Auld Woman and Urban Shaman Shoes

A safe place for a witch's hat

The cards said it would be so in no uncertain terms as my solar year wheel reading indicated in June. It's sort of a comfort to have made a pattern of doing these sort of birthday magic rituals, because at the lowest and the bottom most part of the reading, I was able to go back and look at it to see where I was. I was able to shift what I saw enough to lessen the impact and even at one point soften the blow. The seas be choppy this round, choppy like I haven't seen in a long time.

Upon the ancestor altar

The reading all by itself in June was enough to let me know things where brewing in directions that had little to do with me, but would impact me. And impact me indeed it did, so much so that September literally had a throw down with my physical vessel. October brought The parade of ancestors, mighty and beloved ones out to dance on the faery track. I learned things about my lineage that no one thought to mention before. Not like my family is hiding anything, but it just seems that every year I go through the Samhain prep, I end up digging up some memory within one of my parents about their parents lives that somehow fits just right into the puzzle to make a picture I finally understand.

Books read 2012

After my vessel decided to toss me on my ass, I was quickly summoned to the cemetery by you know who for you know what and was greeted with a big fat WTF???! The days of sort of passed in an odd array of fast forward - slow motion action and I spent more time at a doctor's office than I ever want to. I noticed things like mushrooms springing up all along the places in the neighborhood. Cracks in sidewalks, rock gravel yards, and spongey well watered lawns all started becoming dotted with fungi. I don't remember seeing that the summer before.

November and December???? Thanks for asking. . . that was exactly where the cards said the depth of the darkness would lay in wait for me. There was no escaping this. This had to met in all of it's frightening ugly. Even here there were light beacons. As Christmas lights went up on the yards of my neighbors, I saw stars, reindeer, stags, and St. Nick side by Side with Mary Jesus and Joseph. There was a river with snow covered banks and a sleigh with bob tail horse. There was a merry snowman lit path with a snowflake star cape and deep jewel tone lights that spoke not of bright brassiness, but of deep and rich treasures to be found. One of the thoughts that was persistent in this light fest, was the fact that there were so many stags. They were every where. there were far more stag and doe displays than the year before that it struck me as odd. It even brought to mind a strange and urban shaman version of Ms. Dirty's spectral herd of deer. Ms. Dirty came to mind an awful lot just because of all the deer.

Candle for Brigid

January the seas were still choppy and brought disappointments and tragedy all at the same time, but I could tell that the personal storm was subsiding. however my vessel still challenged me with off and on cold/ allergic reaction or some weird cootie or another that produced coughing spells that lasted at least two weeks at a time. I have better get some DAMNED good abs out of this crap! Even Brigit rites were not safe from the cooties. Irritated the holy living hexes out of me because I had been doing pre possession work with Brigit was unable to actually do the full rite because I was cootie ridden and not in the best shape. Of course, She knew all about that and a suggestion was made: Maybe Brigit is not the right fit just right now. Yes she indeed is a healing goddess, but healing requires a nurturing space. It was suggested that maybe Mari is the one I should be preparing for. She is more of the Feri mother than Brigit is. Upon speaking with both of them, I am inclined to agree and have started to gear up for Beltane.

Mr. Oddly wisely invested in an air purifier for the house. It just made sense with little man being an asthmatic, turns out that maybe some of my cootie attacks were brought on by allergic reactions. As soon as the air purifier was turned on there was this horrible new plastic smell that triggered a monster migraine that night, but in the morning the first thing I noticed was that my sinuses did not feel like They had a whole bottle of green glue dumped into them over night. I am still seeing vast improvements in how I feel these last few days. Thank Gods for small favors ( and air purifiers.)

Urban shaman shoes from the Auld Woman

The Auld Woman came in the year early and She is still clawing at  us with cold icy weather that cuts through my jacket and pants to the bone. She did however, leave me with urban shaman shoes. It was an obsession this cold cycle: MUST. HAVE. WARM. FEET. Slippers for the house were gifted (twice from two different avenues) and new out of doors wandering shoes had to be replaced because the old ones literally split their foundations. * don't ever shoe shop with me, I am a very grumpy shoe shopper it seems; not even coffee could rescue the experience.* It's like she was saying lets shift how you are walking. It was not: you are going in the wrong direction, but how I was walking. I'm not sure that I understand the lesson yet. . . It seems like an on going thing that will unfold in the Spring. Mysteries seem to have their own pacing and timing and the shoes are just starting to take effect.

Books I still need to read. . .
the list is gonna get longer too.