Excerpt from Spring Equinox Ritual from Lady Rose’s original Book of Shadows (1970s)

At the altar in the center of the circle:

• Priestess holds a bowl of blessed water (with sea salt added).
• Priest holds phallic wand (wand made from a tree branch with a pine cone tip).
• Handmaiden holds a large bunch of cut flowers.

Priestess:

“Flowers blooming, bells ringing
Corn sprouting, skylarks singing
Vestal virgins carry fire
Vesta’s praises raised up higher.”

Priest:

“At this time of fertility when the earth gives forth her new array of green.

Let us put aside all cares and welcome in the Spring.”

Each member of the circle comes forth to kneel (or stand) before the Priestess and Priest. Tipping the phallic wand into the blessed bowl of water, the Priest asperges each person. The handmaiden hands each a flower (which can be worn behind their ear or tucked into the cord around that is around the waist).

Note: a couple wishing to be fertile in the coming year can approach the alter together to be blessed and ask for a boon of fertility from the God and Goddess. (Optional but strongly recommended: the couple could bring a candle to be lit and placed on the altar or some other small offering such as flowers, seeds, fruit or incense.)

Blessed be.

Written by Lady RoseTags:BoS, spring equinox

When life asks you dance – always say YES!

Dances with Life (by Lady Rose)

Each morning I wake is another day to accept life’s invitation to dance.
To follow the beat of my own drum.
To spin, twirl, dip and shake a tail feather.
Should death tap my shoulder and want to cut in,
I will smile and say no I’m not ready for the last dance just yet.
But when that time comes and my dance card has reached it’s end,
I will graciously extend my hand and dance off into the light,
Till the wheel comes round and life asks me to dance again.

*************************

Some times I wake up in the middle of night with the oddest things in my head. Thank goodness for blogging so I can jot down some of them. This is what was rambling through my brain the day after attending a funeral last week.

Bright blessings to one and all, Lady Rose
(cross posted on the Diet Pulpit)

Written by Lady RoseTags:celebrate life, death, poem

Today I was going to start tackling all of the sorting and organizing tasks in front of me, but I came home with a migraine that required prescription strength pain meds and I am all fuzzy brained and numb fingered so I am waiting until tomorrow.  Unfortunately, due to my Neurofibromatosis I tend to get a lot of headaches and this one was a bad one.

In other news, due to a delay with our insurance company GamerDude’s radio nerve ablation has been rescheduled from tomorrow to next Tuesday.  As usual we found out practically last minute but on the bright side I get to work a whole day tomorrow and do not have to worry about losing any overtime pay. 

It probably works out better as he is still dealing with a mild sinus infection, cough, cold type of thing and it would be much better for him to be wholly recovered before subjecting himself to anything that could lower his immune system or expose him to any new germs.  Plus, Thursday this week finds him needing to drive 40 minutes each way to take Miss Artistic to her psychologist appoint.

This is a new doctor for her and this will be her first time meeting with her.  We met her almost a month ago to give her my daughter’s background and history and then the actual appointment wound up rescheduled 3 times because of conflicts with the doctor’s schedule and Miss Artistic herself being sick.  I am hoping that she will be better able to open up to this doctor and will actually see some benefit to the whole therapy process.

I do not have a lot of hope though as the woman struck me as having a stick up her ass and somewhat out of touch with modern culture.  Unfortunately, there are very few psychologists in our insurance network, even fewer female doctors, and only this one who was willing to take on a teenage new patient. 

I guess we will see.

Blessings

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama Kelly

The weekend as usual went by in the blink of an eye.

Friday night found me with 2 of Miss Angst’s friends over the house.  They stayed for dinner and left about 8:30PM.

I worked Saturday from 8:30-1, stopped on the way home to pick up Chinese soup for GamerDude who is dealing with the whole sinus yuckiness, cough, achey thing that I am finally shaking and to drop by my hair salon to make hair appointments for the girls.

I had my debit card in my hand at the Chinese restaurant, placed my order, and walked down to the salon.  After getting my appointments set, and saying a quick hello to my hairdresser I started to head back to the restaurant and realized that my debit card was no longer “on me.”

I went back to the salon …. it wasn’t there.  I watched the sidewalk as I went to the restaurant ….. nothing.  I asked at the take-out counter if I had left my card there …. I was told no.  I used a credit card to buy the food and went back to the car furious with myself for losing my card.  I arrived home and went to put away the soup and my debit card was lying right on top of my food.  It was very strange, it was almost as if a ghost had taken it and put it there just to mess with my head.

