Mother to All

What a month this has been!

Between my children going back to school and my husband having some back trials, I have felt all a-whirl.

But what should arrive in the middle of all of this chaos? My Danu statue at the soon to be closed pagan shop (already mourning the loss of that space). 

Stock photo of my own statue.

What was so timely about it was the fact that I had been feeling very much like a mother to all. I was being pulled into so many different directions that Danu's arrival was not just physical, but spiritual as well.

Danu
Mother to all
Protector
Wise one
Help us carry our burdens
Step by step through this life.
Help us be our best mothers
As we raise our children in this life.
Help us to be our best partners
As we walk with in this life.
Guide us to be warm
Guide us to be wise
Guide us to be accepting
Guide us to be calm.
As I pray it
So mote it be.

Some gods come charging in, like Morrigan, who is more demanding all the time. And others come sliding in quietly, like Lugh and Danu. 

When you are ready to commit, they are ready to guide.

Be Well!
Blessed Be!
Merry meet again!
Talia Ravenspath

Finding a Local Coven

The title of this blog post is misleading. I am not going to write a how-to. Rather, I'm going to weigh in on what I've noticed, that there is a great need and call for teachers and covens in this country.

How do I know this?

Pagan Facebook pages.

On a daily basis, people are posting that they are looking for a teacher. And hey, I completely get it. I have been following the pagan, and oftentimes Wiccan, path for the past 25 years as mainly a solitary. It can feel like there is only so much you can learn from books.

You do the ceremony suggested, maybe tweak it a little and you do it when the full moon comes around, or the new moon. Or the sabbat. 

But you are alone and it can be very isolating and it can be very hard to find answers to simple questions such as "is this right?". The answer is usually, does it feel right? But I really do get the desire for a teacher. The main point for that is that when you go out and really start to meet other pagans and witches the book learning isn't seen as learning. 

Have you noticed that?

Sure, you know how to call a circle, you know about what altar tools are related to what elements. You have had success in making charms and other spells, but you did it all alone so the question remains. "is this right?" and unless you have training from an established coven your experience doesn't seem to count much.

Gosh that question haunts, "is this right?".

But the answer remains true.

Does it feel right?

If your spells are successful, if you feel connected to the goddess/god, if your studies are continuing and you are using what you learn.. What is the point of questioning yourself because it is working for you?

But the point remains, even for me, that at some point it would be nice to have some type of community grounded learning, and this can be hard to find. 

The common response to a request for a teacher has been, the teacher will come when you are ready. Who doesn't hate this comment? I know I do. I'm impatient. I want it now haha. But feeling sure about yourself doesn't just come from outside recognition, but from opening up that connection to the divine that is inside you and grounding yourself in what you know and what you have accomplished. 

As they say when writing a resume, you know more than you list. Recognize your accomplishments. 

Be Well!

Talia Ravenspath

Pagan Inconsistencies For The Win

Do you know what had driven me a little batty during my early years of study? I have been practicing and studying for 25 years and the one thing that all pagans can seem to agree on, is that we can't always agree on things HAHA. 

For Example:

From one tradition to another, the elemental correspondence to the directions change, the point labeling of the pentagram (besides Spirit being up at the top) changes. This is just an example of the fact that if you follow just an eclectic view of paganism or wicca (not that I'm knocking that at all), it can be very confusing, especially at first.

Go google directions and their pagan correspondences and see what images come up. I'll wait (haha). Here are a few that I found:

Than go google pentacle meanings and see what images come up:

Are you confused yet?

Is this a problem long-term? Depends on how malleable your mind is and how willing you are to think outside the box. If you are the type A kind of person that needs the answer, perhaps eclectic Wiccanism isn't for you and you should stick to a specific tradition.

  But perhaps what matters more than having the direction or point correct, is having your intent and mindset correct.

  When you call the guardians of the watchtowers of Fire, no matter which direction makes sense to you, do you feel the warmth of the fire barely contained? 

When you call the guardians of the watchtowers of the Earth, do you feel it's slowness and energy that it transforms as quickly as you ground with gratefulness? 

There are always going to be these little inconsistencies because we are all human and this type of thing just makes sense to us. One website even made up a little a suggestion of turning the elements and directions towards poetry: (LINK)

Air	The cold wind blows
Water	The warm nurturing waters flow
Fire	The warm light of the fire rises
Earth	The Great Mother Earth rises

I love this! And that is why, for me, the sun is Fire, so will always rise in the East; the ocean lies South of me, so there is Water; Earth is as far as the eye can see, as well as mountains and forests, is in the West; and the Air blows cold down from the North.

Ground it in your reality so A) you can remember it and B) it makes sense to you and your world.

But most of all, don't sweat the small stuff.

Blessed Be and have a wonderful day!

Talia Ravenspath