Midsummer

Happy Summer everyone (or Winter to our friends in the Southern Hemisphere)!!!

I hope you all had a great day yesterday, even if the weather may not have been overly summery (or wintery). I know it was much cooler than I would have liked in my part of the world, but at least we got to see the sun for a bit. 

Midsummer was the ritual I planned for our IDGAF stuff, so I thought I would share what went down last night, and my thought process behind the whole thing.

So quite a while back I did a bit of looking into traditional celebrations and customs for the summer solstice and found lots of really neat stuff. I'm the kind of person that would try to incorporate a bit of everything into a "holiday" ritual if I could (Hello Gemini), so I really hope it didn't seem too all-over-the place. The things that stuck out in my mind the most were the customs around bonfires and just fire in general. While it would have been awesome to have a huge bonfires and usher our beloved pets through them (not actually through the fire...between two separate ones...I'm not that crazy), I knew that couldn't happen. I also really wanted to do a ritual that would have been in parts...so that we would have been able to see the sun come up and go down yesterday, but that just wasn't practical for obvious reasons. I also really wanted to just do a high tea or light-hearted BBQ, but I scrapped that idea because I wanted to do something...not just mix and mingle, so to speak. So then I came up with the idea of making a sun charm. I figured the sun is at it's highest point, so the solar energy would also be at its highest, which would be great for energizing and uplifting - hence, sun charm.

I also wanted to incorporate some kind of healing spell into the ritual, because I'd come across a lot of stuff that said it was a great day for that kind of work. I'd also come across a custom to send paper boats down a waterway of some kind, lit on fire. What's better than sailing boats down a stream...sending boats down a stream that are on fire! So I ended up combining the two ideas. I also wanted to keep it a bit light-hearted and fun. The end result was this:

We each had our lanterns from Beltane, and as soon as we got to a certain point in the marsh, we lit them and walked in, sort of single-file, to our ritual spot. After getting things situated on the altar, I took a piece of bread that I soaked in a bit of milk and drizzled with a bit of honey and placed it a bit away from where we were. That way any wondering faeries would be drawn to that instead of us (essentially, I was trying placate the faeries, since was is kind of their night). 

Then I went back and started to set up the solar wheel. I took a picture of everything looked like before we went out so that you could see it in the light, since there was pretty low light outside at the time (dusk, and very cloudy). 

(yes, that is the bottom of a springform pan :P)

So now that everything was all set up, we cast a circle and called the elements and whatever deities we wanted, and then I lit the wheel and we did our charm bags, energized the boats, and talked a little bit about the dark and light halves of the year, and that was that! Except that on our way back, we let our little boats go down one of the offshoots of the stream in the marsh. We tried to light them, but because they're made from folded computer paper (thick), and it was damp, they didn't really want to stay lit. Here are a few more photos I was able to quickly snap during the ritual, but the light was fading so I couldn't really take any more than these.

We cast the circle with sparklers!

I thought it would be kind of fun

The solar wheel all lit up - yes, those candles in the middle have coloured flames. 

So all in all, I think it went well. It was my first time single-handedly planning and running a ritual involving other people, which was kind of neat. I've collaborated and co-run stuff before, just not by myself. I just hope everyone else took something meaningful from it and also had a good time. 

I'll also note that when we were leaving the marsh, we noticed tons of fireflies, which we've never really seen there before. I thought it was really cool not only to see them, but that the first time we've ever seen them there was on the solstice. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not? Regardless of the appearance of the fireflies though, there was most definitely something enjoying the energy of the night in the marsh - we could all feel it. 

So that pretty much sums it up. I hope everyone had a great weekend, and blessed solstice, whichever one you were celebrating! 

Another Life Update

For anyone that's interested, here's a brief life update...

I know I mentioned a little while back that it felt like I was in some kind of a weird time warp and I was loosing months, maybe because the weather had been so shitty...well, I'm happy to report that the weather here has been much better lately! We've finally had a few great warm sunny days, now we just need a few more and we'll be all set! 

A few weeks back I was doggy sitting for my parents, which was great in some ways, but overall it was a very trying week. I also got food poisoning the day after I got the dog, so that was terrible timing, and then once I got over that, I had a migraine. All in all, that week was pretty shitty.

