06 Wednesday Apr 2011
Tags
Beginnings, Commitment, Devotional, Energy, Faery, Grounding, Heart, Honesty, Magic, Meditation, musings, reasons, Strangeness of Life, Suggestions, Tools, Visualisation, World Tree
Being pagan and loving the earth, its worth making sure you’re connected to it before any kind of magical act… as embodied beings we are made of earth, we walk upon her, we eat what grows on her, and we will one day be buried in her.
Being human, its worth making sure you’re connected to the earth!
04 Monday Apr 2011
Tags
Iron Pentacle, Journalling, Journey, Living Life, Magic, musings, Pearl Pentacle, Philosophy, project, Reclaiming, Strangeness of Life, Suggestions, Tools
Choose your limits
Everything that you do requires power. Power is the ability to make things happen.~ Hiro Boga
And when you claim your power to make things happen, you gain liberty…
Standing strong in yourself, with power in your heart, you see the way open before your eyes.
You know you are capable of choice, of action, and your ability to choose your path means you are free, free to choose your own responsibilities, free to be yourself, free to choose when to say yes and when to say no.
When you claim your power for yourself, you are at liberty to decide to manifest your own destiny, or not.
When liberty rises, you choose.
And there are limitations, we are not infinite beings, we are embodied, we are finite, we are living with limitations and obligations…
But these do not change the fact that we are free to choose how we respond to them, how we live within them.
That the world is only so big does not mean we are not free, it only means that we have only a certain amount of land to walk upon… and we are free to choose whether we start walking, or whether we stay put.
You have the power to choose your own path, you are free to walk the way you choose.
The path may only be two feet wide, but you choose to look up as you walk, or down at your feet, or to sit by the side and refuse to move at all.
Claim your power, your ability to act and choose within whatever limits may exist, and feel the freedom that rises within.
As Epictetus, a Greek Philosopher and slave, insisted, there are certain things we do not have control over, but in those areas where we do, we are free. As such, even he, a slave, felt himself to be free.
Liberty is possible when we accept our own power, and where we are powerless, and we then begin to choose.
What do you choose?
This is the fifth post of seven on the Pearl Pentacle, part of my Pentacles series, which started with the Iron Pentacle. I’ll be posting on the points of the Pearl Pentacle for the next few Magical Mondays.
13 Sunday Mar 2011
Posted in All Posts, Magic, Reflections
Tags
Ancestors, challenge, Commitment, Family, Heart, Living Life, Magic, musings, spirit, Strangeness of Life
I’ve often tried to map out my family tree, but with divorces and remarriages it tends to scrawl over the edge of the page into a tangle. Perhaps I’ve more of a family vine than a family tree?
I’ve some information on one of the branches of the American part of my vine, but very little on the British parts…and I’ve well loved family who have been disconnected through divorce.
I return periodically to trying to develop a magical practice to honour my ancestors, connect with my roots… but it tends to wash away on unstable foundations… so how can I reconcile these things? How can I find a practice that I connect with, so I can feel what I’m doing when I work with them?
And do I need to? It feels like the right thing to do, so I guess so…
Its come to mind again, I guess its time to revisit what I used to do and see what I can do now. A box altar worked well last time, where I had to interact with the objects, and then time spent talking and listening to them. Pretty much how most of my spirit based work happens – tricky when ‘hearing’ is so damn hard for me! Make of that what you will…
Suggestions welcome!
06 Sunday Mar 2011
Posted in All Posts, Art Craft and Beauty, Faery, Following Delight
Tags
Art Craft and Beauty, Commitment, Completion, creativity, Devotional, Faery, Faery Queen, Feyhearted path, gratitude, Heart, Intent, Journey, Living Life, Magic, project, Strangeness of Life
The Faery Heart
I am delighted to announce:
My book has been accepted by a publisher!!!
A lovely German publisher has decided to take on The Faery Heart, and to publish it in a German translation with new illustrations by a gorgeous artist.
