Angel's Journal

Mabon Is Here!

2009-09-22T19:38:00.004-04:00

My favorite time of the year has arrived!

"Mabon is a time of balance, when there are equal hours of darkness and light, and that can affect people in different ways. For some, it's a season to honor the darker aspects of the goddess, calling upon that which is devoid of light. For others, it's a time of thankfulness, of gratitude for the abundance we have at the season of harvest."

In order to start celebrating the start of Mabon, here is a list of what I am grateful for:

I am grateful for my home which I think is the perfect witch house! It has a front yard and a back yard where my garden is. There is also a front and back porch and an attic and a cellar! I just LOVE my house!
I am grateful for the food that I DO have right now! I had a very unusual dinner tonight - pancakes! - LOL! Also I do remember a time when I didn't have any food at all so I am grateful that both my refridgerator and my kitchen shelves are stocked with food - and yes I even have some of those Ramen Noodles too - LOL!
I am grateful for the fact that I have been able to work from home! My income is such that I am able to pay some of my bills quite comfortably! My Adsense money should be coming in the next few days.

Not a lot of people can say that they work from home and I know that it is not an easy thing to do but its something that I set my mind on and the fact that I am earning an income proves to me that it can be done!

Here are 10 ways that you can celebrate the Mabon season!

Sea Witch

2009-09-02T22:04:00.003-04:00

This is the first time that I have ever heard of this term - Sea Witch. According to one website:

"Sea Witches focus on Moon lore, the tides, and weather magicks. From these elements came the Witch tradition of women who could raise wind and cause storms, which even 200 years ago could send them to the stake."

Apparently its one of the lesser followed forms of witchcraft but some still do practice it to this day!

You can find out more about this specific type of witchcraft by clicking here

Hedgewitch

2009-08-29T15:08:00.002-04:00

As I have blogged about before I have chosen to take the path of Hedgewitch because I like that it means doing things the old-fashioned and traditional way. I found an interesting website online that has a very good definition of Hedgewitch so I decided to post the link here for all of those who are interested in the definition of a Hedgewitch.

Hedgewitch

Everything Has Layers!

2009-07-12T21:34:00.002-04:00

As you can see from this picture, I try to use everything that I have! The sticks I'm saving so that I can use for wood in my fireplace (I still have to have the fireplace built and installed yet - LOL!

I can also use these sticks as stakes for my garden vegetables and some of the sticks are shaped nicely enough to make a nice wand (or two!)

Of course the bucket is going to be recycled and used for something else.

If you're wondering where the sticks came from - they are from an maple tree that is in the front of my house. When the weather gets really bad and there are storms, some of the branches will break and fall!

I'm thinking that there are so many things that I can use these sticks for and I have much more than you see here gathered up!

It's been raining like crazy and my garden needs some tending to but at least I DO have a garden that I am tending to this year. What makes it even better is that I still have some time to plant some more things as well!

Also I'm on the lookout for pumpkins too!

What Part Of Being A Witch Appeals Most To You?

2009-06-14T22:01:00.000-04:00

Here's an interesting question that was posted elsewhere and I thought that it would be qood to put here.

What part of being a Witch appeals most to you?

Here is the answer that I gave:

Like I posted before I am a new member and I have started to read the posts from the beginning and this question caught my eye.

The part that appeals to me most is the fact that it wasn't what I expected. I thought being a witch meant all spells and magick and I have come to find out that it is not really like that. I have found that you have to work on yourself first, have the right state of mind and spirituality and such before you can attempt to do
things "outside" yourself.

I also like the fact that I am constantly finding out new things and finding new uses for things. I'm appreciating nature more and have just come to realize that everything is related in one way or another.

A "Crafty" Witch?

2009-06-01T20:48:00.002-04:00

I don't know how old the art of knitting is but I'm guessing that it is pretty old!

I, myself both knit and crochet and I find these very relaxing things to do! I can't make anything intricate yet but I'm well on my way as long as I remember to be patient and enjoy the journey along the way!

I was reading someone else's blog and they had posted about their latest knitting project and they even posted a picture of their completed work online which gave me the idea to do the same!

Of course you're going to have to give me some time for this - LOL!

But I think that knitting and crocheting are great ways to relax and I do enjoy it so!

I'm Back In My Garden Again!

2009-05-17T20:57:00.001-04:00

Yes, I'm back in my garden again this year! As you can see, here is a copy of one of my planted beans that I took last year but what is so good about this is that this looks just like the bean plant that is growing in my garden now! I guess this really does make me a "green" witch afer all! - LOL!

