August 27 – Daily Feast

August 27 – Daily Feast

Guilt imagines that every eye and every mind judges. But guilt can be false – a thing of the conscience that becomes so real it rules our common sense. We are aware that all guilt is not false – but for most people the fear of someone thinking we are guilty is reason enough. What we do not realize is that it is our own thinking, our own emotion and fear that keep us weaving and dodging. A person trying to lose a few pounds feels guilty if someone see him eating. A prudent spender feels the weight of spending a dollar – and so goes the guilt which is not guilt at all but fear. From one fear comes a thousand things to get rid of – and false guilt should be the first.

~ Will you sit idly by, supinely awaiting complete and abject submission, or will you die fighting? ~

PUSHMATAHA – SHAWNEE

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II’ by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Calendar of the Sun for August 24

Calendar of the Sun

24 Weodmonath

Day of Our Lady of Sanity

Color: White and clear
Element: Air
Altar: Upon a white cloth light a single white candle behind a clear glass madonna figure. Place there also a clear glass bowl of clear glass marbles, a second larger clear glass bowl, and a bell with a high, piercing note.
Offerings: Do work for the mentally ill.
Daily Meal: Water fasting until dinner.

Invocation to Our Lady of Sanity

Our Lady who hath no name,
You whose gentle touch brings clarity
To the mist of a fevered brain,
We call upon you for healing.
(One comes forward, places a marble into the larger dish, rings the bell, and speaks a name.)
Our Lady who needeth no name,
You whose feet are firmly planted
In the realm of what is real,
We call upon you for healing.
(One comes forward, places a marble into the larger dish, rings the bell, and speaks a name.)
Our Lady who hath no name,
You whose words strike to the center,
Clearing the way through chaos and confusion,
We call upon you for healing.
(One comes forward, places a marble into the larger dish, rings the bell, and speaks a name.)
Our Lady who needeth no name,
You who do not judge cause or character,
But who firmly guides one back home,
We call upon you for healing.
(One comes forward, places a marble into the larger dish, rings the bell, and speaks a name.)
Our Lady who hath no name,
You who shepherd the lost,
You who hold your lantern for the wanderers,
We call upon you for healing.
(One comes forward, places a marble into the larger dish, rings the bell, and speaks a name.)
Our Lady of Sanity, teach us patience
And compassion for those who live far from themselves,
And have compassion for all drifting souls.
(Repeat as needed, until all marbles are used up.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Lighten Up – Murphy’s Law For Witches

Murphy’s Law For Witches

1) No spell is as easy as it looks.

2) If you perceive that there are four possible ways
in which a spell can go wrong,
and circumvent these,
then a fifth way will promptly develop.

3) Every spell performed to solve a problem
will breed new problems.

4) Mother Nature is sometimes a bitch.

5) Anything that can go wrong will go wrong;
and anything that cannot possibly go wrong
will also go wrong.

6) The Craft as understood by Witches,
will be judged otherwise by non-witches.

a) If you explain a situation so clearly that nobody can misunderstand, the news media will.

b) If, during an interview, you explain
99 good things about the Craft, and tell one bad joke,
guess what will make the headlines!

7) No matter what the result of a spell,
there will always be someone eager to:
a) misinterpret it,
b) fake it, and
c) believe that it happened
as a result of his own work.

8) Once a Ritual is fouled up,
anything done to improve it
only makes it worse.

9) The Coven is a mule, not a car…if pressed too hard,
it will kick and turn on its High Priest.

10) 90% of anything is crap.
a) When dealing with the occult, make that 95%.
b) When dealing with religion, make that 98%.

11) Everyone has a favorite ritual or spell that will not work.

12) As soon as you mention something…
if it’s good, it goes away.
if it’s bad, it happens.

13) If a spell requires ‘n’ materials,
then immediately before beginning,
you will discover that you only possess
‘n-1’ materials.

14) In any formula, it will be discovered
that the required amounts
have been forgotten.

15) No books are lost by lending
except those you particularly want to keep.

16) If you miss an issue of a newsletter,
it will be the issue that concludes the article or ritual
that you are most anxious to read.

17) No matter what goes wrong,
it is always the High Priest’s fault.

18) When your familiar has fallen asleep on your lap
and looks utterly content and adorable,
you will suddenly have to go to the bathroom.