Celebration time!!! 🙂
It’ll be out, at the very earliest, late spring next year… so, in the meantime:
The original, English, version is up on Lulu!
Complete with my own illustrations.
Have a printed copy sent to your door, or download a digital version to read right away.
I feel like I’m flying 🙂
Happy thoughts to you all!!!
04 Friday Mar 2011
Tags
challenge, creativity, Determination, Devotional, Faery, inspirations, Living Life, Magic, Strangeness of Life, Suggestions
This is the fourteenth post in a series of suggestions for re-enchanting your life, one pixie kiss at a time. The introduction is here, and you can watch the path unfold here.
“Glamour Bombing” a form of artistic and poetic terrorism that involves acts of random beauty, inspiration, joy, magic or wonder with the purpose to raise ambient levels of glamour in the environment, glamour being the unique magic of the fae.
A glamour bomb is any public act or work that aims to inspire genuine curiosity and childlike befuddlement, a change of thought process, belief in magic, belief in the fae, and/or a sense of wonder in the recipient.
~From the glamourbomb ‘Tribe.net’ page
If you’ve been following the music for a while, letting these kisses from the pixies enchant you, enchantment should be blossoming in your life… cultivating a sense of wonder is a magical act.
Allowing enchantment into your heart is a good step, but perhaps you feel called to share some of that wonder with the world?
One way to do this is to practice the art of ‘glamourbombing’.
19 Saturday Feb 2011
Posted in All Posts, Following Delight, Magic, Reflections
Tags
Art Craft and Beauty, creativity, Devotion, Feyhearted path, Heart, Honesty, Journey, Living Life, Magic, musings, reasons, Strangeness of Life
Recently I’ve been using the label enchantress/enchanter to refer to myself, and the Pixie Kiss project is all about enchantment, so perhaps it is time to elucidate what I mean by this!
What is an Enchanter?
An enchanter enchants; makes something enchanted; spreads enchantment.
Enchantment implies wonder, delight, beauty, joy and magic… and also: seeing what is not there. I grew up being accused of watching things that weren’t there, things which include faeries, magic, wonder and spirit, according to the greyer parts of our overculture. Anything beyond the material realm is not really there…
The glimpses I’ve had of that grey world, devoid of spirit, life, and wonder, are terrible things. Its no real wonder that depression and numbness are strong currencies in the world! The more I see of the world, the more I come to see how this greyness permeates so many lives, and how much this harms people. Disconnection,* that which prevents a life lived fully, comes from disillusionment, disenchantment, distrust and disinterest in the world around us, so let us reconnect, re-enchant and re-invigorate our lives!
If being enchanted allows us to see past the cold hard facts of a world disconnected from its heart, then perhaps seeing what is normally unseen is the key to feeling the warm feelings of love and joy and delight, and being enchanted will fill us with wonder which we can then share!
For me, to be enchanted is to walk in a state of delighted wonder at the magic in the world. Not ignoring the problems, but choosing how we engage with the world and our lives. To be enchanted is to see the beauty of life, and to enchant others is to encourage beauty and delight in the world. Facing the truth is important, and I certainly don’t advocate ignoring pain and betrayal, in the world at large or our personal lives. However, acknowledging the hurt and harm happening and done, doing what you can to help, and not wallowing in the pain but choosing to heal and move on is more helpful than falling into misery.** Recognising that there is wonder in the world even when everything hurts can help us to get through the pain and keep motivated to help to heal the parts of the world we can.
Enchantment does not blind us to the bad, but it does help us see the good. It does not numb us, but it does open us to living more fully. Enchantment is not a way of hiding, it is a way of seeing and choosing where our focus, and therefore our energies, go.
This is what it means to be an Enchanter; to be enchanted by life, and to help others, wherever possible, to be enchanted too.