When I got home Lady Rose was already here and we got to start our visit.  It went by all too quickly.  We talked about so many things and Lady Rose is really there for me in that “everything will be okay because I’m going to help you make sure of it” kind of way.  She treated the family to pizza (and various other goodies), brought us up Girl Scout cookies, and we spent part of the evening watching The Last Mimzy with the girls.  It is an adorable film, definately worth watching, and it made me all misty even though I’d already seen the ending once before.

She wound up having to leave a bit earlier than planned (11:00-ish) which enabled me to go into work for a whole day – 12-7:30 which allowed me a couple of extra hours of overtime.  I came home, ate way too much for a late dinner, took some benedryl and hoped to sleep through the night.   It didn’t work out so well.

It is another long week ahead of me.  Tomorrow Hubby is scheduled for a radio nerve ablation.  This is the last thing to try for his chronic pain before looking into spinal cord stmulator.  If you have a spare bubble of prayer, white light or positive energy to send … I’m sure he would appreciate it …… I know I would.

Off to another glorious day of telemarketing!

Blessings

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama Kelly

As usual, today’s prayer comes from worldprayers.org.  The past “day” has been filled with friendship what with Lady Rose having come up to visit so it seemed fitting and appropriate.

Today the thing I am most grateful for, aside from the husband, children, roof over head, and food on table kind of thing is Lady Rose.  We have officially(!) known each other for 20 years now.  It was in February of 1988 that I attended a lecture she gave at my old college and I met her, albeit briefly, for the first time.  A year later I met her again when I attended an open circle she was running.

I can’t imagine what life would be like if I chosen to “chicken out” and not attend that original lecture!

May each of your Sundays be blessed!

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama Kelly

Spells on Saturday – Knot Magic and Cord Spell by Doreen Valiente

THE SPELL OF THE CORD

By the knot of one
  The spell’s begun.
  By the knot of two
  It cometh true.
  By the knot of three
  Thus shall it be.
  By the knot of four
  ‘Tis strengthened more.
  By the knot of five
  So may it thrive.
  By the knot of six
  The spell we fix.
  By the knot of seven
  The Stars of Heaven.
  By the knot of eight
  The hand of fate.
  By the knot of nine
  The thing is mine.
 

Doreen Valiente,   “Witchcraft for Tomorrow” pp. 188-189

Source the Internet Book of Shadows

Written by Mama KellyTags:knot spell, spell

It is times like this that I am glad that my mother raised me to always (always) cook way more food than is necessary for the meal at hand. 

I came home from work today (day #54 for those counting along with me) to find my girls and two of Miss Artistic’s friends outside rolling up the biggest snowball ever. 

Both girls stayed for dinner and I made pierogi (fried in butter and bacon), kielbasa, and 2 vegetable sides.  I made 5 boxes of pierogi (purchased on sale for $1 ea), 4 lbs of kielbasa, peas and corn.  I have leftovers, of course, but not nearly as much as you might think.  You hear about how much food teenage boys can put away …. teenage girls are just as bad except they talk the whole time about how fat they are (Not!).

Afterwards they sat around the kitchen table playing some variant on Go Fish, giggling, gossiping, and gabbing.  I sat in the next room watching the movie they abandoned (Night at the Museum, which for the record I found to be funny and quite sweet) and the fire in the fireplace we started because they were, just prior to eating, huddled under blankets complaining of the cold.  They only just left a few minutes ago and I am enjoying the relative quiet that they left in their wake.

I have to give Miss Artistic credit in that the friends I have met are well-mannered, bright, funny, articulate girls.  They make an effort to say the appropriate pleases and thank yous.  They also make an effort to include Princess Nibbles in their activities.  Kudos to all 3 of them!

Tomorrow I go off to work from 8:30-1 and hope (plan?) to find Lady Rose already arrived when I come home.  I am looking forward to our visit, even if I will be spending a couple of hours of it cooking ahead for the week, and cannot wait to sit down and talk about life and kids and blogging and crochet.  It will be cut a bit short as I have to work on Sunday as well, but any time with Lady Rose does my heart good.  Best friends are wonderful things no matter what age we are.

Have a blessed evening

Mama Kelly

PS  BTW, I have decided to name the snowball with a pituitary gland issue Squishy, as I have a feeling that it may not melt completely until Spring and will therefore be “living with us” for a while.  It is sitting on the side of my driveway as it grew so large and ungainly that they gave up trying to navigate it any further.

Written by Mama Kelly

I am so (repeated upteen times) tired. Today was day #54 at work and at this point I am not planning a “day off” until Easter Sunday when there is no work and therefore I will be forced to take a day without pay. The worst part of working every day is that I do not get to escape my job for any real length of time and wind up with it chasing me in my dreams.