19) A toothache always starts the afternoon of an important Ritual.
Usually after your dentist closes; unless he overdoes the Novocain

20) If a ritual is useful, enjoyable and works,
it will have to be changed.

21) If you drop your Athame during a rite,
you will discover that you are no longer able
to move your right foot.

22) In any outdoor Sabbat, performed skyclad,
the Circle will be drawn around a patch of poison ivy.

23) In Any Sabbat performed robed,
the person behind you will step upon your hem,
thus leaving you skyclad during a dance.

24) When all else fails,
consult your Book of Shadows.

25) If the facts do not support your pet theory,
they must be changed or ignored.

26) In any Coven,
each member tends to rise to his level of incompetence.

27) The organization of any Coven is very much like a septic tank,
the really big chunks always rise to the top.

28) Expansion of the Coven means complexity,
and complexity decays.

29) The inevitable result of improved and enlarged
communications between different Covens
is a vastly increased area of misunderstanding.

30) Any teaching that can be misunderstood
has already been misunderstood.
Often by your own teacher.

31) 20% of the Coveners
account for 80% of the work.

32) Witches and Covens will act rationally
only when all other possibilities have been exhausted.

33) A witch in power
always takes himself too seriously.

34) The amount of wind blowing the day of a rite,
is inversely proportional
to the number of matches you have
to light the candles and incense with *

35) It’s better to have a horrible ending
than to have horrors without end.

36) A Witch will occasionally stumble over the truth,
but most of the time he will pick himself up and continue on.

37) The universe is not only stronger than we imagine,
it’s stranger than we can imagine.

 

38) When the going gets tough, everyone leaves the Coven.

39) In order for something or someone to become clean,
something else must become dirty.

40) You can all become dirty
without anything else becoming clean.

41) The other coven works better.

a) If you change Covens, the one that you just left
will begin to advance faster than the one that you are now in.

42) The closer that you are to the basis of a news article,
the more obvious are the errors in the news coverage of the situation.

a) Newspapers rarely admit their own mistakes.
b)If they do, it will be at the bottom of page 49.
c) Witches in the public eye, therefore, need a warped sense of humor.

43) The best way to inspire fresh thoughts is to
seal the letter and mail the article.

44) For every action,
there is an equal and opposite criticism.

45) Some Witches work by the book,
even though they don’t know who wrote the book
or even what book.

46) Don’t let the Elders know that you are better than they are,
otherwise you will never become an Elder.

47) The High Priestess who attempts to inspire the Coven
with her knowledge of intricate details
has lost sight of the final objective.
and
The High Priest who ignores those same details
in an effort to reach the objective
will end up someplace else.

48) For every vision of the Goddess,
there is an equal or opposite vision
that negates your own vision.

49) The Coven member, that you trained at great expense
is the first person to leave the Coven;
and usually he does so just when you need him the most.

50) If you are early to a Sabbat, it will be canceled.
a) If you are on time, it will be late.
b) If you are late, it will have started early.

51) The cream rises to the top of a Coven;
so does the scum.

52) The more complicated and grandiose the ritual,
the greater the chance that it will fail.

53) The more carefully you plan a ritual,
the more you will resist admitting that it failed.

54) When explaining a facet of magick or religion
an easily understood and workable falsehood
is more useful than a complicated and incomprehensible truth.

55) Anyone who makes a significant contribution to the Craft,
and stays in the Craft long enough,
will become an obstruction to its progress in direct proportion
to the importance of the original contribution.

56) Everybody lies;
but it doesn’t matter since nobody listens.

57) If you teach a lazy witch
the proper and safe way to draw a Circle,
he will state that it isn’t necessary to do it that way
and toss out 90% of the ritual.

a) When this lazy witch gets into trouble
due to his ignoring the facts,
he will imagine that his failures are caused by another’s curse.

58) The best and most effective rituals occur
when you are home with the flu.

59) You always hear about the need for a ritual or spell
after that need ends.

60) One hour before your first skyclad Sabbat,
you will develop a large and unsightly pimple upon your left breast.

61) In any Coven your sense of humor
will be inversely proportional to your position.

Daily OM for August 22 – Traveling Companions

Traveling Companions

Birds Fly in a V

by Madisyn Taylor

Like birds flying in a V, when we feel the presence of others moving along side of us, there is little we cannot accomplish.

