New Tool!

Hi and Merry Meet,
Over the weekend I had a chance to visit family and friends. Since they live an hour away, I can see them all the time, but when we can, we always like to get together. It was a good time.

One thing that I did over the weekend was to stop at a metaphysical store in my hometown. It wasn't there when I was living there, but it is now! It was a great shop. In fact, I found my first pendulum. It is made out of bloodstone and it had a small bloodstone on the end of it. I also got a mat that says "yes, no, maybe, will not answer, and try again". I'm very excited about.

The energy in the shop was so great. The pendulum responded so well and just wanted to do whatever I asked. In my parent's home, it was not swinging as big. I have yet it to try it now that I am home again.

The shop also had a great collection of crystals and stones. Her prices were much cheaper than here, so I have to make a list of the ones that I want and next time I'm home, I'll stop back.

Hope that you had a great weekend!
Blessed be,
Autumn

Group Studies

Hi and Merry Meet,
One thing that I have been working on in my blogging absents is studying group dynamics. I've found all kinds of groups to watch and take notes on.

One group that I've noticed is the business group. There seems to always be an alpha male or female depending on the group. Then there is the second in command, that person that is always carrying out the alpha's orders. After that there seems to be the workers, promoters, and "yes" men.

In social groups these roles seem a little more blurred, but I think they are still there. There always seems to be a leader, and followers. Or as I've heard it called "Queen Bees" with girl groups.

In kids groups it seems more like there are the dreamers, the schemers, the bullies, and the straight A's.

This past week has made for some interesting observations. I've enjoyed this task and am now on trying new meditations.
Blessed be,
Autumn

Why?

Hi and Merry Meet,
Why can't people just accept differences? Not just religious tolerance, but tolerance of all things. I see it everyday, people refusing to be kind to another person based on something silly like looks or fashion.

I have always marched to the beat of my own drum. I like looking at things from a different point of view. I try really hard to put myself in others shoes so that I can learn why they are the way they are. That's hard to do when you are mad or agitated. I know I can't always see an other's opinion when I'm seeing red myself. I'm learning to focus on relaxing and taking a step back when I'm mad. Of course, I think I'm slow to get mad... my husband thinks sometimes I can get upset at the drop of a hat! Huh, I don't know why he would think that!

Today's thought is that people need to be respectful and kind, it sure gets you a lot more than being nasty and rude!
Blessed be,
Autumn

Random Thoughts

Hi and Merry Meet,
I feel like I have been away from this blog for too long. I know it has only been a few days, but I like posting everyday if I can about what I have been learning. When I miss a day it feels like I have missed so much in my progress.

Anyway, today it has started off very chilly here, so I found myself inside reading a book. The past few days I have been out in my garden weeding, planting, and cleaning it up from the leaves that fell after the first snowfall last year. I have also taken yoga back up in the past week.

I love how relaxed I feel after a yoga class, so I thought this would be a great way to help me relax and in the long run help me with my meditations. I'm also a runner, and it really helps after a long run the day before!

I feel like this past week was so hectic for me. I needed some "me time" and to relax a little bit. The yoga sure helped me with that. My "me time" was my run yesterday. I ran a new route that took me through the most beautiful gardens and neighborhood. It was nice to see some new scenery and it was also nice to reconnect with the elements in a different way. I did get a little battered by the wind and a little wet from the rain, however, it was such a peaceful thing that it made my run much more enjoyable.

Today, I am reading Scott Cunningham's Wicca: A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner. I've just started it and I like his writing style. It flows nicely and I am learning some new things!
Blessed be,
Autumn

PS- sorry today's post was kind of random!

Cleaning Up!

Hi and Merry Meet,

Today I had a moment where I decided that my bookshelves were too messy! I keep reading over and over that if your space is messy, then your spellwork will be messy. I'm so sick of clutter and mess that I finally grabbed the bull by the horns and got to work.

Cleaning is not one of my favorite things. This is something that I am striving to be better at. My cousin is a neat freak, my mom is the queen of no clutter, and my grandmother feels that if she has owned it for 30 days and has not used it out it must go! I want to be more like that. Not so extreme, but more on the less cluttered side of life.

So, I tackled the spare bedroom that I started using for my tarot room, and it has become my sacred space for rituals and such. The bookshelf that I went after is in my study which is next to the spare bedroom. I would very much like to make my sacred space in the study, but it was just too cluttered to do so. I have been trying to make small changes so that I can someday (ha ha, in the next 20 years, maybe) use that room for my rituals. That way I could be close to my books and not have to lug all of them over to the other room when I need to look something up. This is major progress in my world.

Anyways, here is what the shelves looked like when I started:

They weren't that bad, but they looked junky to me. Here is the new look of my Wicca shelf:

So much better! To have all my books in one place were I can find them is so nice!!! I'm not too worried about guests seeing this shelf and outing me as this room is on the second floor and not used by anyone but me. When I do have guests, they don't go in the study due to its very messy nature. I'm really bad about putting things back there... once I take them out, then I just kind of heave them where ever when I want to put them back. Once I have things in a nice order, I'm pretty good about keeping the order. I need to order the rest of the room before I can really use it for anything other than a catch all room.