I think I mentioned earlier that I was a bit stressed about work-related stuff. While I can't say too much here in case someone from my work happens to stumble upon this, that's gotten better as well.

So on the whole, things are looking up!

Something that's really exciting for me is that I've got 2 upcoming vacations booked - both in the month of September. The first one I booked was going to be the only vacation for me this year, which I was totally fine with and very happy about, but then I had a really great opportunity open up and I couldn't let it pass me by. I originally booked a cruise for my wife and I, because she's never been one one before and my brother and his partner were booked on it already. I think they're a great way to see a few places in a relatively short amount of time, and since my wife hasn't done a lot of traveling outside of Canada, I thought it would be a great for us. I'm really excited about this one...it's at the end of September and into October (well, I suppose it's more in October, but still). The second one I booked is a trip to Disney World in FL. I'm a HUGE Disney World freak anyway, having been there a few times before, so when my parents said they had booked a trip I was a bit envious, to be honest. I was over at their place one night when my mom had to call them to update something, so just for fun, she asked how much it would be to add another person on to their reservation. To our surprise it was actually very little, so they told me that if I wanted to come with them I would just have to pay the extra money for them having the extra person on the reservation! So I'm essentially paying half price for a week in Disney World. I wish my wife was coming too, but because of our original vacation, I don't think she could get the time off, which does suck. This one is the last day in August into the first week of September. 

My IDGAF stuff has taken a bit of a back-seat to my travel planning - which is kind of what happens whenever I book a trip...I usually focus on that as opposed to what I'd been doing prior to. I know it's not good, but like I mentioned in my previous posts, I've not completely abandoned IDGAF. I'm planning a Solstice ritual for next Saturday, so hopefully that goes well. At the moment I don't have a clear-cut vision for the 'meat' of the ritual, which is kind of troublesome seeing as how it's in less than a week. I did some research though, on what's traditional for celebrations at that time of year, so hopefully I can come up with something fun yet meaningful. I also need to get back in to the swing of reading, something I'm hopeful I can do this week. 

I think that's all from me for now though. I'm really sorry I haven't been around much lately, but I'm hopeful I can change that now that I've gotten up-to-date on the blog prompts and am more in the mindset for doing stuff. Until next time!

A Backlog of Blog Prompts

Hi guys! I hope you're all having a fantastic weekend so far! Sorry this didn't get posted yesterday, but it was my birthday so I wasn't around on the computer as much as I thought I would be...

Anyway...Blog prompts!

Here are the ones that I've missed:

"For those who perform rituals, do you give offerings? If so, what kind? What is the meaning/purpose of offerings?"

For me, it depends on what I'm doing as to whether or not I give an offering during a ritual. If I'm just doing something quick and simple, like making a charm bag or doing a simple candle spell, I usually don't do a formal kind of offering. I already think that burning incense is a kind of offering anyway, especially when the intent is there, but even if you're just burning it for the hell of it, or to give your ritual more atmosphere, or to represent an element, I still think that counts as a kind of offering.

Typically if I'm doing something a bit more elaborate, say, a ritual for Samhain or Mabon or something, we'll usually leave an offering of some kind. This could be in the form of food we've prepared for after the ritual, or it could be a little bit of the ashes from the fire. It kind of depends on the ritual.

To me, offerings are a way of saying thank-you. Making an offering is a way of showing the divine that you acknowledge their presence and are saying "Thanks for being with us and for all that you do, here, share in some of our energy". I know that in some cases offerings are made to placate deity, and I think that in some cases, that's certainly valid, but I don't think that's necessary all the time. If you work with a certain deity that enjoys cigars and alcohol, for example, then giving them a little bit of their favourite things will ensure that they're happy and therefore might be more willing to lend you a helping hand. Or, conversely, if you'd rather them stay out of your way, you can leave an offering for them away from where you're preforming your ritual so they will be drawn to that and stay out of your space. Either way though, I think that offerings are an important part of ritual, even if you don't leave one all the time.

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"Do you practice in a group or solitary? Which do you prefer? If you choose one over the other, why do you feel that way? If you are a coven member, would you ever go back to being solitary? If you practice alone, would you ever join a group?"