I have come to find out that while I am on my journey of witchcraft and being a witch, I am finding out other things about myself as well!

I enjoy gardening and I enjoy cooking and while I love working on my computer I also have come to appreciate what nature has to offer! I love seeing the "green" that is surrounding me at this time of the year and it provides a nice moment of relaxation when I'm drinking my tea!

I think that we should all learn to relax more! Stress is really something! There have been times that I have been so stressed that I actually believe that I have made myself ill!

This path that I am following is showing me a more spiritual side of myself - one that I should and am getting more in touch with. It's like I'm being told that there is more to witchcraft than just doing spells and I am getting that message quite clear! In fact I haven't done a spell in a while - how about that? But that doesn't mean that I'm not going to in the future - it's just that in my journey I have found that there is more to being a witch than just doing spells! For me, I think that it has a lot to do with knowing one's self and not trying to impress others - just know yourself and be true to yourself!

I initially started this blog because I wanted to give those who are interested and/or new to becoming a witch and witchcraft an insight into one's journey into such but I am finding that I am learning new and more things everyday! I know that the most important lesson that I have learned so far is that it is not ALL about just doing spells!

I Think That A Rainy Day......

2009-05-03T15:18:00.002-04:00

I think that a rainy day is good for one's soul!

I happen to be fortunate that I can work from home and for this I am very grateful!

It has been raining on and off since yesterday and this is good for my garden. It is good for me also because I was actually able to start my garden this year and have already planted some vegetables like beans and peppers.

I decided to start my garden and try not to worry about the things that are bothering me while I continue to work on solving my problems.

My garden also relates to one of my chosen paths as a green witch and kitchen witch. You see I have already harvested some garlic chives from my garden and I used it in some of my pasta sauce! What a great feeling it is to be able to add something from the garden that you grew yourself into the food that you are cooking!

I plan on having a great garden this year!

Also this rainy day gives me a chance to catch up on some work that has to done inside my house as well - both professionally and personally!

Deciding to take my chosen path as hedgewitch has shown me to take a deeper appreciation of nature! While some people may consider rainy days dull and dreary I have the feeling that it gives nature a chance to nourish the elements and to an additional extent - my own soul as well! For right now I am enjoying a nice hot cup of tea with classical music playing in the background as I work at the computer and catch up on my email and my professional work as well.

I know that some of those who are new to or interested in witchcraft think that it all has to do with spells and magick but to me this isn't the entire meaning of it. For me I think that there is a deeper meaning in that one has to get in touch with one's soul - working on yourself from the inside before you start working on the outside things.

Until next time

Blessed Be!

I Started My Garden!

2009-04-01T22:27:00.004-04:00

I don't have any pictures to show yet but I have started my garden!

Outside I have replanted some turnips (at least I think they are turnips - LOL!) that a neighbor gave me. Today's rain should help them along quite nicely!

Inside I have started planting some seeds to start growing inside before I transplant them outside.

As I was looking at my outside garden today I noticed that I have a lot of tree branches that fell from one of the past storms and I have been saving them all! Ultimately I want to be able to use some of them in my fireplace - when I have my fireplace(s) - LOL!

There are lots of things that I have been finding outside! I found some pine cones that I used in my Christmas decorations last year and I decided to save them.

I mention this because part of my chosen path has to do with being a green witch and to me that means using and utilizing all that nature has to offer - surely an abundance of tools and materials are at my fingertips and I am going to use them all!

Imbolc

2009-03-01T02:18:00.003-05:00

This is the time of season that is celebrated around February 1st or 2nd of each year and is associated with "beginning growth".

Here we plant the "seeds" of our hopes and dreams for the coming summer months.

I believe that this is the current season that we are in now. There is still the hint of winter in the air but there have been moments of warmer weather where we can feel a change of seasons coming on.

I am most interested in the food correspondences that are linked with this holiday which include: Foods: Sunflower Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Muffins, Dairy Products, Peppers, Onions, Raisons, Garlic, Poppy Seed Bread and Cakes, Herbal Teas, Spiced Wines, Potatoes, and Turnips. I'm particularly interested in the muffins, breads and cakes because I'm very interesting in cooking and baking and would like to try and bake some of these to celebrate this sabbath. I also love different herbal teas and I believe them to be quite soothing and theraputic as well!

