Maiden to Crone

My satchel of tools weighs heavy, pressing upon my spine as we make our way towards the clearing. We float, a serpentine weave of hip, thigh, and toe as we march on, together, through the woods.

Our circle finally found, a plane of grass among the trees.  As we form into place, yellow eyes of stag and hare glance towards our coven from behind the trees, imploring our motive for disturbing their realm.

Upon understanding that our intention is worthy, the animals venture outwards, rustling leaves and knocking upon roots as they peacefully depart.

We proceed and set our altar atop a gnarled tree stump, drawing out a pentacle upon it's surface, Chalk dust flying upwards, reflecting the moonlit glow.

 Me and my fellows light sixteen bright candles and place them along the perimeter of our circle.  We press them deep into the black earth so that they stand firm.  Upon lighting, they warm our space against the midnight chill.

The spinning arrow of my compass helps me find North as I begin to prepare for our directional devotions.  I place our incense cones upon a wooden platform towards the east.  My coven-mate places salvaged wood inside our cauldron and carries it towards the Southern edge.  The bowl of moonwater glows brightly inside its vase to the West and our bowl of salt gleams white towards the North.

Preparations complete, the high priest and priestess take steady steps towards the altar.  Reaching for the athame, I catch the reflection of moonlight as the priestess takes it in hand to cast our circle.  The hem of her long white dress sticks and cleaves to her ankle with midnight dew as she walks barefoot along our perimeter, casting our circle.

Circle cast and space constructed, she begins to call the elements, imploring them to enter our circle.

Looking towards the east she lights the incense. I watch as the smoke billows and twirls, pirouetting towards the sky.  The breeze carries it upwards, higher and higher, into the infinite.  The wind careens my blond locks, separating the strands and flowing them to frame my face.  I breathe in and let the cool air fill my lungs, expanding them with openness, intellect, and intuitive confidence.  The flowing breeze carries a bitter taste of juniper and pine that tickle my tongue as I breathe steadily in and out. Wings of wind swirl among our circle, rippling our clothes and lifting our spirits as we smile in unconscious communion with the divine.

Reaching the Southern border, the priestess lights the wood inside the cauldron with a solitary match and the darkness springs into flame. Bright orange and red forms undulate, swirl, dance, and crackle through the air.  The shadows maneuver between us, slyly filling the spaces between the trees. Memorized by the flames, I stare into the cauldron and feel a sensation of warmth, bringing an explosion of need and desire.  A need for action, a kinetic energy spins around my thoughts.  The high priestess glances towards me, her beauty fearsome and magnificent.  Our eyes are wide, pupils dilated, as the power ripples and burns though our blood calling upon invincibility and strength.
Calling upon the watchtower of the west, the rush of a sudden cool tempers the internal flame.  The sensation is soft at first, it tingles my feet as the gentle foam of a swell.  But the roar of the tempest grows and builds as it travels though my body, waves crescendo and crash behind my heart as an emotional feeling of transcendent compassion transpires and a serendipitous solitary drop of the rush escapes the corner of my eye.

Finally upon reaching the North, the owls hoot in welcome and the birds take flight, forming dark silhouettes between the branches.  I feel the earth root and crawl between my naked toes.  The boughs of the branches creek and crack against the wind.  The pines bend and bow in salute.  Off in the distance a canine howls, directing our attention back towards the radiant orb above.

Hearing the steady drum to my left, I feel the rhythm pound into my bones.  The time has come.

I take your tender hand in mine and entwine our fingers, our necks pale and exposed as we gaze upwards.

Looking towards the high moon and the infinite stars,
but just for the moment as the sound of a crow breaks our silence,
and circle round we go.

Step by step, your hand in mine, joined as one, we circle.

Cares won't weigh me down.  No, not tonight.  For I come bearing spirit under this full moon sky.

We stamp and stomp in motion, pale feet crossing ankles, a rolling thunder, a tide of movement. Around the circle we go.

Step by step, from wrist to toe, we dance and fly round and round.  Ecstatic energy circulates and spins as the beat pulls and tugs.

Moving quicker now, leaping and bounding, round and round as the beat carries faster and faster.

Building and building, our energy radiates outward and upward to the stars.

Ecstatic tempo roars and erupts as it reaches climax.