I sort of do a little bit of both at the moment. I do some stuff on my own, but I also get together with a few people for stuff too - mostly on the holidays, but sometimes if we all have a common goal we're working towards, we'll tend to do something together for that.

I honestly enjoy both equally, however, I think that for me, practicing in a group is essential to my practice because being around other like-minded people helps to motivate me into doing stuff. I think that it's important to develop your own practice though, so that you can get an idea of what works for you and what doesn't, and so that you can get an idea of how your own energy works before you mix that into a group. I say this, but I don't necessarily think that you need to practice on your own for a year or any set amount of time before you get involved in a group - just that I think it's important that you do stuff on your own as well as in whatever group you belong to.

I suppose I'm a coven member, though it feels weird to say it, hahaha! I'm also still doing stuff on my own though, so I guess that I would certainly go back to being solitary because it would mean that I'm still practicing, but I prefer being a part of a group as well. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that I would go back to being strictly solitary if it came down to it, but I much prefer belonging to a group if I find one that works for me.

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"In the busy world we live, how do you find time for your spiritual self? How do you maintain your spiritual growth and nurture your inner connection to deity in between meetings, phone calls, traffic jams, family, friends, and everything else you do?"

This is actually a great question for me to be answering right now, hahaha! I actually find it really hard to balance everything sometimes. Right now, I'm kind of struggling to find a way to keep my spiritual self fulfilled while at the same time living my everyday life. I think that IDGAF is really helping me with this, but lately I've been finding that my attention has been taken away from spiritual matters, and so I've been struggling to keep myself in line and forcing myself to do stuff.

I think that the biggest way I can reconnect is to get outside. Obviously this is different for everyone, but when I'm feeling particularly stagnant, it helps a lot to get out and be in nature. I love going for walks and light hikes, so I'll do that whenever I can. I just find that being outside helps to ground me a bit, and helps me to think. Hearing the birds singing, feeling the wind on my face and hearing running streams ocean surf helps to remind me of a lot of things - my place in the world, how fleeting nature is becoming and how vitally important it is to life...those kinds of things.

So I think that if you can find something that helps you to connect with the divine, no matter how small it is, you need to hold on to that so that when things get crazy, so you'll be able to have that one thing that keeps you grounded in your spirituality.

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"Have you ever had a spiritual experience that was so amazing it changed you? What happened? How did you feel? How did you change or grow from it?"

Unfortunately, I've yet to have a spiritual experience that was so incredible that it changed me in some way. I have however, had the opportunity to go inside the tomb at Newgrange in Ireland. It was a truly incredible experience, but I didn't have any epiphanies or experience any profound spiritual enlightenment while I was in there.

At the end of last summer I was able to sleep in a hemlock grove in nothing but a sleeping bag, which was really cool. Again, I didn't have any earth-shattering spiritual experiences, but just to be able to sleep outside like that was really awesome, and it's something I would do again in a heartbeat if I had the opportunity.

So yeah, I'm hopeful that one day that will happen, but for now I'm perfectly happy having had the experiences I've had.

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So there you have it, many blog prompts all in one post! Sorry it's so long, but it was a long time coming. Up next: a post about everything else!

A Short Note

Hi guys! I'm back!

Well, I never left...I've just been away from my blog is all.

Anyway, I just wanted to come on here and update really quickly - something I've been meaning to do for a long time now.

I've not forgotten about IDGAF - although my reading has been slacking, I've still been doing stuff. As part of our land stewardship we've been periodically going to the bird feeders in the marsh to fill them, but we haven't been out there for a little bit, so they'll definitely need a top up asap. We've also got a small balcony garden started, so that's kind of fun.

It's my month for planning a ritual, but more on that later when I'm not pressed for time.

I've been getting outside a lot these days as the weather has been getting nicer, so instead of being stuck inside and glued to the computer or with my nose in a book, I've been out. We also did charms recently for a few things, but for the most part they were job related.

Sorry I'm a bit rushed at the moment, but I'm really hoping to come on here tomorrow and make a large update with several weekly blog prompts, as well as give more of an IDGAF update. I also apologize for my lack of online presence, but I'll get into that a bit more tomorrow as well. I should be off, though.

Enjoy the full moon tonight, and happy friday the 13th!