Having Faith In Yourself

Good morning/midday!

  I wanted to write about something that has been on my mind of late. Something that has been percolating around and has caused me to search out for advice and help for the past few years. 

Though I have been a practicing witch for the past 25 years (26 this summer, wow), and am dedicated to the goddess in general, I have suffered from self doubt because I have not had the opportunity to study with a coven.

  My studies have been solitary and my pagan library is extensive. My charm (what are now called mojo bags) work is very effective in particular. But yet I have had self-doubt. So much so that I reached out to a local coven with an interest in possibly studying to join, though they are more than 30 minutes from my house. 

  When you have two small children, work full time (12 hour days away from the house) with a disabled husband and an elderly mother you take care of, that type of thing ends up being unlikely to happen because I cannot make the consistent commitment the coven deserves. It was hard to break off that attempt.

  But I kept thinking about it. And Morrigan kept whispering, and Freya kept talking to me, and Danu and other gods all telling me the same thing. I always have more to learn, I more than know that, and love to learn more. But, I know more than I realize and need to trust that. 

  My knowledge lies in charm-work, spirituality, energy-work and healing by hands (if I would just trust myself). I have these strengths and these skills that I have used for literally decades. I could write about my experiences with spirits and how my charms have helped solve problems. 

  The fact is, I do not have the money to take classes. I do not have the time or the space in my life for a coven. And I need to realize that I am enough.

I need to stay open to learning
Open to listening.
Open to feeling.
Open to seeking.
Open to finding.
Open to leading.
Open to following.
Open to searching,
For the path lies within.

Pagan Books for the Experienced

Back in 1993, when I first started researching paganism and witchcraft, there was no internet (for me) and my local library had very little in the way of pagan books. 

Today have a plethora of resources, from the internet and through bookstores. It is a renaissance of writing on the topic, from different paths and specific gods to more in-depth topics beyond the Wicca 101 how-to guides, like that of the good Scott Cunningham (who was my first).

Interested in Brigid? May I suggest Tending Brigid's Flame: Awaken to the Celtic Goddess of Hearth, Temple, and Forge by Lunaea Weatherstone.

This book is a fantastic book that a beginner can get quite a bit from, but someone who has been practicing for a few years and hears Brigid call can learn quite a bit as well. The author touches on the christian background (perhaps a bit too much for me at times) and her more ancient background as well. She outlines sample ceremonies with a few lightly personal examples on how Brigid is kept alive in the authors life on a regular basis.

Another author for the more experienced pagan is Raven Grimassi. If you are interested in Strega, this is a great place to turn and he has many books out that may interest you. I actually ran into a bookstore in Laurel, Maryland where he had signed several, much to my joy.

His Hereditary Witchcraft: Secrets of the Old Religion was a fascinating read, as it delved into the various connections to history and any ancient sources for witchcraft (like Aradia) that he makes through his family lineage (in particular). It's a very easy to read book and if interested in studying something with some historical connection, it's a great addition to your library.

If you are a bit of a skeptic as to the magic part of witchcraft, a fantastic read is The Science of the Craft by William H. Keith. To be fair, I just started to read this because my education through Reiki and my personal history of manipulating and using energies to send healing and comforting energy towards people made me interested in quantum physics. Yes, I said that, quantum physics. He lays it out quite brilliantly and I think this book would make for a fantastic discussion for pagans/witches who have been practicing the craft for a while. It is extremely readable and Mr. Keith breaks the theories down brilliantly. (And if you have a Kindle and Prime on amazon, it is free to read on kindle unlimited.)

These are just three suggestions for people who have been around the pagan block a few times, like me. I hope you give them a chance and get something out of them. 

What do you suggest? 

What have you been reading?

Be well and Blessed Be!
Talia Ravenspath

What Is Your Go-To Gemstone?

Ahh gems. Stones. Minerals. Fossils. 