Candles: Brown, Pink, and Red

Deities: Bridget, Aradia, Gaia, Dagda, Pan, and Herne

Death

2009-02-27T20:43:00.005-05:00

I had the most interesting dream after talking to my brother on the phone. You see he is currently in the hospital for pneumonia but he is on the mend - thank goodness!

That night I had a dream that we were both outside amongst the scenery but that there were bears in the area. Since we weren't too far from home I was secure in the knowledge that we could get home safely if we were to see one of the bears. The next thing you know we did see a bear coming towards us and I was ready for us to run to the safety of our home. But something happened and as I was running home I looked back to check on my brother and had found that he had went in another direction to help a woman who was being chased by a bear. My brother got between the woman and the bear and saved her life but unfortunately he had lost his life fighting with the bear in order to save the woman.

When I saw him getting between the woman and the bear I knew that something bad was going to happen because even though we were outside I still knew that his health wasn't 100%. I ran towards my brother screaming NO! and the next thing I knew there was my brother lying dead on the ground alongside the bear that he killed in order to save the woman!

Now this had been some dream and it was very vivid in its detail! I mean the colors were real but oddly enough there wasn't a lot of sound! It was like the mute button was on!

When I finally got to my brother and saw him lying there I was beyond being distraught! Even though I knew he had saved the woman and that he didn't die in vain, I still didn't want him to be dead!

I woke up from that dream and it upset me so much! I knew the chances of it actually happening that way were slim but like I said the dream was so vivid and felt so real! I still couldn't get that picture out of my mind seeing my brother running to get between the woman and the bear and knowing that the outcome would not be good!

Like I said the dream upset me so much and I did think about it alot after I woke up. But upon deeper reflection a lot of other thoughts came into my mind as well. I have never been comfortable with the idea of death even though I know that there is a deeper meaning to it.

This same day as I was outside I noticed that a cat had died on someone else's sidewalk and again I thought of my dream and realized that there was a connection here. My own cat had died some months ago and I was still mourning about that but seeing that cat's body made me realize that death is a part of life.

I still have my uncomfortable feelings about death but I know that there is a deeper meaning there.

I decided to blog about this incident because I know that there may be others out there who feel the same way that I do when they are faced with the death of a loved one or those who are affected by death of any kind. Sometimes words can't help but in time one can heal.

As far as dream interpretation goes, I'm sure that this dream shows just how much I love my brother and how I know he would probably give his life to help another who was in serious danger.

It's still a very sad dream for me and I hope I don't have another one like it again!

Angelwitch1012003?

2009-01-31T05:52:00.004-05:00

I was looking at my screenname and it reminded me that I have been on my path since 2003, now almost 6 years! Wow! That is a lot of time!

Of course my first year involved learning as much as I could about "The Craft" and I am still finding out that I am still learning and will continue to learn all my life!

So much of it is so fascinating!

I have still continued to enjoy the path of hedgewitch (with a little "green" and "kitchen" witch thrown in).

Right now we are definitely in the midst of the winter season and I know that this is a good time for reflection and to prepare myself for the spring season coming.

Here you see a picture that I took just outside my door.

I have been laying low for the past few weeks because of the cold winter weather. Right now in the Philadelphia area the temperatures are quite cold and we are still recovering from all the ice that has built up everywhere! Even my neighbors are lying low and if they don't have to go out they don't! But we're expecting some warmer weather Sunday - temps in the 40's - so hopefully that will melt the ice outside that has grown so thick!

Mind you in some ways I am quite enjoying this weather. Since I work from home I haven't had to go out if I didn't want to unless it was for something like grocery shopping. And of course this will be a good time to start getting my income tax forms ready and ready to mail out.

I have my hot chocolate and tea to drink as I look out my window and view the gorgeous scenery around me that I am blessed to have and delight in the fact that I live in an area that does have a change of seasons - I don't think that I would have it any other way - in fact, I know that I wouldn't - LOL!

So I'm laying low and also giving thoughts to my garden and how I'm going to vow to start it as soon as possible!

Astrolog

2009-01-15T18:03:00.000-05:00

I can't believe that with all of the astrology-related postings that I have done that I didn't mention the name of the astrology program that I use! The main astrology reading program that I use is called Astrolog and it is available as a free download by clicking here.

For it being a free, downloadable program it is quite powerful and full of options!

I use it for the majority of my astrology readings including my own as as you will be able to see from some of my previously related astrology blog entries, this astrology program provides some pretty accurate readings!

Did You Know That..........