I came home today to find 2 of my oldest daughters friends over and wound up feeding both of them dinner as well. I am quickly gaining the reputation among her friends as “she who cooks”. I wasn’t really in the mood for extra work or having to play hostess (even the little bit that teenagers require) but after this past October and my daughter’s running away anything that causes me to hear her laughter ringing in the next room is worth it.

In other news, the best part of my “weekend” is that I will most likely come home from work tomorrow to find my best friend Lady Rose already here waiting for me for one of our routinely scheduled sleep-overs. The plan is to talk about life and kids and blogging and crochet. I need to spend part of our time together doing my “once a week cooking” but I expect to spend much of it simply chatting up a storm, laughing much.

I have to admit that I am hoping that my father has plans tomorrow because I would also really really like it if Lady Rose and I could find the time to spend, even just a short while, with Witchy music playing on the stereo and maybe even (dare I even speak the wish aloud) a candle lit and tarot cards out.

In mundania:

Starting Monday I have to start spending time every day beginning the work related to clearing through the clutter. I need to get 3 years of paperwork together to bring to “the tax man”. I need to get my side of the closet organized and accessible. I need to make the commitment of at least an hour a day, every day, dealing with all the things on my to do list so that I can make room in my life for the new growth I so desperately want and need.

I will keep you posted on my progress.

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama Kelly

Another Monday!  Though it hardly matters as my last day off was on December 30th.

The kids have off from school today and so I was able to set my alarm a little later than usual.  If I was normal that would’ve translated into extra sleep but the last few weeks I have been wound so tight that I am consistently getting up before my alarm goes off – usually in a hyperventilating state of panic.  Today was no exception.

I worked yesterday from 12-8 and, aside from some residual drama from last Sunday connected to an individual who has once again shown her true colors and luckily this means that I no longer have to pretend to like her, overall it wasn’t that bad a day.  I came come and ate a late dinner which was obviously a mistake because I have yet to digest said meal.

Miss Artistic had a good weekend.  She spent Friday doing chores but Saturday she had not 1 but 2 friends over (J2 and Sm), at the same time I had 2 friends over and so for a few hours the house was filled with friendship (and so much estrogen that Hubby ran off and hid upstairs).  I have to say that I enjoyed my evening as well, though the best part is still hearing her laughter from the next room.  She spent Sunday over J2’s house and even got to spend the night.

I think that Sm will be being invited to spend the next during the first weekend in March.  She’s slept over their house a couple of times already so its “my turn” and I have a feeling that I will be roped into Js sleeping over that night as well. 

Anyway, Miss Artistic is due home today at noon (though odds are she will push that back as far as possible) and has to, along with Princess Nibbles, finish cleaning their bedroom as Saturday will find Lady Rose (and hopefully AngelGirl) coming up for an overnight.

Today is my 50th day in a row at work.  It is hell but it is worth it because I really need the extra money I am bringing home.  The downside (one of them) is that my dreams of full of work related topics and I am so wound up that I am not sleeping long or well enough to keep a firm hold on my sanity.  Another downside is that I am so wound up that I keep backsliding from my desire to focus more on my spirituality at work and my desire to start eating better (in order to feel better and lose weight).  I am really looking forward to having Lady Rose over this weekend as seeing her always helps me recharge my batteries.  Besides which I miss her lots and loads.

Hope you all have a good day.

Blessings

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama Kelly

Instead of just focusing on weight loss, my new goal is to live healthy to over 100! 

As a part of my overall lifestyle health plan I want to make each day be a great day. A great day doesn’t mean it’s perfect or that nothing bad ever happens, but rather for me it’s more about attitude – appreciating each day and making the most of it, and also asking myself what can I do to make each day a little more special for myself and others. I came up with a list of things I feel are imporant to me and I want to be a part of my daily life.

My Daily Seven (in no particular order):

1. Smiling – find lots of reasons to smile, and nurturing my sense of humor and not taking myself too seriously.
2. Giving thanks – show my gratitude to friends, family, and those around me for being a part of my life, as well as giving thanks to the Universe for the many blessings in my life.
3. Share a hug or better yet lots of hugs, and be sure to say I love you.
4. Be aware – slow down and experience the little things, focus on the moment.
5. Acts of kindness – helping make the world around me a little nicer and helping others smile more too, rather then just focusing on the problems I want to be proactive in helping to lessen some of the burden.
6. Be true to my word and to myself.
7. Begin and end the day with positive thoughts, and in between fill the moments with respect, laughter, love and other positive energy.

Wishing everyone health and happiness each and every day filled with blessings and joy! Lady Rose
(cross posted on Diet Pulpit)

Written by Lady RoseTags:awareness, blessings, gratitude