These all have the ability to resonate in different ways, and not everyone feels the vibrations the same. But I usually have at least one stone in my pocket (sometimes more). Not to mention what I'm wearing on my hand and around my neck.

What are your go-to's? And why?

For years, I have worn a moonstone ring on my hand. The moonstone is a great stone for inner growth and strength. It enhances psychic abilities and intuition. My hand would look strange to me without it, now. 

Some other stones that call to me are clear quartz stones, which are natural healers and cleansers of other stones. It is a fantastic stone for those interested in Reiki as it wo
rks really well to cleanse all the chakras and provide clarity of mind. 

Jaspers of all type are wonderful, but there are so many! Seriously!
But all of them are fantastic to encourage that connection to the mother earth and are stones of grounding and wisdom (as well as being beautiful). 

But what type of stones touch your heart and spirit? What stones call to you and why?

The stones that call to me are mostly healers because I am a natural energy healer, which is why I am drawn to Reiki. Certain stones can draw us to them because of the place we are in our life and development of our spirit. What lessons do we need to learn in this life? What are you going through right now? Are you riding high and need to keep some hematite nearby for grounding? Or are you struggling and need some rose quartz to keep your heart from giving up?

Each full moon, make sure you leave your stones out to charge them with the energy of the moon, even if the night is overcast. The energy of the moon recharges their natural vibrations each turn and helps us use them to their best effect until the following day.

Think about what stones draw you and why, this can help you identify what life lessons you are dealing with and can help you focus your intentions and spell settings so that you are helping yourself along your path. But most importantly, as always, be kind to yourself. Be compassionate. Not arrogant, but with humility just give those broken and scarred selves inside hugs. Because who doesn't need a little bit of a hug?

Blessed Be!
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

To Listen

This past Sunday, I noticed something about myself that I have been acknowledging more and more. My ability to listen. 

There was a time, not so long ago, when my ability to listen was hampered by trauma and neglect. It really could feel like someone was sounding like Charlie Brown's mother. Even today, I can be focused on my knitting, crocheting, or even a TV show and one of my children will stand in front of me asking me something and it takes a few tries to get my attention. 

This isn't intentional, and perhaps feeds into my ADHD tendencies, but when my attention is focused, it can be like a laser.

Sunday, during Lammas, I was lucky enough to meet a druid gentleman who had come to do a blessing during our community gathering. I had a few questions I wanted to ask him, but another of my community took over the conversation and instead of feeling excluded, as I might have in my 20's or even early 30's, I sat back and listened.

It's kind of an amazing thing, the ability to listen. 

It's more than just hearing what others are saying, it's seeing how they say it and how others around them react to what they are saying. Words can create energy in a space.

So can listening.

When I do tarot card readings, I don't just listen to recipients reactions or questions, I watch their energy and listen to the unheard, or the spiritual messages that come through me like lightning that I once did not take such heed of. 

This is listening. Creating a space of safety, a space of compassion. 

And I realized, as if it was a message from the goddess herself, that my gift was to create those spaces. By listening with compassion, I can change the way someone is speaking to be calmer because of my expression, the way I hold my body and how highly vibrating my energy is. I am accepting.

This does not mean that I do not get frustrated when I have something to say and do not want to interrupt others in order to say it. I can feel ignored and interrupted. But instead of looking at it negatively, I can take a step back and see it as an opportunity to listen. Truly listen.

To observe.

This provided the opportunity for me to see this kind druid's friend who had come with him, and the kindness in his face. To notice that another friend also wanted to speak but felt left out. No one was left out purposely, but I feel like I am learning how to be inclusive in conversations by honing my listening skills.

How well do you think you listen? Do you interrupt others? Do you read their energy? Do you read their body language?

May the goddess hold you
Deep in her arms
May she comfort you
When you feel alone
May she provide sustenance
When you feel hunger
May she speak
And you hear her.

So mote it be.

Blessed Be!
Talia Ravenspath

Merry Lughnasadh!