As they swoop, drift, and glide, inscribing magnificent patterns across the sky, birds are serene displays of grace and beauty. Long a source of inspiration, birds can be messengers from the spirit realm, or a symbol of the human soul, as they cast off their earthly mooring and soar heavenward. An upturned wing, a graceful flutter, all so effortless and free… More magnificent still is the inspiring sight of birds migrating, progressing steadily across the horizon in a solid V formation that is a singular pattern too unique to be mere chance.

Pushing steadily forward, this aerodynamic V reduces air resistance for the whole flock. With wings moving in harmony, the feathered group continues its course across the sky, covering more ground together in community than as individuals. When the bird at the front gets tired, she will move to the rear of the formation where the wind drag is lowest, and a more rested bird can take her place.

By learning from the example of our winged guides, all of us can feel empowered to take on daring challenges as we chart adventurous courses. Feel the strength of others moving alongside you, as their presence lends power to your wings during this journey across the sky of life. When buffeted by unexpected gusts, we can choose to find refuge in the loving shelter of friends and family. We may even marvel as an otherwise difficult day passes by like a swift wind, as a kindred spirit charts a way for us through the clouds and rain ahead. If your wings begin to ache on your journey, look around for somebody else to fly at the front for a while. All of us move faster when we move together. Let your ego drop earthwards as we all soar ever higher.

Your Ancient Symbol Card for August 21 is The Lotus

Your Ancient Symbol Card for August 21

The Lotus

The Lotus represents the spiritual self in its purest form. It reminds us that for most achieving a well developed spirituality is a journey which can be long and arduous. The spirit of the Lotus is not of our secular world, and the presence of The Lotus suggests that what is needed can be found by exploring your relationship with the Universe not as a physical entity pursuing material gain, but as a divine soul in need of celestial sustenance.

As a daily card, The Lotus is indicative of a period in which your energies should be focused on your spiritual self. This doesn’t mean you should forsake your possessions or place in our secular world. It simply implies you might be well served by reaffirming or further developing your spiritual self at this time.

Daily OM for August 18 – Taking the Risk

Taking the Risk

Permission to Be Real

byMadisyn Taylor

When we present ourselves to the world without a mask and keep it real, we offer the same opportunity for others to do the same.

Most of us are familiar with the idea of keeping it real and have an intuitive sense about what that means. People who keep it real don’t hide behind a mask to keep themselves safe from their fear of how they might be perceived. They don’t present a false self in order to appear more perfect, more powerful, or more independent. People who keep it real present themselves as they truly are, the good parts and the parts most of us would rather hide, sharing their full selves with the people who are lucky enough to know them.

Being real in this way is not an easy thing to do as we live in a culture that often shows us images of physical and material perfection. As a result, we all want to look younger, thinner, wealthier, and more successful. We are rewarded externally when we succeed at this masquerade, but people who are real remind us that, internally, we suffer. Whenever we feel that who we are is not enough and that we need to be bigger, better, or more exciting, we send a message to ourselves that we are not enough. Meanwhile, people who are not trying to be something more than they are walk into a room and bring a feeling of ease, humor, and warmth with them. They acknowledge their wrinkles and laugh at their personal eccentricities without putting themselves down.

People like this inspire us to let go of our own defenses and relax for a moment in the truth of who we really are. In their presence, we feel safe enough to take off our masks and experience the freedom of not hiding behind a barrier. Those of us who were lucky enough to have a parent who was able to keep it real may find it easier to be that way ourselves. The rest of us may have to work a little harder to let go of our pretenses and share the beauty and humor of our real selves. Our reward for taking such a risk is that as we do, we will attract and inspire others, giving them the permission to be real too.

Lighten Up – At last, a blonde male joke! (Sorry, Guys!)

At last, a blonde male joke!

Tree Planters

There were two blonde guys working for the city council.

One would dig a hole, the other would follow behind him and fill the hole in.

They worked furiously all day without rest, one guy digging a hole, the other guy filling it in again.

An onlooker was amazed at their hard work, but couldn’t understand what they were doing. So he asked the hole digger, ” I appreciate the
effort you are putting into your work, but what’s the story ? You dig a hole and your partner follows behind and fills it up again.”

