparedness. The Garden altar is cleansed...the Cottage altar is smudged...the energies and elementals have been appropriately engaged.  Our resident Fae have been especially active...all will be well and merry.

Brightest Blessings...

In the softness of the Wintery Moonlight...  

Ch--Ch--Changes They are Afoot...

G'day, my dear ones!

One may truly feel the Wheel turning today--the winds are brisk, the air is crisp and redolent with Autumnal scents of wet leaves and wood smoke, and the skies have turned grim.  The trees, recently decked in verdant leaves, are shedding their finery and allowing their skeletal beauty to be fully displayed. Winter is fast approaching and, with it, the season of resting, reflection, and recharging.  We may become self-absorbed or self-isolating, but 'tis merely a chance for the introspective self to strengthen and reawaken.

As with the critters without, we, too, are starting the comforting ritual of preparations for the coming "nesting" season. Kitchens are teeming with the scents of baking breads, warming soups, and roasting meats. Blankets and "throws" are being brought out of storage and tossed on sofas and chairs for easy access when the evenings are chilly. Handknits and jumpers have replaced tshirts and tank tops in closets and bureaus.

There's an anticipation in the air...in the crystal-blue skies...in the scents and sounds of preparation.  Change is coming and change is here!  Candles are lit for ritual AND for light...bonfires or firepits pop and crackle merrily in celebration as they warm and comfort...capes and cloaks and ritual garb comforts as much as it connects.

My dear visitors, what are WE embracing and altering in this Season of flux?  Do we mourn the loss of the Sun or welcome the Darkness and all its potential?  Will we hold fast to the past or look beyond to what we've learned and to what wonders are opened to us thanks to that very same past?  Will we think ill of the brisk winds and chill rains and forthcoming snows or actively open to the cleansing they herald?

Change, my dear ones...change is what keeps our Paths vibrant and vital.  Change is what allows us to delve ever deeper into Her mysteries.  Change is life!

Embrace it...go out-of-doors and embrace the change!

In the darkness of the New Moon...

Gearing up for Samhain 2013

Greetings my darlings!  'Tis been quite a long while since the Lair was updated.  My humblest and deepest apologies!

Whilst on social media this morning, I ran across an article posted by Llewellyn Publishing--Halloween promotes unfair portrayal of witches--and it got me to thinking.  The author posits that the portrayal of witches during the secular holiday breeds negativity toward us.  Insofar as the exaggerated image of a preconceived Crone is the dominant visualization, I would agree with the assertion.  But, I believe the McCaskill misses a "teaching moment" that would turn that negative into a resounding step toward a revisualization for the masses.

It's true that we Followers of the Path and Dancers in the Moonlight are seen by the media and general public as something "dark," "evil," and oftimes "damned."  But, what do we DO to change that conception?  Do we talk openly or hide in the shadows and hope (hehe..."like Hell") that we don't get noticed?  Do we live our lives IN society or perpetually separate and self-exclude?  Are we Wiccans/Witches OF the world or IN the world?

Most of us--because of the very images by which McCaskill is offended--stay in our "broom closet" for fear of separation or exclusion.  It's a self-fulfilling action.  If we hide--TRULY hide--who we are, aren't we as guilty as the drug store decorations of perpetuating the negative stereotype by acting like our Path is something to be ashamed of or secreted away?

One of my dearest friends "broke" the unwritten/unspoken "code" and "outed" me to one of our mutual friends.  She knew no better and meant absolutely no harm...and know what happened?  ABSOLUTELY NOTHING--either negative OR positive.  It was a situationally-neutral action.  Life kept on going...

Albeit I'm not advocating in ANY MANNER for any of us to shout to the highest hillocks that we are Pagan and Proud or any such nonsense--our families or careers may still dictate otherwise--I AM advocating adjusting the stereotypes by answering questions with candor and honesty.  If something offends, educate.  If someone asks, answer.

And make it a bit easier this Thursday to welcome and embrace the Old Ones as the Veil is lifted.

In the Softness of the Moonlight...

Late Spring's Magickal Offerings

Bright Blessings to you all, dear ones! 

Did you sense it in the breeze today?  The clear, clean scent of Spring's promise...the dewy offering of life and regeneration...the crisp embrace of the Season?  Songbirds are softly chirruping their salute to Aurora.  The cool air smells of rain.  The leafed trees are sparkling against the steely-grey skies. 