Blessed Lughnasadh to you! The harvest time has begun and what a harvest it will be. Lugh is the god of the harvest, but he holds a wonderful place in my heart as the god of crafts. And his consort Rosmerta, the goddess of healing and prosperity calls out to me. 

Do you hear her? Her voice echos with Lugh's in support of our endeavours and our ideas. No wonder I wanted to do more than make bread, but to make homemade butter as well!

Lugh calls to me constantly in my crafting, as I always have either a crochet hook or knitting needles in my hand. I am grateful to him for his continued patronage, and I acknowledge his prescence in my life over the past 25 years with gratefulness as the crafts have given me peace.

He has also inspired me of late to make necklaces with hagstones. Hagstones are amazing stones that naturally have a hole in them due to water flow/dripping. I also added dragons blood jasper, lapis lazuli and hematite. The hagstones were charged with full moon energy and the intent of healing and protection set the morning after.

I cannot stop wearing mine, seriously! I can feel the higher vibration in them!

Suggestions I have for this holiday? 

Craft something! 

Even if you are just drawing something (doodle), do it and enjoy it.

Write a bit of poetry! 

Bake some whole wheat bread, make some butter (let me know how yours comes out ☺).

Between now and the Fall Equinox is a good time to work on bringing in some plans and some feelers, let them come to fruition. All that hard work that you have been doing has completely paid off, it really has. But right now, the harvest also means hard work, and sweaty work with cursing and wiping sweat off your brow. 

To wrap up this post is my tarot reading for this holiday. My three card pull is about the three things I need to focus on.

The nine of Pentacles is about enjoying the harvest and the prosperity that I have earned. Spend it with family and really be present in the world so you can enjoy your family.

The four of Chalices is a card of waiting, perhaps the stability that I have been wanting to have is here but cannot come without help from another, either friends or family. I need to rely on someone from outside myself to help me keep my stability and to not turn my back on that person or people.

The Ace of Wands has to do with spiritual enlightenment and being at one with my intuition. This is something that is a strong part of my life now, I am not perfect, but I am better able to listen to my intuition and my spiritual life is finally at one with my inner life. There is a flourishing that is happening there, and I am grateful for it.

Enjoy this Sabbat and keep your chin up through this Mercury Retrograde. Remember that it is all about communication, so if you keep the lines of communication open, you will be fine.

Blessed Be!
Talia Ravenspath

My Friday Ceremony And Children

Friday was the full moon and I wanted to call the four corners of the earth, raise my circle, put intention into the air.. And my children wanted to be in the circle too haha.

My daughters are 6 and 10 and when I finished getting all set up I told them "In or out of the circle, but once I set the circle you are staying put if you're in." And they both were happy as clams to stay in my little circle I made. 

I called the guardians and made the circle, and they giggled throughout it. Part of it was because they have never been there with me when I did a circle and besides blessing my new hagstones, necklaces and recharging everything on my altar from a hagstone to my selenite globe, I didn't have a huge ceremony planned. And I usually don't.

The first thing I noticed is that they were distracting, because they were giggling. I stuttered a little on calling the corners and they giggled. Instead of getting mad, I let the joyful energy they were filled with rise into the circle I was creating and become a part of the ceremony. I smiled and laughed too. 

That is one of the things about life. You can get mad at what is happening, because it isn't exactly what you expected, or you can accept it as it is and just go with it. This kind of go with the flow (that can take practice, BELIEVE ME) is one of those things that can prevent flair ups of anxiety. Seriously. :)

Blessed Be and have a wonderful week!
Talia Ravenspath

Full Moon, Lunar Eclipse and Mercury Retrograde! Oh My!

Oh Mercury, you trickster.

So many people are worried about the mercury retrograde that is starting TODAY. But relax, it's okay! Don't stress about it and create a situation where you are going to self-sabotage yourself with anxiety over it. 

With the full moon tomorrow night and the mercury retrograde, all I have to say is to just work on your meditation and mindfulness. It is so easy to mess up communication, which is one of the main things that mercury stands for. So work on mindfully being truthful and openly communicative without being brash or harsh (Leo hanging out right now). 