*Pace and Kyeli have written a marvelous document on why disconnection is the root of all the ills in the world, you can check it out here: The Connection Manifesto.
** Easier said than done sometimes, so there is help out there if you are sinking rather than swimming. For those times, ask for help. Acknowledging the beauty in the world includes acknowledging that there are many people out there who can and will help you… and remembering that we can ask for help.
16 Wednesday Feb 2011
Tags
choice, Heart, Honesty, inspirations, Iron Pentacle, Living Life, Magic, Passion, process, Strangeness of Life, Suggestions, Tools
Finally, on the Iron Pentacle, we come to the point of Passion…
What has happened to our world that means expressing how you feel is seen as weak?
What has happened to our world that means we settle for years of a life we are less than passionate about?
What has happened to our world that means we hide our passions from others and ourselves?
Passion is simultaneously seen as good and evil, due to its perceived chaotic nature. Crimes of passion are thought to happen when someone’s passion is out of control. Passions are thought to drive us, to ride us, to wear us out and make life unpredictable… it is safer to be boring and in control than to take a risk and follow our heart.
Passion, like each of the other points, includes more than one perspective. The point of Passion includes our passions / emotions, and what we are passionate about. Drive and direction.
Our emotions guide us through life, disclosing how we feel about choices, about situations, about people, and helping us to know what choices would feed us, which would drain us, and which we can let go of. Knowing how you really feel about any part of life allows you to make an informed choice based on how it will affect you and your happiness, as well as what you know and can rationalise about the situation.
Your feelings, those passions that live deep within your self, reflect who you are. Owning them as part of yourself, accepting them and expressing them in healthy ways makes it possible for you to be yourself with all parts of yourself on board. Denying what you feel, or constantly burying those emotions leaves you conflicted and acting in contradiction to what makes you happy, without knowing why.
And your passions, your emotions, show you what you are passionate about. Those things you would choose to do if there were no barriers, or that you long for, that inspire you and make you happy.
If you know, accept and express your emotions in healthy ways then you can follow your emotions to find that which feeds you, that which you are passionate about! Following your passion and acting on your passions lifts your mood, gives you strength and makes the world a better place. As you follow your heart you find the world shifting to make space for more of what feeds you, as you act on your passions you become more passionate!
We have a finite amount of time on this planet, in this life, doesn’t it make more sense to risk being happy than die only knowing tedium? Not to mention the health risks associated with bottling up emotion until it explodes or eats us from the inside!
What are you passionate about? What activity makes you smile all the way through from bones to sky? What do you do that you finish feeling happier than when you began?
Listen to your emotions, what are they telling you?
What is your Passion? What makes your heart sing?
Can you make some time for that this week, can you give yourself this as a gift? This thing that truly makes you feel good, that feeds and strengthens you, that you love?
Can you make time to be positively passionate today?
11 Friday Feb 2011
Tags
Determination, Faery, Feyhearted path, Honesty, Intent, Living Life, Magic, Philosophy, process, reasons, Science, Strangeness of Life, Suggestions
This is the eleventh of a series of suggestions for re-enchanting your life, one pixie kiss at a time. The introduction is here, and you can watch the path unfold here.
I’ve always looked for faeries, and very rarely seen them.
I often feel them, however, or know that they are near.
It turns out that not everyone can translate their experiences into something visual, and that is ok. This means, however, that in a world which emphasises sight so much, we can overlook our own experiences in the pursuit of a pattern which does not suit us, as I did for a long time.
Always looking, rarely seeing, but I knew they were there. I knew there was something to see… when I finally gave up on seeing, I found them.
Don’t worry, then, if you cannot see them. They are still there.
08 Tuesday Feb 2011
Posted in All Posts, Art Craft and Beauty, Creative Process, Philosophy
Tags
challenge, Commitment, creativity, inspirations, Journalling, life, Living Life, musings, Philosophy, process, project, Strangeness of Life
Every time I come across mention of a creative retreat, I wish I was on one.
