B is for Belief

So after all my noise about treating the blog like homework, I managed to get all my school homework done, and getting this written on paper (I think better writing on paper first!). I failed to upload it :( It's short, but speaks volumes to me!!

What is belief? The dictionary describes it like this: confidence, trust and faith.
Belief, in my opinion is the MOST important thing in magick. Without belief in yourself, in your spells or in your rituals, they will be naught but empty words. You might as well just pack up your wand and go home. At best you will get nothing, at worst, you may get what you really don't want.

Empty words manifest empty results.

Meditation and positive affirmations are great ways to build up belief in yourself. We also need to have faith, trust and complete confidence in what we are doing as well as in the deities we believe in!

"All it takes is faith and trust" -Peter Pan

Brighid

Irish goddess, whose name comes from the Celtic word, 'brig', meaning 'Exaulted One'. Brighid, along with her 2 sisters, also named Brighid, are a triple aspect goddess.
Brighid is the patron of bards and poets, as well as healers and magicians. She is also known as the keeper of the hearth. She was especially honoured when it came to divination and prophesy.
Her sanctuary in Kildare, Ireland, was maintained by priestesses who kept Her sacred flame alive. later her sanctuary became the home of St Brigid of Kildare, the Christian variant of Brighid. Today it is not an uncommon sight to see ribbons and other offerings tied to trees near wells as a petition to this healing goddess.
Similar to Brighid are the Roman goddess Minerva and the Greek goddess Athena. Brighid's counterpoint is Brigantia, a war-like figure from near Yorkshire, England.
It is said that to repeat the genealogy of Brighid, one will always be protected.


This is the genealogy of the holy maiden Bride,
Radiant flame of gold, noble foster mother of Christ,
Bride, daughter of Dugall the Brown,
Son of Aodh, son of Art, son of Conn,
Son of Crear, son of Cis, son of Carmac,
Son of Carruin.
Everyday and every night
That I say the genealogy of Bride,
I shall not be killed, I shall not be harried,
I shall not be put in a cell, I shall not be wounded,
Neither shall Christ leave me in unforgettfulness,
No fire, no sun, no moon shall burn me,
No lake, no water, nor sea shall drown me,
No arrow of faery, nor dart of fey shall wound me.
And I under the protection of my Holy Mary
And my gentle foster-mother is my beloved Bride.

Awen

After scrapping my first attempt at this week's letter I was frustrated, fuming and stomping around the orange grove. In my frustration I was ranting, "Oh come on, that was good stuff, I learnt so much from it. Why won't it work into a blog?" I finally calmed down and started making dinner. An errant thought flitted through my head, "Awen" ( I heard Ah-when). I dismissed it, never heard of it before. It kept on, louder and louder. I don't even know this word, amen? Arwen? it just kept bugging. Then this morning I made time to go through my emails. In there, waiting patiently, was the weekly thoughts email for our Pagan Blog Project. Imagine my surprise when I found the word Awen! I'm not crazy...ok maybe I am, but I am learning, sometimes the hard way, how to learn to listen to that inner voice!




The symbol for Awen is /|\ it represents the 3 foundations of Awen: To understand truth. To love truth. To maintain truth.

To me, working with Awen is something I strive to do at all times! Truth. An easy concept by definition, hard to do in action. Sometimes truth is the hardest thing to give, harder still to accept. But to live in truth is of utmost importance. But what IS truth? This is something that we must all learn for ourselves. My idea of truth may be someone else's idea of falseness and vice versa. I must follow what I believe is truth and be accepting of those who don't see my way as they should be of me. Awen is knowing, sensing and feeling it in your essence and true being, it is the freedom to accept one's nature.




