Thirteen Days of Samhain: Day 10

On the tenth day of Samhain, the Goddess gave to me:

Ten ancestors calling

As the veil thins, the other world draws nearer and nearer to ours. Our beloved dead prowl the borders, awaiting communion with the living.

Working with our ancestors can be a powerful healing, for them as well as for us. Remember, honor, and heal. It is a blessing to all, and it strengthens our spiritual support team.

Don't have biological ancestors you want to work with? No problem! You can connect with ancestors from your far past. You could also work with spiritual teachers or other non-biological relations to whom you feel close. 

Thirteen Days of Samhain: Day 11

On the eleventh day of Samhain, the Goddess gave to me:

Eleven witches chanting

Chanting and singing is a powerful and important technique in the Craft of the Wise. For that matter, it’s used by nearly all of the world’s religions as a means to alter consciousness, raise power, work magic, celebrate and as a form of devotion.

Chanting entrains our minds to group consciousness when performed with others. We vibrate our bodies from the inside out in a way that is akin to tuning an instrument. 

These ladies are probably chatting rather than chanting. But they'll get to it after they finish their tea. ;)

Thirteen Days of Samhain: Day 12

 On the twelfth day of Samhain, the Goddess gave to me: 

Twelve suns a’shining

In each year, we also have twelve solar months. Their names are rich with mythological significance in some cases, and practicality in others. The solar months are also used in astrology.

Pilgrimage of the Great Wheel

Earlier this year, I went on a vision quest on Jomeokee, aka Pilot Mountain. As I noted in that post, Jomeokee is a key point, or vortex, on a ley line. It is also the the central point of a wheel of ley lines on the Atlantic seaboard of the United States. This means, essentially, that it is the center of a group of related sacred sites. These places hold and magnify the power of the Earth, and act as repositories of memory of events.

See below for an illustration showing the Great Wheel:

It is my intention to make pilgrimage to all of the points of the Great Wheel of Jomeokee. The points of the wheel are, starting in the north and proceeding sunwise:

Moundsville, WV: Grave Creek Mound

At 62 feet (19 m) high and 240 feet (73 m) in diameter, the Grave Creek Mound in the Ohio River Valley in West Virginia is one of the largest conical-type burial mounds in the United States. The builders of the site, members of the Adena culture, moved more than 60,000 tons of dirt to create it about 250–150 BC. (description from Wikipedia)

Washington, DC: Unknown site

I find it interesting that we chose this spot as the capital of our government, the repository of this nation's power, as it were. At this point, I do not yet know what I will visit there. Initial research indicates that there are a great many important churches there, but that doesn't seem too likely to me. It wouldn't surprise me if the Pentagon was built over the actual ancient monument.

NC/VA line: Great Dismal Swamp

I doubt any traces remain from ancient times, but I will see. I plan to paddle my pirogue there and camp in the area, though both the NC state park and the VA wildlife refuge do not allow camping.

Cape Fear: Actual point is in the ocean

I live on the Serpent Lei, the ley line that roughly parallels the Cape Fear River. Looking back at the things that led me to live where I do, I believe it is this very fact that drew me here. I scouted all around Raleigh to find a rural spot where I felt comfortable. At the time, I didn't really know why I felt at ease here. Since moving here, I have developed a close relationship with my river, the Cape Fear. I will count this weekend's trip to the mouth of the Cape Fear as my pilgrimage to this point, and will write a separate post about that.

Parris Island, SC:  US Marine Corps Base

I discovered that it is possible to visit the base itself. Again, I find it interesting that this spot was chosen as the headquarters of one of our military branches. Power finds power. There is also a wildlife refuge across the channel, so that's a good spot to visit as well.

Stone Mountain, GA: Stone Mountain Park

Once again, another symbol of the power of the United States. Stone Mountain is a quartz monzonite dome monadnock and the site of Stone Mountain Park in Stone Mountain, Georgia. At its summit, the elevation is 1,686 feet (514 m) MSL and 825 feet (251 m) above the surrounding area. Stone Mountain is well-known not only for its geology, but also for the enormous bas-relief on its north face, the largest bas-relief in the world.[1] The carving depicts three Confederate figures during the Civil War: Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and Jefferson Davis. (description from Wikipedia)

Monterrey, TN: Standing Stones State Forest

A 12 foot tall rock standing upright on a sandstone ledge, which was supposedly used as a boundary line between two Indian nations. When the rock fell, the Indians placed a portion of it upon an improvised monument to preserve it. (description from TN state park website)

Peebles, OH: The Great Serpent Mound

The Great Serpent Mound is a 1,348-foot (411 m)-long,[2] three-foot-high prehistoric effigy mound on a plateau of the Serpent Mound crater along Ohio Brush Creek in Adams County, Ohio. Researchers have attributed construction of the mound to three different prehistoric indigenous cultures. Although it was once thought to be Adena in origin, now based on the use of more advanced technology, including carbon dating and evidence from 1996 studies, many scholars now believe that members of the Fort Ancient culture built it about 1070 CE (plus or minus 70 years). There are still anomalies to be studied.[3] Serpent Mound is the largest serpent effigy in the world.[4] (description from Wikipedia)

More updates to come. At this point, there is no formal plan or timeline. I'll visit each one as I'm able, and in the fashion dictated by the site and geography itself. The only thing I know for sure is that I'll bring offerings to each place. At Pilot Mountain, I was able to camp on the mountain, hold ceremony at our campsite and meditate on the pinnacle itself. Other places, I'll do what I can. I also don't really know why this is important to me, or why I have to do it. I only know that it is right.