2009-01-05T05:42:00.003-05:00

Witchcraft is a legally recognized religion in the United States,as declared in 1985, Dettmer V. Landon (617 E Supp.529) the District Court of Virginia pursuant to rule 52a of the Rules of Civil procedure. Reaffirmed in 1986 in the Federal Appeals Court, Fourth Circuit, Butzner J. (592 F. 2d. 934) Henceforth, Witchcraft and Witches are protected under the United States Constitution (Amendment I;XIV)

source
I Am A Witch.com

I Had Another "Experience" With The Rain Today!

2008-12-01T21:23:00.007-05:00

I don't know what it is with me and the rain but it happened again today! I was out raking leaves. Even though the leaves were wet from the last rainfall I wanted to get them raked by the curb so that my local area would pick them up later this week! The weather was cold but as long as I was moving around it wasn't so bad! The weather report talked about rain so I wanted to get as much leaves raked as possible! Since I have an older tree in the front of my house there were a lot of leaves to rake so I got to it. I finished about 3/4 of the raking that needed to be done and since it was getting dark I decided to stop for the day.

No sooner had I gotten inside and was getting myself comfortable that I started to hear the rain on the window sill! It's like the rain was saying "we'll give you some time and wait until you are through" - kind of scary huh?

But this isn't the first time that this kind of thing has happened to me! There have been other occassions when the rain "has waited for me to be safely inside before it started! And just when I thought that I could control when it rained - I couldn't! It was like the rain was telling me that they were giving me a gift and not to abuse it! So mostly I try not to control it and let mother nature take its course and that's when it usually happens to me!

It was a nice feeling to have done the raking and then be inside the house as it started to rain!

Onions And Garlic

2008-11-27T21:42:00.003-05:00

As I was preparing my turkey earlier this morning I got to thinking about the onions and garlic that I was going to add to the turkey and came to realize just how many things that onions and garlic can be used for!

I mean it can be used for a lot of things when I'm cooking and I use them in my stews and soups and salads!

I also want to be able to grow them in my garden but so far I have only successfully managed to grow garlic chives (but don't worry, I'm going to try again next year!)

It also reminded me that I am also a kitchen (as well as green) witch and I felt exactly like this when I was preparing my turkey! All the spices and other ingredients that I was adding to the turkey, chopping and cutting and peeling in my nice warm kitchen on a gorgeous (though chilly) sunny day!

All I need now is a warm, open hearth!

Are You Interested In Taking A Tarot Course Online?

2008-11-22T21:25:00.004-05:00

From my email bag I got an announcement about a website called Tarotcollege.com that is teaching online course in tarot readings. Although I do tarot readings as a profession I'm never one to shrink from soaking in as much knowledge as I can! There is always something new to learn.

As far as I know some of these courses are free but you can also become a lifetime member for a fee.

I have looked over this site and it looks very interesting.

Tarot College.com

I Live In The United States But.............................

2008-11-18T22:35:00.003-05:00

I have this interest in other areas outside of the United States too.

For instance I was at a message forum where they asked people where they are from and someone posted that they were from Scotland but they didn't like the particular area that they live in and they told people that it rains all the time and not to visit there because they wouldn't like it......

I guess its because of all the romantic movies that I watch but when I hear the name Scotland I just think of green, green and more green (same thing when I think of Ireland too) - meaning that I have seen some gorgeous landscape pictures of Scotland.

I think that another part of it is that Scotland like many other areas has a rich and old history as far as witches and witchcraft is concerned - no where is that more relevent than in England and of course Salem, Massachusetts!

It's also kind of like I seem to know these areas - like maybe I lived there in a past life or something? Why would places and objects seem so familiar to me when I have never been physically acquainted with them before?

I love seeing programs about areas other than where I live but it also helps to make me appreciate where I live too!

It's also curious because I see that a lot of other fellow witches - both male and female - are from England and the surrounding areas.

I Have Plans For Thanksgiving - for sure!

2008-11-17T20:19:00.004-05:00

The time is flying by so fast!

There are so many things that I want and so many things that I want to do!

Thanksgiving is next week! And I plan on making a turkey! I enjoyed doing this so much last year that I can't wait to do it again this year!

But making the turkey did wear me out last year because of all of the preparation that I did to make the turkey. I was going to do it all in one day - make the turkey, make the stuffing from scratch and also bake a pie - all at the same time!

Well suffice it to say I go through making the turkey and by then I was just too tired to even consider baking a pie!

But it was still fun and I plan on doing it again this year!

Etsy?

2008-10-23T21:41:00.003-04:00

I found this very interesting website! It's called Etsy and I wanted to investigate it more because I have seen cute little graphics about it on other people's websites and blogs.

