Category: Our History

Crafting Your Own Sacred Schedule – Part 8

How Do You Celebrate?

Now, all this exploration doesn’t mean that every day you note as important must be acknowledged with elaborate ritual. Lighting a candle on your altar, taking a few moments to meditate outside, or preparing a favorite meal of a deceased loved one all work beautifully. If you know a particular day is going to hit you hard emotionally or mentally, then remember to schedule self-care of some kind. That can be anything from taking a cleansing bath to scheduling an outing with friends to dedicating the day to doing community service.

Copyright by Laura Tempst Zakroof Llewellyn;s Witches’ Datebook 2020 Pages 20 to 23

Crafting Your Own Sacred Schedule – Part 6

Local Festivities

Where we live has a huge impact on how we turn the Wheel. The landscape, the seasons, and local culture all affect how we experience the world around us. The community in which you live probably all ready has festivals that honor certain changes, such as a harvest festival, an annual block party, a yearly parade to commemorate an event in the town’s history, or a natural phenomenon that happens like clockwork (monsoons, fog season, second summer, etc.) These modern-day observances can have just as much power as the commonly accepted sabbats — and even more personal meaning for you because the event directly reflects the spirit of where you live. Remember everything has an origin!

Copyright by Laura Tempst Zakroof Llewellyn;s Witches’ Datebook 2020 Pages 20 to 23

Crafting Your Own Sacred Schedule – Part 4

Saint and Deity Days

While certain sabbats may have an associations with specific deities, what if those gods aren’t deities you feel connected to? Maybe the one or ones you choose to work with historically have a special date used to honor them. If you can’t find a specific date or seasons in the records, you might use the day of dedication instead, if you have performed such a rite. Or you could use divination or trance work to determine which day would be pleasing to them.

There’s also a fair amount of folks who have a fondness for saints — whether because they are coming from a Catholic background or they made a connection to that saint via their current path. In some religions, the deities of old became saints because of their powers that be couldn’t squash the belief in them, so they were “legitimatized” instead. In other instances, they can be viewed as the Mighty Dead, or enlightened humans who act as intermediaries to the divine.

Copyright by Laura Tempst Zakroof Llewellyn;s Witches’ Datebook 2020 Pages 20 to 23

Crafting Your Own Sacred Schedule – Part 2

Anniversaries, Birthdays, and Other Important Life Moments

The first category may seem pretty obvious, but we often tend to not look at these dates in a spiritual context. We may even view them as obligations versus observances over time. Birthdays aren’t just about getting older; they are opportunities to reflect on the events that took place in the past year and set goals for the next year. A birthday can serve as a reminder for us to be kinder to ourselves.

Marking the beginnings of a relationship (wedding, union, handfasting, etc.) is a great time to remember what brought you together and what you have accomplished along the way. Similarly, anniversaries of endings can be moments to recall we have come and how we have changed. For example, nearly a decade after the fact, I still remember the date when I finally decided to end an abusive relationship. It marks not only the end but also a new beginning, the new me. Celebrate your moments of strength in dark times as well as your triumphs in the best of times.

What other important moments mark significant changes in your life? A college graduation date, the day you arrived in a new place, an initiation or elevation into a tradition, the day you met you best friend, or the day you reconciled with someone — all are possible things you might choose to acknowledge on a yearly basis.

Copyright by Laura Tempst Zakroof Llewellyn;s Witches’ Datebook 2020 Pages 20 to 23