Things to do?

Charge those crystals! Especially get out those gemstones that are helpful in aiding communication, like Amazonite, Lapis Lazuli, Sodalite (my favorite), or Turquoise and after charging them sit with them Saturday morning and program them to specifically help you get through this time period.

The full moon with the lunar eclipse makes it a particularly charged full moon, a super moon. So the charge will be wonderful. Just stay positive!

Meditate. Make sure you are being mindful of your breath. Your steps, your level of compassion for yourself and others. Because creating a level of kind regard for yourself helps you fight the demons of depression and anxiety.

How?

Because depression is worrying or dwelling on the past and anxiety is worrying and stressing about the future. Neither of which you control. Meditation brings you to the present. To the breath, to the life inside you.

So if you are worrying about the Mercury Retrograde, and I now a lot of you are, please don't! Just relax and use the gifts the universe is handing you. Something is always going to be throwing off your vibe, but the mercury retrograde is all about perception, it's not really going backward, we just see it as going backwards. 

Be like the Hanging Man (or the Oak King in my deck), let go of old perceptions and habits.

Today's three card reading was on the three things I need to focus on during the Mercury Retrograde. The first card is The Wild Hunt, or the Tower. As a major arcane card I believe that some things that I believed were true will collapse under pressure (and I believe this may be a continuing thing). This card is not scary because sometimes we build our beliefs of something on false facts or poor communication and they will inevitably collapse.

The second card is the Three of Chalices, which stands for creativity and strength in community and friendship. I need to make sure I stay focused on the friendships and community to keep my head on straight.

The third card is the Seven of Chalices, which is a card of choices and a pause in contemplation. With the mercury in retrograde, this is a good card to remind me to meditate and be thoughtful in my choices and actions.

Stop stressing about the Mercury Retrograde!!

Be well and keep your chin up.
Talia Ravenspath

All the Witch Crafties

When this blog says, the "Craft of", I meant it haha. I make lotion, make shampoo bars, knit, crochet, dye yarn and you will see some of it on here, especially things that are witchy related. And almost anything you see is available for either special order (if you want a special color) or straight purchase from the link on the side of this blog that will take you straight to my etsy shop.

Some things in life take you a round about way, and I started crocheting at 13 and knitting at 23. Than I started to dye yarn a few years ago and make lotion and shampoo bars this year. Growth is good and Danu and Lugh definitely enjoy poking at my crafty side to keep learning more.

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

Support Your Local Pagan Shop!!!

Hey, I know times are tough but the Pagan shop in your area is a hub of community service and connection so I am just putting out there to please check your local pagan shop first before ordering something like sage or incense online. 

PLEASE!!

Cobleskill, NY: The Broom Closet, 554 E Main St, Cobleskill, NY 12043

Troy, NY: Hippies, Witches and Gypsies, 33 2nd St, Troy, NY 12180

Morrigan: An Introduction

You would think that with Lughnasadh coming (Lammas), coming in a few weeks I would want to initially post about the god Lugh, but I will get to that holiday soon enough. Instead, as usual these days, I am called by Morrigan to stay with my attention focused on her and the strength she is giving me to fight my own battles, internal and external.

Morrigan is an amazing goddess with a complicated history. She is woman, through and through. Maiden, Mother and Crone, she appears as a Crow or in one of her triple Goddess forms. She has been connected to Macha, Badh, and Danu, but is also whispered to have come even before Anu. 

  She has always been a battle goddess and a goddess of death, but as pagans, we must always remember that death is nothing to fear, simply a transition to a new way of being as energy cannot be destroyed. In this day and age, on many continents, we have less cattle thievery and clan war, but we are also always at war as a nation. This goddess fills me with the wish to go to those places where war is happening and put an end to it so innocent people are no longer hurt.