The hole digger wiped his brow and sighed,

” Well, normally we are a three-man team, but the guy who plants the trees is sick today.”

Good Friday Morning, dear friends! What A Fantastic Day!

Good Friday morning, my lovelies! I hope you are having a super day! One quick note before I get this show on the road, lol! We are planning on our store being open in two weeks. So please don’t forget to sign up to the blog to get those super discounted prices. I don’t know if you read the post yesterday but as a member of the blog, you are already guaranteed a discounted price. Then we will offer public coupons and specials that you can apply to your already discounted price. I guarantee you the merchandise we will be selling is top notch and you will love it. That is why it took me a month of negotiating with wholesalers, to get the best merchandise at the most reasonable prices. I can guarantee you I drive a hard bargain and you will be well pleased with our store.

So that business out of the way, how about we get down to business. I hope you have a super fantastic Friday and a great weekend.

Goddess Bless You & Yours,

Lady A

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Today’s Tarot Card for August 15 is The Chariot

The Chariot

This Tarot Deck: Art Nouveau

General Meaning: Traditionally, the card usually entitled the Chariot points to a triumphal feeling of freedom, as if the charioteer is being paraded through the streets as a hero (or heroine). The card reflects congratulations for high achievement, and serves as a sign of empowerment.

Huge wheels and frisky steeds speed the rate at which the driver’s willpower can be realized. This kind of charge makes more of the world accessible to anyone ambitious enough to seize the Chariot’s reins. But there is danger in this feeling of freedom, because of the increased rate of change and its power to magnify mistakes in judgment. As a seasoned warrior, the Charioteer is called upon to be extra attentive to the way ahead.

Lighten Up – Murphy’s Other Laws

Murphy’s Other Laws

1. Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

2. A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well.

3. He who laughs last, thinks slowest.

4. A day without sunshine is like, well, night.

5. Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.

6. Those who live by the sword, get shot by those who don’t.

7. Nothing is foolproof, to a sufficiently talented fool.

8. The 50-50-90 rule: Anytime you have a 50-50 chance of getting something right, there’s a 90% probability you’ll get it wrong.

9. It is said that if you line up all the cars in the world end-to-end, someone would be stupid enough to try to pass them.

12. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he
will sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

 

Lighten Up – Wisdom from Grandpa

WISDOM FROM GRANDPA

When a man marries a woman, they become one; but the trouble starts when they try to decide which one.

If a man has enough horse sense to treat his wife like a thoroughbred, she will never turn into an old nag.

On anniversaries, the wise husband always forgets the past – but never the present.

A foolish husband says to his wife, “Honey, you stick to the ironing, washin’, cookin’, and scrubbin’. No wife of mine is gonna work.”

Many girls like to marry a military man – he can cook, sew, make beds, and is in good health…and he’s already used to taking orders.

Eventually you will reach a point when you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it.

The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for.

Some people try to turn back their odometers. Not me, I want people to know ” why ” I look this way. I’ve traveled down a lot of roads in life and some of them weren’t paved.

When you are dissatisfied with aging and would like to go back to your youth….Remember about Algebra. !!!

Just because you have one
doesn’t mean you have to act like one.

Good Saturday Afternoon, my luvs! Today Is Shot To….

Good Saturday Afternoon, my luvs! I hope you are having a fantastic day. Me? Ha! Since the day is shot to hell, I will tell you about it (lucky dog, you, lol!). We have had a prowler around the house for some time now. It has just been getting worse and worse. The past week the prowler has been coming right up to the bedroom window. Thursday night, I was asleep and Kiki was standing on my side, snarling, growling and foaming at the mouth. Now imagine a Pomeranian foaming at the mouth 😦 . Hubby got the gun and went outside. He saw someone running out in the field. So last night, I said the hell with it. I closed the glass window and the storm also. Well about 2:30 a.m., this morning all hell broke loose. Kiki went crazy, barking, growling and all over me. Then a huge rock came through one of our bedroom windows. Instead of screaming, I waded through the glass and pointed a shotgun out the window. The prowler wasn’t too quick or else he expected me to be screaming my lungs out. Anyway, he was were I could get good aim on him and I told him to hit the ground or else I was going to put him there. By this time hubby was out the door and had a rifle on him. He had also called 911. Sheriff and a couple of deputies came out. They said they had been having a problem with a prowler out in this area. Bet they don’t no more, lol! After they left, I stayed up picking the glass out of my feet. I really didn’t have that much to pick out. Thank goodness. Because of the animals, I shut the door and we all went and slept in a different bedroom.