Other news, all three of my Silver RavenWolf books are now here. All three of them have the old covers! Retro, check it out:
Blessed be,
Autumn

Thoughts For The Day

Hi and Merry Meet,
Today I was just thinking about spirituality. My husband and I got a flyer in the mail about a new church that is looking for new members to attend. Before I chose the Wiccan path, I walked the Christian path. I was heavily involved in youth groups, Bible studies, and listening to sermons every Sunday. I was at all kind of retreats and groups. Sadly, when we tried to get married the church refused to marry us due to the fact that my husband was not Christian, or practicing religion of any kind. I don't blame them, they told us what they felt that they had to, however it lead to me leaving that faith. I needed balance and a strong women role model.

So, back today... this flyer was talking about "I think I married the wrong person." We both thought this was pretty funny. Then we got talking about how there is no tithing in Wicca. We talked about how balanced the relationship between the God and Goddess. It was a good discussion that helped me talk about what I am learning, and helped him in understanding what Wicca is all about. I enjoyed talking and opening up to my husband. We have always had a very honest relationship. We always talk about everything and our thoughts on it.

Over all, I think this was a good talk and it helped me to articulate what Wicca means to me.
Blessed be,
Autumn

Full Of Energy

Hi and Merry Meet,
I have been so full of energy at going to that full moon ritual! It's been amazing!!! The energy that was around me at the ritual was so warm and loving. I feel really filled with love and happiness.

Due to all the energy I worked around my house like a maniac. I potted a few plants that I got the other day, I rearranged my living room, and I even had some time to go over to one of the metaphysical shops to ask some questions about meditations. I love how kind they are and how helpful they are. It's nice to have a place to go and be able to ask someone face to face about what I am experiencing. I also asked when they will have another Wicca 101 class. I will have to wait for the fall for that, but that's okay. I can keep studying while I wait for classes. I think the classes would be very helpful for me and it would be a safe way to meet others who are learning.

While I was asking questions I saw the most beautiful pentacle charm for a necklace. I had to get it! Even though I am in the broom closet from family and friends, I want to express my religion while I am at home. I bought it so I can wear it when I go to other rituals and just for me around the house. My husband was cool with it when he got home from work and I was wearing it. I love how supportive he is and how open he is to me changing and growing. Here is my new pentacle:
It is sterling silver, but looks reddish due to the fact that I was wearing a red shirt when I took the picture! I am very excited about it and happy with my choice. It was the right one for me!

Today I am working on using the meditation techniques that were suggested to me yesterday and I am also working on fill my Grimoire with the spells that I have tried so far. I just feel so full of energy!
Blessed be,
Autumn

My Grimoire

Hi and Merry Meet,
I bought a simple spiral journal a few days ago and now I finally have the time to sit down, write out the book blessing and start to copy over the spells and charms that I have done. I have written out all of them in my Book of Shadows, but I wanted a place that I can have all the magickal workings that I want to share.

So far everything in the book has come from another witch. Since I am still new, I am not totally confident to write my own spells or charms yet. I also need to get better at rhyming. That is something that I have to work on.

My Grimoire is right now organized by the charms and spells that were simple or blessings. I have yet to write out my bigger spells that I have done and am waiting for them complete. For these I will use a different style that tells the day, the moon phase, what time I did it and what happened. These are going to take me a bit longer to write out! I am trying to write all my spells out in cursive, which I never use, so that it looks nicer and I am really put my time and effort into making it. I want it to look nice and be special. I think that by doing it this way I will really make it my own and have to think about each thing as I write it out.

One day maybe I will have a spell or charm in it that others will want to use. That would be a special day indeed! So, I need to make sure that my book looks nice so that others can use what I have written!
Blessed be,
Autumn

Open Esbat

Hi and Merry Meet,
Tonight was the open full moon ritual that I was so excited to attend. After many phone calls to the shop to make sure that I had all the info that I needed I went.

I went early due to a few things. 1.) I am very OCD about being on time. 2.) the parking lot is very small and I wanted a space. 3.) I get nervous attending new things and so see 1. again.

It was a very small group and they all know each other really well. That's okay, because they were very welcoming! The High Priestess went though the whole ritual for me so that I'd know what to expect when we got to it.

Tonight was about gifts. What gift of myself can I give to the Goddess? We each chose a word that we meditated on. The word I chose was "grace". I took it to mean that I need more grace in my speech. I am quick to say and slow to think. I need to be slower in speech and quicker in my thinking. This is something that I can work on over the course of the next month.

I had a wonderful time and I would love to go back. It was a nice group of people and I felt good about asking when I didn't know something. I am also learning to ask for help or clarity when I need it.
Blessed be,
Autumn

Open Circle

Hi and Merry Meet,
Tomorrow night I found an open circle for the Full Moon Esbat! I'm really excited as this will be my first one and my first time to see a coven. I think this will be good for me and it will give me others to go to when I need some help or don't understand something that I'm learning.

This shop also has Wicca 101 classes. I took my tarot class there a while back and really loved it. Tarot is something that I have fallen in love with and it just makes so much sense to me.