  But she is also the goddess of the little battles and the strength that women in particular need to get through the day and fight those battles inside and outside. 

  Her crows are a symbol of death but also a symbol of divination that she gives and I receive happily through my tarot cards. Remember, the death card in a tarot deck is not about actual death of a person but about change and a big change, which could be internal or external. 

As I am firmly entrenched in my Mother stage, the wisdom that comes with that stage is a welcome gift as well as the strength to stand as a role model for my daughters as they grow into themselves. Morrigan wants you to be the best self you can be, as she tried to get Cu Chulainn to be and will test you. She wants us to own our sexuality and enjoy it. To raise power through our sexuality and be whole. She wants us to stand firm like a stone in our battlefield and conquer ourselves as well as succeed in our battles. 

  Considered a dark goddess as a goddess of death, she brings change where ever her crows sweep through, so welcome her with open arms and respect and she will guide you to your best self. Not all hear her call, but when you do, be ready. Be strong. Be amazing.

Blessed Be
Talia Ravenspath

Energy Work and Imposter Syndrome

What a beautiful day after the rain yesterday. The rain is a great resource to ground energy down. If you feel stressed or sad, simply step out into the the rain and let it flow down you, taking any excess or negative energy with it. If it's not raining, get in the shower and just let it flow down you with the same feeling. I've always preferred showers and rainstorms to baths, though a good sea salt bath with lavender can be extremely cleansing too.

The energy of the universe is something that you can feel instinctively, even when you do not know what it is. It flows down the chakras of our bodies and can get stuck at various places, depending on our stresses or life lessons. 

Reiki is simply an energy healing technique that is used to channel healing energy with the intent of compassion and healing towards another person. It is not our personal energy that you are sending, but energy that you are funneling from the universe, that is all around us.

For years, I have been manipulating the energy in my body. I could feel it flow down my arms and pool in my hands and wonder that I couldn't see a light because I could feel it warm up my hands and vibrate my skin. On January 2016, about 23 years after I first felt this energy, I started on the path to become a Reiki Master.

Today is the day that I completed my training (this is my given/muggle name). 

Honestly, I'm floored that I finished it and it is far from the end of my learning. I am planning on taking other classes with other Master's to achieve a well rounded understanding of what Reiki is and how so many of us use it.

The use of Reiki energy is largely instinctive and classes in using it help us become more open to it with attunements and help us to focus it with the symbols and hand placements (though we should listen to our instincts as to the use of these guides). 

Starting this path wasn't easy for me. I felt like an imposter. That is the core of what the imposter syndrome is. You feel like you aren't good enough and that someone is going to call you out. You know what? Someone is going to disagree with how you do things sometimes. Someone is going to have a strong personality and try to help you without asking. This is life. And it's okay. You can take the help or advice and decide for yourself it works, or you can let it flow off you like the energy that resides in your aura that you can manipulate with ease once you train.

The goal of Reiki treatment is to direct energy towards a person with kindness, compassion and the intent that it will go to the place it needs to go to help the recipient heal in spirit, energy and body. As long as you keep your intent focused on those goals, you cannot do harm. Always asking for permission before doing a Reiki session is polite, though I have been known to send a spurt of kind energy towards a person from time to time who I haven't asked permission from because I feel called by the gods to do so. 

Reiki is very like prayer. Prayer creates the intent of the energy, and sends it out into the world towards the person or situation to try and heal or resolve something. 

Imposter Syndrome is tied to anxiety and overly worrying about what others think of you. But your intent is paramount. I am a pagan and a witch, I try to do no harm and if I feel I am coming close to wanting harm I will bind someone or banish instead. Release your anxiety and stress, relax into your life and goals and take control of the one thing you have control over: the way you perceive the world.

We do not have control over anything else in any life.

We can direct energy, but we do not control where it goes ultimately.

We can cast spells, but this is also a type of energy work.

We can set our intentions, but again the energy goes where it needs to go.