Well being in a different bedroom, the sun sure did come up early this morning. I had Kiki curled up on a pillow beside me. Stinker was keeping my feet warm. Razzy was bringing me sheets of paper. Yeah, paper! She caught me cleaning out my purse and putting receipts in a pile to throw away. Razzy got to playing in the receipts and I made her a paper ball. Well ever since then, she wants paper balls made out of every piece of paper she sees. After going to bed at 5:00 a.m., I was up at 6:30 a.m., making paper balls.

I got up made about 4 paper balls, put some coffee on and cleaned the house up. Then when I sit down to do the blog, Kiki got sick. She stays on the bed most of the time. I felt this little paw tap me on my elbow. Before I could catch her, she was in my lap. She was shaking like the devil. I just dropped everything it scared me to death. Come to find out after about an hour, I found out it was her anal glands. We went to the bathroom and I cleaned out her anal glands and her rump. What a lovely job, NOT! After that everything was fine. I gave her some doggy treats and she laid down in her bed and went to sleep. I am pissed off. We went to the vet about a week ago. They supposedly checked her anal glands and they were “so” empty! Right, her poor little old glands were full. I am going to call the vet Monday and tell him exactly why I am changing vets!

While I am at it, I had a talk with Anastasia about the post she made. I kindly explained to her that I did not appreciate it at all. She was not to talk to our followers and friends like that. Ya’ll deserve much more respect that. It was a person’s freewill to come and go as they wished. And it was none of her business why anyone left. I told her to stick to writing what she was suppose to and never make a post like that again. I got one comment that interested me. The comment suggested I go check out another community to see what they were doing. I loved the community but WordPress’ format is not set up like that. Someone has specially designed that format for them. There is no way, you could have ten different groups under this main one. First the storage would be a huge issue. Next, WordPress just wouldn’t allow it. So if I wanted to do something like that, I would have to change host’s and move everything again. I appreciate the comment and I love the site you recommended. But unfortunately, it just won’t work here. Anastasia doesn’t understand that the WOTC has always been a library for Witchcraft. We provide the most current, accurate information that we can find for the new comer to the Craft or the Seasoned Practitioner. We have always operated this way and it seems to have worked for us. I figure right now school is starting back and life is hectic for everyone. When Winter sits in, everything would be back to normal. Like the rest of us, she needs to learn patience, lol! Which ain’t easy at times!

Well, I hope you have a great weekend. I am going to put a little info on. Then tomorrow, I will get back to normal. What’s normal :s.

Have a good one,

Lady A

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Spell Of The Day for Aug. 6 – Spell To Cover Your Rump

Spell To Cover Your Rump

Whether you’ve done something you shouldn’t or neglected to do something you should have this spell throws a “smoke screen” around you.

Best Time To Cast This Spell:

  • During the New Moon
  • When the Sun or Moon is in Scorpio

Items You Will Need:

  • Wood chips from these trees:  Ash, Rowan Pussy Willow, Holly
  • Small amounts of these herbs:  Fennel, Basil, Garlic, Dill, St. John’s Wort, Valerian, Star anise
  • Seeds or petals from these flowers, peony white snapdragon, primrose
  • An amber-colored glass bottle with stopper
  • A gray silk scarf
  • Matches

The Spell:

  1. In a safe place build a small fire using the wood chips, herbs and seeds or petals.
  2. When the fire has died down to ashes, hold the amber bottle above the ashes and collect some smoke. Stopper the bottle.
  3. Hold the silk scarf in the smoke (don’t let it catch fire) for a few moments. Extinguish the fire.
  4. The next time you need to cover your ass, open the bottle and let the smoke flow out. Imagine it swelling to form a dense cloud around you, completely hiding you from sight. Drape the scarf over your shoulders and imagine concealing yourself  with a cloak of invisibility.

Note:  Refill the bottle with magick smoke after each use.

Lighten Up – You might be a redneck if…

You might be a redneck if…

Your insurance man is a redneck too if he pays you for it.

