A New Moon! and Summer Solstice coming up!

I'm going to hold a small Esbat for the Full moon. I don't have all my tools yet, so I will just observe. Hopefully by the next full moon, I'll be able to a cleansing, invocations and mediate.
As you can read, I attended a weekend retreat recently. My biggest issue is finding time. I believe I 've started to figure out how to do this... involve the kids! let's see how this goes.

For my non-Wicca, non-Pagan friends, you may wonder what is an Esbat? According to Wikipedia, An esbat is a ritual observance of the full moon within Wicca and other Wicca-influenced forms of Neopaganism. Traditionally, the eight festivals of the Wheel of the Year are times of celebration, while "magical work" is done at the esbats. Check out this link on how to do an Esbat Ritual

http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/wiccanandpaganrituals/ht/Esbat_Rite.htm

Hmm! If only we were allowed religious holidays for Wiccas and Pagans! We can, using personal/vacation time. Sigh, I wish it was more mainstreamed like Christian and Jewish holidays.

Now for the next Festival... According to Wikipedia, Summer Solstice is on June 21. A solar festival which was almost universally celebrated; and, especially in Europe. In the European tradition, the night before was Midsummer’s Eve; a time for great magic , especially for love charms. Certain herbs were picked at midnight to bring protection against lightning, fire, witchcraft, disease and ill fortune. Witches and fairies roam on Midsummer’s Eve, as they do at Beltane; there is a bit of madness in the air. Great bonfires are lit to help change the course of the sun in the sky, the rites resemble those of Beltane. Burning wheels are rolled down hills, and burning disks are thrown at the sun. The zenith of the power of the Sun God is manifested in the flourishing of crops and livestock. The sabbat was Christianized to St. John’s Day (for John the Baptist).

I wish, wish, wish upon a bright star... that one day I will be at Stonehenge to celebrate summer Solstice in person! Meanwhile, I'll have to content to greet the dawn at home.

Blessings

New Tools for Life

I had a wonderful weekend at the Connie Russert/Deaf Spirit ASL weekend retreat. It was so nice to reconnect with some friends I've not seen for a long time. Nice to meet new friends. I enjoyed my 3 roomates. We're all alike yet different! It was a spiritual treat to meet Paulayro via Connie. The picture on the right is Connie and Me.

I learned that I CAN sense energies. It was mind blowing to feel and experience energies. Learned to mediate, cleanse my chakras, learn healing energy and to expand my intuition. Oh boy, what a rush it was to actually feel Paulayro up close in my 1:1 session. As goddess is my witness, I was so eager for my turn... not nervous at all. As soon as I sat down for my 1:1 session, my hands and feet became hot and sweat. All my hair was raising, indicating an energy field. I'm not sure but I felt like I was in presence of something so profound, radiating white and clarity.

I took a mini yoga class taught by a sweet soul at the weekend... I found my back pains actually went away, specially the tense/tight/spastic spots. Unbelievable. A couple of yoga positions and I'm feeling better? OK, I'm game to sign up for yoga now. Anything to get my back issue better. Thinking of signing up for a beginners class around the corner, perhaps dragging my youngsters with me to class too. Back to reality, it is HARD to schedule time for 15-30 minutes of mediation time with 2 young children. SIGH.

BUT... I am committed to adjusting my life to find time for ME. It's just a matter of time and effort to do so, to get out of a 10 yr rut. Smiles.

Checklist to do: call the yoga center, the chiropractor whom I've been avoiding for a few months now and find out about clay/pottery classes. Breath and show/feel compassion when our teen wigs out. Allow it to be easy.