We can choose our job, our partner, whether or not to buy a new car or a house; but we cannot choose how the people around us act towards us.

All we have control over is how we react to others.

It takes practice to do this and sometimes we still fail because we are only able to do what we can do. Do we take criticism as a negative thing or can we look at it, really turn it around in our hands and see if it is something that you can understand from multiple views?

As this moon expands
Think on how your energy flows
Allow it to grow
To flow
To ease down you 
As a wave slides over the sand.
Let it sink
Sink your energy down
Down into the earth.
Goddess take this energy
Renew it and send it
Send it to someone who needs it.
God of the sky and forest
Allow me to resonate 
And feel your hands on me
As I pass through into peace.
May the light pass through me.

Blessed Be
Talia Ravenspath

The Spiritual Guide

  Heading up to the full moon, I have noticed in my readings for others that I have been bringing up spiritual guides. We all have one in each life and this is the little voice of wisdom that tells us not to do something or to go for it, why not. 

When I was 13 and first met the Goddess in her all encompassing earth spirit form/feeling, I also met my spiritual guide who has been with me ever since.

  As a trained therapist with a Master's degree in Counseling, I can categorically say that there are things in our pagan experiences that do not fall in the realm of understanding for culture by and large. But we all have that little nudge or voice that we sometimes do and sometimes don't (usually for ill) listen too, this is your spiritual guide. 

  In my experience and through much meditation and research, I have come to believe that these spiritual guides are spirits that we have known in our past lives and they choose to "walk" with us in this life to help us learn the lessons that this life is geared towards. The little ones and the big ones that help our spirits evolve and the general spiritual understanding of the universe of vibrations as a whole. 

   What I mean is, the lessons we are here to learn do not just help our spirits come to a higher understanding each lifetime, but help all of the spirits in general as we share our lessons and understandings at the end of each life when we release these bodies and return to the stream of energy that we all are connected too even when alive. That is where Reiki energy comes from and returns too. Energy cannot be destroyed or created but transmuted by the lessons our spiritual selves absorb. 

So how do you find your spiritual guide? 

The good news is, you don't need to go looking, they are literally with you and have been there since the day you were born. 

If you want to have a more connected relationship with your spiritual guide, this is achievable through meditation, especially guided meditation specifically geared towards that, which I am working on writing out but you can also find it almost anywhere online if you google it.

It is easiest to do this type of work in a natural setting where you are comfortable. I prefer the beach. The sound of the waves constantly rolling onto the beach is one of the most soothing sounds to me. And if I sit in a chair on the beach, close my eyes, and open my third eye while I breath deeply, I can feel my spiritual guide beside me, also sitting and enjoying the beach and my presence. 

What do they look like?
Do they feel male or female or neither/both?
What are they saying?
Do you remember a time when they comforted you?

Spiritual guides are extremely personal to you, specifically to you. Sometimes a reader or medium can talk directly to your spiritual guide. I often feel their presence, and sometimes someone has more than one, though that can sometimes be people who did pass in this life. I don't get words, but I do get impressions from other peoples spiritual guides and that helps to give a relevant and accurate reading when I'm doing a tarot card reading for someone.

What is your experience with your spiritual guide?

Blessed Be!
Talia Ravenspath

Human Gatekeepers

It is not easy to have a physical store and not be a chain. It just isn't. And even then it is hard. Pagan stores open and close with a fairly regular commonplace. But even for the short time period that they are open, sometimes those humans that run them are gatekeepers. Not to keep people away, but to open doors for people and welcome them in. Not as guards but as the welcoming party. The first welcome. The first hurrah you are here!

Melissa is such a one at the Broom Closet in Cobleskill, NY. This store opened at some point last year and closed for a few months while they restyled the store. Since they have reopened her position as the community gatekeeper has been firmly established, whether or not she realizes it. 

She is welcoming.

She is open.

She is laid back.

She is happy to introduce you to the many connections she has in the pagan world if you want to know about anything.