You have spent more on your pickup truck than on your education.

You’ve ever hit a deer with your car…deliberately.

You can tell your age by the number of rings in the bathtub.

Your momma gives you tips on how to sneak booze into sporting events.

Exxon and Conoco have offered you royalties for your hair.

Your dad is also your favorite uncle.

Your classes at school were cancelled because the path to the restroom was flooded.

During your senior year you and your mother had homeroom together.

You’re a lite beer drinker, because you start drinking when it gets light.

Lighten Up – Top 10 indicators that a Redneck has been working on your computer

Top ten indicators that a redneck has been working on your computer

10. The monitor is up on blocks.
9. Outgoing faxes have tobacco stains on them.
8. The six front keys have rotted out.
7. The extra RAM slots have truck parts installed in them.
6. The numeric keypad only goes up to six.
5. The password is “Huntin”.
4. The CPU has a gun rack mount.
3. There is a Skoal can in the CD-ROM drive.
2. The keyboard is camouflaged.
1. The mouse is referred to as a “critter”.

Quiz of the Day – Is the Simple Life Right for You?

Is the Simple Life Right for You?

by Annie B. Bond

Many of us yearn for plain, simple surroundings where our basic needs are  supplied in very simple ways. But there are always trade-offs. There is a  paradox that comes along with simplicity: choosing a simpler life usually  entails more activity on your part.

Given the sort of person you are and the sorts of things you enjoy, do you  think simplifying your life physically would yield you greater pleasure? Here is  a quiz that will show if a radically, physically simple life would work well for  you:

1. Would you delight in the extra exercise and sensual experience involved  in, for example, chopping wood, riding a bicycle, kneading dough, sweeping,  using a pole lathe, hand-sanding old furniture?

2. Does reading about people doing those sorts of things or seeing pictures  of them give you a feeling of excitement, pleasure or envy?

3. Do you feel a yearning for more exertion and the kind of weariness that  comes at the end of a day of physical labor?

4. At those times in your life when you have done that sort of work, or when  you have shaped something by hand instead of buying it, did that feel especially  satisfying to you?

5. Do you go camping and enjoy the simplicity of a tent and a campfire (or  even a caravan) and then find yourself slightly averse to all the demands of a  modern house when you return?

6. Do you love taking trips to places far away from telephones and  television, where mobile phones don’t work?

7. Were you a boy scout or a girl guide and do you remember, with pleasurable  nostalgia, what fun it was to go tracking, to make campfires, collect firewood,  make “gadgets” by lashing sticks together?

8. Do you enjoy gardening? Cooking? Sewing? Crafts?

If you said “yes” to all or most of these questions, you are a likely  candidate for  radical, physical simplicity. If you said “no” to most of them,  you will need to think carefully before implementing anything which simplifies  your life physically. You must watch that you don’t simplify in ways which will  create chores you later come to resent. Or chores which, one day, you may be  physically unable to do. (If osteo-arthritis sets in, will you still be able to  chop wood and ride your bike?)

Lighten Up – Flying Spell

Flying Spell

Upon 40 days of Prayre and Fasting, with Purest Faithe and Calling unto the Gods…

I. Clasp near thy rod of power (a.k.a. a telephone)

II. Call forth for ye Spirits of Travelle and theire nefarious Agents

III. Yea, state and visualize thy destination –thrice, for the Agents of Travel to Comprhende Thee…

IV. Yea, Task them and overcome them in Ye Test of Wills

V. SPEAKE THE WORDS OF POWER: VISA, MASTERCARD, AMEX

VI. Two weeks hence, take ye under New Moon to Clearing of the Travel

VII. Present Thyself in Trembling and Loathing to the Guardians of the Towers of the North, East, South and West and Present to them the holy scroll of the High Priestess: TICKET

VIII. Pass ye surely through the Elemental Detector and its “Ever Alert” guardians of Thy Safety (But not Thy Rights)

IX. Wait Until the Stars show, the wind blows and the new grass grows

X. When your Gryphon of Metal arriveth (and, ha, craven fool, it arriveth not when ye expect but only upon the winged beast’s good and fickle pleasure), board it and fly away.