Etsy is a site where you can buy and sell handmade products - including handmade jewelery, bags and even some clothing - of which some are knitted and / or crocheted. I also liked seeing the various food-related products for sale - especially the different kinds of tea! I love having a "spot of tea every now and then!

But you know what else it got me to thinking about? Me and the kinds of "crafts" that I myself have created and the fact that I even have the ability to do so!

What can I do? Well of some of the products that I have seen on Etsy, I have come to realize that I can knit, crochet and especially SEW - since I'm always repairing and mending stuff! (I also like to cook too!) I have seen a lot of cute things being sold on Etsy that look like the kind of thing that I could whip up!

Another thing too is that all the skills mentioned above are also very relaxing things to do and I especially like doing it while watching a good movie!

It's also taking me back to a time that was more simpler where being able to do things like knitting and crocheting didn't seem to be so old-fashioned - in fact it was sometimes a necessity.

And that is reminding of why I chose to be a hedgewitch in the first place which is because the meaning to me is of the traditional witch that uses the supplies that they have at hand! (Think I'm feeling a past-life flashback coming on!)

It's also got me curious about what my fellow witches and reader have as hobbies and/or talents such as the above?

Now that I have acknowledged (both to myself and to you) my "other talents - let's hear about yours!

And - PS - this just gives me more pictures that I have to post which now includes things that I have made!

Onions! And It's Many, Many Uses!

2008-10-22T21:24:00.002-04:00

Oh the many, many uses of onions!

I took this picture with my cellphone camera when I was making some stew (that I soon hope to create a recipie and call it "Witch's Stew" A nice and simple stew recipie for when you don't have a lot of ingredients. I love slow-cooking my stew all day long so that I can smell it cooking all through the house! And now since the weather is turning chillier (if not down-right cold!) having a good hearty stew really helps to hit the spot!

But looking at this picture has reminded me of the many uses of onions! Since I am part kitchen-witch, I can really appreciate the fact that you can use onions for many different things and some of the things don't even involve cooking!

I also know that there are some spells that use onions.

I think that it's the strong scent of onions that makes it a popular choice for many, many things!

Also on a side note - its another thing that I want to try to grow in my garden too as I have had great success with growing onion-garlic!

A Picture From My Garden - Finally!

2008-09-30T21:15:00.003-04:00

Well I finally got to posting a picture from my garden here!

This is a picture of one of my bean plants growing against the cement of the outside garage wall! This picture was taken back in August (I think) and it looks pretty healthy as far as how it is growing.

As of now the plant is still growing but no beans to harvest yet!

I planted some other things as well, such as corn and tomatoes and hope to use them with my cooking!

The picture by far is not the only thing I planted but at least it is what I took a picture of - LOL!

Hopefully more pictures will be forthcoming!

We have been having a lot of rain in the Philly area and the temperatures are getting cooler so I'll see how the rest of my garden turns out!

Mabon

2008-09-20T19:38:00.002-04:00

I can't help but notice the chill in the air (or rather I should say the chill in the house!) We're coming close (Monday) to the first day of Autumn which is also when Mabon starts - which is my favorite time of year! I just didn't think that it would come so fast!

Mabon is that time of year when we harvest what we have sown and it is also the time to prepare one's self for the winter and winter months to come! I like this time of year because it is a lot cooler than it is during the summertime and the holidays are quickly approaching.

I haven't been able to harvest anything from my garden yet but there is something growing there!

Here is a link to the blog posts that I have made about Mabon so far.

Feeding the birds

2008-09-10T14:43:00.001-04:00

One of the things that my mother used to love to do was to feed the birds! It's something that I continue to do and quite frankly I can see why she liked doing this! For one thing it does allow one to be outside, getting fresh air and just being a part of nature!

All the old bread that was still around in the house was saved for the birds! (By the way I should mention that there is also a bird bath in the front yard of the house).

Another thing is throwing out peanuts for the squirrels too!

Actually I kind of like doing both of these things!

And now that the weather is starting to turn a little bit more cooler at times just reminds me that the autumn (and Mabon) season will soon be here.`

My Altar - I'm Still Working On It!

2008-09-06T22:41:00.001-04:00

I still have yet to decide where I'm going to put my altar!

I have a whole house full of rooms so I'm still thinking about where I want to put one!

The picture you see above is my small altar to Ganesha where I have added some coins as my offerings!

It is currently my temporary altar located on top of my dresser in my bedroom!