At once our arms fly outward, spirit soaring, released towards the sky.

Our hands let go and we gently fall down to soft green. Cradled and comforted by the tender Earth, it calms our palpitated hearts as our excess radiance begins to root back into the earth.

We lay there, amongst the grass and dew for several moments, relishing our feeling of connection.
Clouds pass, wind twirls, and we lay relaxed atop the earth.

Time to leave, we stand and slowly begin to collect our things.

Before starting our journey back home, I venture one last look upon the full moon.  Just as I turn my face upward, a cloud begins to pass, concealing the light as if saddened by our departure.

Don't worry, I speak softly to the Goddess, we'll be back soon.

I finally purchased the Wild Unknown Tarot deck after thinking about it for several weeks.  I had made a post on Facebook earlier asking what people thought of the deck and it was highly recommended.  The artwork for this deck is done by Kim Krans.  You can view her website here.  I've done a few readings with it so far and I am absolutely in love with this deck.

You can view my full review below:





Blessed be,
Scarlet

Bones, salt of the earth.
Creaking, bending with proficiency.  Cracked, layered like shale, a tree ring of our histories.

Deep aches of memory, starting at the marrow and echoing as a drop of water, through our fibers.

Our bones may clamor for the grave as if meeting an old friend, but Not Yet we say as we bend and move. We dance amongst that grave dust, kicking it upward in salute to the wind.  Our smile is wide and unafraid as our arms circle and reach out towards the pines.  Our toes can still curl and our matriculated fingers still feel the midnight air as we dance, at our own speed, beneath the moonlight.

Fragile and weak of body, but transcendent in mind.  Head tilting side to side, eyes cloud as we dance, dreaming visions of the curtain.  It billows, but is held firmly by two stone pillars.  The pillars stand tall and tower over us with a gaze of reverence.  One foot caresses the translucent fabric of that veil, toes tickling the fibers.  We dip one solitary toe into that silver mist, feel the ripple of a shiver, grin and pull it back out.

We will cross over soon, but Not Yet we say as we dance gaily around it's perimeter, body and mind at one with the nighttime air.

I discovered this song and corresponding music video a couple years ago and I was recently thinking about it again. 

I'm a big fan of Southern Gothic and bluesy types of music.  The below song "Bottom of the River" is by a group called Delta Rae located in North Carolina.

NPR described the connotations of their music as creating a "modern folklore" and indeed the band claims they draw inspiration from a myriad of old folk tales, graveyards, and mythology.  Still, they manage to sprinkle in aspects of modern life to give a fresh perspective.

This video for "Bottom of the River" echoes visions of a witch trail as a beauty is chained and marched down a dark road by an angry mob.  I find the ascetic of the video to be mysteriously beautiful and invocative of  a dark history. 

I would love to hear your opinions below.











Blessed Be,
Scarlet

Here's a collection of some interesting Ouija boards and planchettes that I've found circulating the internet.  Remember, to always be careful and respectful if you choose to work with a Spirit board...  

I wanted to make a book review for those who are just starting out learning about Wicca and Witchcraft.  Wicca by Scott Cunningham is an excellent beginners overview and I would recommend it to everyone.  You can view my full review below:

Last Tuesday I went to a meetup for the group Chicago Ghost Hunters.  I found this group with the website www.meetup.com.  I've also found other various Wiccan and Pagan groups through this site. This was my first time meeting with the Chicago Ghost Hunters and I would say that I was pleasantly surprised.  You never know what you're going to get when going to these type of meetups with complete strangers.  Though, I found everyone at this group to be pleasantly welcoming and kind. This was a big relief as I tend to get a bit socially anxious when meeting new people.

We met in a cozy "supposedly haunted" pub called Red Lion.  We first went around the group introducing ourselves and such.  We then talked about various events and ghost hunting trips that the organizers were working on planning this year.  I've never gone on a ghost hunting trip before but the idea kind of excited me and I think that I would consider trying it out.

What I found most profound was just the ability to simply discuss all things occult and mysterious with people knowing that not only would they not look at me strangely, they were just as eager and excited to share their own experiences, ideas, and opinions.

Have you ever gone to a type of ghost hunters meet up?  If so, what was it like? Was it a good experience for you as well?