August 1 – Daily Feast

August 1 – Daily Feast

Going fishing to the Cherokee is a na su hv s gv, and it is never a waste of time. And neither is dawdling along, or staring into space. Great people have known the wisdom of taking time to let their minds drift with the cork on a fishing line. Who is to say that sitting quietly doesn’t do more than running all over looking aggressive and building up blood pressure? Silence and down-deep thought can be just as active as making a big stir. Sometimes we learn something by study, but going fishing makes us wise. We know we can’t sit still forever – but a little escape from the stress and pressure certainly makes a happier, healthier person.

~ Several of our young people…..were instructed in all your sciences….but when they came back to us they were bad runners, ignorant of every means of living in the woods…. ~

SIX NATIONS

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days’, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Bad Kitty Chooses and Trains Her Witch…

Bad Kitty Chooses and Trains Her Witch…

by L. Lisa Harris

The candles were lit, as the heavy scent of incense caressed the air. “We all come from the Goddess” was playing softly in the background as we passed energy hand to hand to cast our circle. Deities were invoked, and quarters were called with poetry and passion.  Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a movement as a furry black paw reached out from under the altar cloth and snatched my ritual candle lighter. The familiar strikes again.

The day before last Thanksgiving, I had an overwhelming urge to adopt a kitten. It wasn’t planned out. It wasn’t even rational. I needed a cat and I needed it that day. After we bought our house, we had discussed adding a new pet to our family some time in the future, but had made no immediate plans. As a matter of fact, my dear husband had not actually agreed to it. I rationalized my impulse by telling myself that since our whole family would be home for four days, it would be the perfect time to bring a new family member into the household, especially since the smell of roasting turkey is so welcoming. Visions of our happy family playing with a cute, fluffy frolicking kitten filled my mind. It was time; hubby would come to see that once the cute little fluff ball snuggled up to him and purred.

I picked up the phone and called the local Petsmart adoption center. I was in luck, an organization called “Spaying To Save Our Pets” had several cats and kittens up for adoption, but I would have to get there before 1:00 p.m., as they were going to be packed up and taken back to the shelter for the four-day holiday. I took an early lunch and headed up to South Hill to see the kittens. When I arrived there was quite the display of meowing, yowling, tumbling and cuteness.

These cats knew that they were “auditioning” and were hamming it up good. It was almost sensory overload.

My eyes went immediately to an older kitten, about six months old, with long silky black fur and penetrating amber eyes. I knew that my husband and daughter liked very young kittens with short hair, and that hubby would have a fit if I brought home a cat whose fur clashed with our white carpet. My dear husband has what I consider to be an unnatural attraction to vacuuming and takes great pride in making each nap of the carpet stand at attention, spotless and clean. He’d freak out if I brought home a cat with long black fur just waiting for the opportunity                          to shed all over the place. I tried to ignore her and find something interesting, or attractive about the babies and shorthaired cats, but I kept returning to those big amber eyes, that penetrating stare that said, “You want me.”

“It wouldn’t be fair for me to pick the cat I like, just because she looks like a `witchy kitty’; this is a family pet.” I told myself. Kitty had other ideas.

After the other cats and kittens got done making fools of themselves or completely ignoring me, my eyes returned to the black kitty. She calmly sat in her cage, regal and oblivious to the hubbub going on around her. With her head held high and her fluffy tail gracefully circling her perfect little paws, she let out three dignified, soft, throaty mews, then reached her paw out of the cage and put it on my arm as if to say, “You may pick me up and hold me now.” I asked the clerk if she could get the kitten out so that I could hold her and she instantly began to purr and snuggle. I was hooked. When I looked at the tag on her cage, I noticed that her name was “Sabrina,” a fine witch name. She had been brought back earlier that very day.

The adoption center people wanted to make sure that we didn’t have a dog, as she had been returned for “beating up” a Yorkshire Terrier in her previous home. I had to respect a tough kitty and considered myself fortunate to have had the urge to come adopt a cat the same day that this fabulous creature had been brought back in.

She bewitched the rest of the household in short order, and I began to wonder if she would become my familiar. She loved the whole family, but attached herself to me quickly and completely. She could not sleep unless it was on or in my face, and I was not allowed any unauthorized or unsupervised trips to any other room in the house, especially the bathroom. It became apparent that I had acquired a fluffy shadow.