When I took the tarot class, it was because a friend really wanted to go. I was just kind of along for the ride. However, after the first class I was hooked. I spent hours memorizing the info that we had learned. I couldn't wait for the second class. I found the second class to be just was wonderful. My friend, on the other hand, did not find it as enlightening as I did. She dropped out after that class. The third class only two of us showed up for and the final class, only me. I had to read for the owner of the shop (she was also our teacher). This was really good practice even though I was nervous.

Since then, I had done reading for most of my friends and family. I started the intermediate tarot class and have enjoyed it almost more then the beginner class. The teacher for this class was a professional reader and a wonderfully warm loving person. I love my classmates and the intimate conversations that we have.

I am very excited to see how a coven performs an Esbat and it will be nice to be a part of it, even if I am only watching! I am excited about the happy energies that will be there and the celebration of the Goddess!!
Blessed be,
Autumn

Prayers

Hi and Merry Meet,
Everyday I start my day with a daily prayer. Today I prayed for strength since I was going to be seeing people that I haven't seen in two years. I wasn't sure that I wanted to see them, but some prayer and meditation made me relax. The Goddess heard my prayer and gave me the strength I needed. Turns out that it was a great day and seeing old co-workers turned out to be a very good thing.

I also end my day with prayer. I always have prayed before bed and it hasn't changed any now. I always pray for friends and loved ones that need a little extra love in their lives.

Prayer has always been very important to me and I know how great I feel after I pray. I heard once that people who pray are more relaxed and don't stress about minor things as fast as folks who don't. That's some food for thought!
Blessed be,
Autumn

Meditations

Hi and Merry Meet,

One thing that I was doing before my dedication ceremony was trying to meditate. However, I wasn't very focused, so that didn't go very well. Also, I didn't really have any ideas about how to get started. I used some yoga relaxation but I wasn't able to clear my mind. Like I said, I was trying...

One thing that I am working on now is using meditations to help me focus and ground myself more. I've been reading To Ride A Silver Broomstick by Silver RavenWolf and I like her ideas about meditation. I am working on visualizing a waterfall around me and it being in perpetual motion. I really like this idea and I'm finding that the more I work on it the better I'm getting at it. I did try to skip ahead and work on the meditations with the chakras...however, I wasn't able to focus long enough on it. I could focus on the first and second chakras, but after that it more or less fell apart. After realizing that I should start simple, I went back to the waterfall. It's good for me to know that I should start simple and not jump ahead because I think I can. This is something that I need to work on.

Here's my copy of To Ride:She's a bit battered with love, and she was also picked up from Half by my husband for me.

Enjoy this wonderful day!

Blessed be,

Autumn

Where Did I Start?

Hi and Merry Meet,
The first place I started my search for Wicca was my local library! They have books on Wicca and you can check them out for free (I'm a huge fan of free!). I found this book by Ellen Dugan there:
I liked it so much that I ordered my own copy from Half. Even though this book is written for teens, and I'm not in that category anymore, I found that it was written in such a easy and straight forward way that I could easily understand the ideas presented. This book just felt so right to me. It felt like she knew what I needed to know about nature and how it all connects to the Goddess. I loved it.

I also hit up Barnes and Noble for The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft by Denise Zimmermann and Katherine A. Gleason. This was another great book that helped me a lot to take the first steps on this path. They offer so much info on many different aspects of the Craft. Again, it is presented in a simple way that explains without making you feel stupid for not knowing.

The next place that I looked for information was at my local metaphysical stores. I'm blessed that we have more than one where I live so I was able to see a few different prospectives! Check out WitchVox to see stores around the States. :)

The last place I looked was the internet. I know that most people would look there first, but as I love print, the library will always be my second home! I found a lot of info, almost to the point of overwhelming me and bamboozling me with ideas. However, I found that youtube has some helpful videos and if you go over that way, check out TipToeChick. She really helped me get a grasp on all the info that I was starting to learn.

I have bought more books off Half and I will be posting about them as I get to read them. I have finished the Elements and Idiot's book and would recommend them as a first step.
Blessed be,
Autumn

A Year and A Day

Hi and Merry Meet,
This is my online journey into my life as I have just done a dedication ceremony to pledge myself to the study of Wicca and Witchcraft for the next year and a day.

I was raised in a Christian household and attended church for years. When I was a teen, I looked into the Craft, but was pulled away by family who couldn't understand what I was looking into.
After many years I have started to study again and found that I love the rich balance that exist between the Goddess and the God. I also love how much emphasis/ respect is put on nature in Wicca. I also love how I am responsible for my own actions and the reactions from them. I feel that a lot of us in this world are not responsible for our actions/words/feelings that we put out there. Many of you might think I am crazy. Oh well, that is for you to decide. Take me as I am or leave me.

So, after much soul searching, I found that this is the path that I want to take and have started my journey. In my real life, I am very much in the broom closet as they say. Only my husband knows of my dedication ceremony and of the path that I have chosen to walk. I don't expect this to be an easy path or one that others will understand, I just feel that in my heart this is the right path for me.

I hope you will all follow me on my journey as I grow and learn over the next year and a day!
Blessed be,
Autumn