People talk of meeting other writers and spending a block of time just writing together, sharing stories and ideas and support, challenging each other and being there for each other. This appeals to me.
People talk of getting together with other artists to carve out a precious piece of time dedicated to creating art, honing skills, and immersing themselves in the creative process. This, too, appeals to me.
I love working with other people around, also working on the same kind of thing. Going on the university run Philosophy conference sets aside time in a beautiful place dedicated to just doing Philosophy and inspiring each other, and means that all sorts of things happen in writing and sparking ideas.
Maybe, then, instead of trying to set aside time to study each day I can plan a ‘private conference’ for myself, where I listen to philosophical podcasts, hunt down articles and offer up ideas for comment soemwhere like Facebook. Perhaps doing this will inspire me to dive back into my studies, and interacting with others will help me keep motivated?
Perhaps I could invite others over for creative afternoons, even if we just connect through Skype and blogs and Facebook? And perhaps, if no-one else is available, I can allow myself time for specific projects that I can get excited about in the anticipation-soaked wait… so half the reason, the retreat side of retreating, can at least be pressent.
I could join in on Play-date Tuesday, or workless Wednesday.
I could join the One World, One Heart giveaway to focus myself.
I could solicit interest here and now… Anyone up for getting together sometime? Either digitally or, even better, in person? Bring your creative project and I’ll bring mine, we can picnic in a park or make forts in a living room! Any other philosophy students out there? We can share interesting online talks, share summaries of our current pieces for inspiration and support, maybe even *gasp* get some discussion going?
Anyone else interested?
In the meantime, I’m going to experiment with reframing ‘study-sessions’ into ‘private conferences’ or retreats and see if I can get back into my studies by imagining they’re as fun as they are!
(I enjoy my studies while doing them, its getting started that I’m struggling with… bribery, time-limits, and making a schedule hasn’t helped so far, lets see if making a game of it will!)
30 Sunday Jan 2011
Tags
choice, Honesty, Imperfection, Journalling, Living Life, Magic, process, Strangeness of Life, Trust
There is no such thing as coincidence.
Everything is connected.
The number of times this past year I’ve been worried about something, and the minute I let go and hand it over to Aumakua, my Godsoul and the Godsoul of the universe, when I hand it over to Spirit, God Herself, the Universe, when I just let it go and trust… and the solution arrives.
When I ask for help, it comes.
When I said: I don’t know how I’ll find a new home in the place that I love, but that is where I want to be… paths opened.
When I said: I don’t know how I can afford to live in Wales again, when there seems to be no work there, but it is what I choose and I trust that it will be ok… the next day a way for it to work arrives.
When I said: I have no idea how I can pay these bills and get through this month without landing in a mess… a cheque for a tax refund from 5 years ago arrived in my hand.
This is part of being a witch. I sit with myself and reach an understanding of who I am and what I Will. I make a choice. I Trust that it will all be ok. I step forward. The Universe steps with me.
And other people are doing the same, creating the world. Sometimes my choices are inc onflict with others. Often my choices are in conflict with what I actually Will because I’m not clear enough. I don’t ask for everything I need because of complexes and beliefs which get in the way. I compromise on what I’m askign for because I’m scared to ask for the big thing I actually want.
And I journal and muse and sit and listen. I breathe and connect and hope.
And I’m learning to trust.
Since I began on this path I’ve had message after message – let go. Trust. Leap.
I’m learning to, little by little.
And trust is rewarded in very practical ways.
I am so grateful. Big love to all those beings out there who guide me gently, who push me firmly, who point me at the cliff and remind me that I have wings to fly with.
***
For a practical discussion of a clearly laid out method for putting ego to one side, getting clear on what you want, and asking for it in a way that gets results, I’d recommend The One Command by Asara Lovejoy. A friend leant me a copy and reading it illuminated exactly what I’d been doing. This stuff works.
Halo Quin 