Because of her continuing presence in the store, the store itself has a welcoming environment. This isn't something that can be faked. You cannot sage this into being, it has to come from someone. 

Do you know of a store or a person who has that kind of presence?

I am told I am motherly haha. But I have two young daughters so that makes sense to me. ☺☺☺

Look for these spaces, though. Spread news of them. Shop at them if they are a store. Let's keep them alive!!!

Blessed Be!

Talia Ravenspath

Ideas for the New Moon

With the new moon sliding in this week (July 12th) and this Friday being Friday the 13th, it is a day of beginnings and new growth. Of opening what was once closed and of the beginning of healing.

 Some ideas for the new moon, or the dark of the moon, are as follows:

1) Meditation
           An oldie but a goody. There is not better time to meditate than during the dark of the moon. This is a time of pause. A time of contemplation and of setting intent and goals to culminate in two weeks at the next full moon. 

2) Setting Goals
          Speaking of setting goals. All you need is some white candles and a few pieces of paper. Write out your goals over the next two weeks on the paper and you can burn them or you can keep them, either way works as it sets your intent into the world.
         One way to keep the intent strong in your mind and keep your moving forward towards it is to get a jar (like a clean Prego sauce jar) and put your intent papers in them. As the two weeks progress add more pieces of paper on how you are actively visualizing or creating the change or opportunities that you set in motion during the new moon and on the full moon read each little note with pride and perhaps even create a little bonfire of success in a bowl or cauldron (if you have one) and burn each one after you read it.

3) Invoking a Dark God.
         Dark does not mean evil, just means perhaps this is a time to invoke and listen carefully to what Morrigan or any other dark god or goddess has to say that has been poking at you recently. Respectfully research the best ways to acknowledge, as you would with any other invocation. There are a great deal of book available on the subject. Don't be afraid of the battle gods, their strength can get us through anything.

4) Divination
          Oh yes, the new moon is a good time for divination. It is a time of shadows and these shadows can be understood through a tarot reading or other types of divination. Keep it in mind. I know I will be doing an extensive reading for myself.

5) Reiki Healing/Self-Healing
           This is also a great time to do some Reiki healing. Setting those energies to work over the building of energies towards the full moon is a very positive thing and healing something that may be on your mind, or a pain in your knees or heart or head can be a very helpful thing. I know I need to keep on my daily regiment to stop the migraines!

I am working on a special blog post for Friday the 13th. Don't fear it, embrace your power! What is your favorite number?

Be well and whole.

Talia Ravenspath

Secrecy and Our Witchcraft

Over the weekend, a good friend of mine shared an article on whether or not practicing witches should share their spells and craft with others.  (To be Silent by Adrian Monogue & To Keep Silent by Phoenix LeFae).

I was struck by this idea, that when I researched it was everywhere. Do not talk about or share your spells. Keep them secret or else their power will decrease.

Having been a solitary most of my life (for the past 25 years) I have to say that this bothers me because even today, though witchcraft is more accepted and it isn't as hard to find others, it is still hard to find a teacher. And I know what people will say, the teacher will arrive when the student is ready. But if all this secrecy is keeping people's tongues tied, how on earth can people learn anything? And I cannot tell you how many times I have been "told" that if I didn't learn it from a person and not a book it isn't as valuable and I'm not as skilled. No JOKE. You know that attitude is there.

Of course there is such a thing as oversharing, but there is a GREAT need for teachers who are willing to reach out to not just those who are looking to pay (which there are few who have the funds for some of the weekend sessions I've seen advertised, holy cow, I don't have that kind of cash), but also to those who are searchers and looking for guidance. How can we learn, if we don't share our knowledge?

And what about the many books that you can get? I cannot help but feel that even though secrecy is considered important, that the hundreds of books on witchcraft and spells that you can find is a direct flaunt in that direction. It doesn't decrease the strength of a spell if over a thousand people are using the same spell with their own personal intentions. And why should it? A circle is cast, a energy is raised, the spell is cast and set with the energy raised and with our intent is sent out into the world. We can resend that energy and intention from a new moon to a full moon, but why would it dissipate if you share what your intention and spellwork is to other people you know? What if in sharing that you are taking someone else to a new level of understanding about energy work?