As an aspiring musician I like that Awen is also a source of poetic inspiration! The story is told of Gwion Bach, tender of Cerridwen's cauldron for a year and a day whilst it was brewing. On the last day, 3 drops burnt his finger. Doing what we all do when we get burnt, he put his fingers in his mouth. He was instantly bestowed with the 3 gifts of; poetic inspiration, prophesy and shape-shifting. Cerridwen killed him (the contents of the cauldron were meant for her son) by turning into a black hen and eating Gwion as he shape-shifted into a grain of wheat. From Cerridwen's womb Gwion was reborn as Taliesin, with the ability to compose perfect impromptu verse. (cool!)




It is said that we may be contacted by the cauldron of Cerridwen by singing or chanting. Awen manifests differently to each individual who seeks it. I don't know how Awen will manifest for me, but I will look for it in my daily life and know the truth of it, to the best of my ability!




I welcome your thoughts on this blog! Hopefully it makes sense to you and it's not all rambly (as I have a tendency to do!) and you are able to get something out of it for yourself! Blessed be ♥

A

The letter for this week is "A" and after spending a few days stressing over what to do for this letter, I was meditating and the word "Air" was practically screamed in my brain! So, I'm blogging about air!
Without Air (oxygen) Fire cannot live, Water would stagnate and die, and Earth would cease to exist. It is the first thing we need when we are born and the last to leave us when we die. It makes perfect sense, to me, when we create our sacred circles, that we call Air to us first.
I most closely identify with Air, being a Gemini, and it's really funny because Air is associated with East and Dawn and I am really NOT a morning person! As an aspiring musician I like that flutes, clarinets, bassoons, and bagpipes, to name a few of my favourites, are associated with Air!
I found this invocation on Tumblr last month and really like it:


Here and now I invoke the elemental force of Air
The winds of intellect and imagination
Swirling source of flight, breath and life
I seek the open sky within myself, that I might breathe deeply of
Freedom, ideas, sounds and space
I call you forth to sweep away all that accumulates in the unseen places
And sing beauty into the world
                        Wing and Feather
                        Storm and Leaf
                        Air, I call thee hence!




Archangel: Raphael
Magickal phrase: To know
Season: Spring
Magickal tool: athame, sword, censer
Hour of day: Dawn
Symbolic creatures: eagle, butterfly


Air, a truly wonderful and often playful, element!!

A little bit about me!

So...
I am a Celtic Pagan by terminology! I believe in and honour not only a Goddess but many and also many Gods. My desire in this trek is to get to know them better and to let them get to know me better as well.
I have always been at odds with myself, since I was quite little,not really knowing who I should be or how I should believe. I was raised a Baptist, but it never felt right. My parents were missionaries and for a few years my Da was a pastor. I said all the words they wanted me to say and went to church every time the doors were opened. Went 1 year to a Christian college and was married (outdoors...not looked on with great fondness by my family) in a Christian ceremony. All along I knew I was not being me and not being true to what I should be doing. I made fun of witches, because that was what a "good christian girl" should do.
I entered a highly abusive marriage that lasted much longer than it should have, but I didn't have the strength to walk away. Again, that's not what a "good christian girl" does. The best thing to have come from the marriage was my wonderful son, who is currently serving in the U.S. Navy! In July 2008 my son's father was killed by a bear and after the shock and grief wore off, I knew that there had to be more for me. I just prayed to "whomever was listening" for guidance.
About 2 weeks after that prayer I was introduced to my soul mate and someone I barely knew at the time became my best friend. She was very hesitant to tell me she was a witch, but one night when we were drinking and talking it just kind of came out! She helped me more than she will probably ever know!
Then one night I get really, really drunk and kind of got mad that no-one was talking to me on Twitter and said some kind of dumb things. Because of that night of ranting I met 2 of the best friends I could ever hope for!!! It is so nice that I have them in my life and can ask them questions and not feel like they think I am some kind of crazy woman (though sometimes I am quite sure they do think that!!!).
I thank the Gods for these 2 awesome ladies and look forward to making many more new friends(sober, mind you!! lol) and learn a lot about this incredible journey that called me to it!!