She was attracted to anything magickal, and had a weird thing going with my Witch Barbie’s familiar. She would jump up on the dresser at night and steal her little gray plastic cat, as if to say, “I’m the only familiar in this house and don’t you forget it!” I soon found that she had a collection of sacred items, including one of my rune stones stashed under the altar in our bedroom. It didn’t take her long to earn the nickname “Bad Kitty.” One afternoon I came home from work to find her sitting in the middle of the small Brigid wheel on the living room altar as if to say, “I’m magick.” She somehow managed to jump from the floor, over a circle of seven-inch taper candles, into a space of less than 12 inches, without knocking a single candle out of place. I have no idea how she did that, but she was quite proud of herself.

The first time I cast a circle in her presence, to charge some herbs for witch balls I was making my coven members for Yule, she went crazy (more so than usual), tearing in and out of the bedroom and creating a ruckus. Finally, as she was taking a short breather, I yelled down the hall at her, “If you want to be my familiar, get your furry little butt in here and help, otherwise go harass someone else. I’m busy.” She stuck her nose and tail in the air as if to say, “It’s about time you offered me a proper invitation” and sauntered into the bedroom and sat next to the altar concentrating on my work, only occasionally taking a break to lick herself. Once she was formally recognized, she left Witch Barbie’s kitty alone, as it apparently posed no further threat to her status.

From that point on, it was apparent that I had a certified “energy junkie” on my hands. At our monthly coven meetings, she simply must be in the middle of the circle as it is being cast. She bounced off the walls for three days after “attending” her first circle. She has since learned to ground her excess energy. There is to be no magick in the house without Bad Kitty being in the middle of it. She will only leave a circle if drums are bought out, and only for as long as the noise is going on. She is able to slip in and out of the circle without actually breaking it.

I do a lot of magikal work involving meditation and visualization in the bathtub, as it is the only place in the house that I can get any quiet and privacy. One night, as I was meditating in the tub with my eyes closed, I felt a “furry presence.” Bad Kitty had let herself into the bathroom and was perched on the edge of the tub with her front paws on my shoulder, her face right in mine, and her bushy tail dangling in the herbal water. She and I were sharing breath, and much to my surprise, energy. I could feel that the circle was stronger after she entered it.

Bad Kitty is in transition from silly kitten to serious magikal partner. We spend a bit of time each day working on our physic communication. We play a little game where one of us pictures in our mind’s eye, what we would like the other to do. It works about 85% of the time. She often uses this skill to argue over when and what she’s being fed. When she’s not filling my life with trickster energy, she’s actually helpful magickally. At rituals held in my home, she will often feel and fill an energy gap in the circle. If someone is distracted, uncomfortable or for some other reason is not moving energy as well as they normally would, she sits just behind them as if to fill in the gap. Several of us have felt the circle strengthen when she has done this.

Unfortunately, she is still young, at just over a year old, and definitely has her moments when she’s an unfocused, obnoxious adolescent. I was recently working a seven-day spell for something extremely important, and discovered that she is up for no more than three days in a row of any single working. The first three days, she could sense me getting ready to do the work and enthusiastically supervised my preparations, lent her energy during the actual working and served as guardian. On the fourth day she couldn’t decide if she wanted to be involved or not and grudgingly entered the bathroom with me. On day five I picked her up and carried her into the bathroom with me, thinking, “I started this working with the cat, I should complete it with the cat.” After that, I realized that no familiar is better than a bored familiar and let her off the hook for the rest of the working.

The more we work together, the more I discover how powerful the magikal connection we share really is. I often wonder why I had the overwhelming need for a cat at the exact moment I did. I would like to think of myself as a humanitarian who “rescued” a homeless kitty from a shelter. But we all know that I was merely the pawn of a cat looking for her own “pet witch”.

Lighten Up – Dog Property Rules

Dog Property Rules

1. If I like it, it’s mine.
2. If its in my mouth, it’s mine.
3. If I can take it from you, it’s mine.
4. If I had it a little while ago, it’s mine.
5. If I’m chewing something up, all the pieces are mine.
6. If its mine, it must never appear to be yours anyway.
7. If it just looks like mine, it’s mine.
8. If I saw it first, it’s mine.
9. If you are playing with something and you put it down, it automatically becomes mine.
10. If its broken, it’s yours.