Rain.  That life-giving offering is imminently approaching.  Preliminary mists kiss the skin if you're out-of-doors. As "gloomy" as the profane world might see a day such as this, to the Lair, it's a day of heightened awareness...of activity...of celebration.  The Gardens are beginning to produce--thanks to the rains.  The Fig is quivering with new fruits--thanks to the rains.   The darling Toads of the Pond are socializing during the day AND evening--thanks to the rains.

Embrace this day...this weather...this Season!  We're less than a cycle from Midsummer's Eve and the festal celebration of Litha.  The Fae are galavanting in the Gardens, meadows, and woodlands. The Elementals are at play in our nightly rituals and Sabbat/Esbat circles.  Engage them all...celebrate with them...dance, twirl, jump about, and open to the promise!

Merely a gentle reminder, my dear ones, to focus not solely on the fundamentals, but on the FUN of this Season.  We are celebratory Paths...so celebrate!

In the softness of the misty Moonlight...

Beltane 2013

'Tis Beltane!  From here on, She blesses us with the riotous joy of Spring and early Summer--the cacophony of birdsong, trees vesting themselves in the verdant splendor of full-leaf, flowers of all kinds studding the landscape with celebratory colors.  In the shadows, we may sight the Fae in their festal dances at the Gloaming.  Early herbs and Garden delights begin to grace our Hearths and Tables.

Step outside--can't you feel it?  The warmth of the Sun's embrace growing ever more lengthy and sustaining.  The bracing texture of new grass as it tickles beneath your barefoot steps.  The gentle kiss of the Spring breezes sensually stroking your cheek ever so softly.  The chirrups of wild birds calling you ever onward to the world beyond the walls of your comforting home.

The 19th century poet--Willam Wordsworth--embraced Nature in this manner.  His were poems which captured the essence of Nature and the Simple Life as indicative of the ideal state of Mankind.  I'm reminded of his "Lines Composed in Early Spring" today:

I heard a thousand blended notes, 
While in a grove I sate reclined, 
In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts
Bring sad thoughts to the mind. 

To her fair works did nature link
The human soul that through me ran; 
And much it grieved my heart to think 
What man has made of man. 

Through primrose tufts, in that sweet bower, 
The periwinkle trailed its wreaths; 
And 'tis my faith that every flower 
Enjoys the air it breathes. 

The birds around me hopped and played: 
Their thoughts I cannot measure,
But the least motion which they made, 
It seemed a thrill of pleasure. 

The budding twigs spread out their fan,
To catch the breezy air; 
And I must think, do all I can, 
That there was pleasure there. 

If this belief from heaven be sent,
If such be Nature's holy plan,
Have I not reason to lament 
What man has made of man?

http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/296

Today--and throughout this season of mirth and merriment--embrace the hope and welcome which Spring and Nature offer you.  Celebrate good...welcome change...embrace diversity.  Plainly said, let Her wisdom penetrate your deepest recesses and allow you to open to the Thrill of Living!

In the softness of the Moonlight...

WELCOME 2013!

'Tis a new calendar year...

We've decked the halls, burned the Yule log, torn the wrapping paper from gifts, popped the Champagne, and cleaned up from the parties.  So...now what?

My darling Lair companions, it's now time (as it always is) to celebrate the seasonal abundance of Winter!  Look around you...

Here, at the Lair, the trees are brazenly exposing their architecturally minimalist natures, the Pond is glazed every morning with a thin layer of glassy ice, and the songbird are "decking the Gardens" with shades of charcoal and scarlet. We've been blessed with rains, snow, ice, AND bright winter sunshine within the past two weeks! The bracing winds and temperamental weather outside encourage us to "nest" and cuddle.  It's a time of organization and introspection--of cleaning our environment of the "needless detritus collected and unused AND of cleaning our selves of those considerations that draw us from our "real" purpose and focus.

Rather than make resolutions, I encourage you to Refocus and Renew this season...to look within and find what needs Renovating...to Resuscitate your true self.  Extract yourself from the negative energies--acknowledge their ability to teach and then embrace the positive motivation they give you to adapt and change.

Welcome to 2013, my dear ones...and to the softness of THIS year's Moonlight...