  I cannot grasp this idea that if we share what spell we did, our hopes and dreams around it, that it will dissipate and be less powerful that it originally intended to be. It's already out in the world and getting battered around in the direction it was sent. Perhaps you were in financial straight and you did a money or luck spell. All of the factors around your financials issues may ease, but other people are influencing it just as much if you don't share what you did than if you do. That is the nature of living in a world where we are all connected by energy and all influencing each other. Secrecy ignores that reality. Ignores the fact that we are all connected at a basic level and influence each other in a nonstop manner on a basic energy level.

So really, my problem with this idea of secrecy is three fold:

1) There is a need for people to step up and be teachers and encourage mutual learning.
2) I honestly do not believe that sharing spellwork that you did will dissipate a spell any more than you waking up the next day in a shitty mood and actively doing something that will mess up your plans.
3) Secrecy can lead to unhealthy cult and ego behaviors. It's kind of like how I do not care if someone wants to be in a polygamist relationship, but the family should be open to the world and not closed off hiding as those types of closed off behaviors naturally draws abusers of all sorts, the power trips.

Do with it what you will, but I just feel that secrecy is unhealthy and can block yourself from learning and others from learning from you.

Merry Meet and and Anxiety Tip.

Greetings!

  In the common world, my name is Jen. But here I am Talia Ravenspath. Talia means dew of the gods and Ravenspath is a bit self-explanatory. I am drawn to the celtic pantheon, in particular Morrigan, Lugh, Brigid, Cernunnos and Danu.

Maidin Mhaith (Good morning), my friends.

Here I will share crafty recipes, tarot readings, charms, my thoughts on mental health from the witch point of view, and anything else that may pop up.

What started this post off, in my head, was a request on Facebook for help in dealing with Anxiety.

There are many stones, herbs and other correspondences to help you out with these. In fact, as the new moon is less than a week away, it is a perfect time to work each day towards shedding these stressful, strangling and repetitive thoughts.  Goddess knows that I suffer from anxiety, and many in my life suffer from anxiety. So here is what has helped me break through some of these anxious (and it works with depression as well) thoughts.

Everyone seen the Harry Potter? Do you remember the Devil's Snare? The big plant that squeezed tighter the more you fought it until it killed you? This is anxiety in its physical form. The more you fight it, the more you hold onto it and feed it with anxious thoughts, the more it will tighten its grip on you.

The trick to Devil's Snare, and anxiety, is to relax. If you don't have the possibility of illumination (like Hermione manages and illumination can be seen as a realization or new understanding) than you need to relax into your anxiety with compassion and kindness towards yourself. Literally relax because below that anxiety is not an empty bottom of hell, it is you. Just you and soft ground.

  It really is a kind of surrender, a surrender to your true self that is being strangled by your anxiety, or Devil's Snare.

  In fact, life is like the waves on the ocean or a lake. There are peaks and troughs, but most of life is in the middle either on the way up or on the way down and it begins all over again. So no matter what you are going through, it will pass. This isn't about control, it is about acceptance and letting some of the stress just pass through you by relaxing into it. It's only as real as you make it to be.

  Think about it, when I get anxious, I literally end up with body language that is tight. I am squeezing in together my muscles, my arms are close to my body (often crossed) and my breathing is fast. But if you stretch and take a few deep breaths and literally let yourself relax (visualizing the Devil's Snare you are relaxing through), you can do this. And it gets easier each time you try it.

  Nothing is as easy as snapping a finger or waving a wand. Our personal selves take work. I hope this post works as a Lumos spell for some of you trapped in your Devil's Snare. Just relax and be kind to yourself, you often deserve it. :)

Be well and Blessed Be!
Talia Ravenspath