One Way to Make Your Own Besom Using Branches and Sticks

I suggest gathering these under a full or waxing Moon phase as they will hold more helpful energy. Your Besom can also be used to sweep out the negativity in your sacred place and/or wherever you are going to cast a circle. Remember to ask the tree you get your branch and sticks from even if they are laying on the ground no longer attached to the tree. It is always better to take what you need from a tree or shrub off of the ground beneath it rather than cutting pieces off the tree or shrub. Get a branch about 3 to 4 inches little taller then you are. Gather good size bunch of unstift smaller branches, I have found getting the sticks from under a shrub or pine tree make the best sweeping part of the Besom, if possible the size difference in them should be no more the approximately 2 inches in size. After gathering the branch and sticks remember to thank the tree for the parts it has given you and to leave an offering such as some water out of a container you have drank from. You need a ball of natural thin twine or some type of undryed vine. Tie the twine or vine to the branch making sure it is tight and will not slip off (you may want to by an angular cut about 4 to 5 inch up from the bottom of the branch to slip this twine or vine when securing it. (The size you have at the bottom of your Besom made from the twigs is up to you. Usually doing 2 to 4 layers of sticks make a good size Besom. Lay your first stick against the branch pull the twine or vine around the stick as tightly as you can, continue doing this until you have made you first layer of sticks pull the twine or vine in the opposite direction the you have been placing the in a tightly as possible and tie it off but do not cut the twine or vine. For the next layer you will follow the same instruction except lay the sticks in the opposite direction from the first layer. The third layer will go in the same direction as the first layer and the fourth layer goes in the same direction as the second layer. To help ensure you sticks stay secure to the branch at the end of each layer of sticks pour white glue over the sticks and twine or vine and make sure it gets down to the branch. If you want you can even put glue on the branch as you lay each first layer stick. Let each layer of sticks dry for approximately 24 hours before adding the next layer. When you have done the last layer and have used glue to help hold it together let the entire Besom dry a minimum of 72 hours before using it.

A Thought for Today

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Blessed be dear sisters and brothers.

Goddess Knowledge – The Bird Goddess/Valkyrie

The Bird Goddess is one of the most ancient goddesses, both a living-giving creator and goddess of death and regeneration. The Valkyrie, a northern European goddess, is a representation of this goddess as death wielder, The bird guise of the Valkyrie is that of a raven, long associated with death and magic. The name Valkyrie means “chooser of the slain”; the face and form of the Valkyrie are the last thing a person sees before death, Valkyries are the psychopomps who lead the soul to the afterworld. For ancient people death was part of a cyclical process leading again to rebirth; black was a positive color, a symbol of fertility and abundance, The Valkyrie represents that part of us that is unafraid of dark places; she can lead into and through them. She reminds us that seeds germinate in the darkness, that sometimes we need darkness in order to grow.

More Information on The Bird Goddess

Images of The Bird Goddess

Finding the Triple God

Because Wicca places a great importance on the archetype of a Triple Goddess, I question why there isn’t a Triple God?  Though I found several attempts at creating one on various web sites, I did not find one that seemed to me much a good counterpart to the Triple Goddess.

Having failed to find one that made sense to me, I decided to create my own.  To build this archetype, I created the following requirements.

  1. Just as all three titles in the maiden/mother/crone were easily identifiable as feminine, I needed parallel titles that were recognized as male.  Titles like “hunter” or “youth” would not work because you could not identify the gender.  For example, Raven Grimassi’s triple god consisting of The Hooded One, The Horned One and The Old One did not work for me because I could not identify the gender of each of these.  I also wanted to stay contemporary and identify titles that would be evident today and not worry about statements like “men used to be the primary hunters.”
  2. I wanted to reflect the life-cycle of a man…

To finish reading this article from Pagan Grove

WOTC and CL Websites and Coven’s Combined Logo

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I am going to use this as the combined logo for WOTC, Coven Life, and Heart’s Spirit Coven as all threes logo as part of a letterhead, places that ask for our logo online, etc.

I picked the Tree of Life because to me not only does it represent As Above, So Below but also how 2 separate websites are coming together as one through the Heart’s Spirit Coven. All who read and/or follow Witches of The Craft and Coven Life whether you practice as a Solitary or in a face to face pagan group are a student with Coven Life, etc you are welcome to join me and the rest of Heart’s Spirit Coven for Open Chats, Esbat and Sabbat celebration gatherings. We do not follow a pure Wiccan path but a path of many different traditions so we are a eclectic coven of Solitary Witches and students who come together for gatherings and to chat.

As you can see WOTC is in yellow for Sun light, Coven Life is in blue for Life Giving water, both of which nourish learning and work together to form Heart’s Spirit Coven and Coven Life’s Witchcraft School. Please let me know over the next week whether or not you like this as a logo or not. If not, please give me you suggestions on what you think a good logo would look like combining the 2 websites and coven

Some Thoughts for Litha

Solstice Poem

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General Search for Summer Solstice Spells and Traditions