Thirteen Days of Samhain: Day 13

On the thirteenth day of Samhain, the Goddess gave to me: 

Thirteen moons a’glowing

Each year, we have approximately thirteen full moons. Do you know how you are affected by the moon’s cycles?

At the new moon, also known as the dark moon, we have the opportunity to begin anew and to make plans. To shed what is no longer needed. To reflect, to nourish and renew ourselves. Menstruating women ideally are experiencing their moon time now. This is a great time to hold a moon lodge ceremony.

The waxing moon is the time to  get excited and inspired, to discover and work towards our goals. This is the time to express our creativity and our passion, and to use our sacred bodies!

The full moon is a time of manifestation and celebration. We honor the Goddess and we tell her story. We work magic and we honor our wild nature. We harvest our growth in this moon cycle, celebrating our successes.

During the waning moon, we begin the process of turning inward, of releasing and trusting in the Divine to help us manifest our dreams and wishes. We distill the lessons from this moon and gain clarity. We practice excellent self-care in preparation for our moon cycle.

Living Life Fully

The Pagan Experience - Wk 4- September 28: Any writing for the letters N or a topic of your choice– I am keeping this familiar format on week 4 for those who have joined me from the Pagan Blog Project!

An interesting thought occurred to me recently during Yoga. What if the way that gurus achieve that unshakable calm, that inner peace, is not through some mystical energy cultivated during meditation or other Yogic practices, but instead...is simply through not engaging with the drama of daily life? Not a particularly original or groundbreaking thought on the face of it, but bear with me.

Many think it happens in this order, though. Mystical powers bring peace. I posit the exact opposite. It is their very detachment from daily life, their refusal to engage with ordinary squabbles that brings the inner peace that seems so very fulfilling and desirable. How is this achieved? It occurred to me tonight that it's incredibly simple, and incredibly difficult. One simply does not participate. One spends no energy on conflict, no energy on the drama of others.

But this led me down another path. What does it mean when one refuses to participate in drama, in conflict? How does one refuse to engage in this modern world of ours? I believe it is nearly impossible to refuse to engage in conflict. Life in our modern world requires relationships. We don't live in a culture in which spiritual people or Yoga teachers are supported.

Instead, we must support ourselves and carve out time for our practice and exploration. To support ourselves, we must work, even if that work is teaching Yoga or other spiritual practices. To do that work, we must cultivate relationships, and in turn, all relationships involve conflict. Human nature is such that boundaries are tested. People try to take advantage of other people, mostly unintentionally, because we are concerned primarily with our own needs and desires. Our needs and desires do not always coincide with those of others, and indeed, often they overlap or themselves are in conflict.

Surely, Yoga and most spiritual practices help us to reduce our automatic reactions to life situations. Certainly, meditation has a calming effect, and it gives us perspective, both of which are very helpful in managing conflict in a healthy way. I'm not saying that spiritual practices do not assist us in dealing with daily life and with conflicts. Of course they do.

What I'm getting at, rather, is that to follow the path of Yoga, one must detach oneself from daily life. Disciples of traditional Yoga are not supposed to have families, sex, any type of intoxicant, rich foods or really, any type of personal life. Gurus are people who have studied and practiced for years, and who have gained samadhi, or bliss. They typically spend most of their energy on this practice, in addition to teaching and sometimes performing service for the community.

As a Pagan who follows the path of Yoga, I say - this is not living. We are here on this Earth in physical bodies overflowing with the ability to sense. I subscribe to the notion that the Divine enjoys sensory experiences through us, and taking full advantage of that ability is part of our purpose here. What's more, even the teachings of Buddha say that to transcend Maya (the illusion of the world of the senses), one must experience it and learn from it.

A bit of background here:

1. I fully respect and honor the tradition of Yoga.
2. Yoga is a wide, wide tree of disciplines and practices. I'm generalizing in this post out of necessity.
3. I'm designing my own system of Pagan Yoga.

So in my tradition, we fully engage with life. We are priestesses, women, professionals, daughters, mothers, wives and more. We have careers, families, hobbies and pets. We engage in this Earthly life fully and completely. We know that enlightenment is something we can experience right now, in the midst of all of this messy, beautiful chaos we call life.

Our Pagan Yoga system is a discipline and a lifestyle, just like traditional Yoga is. But in our discipline, we get dirty. We dance. We chant and sing and howl at the moon. We eat cupcakes right alongside our healing herbs. We raise a horn of mead from time to time. We meditate. We mindfully and reverently enjoy sex. We attune ourselves to the great Wheel of the Year - the passing of the seasons and the cycles of the Moon.

Our goal is to experience life, and to develop ourselves into the fullest expression of our beings that we can envision. It's a goal that keeps growing as we continue to grow and evolve. Union with the Divine is part of that goal, but a static state of bliss? Nah. Give us the ecstatic rhythm of creation. Give us the heights of mystic trance and the lows of hopeless despair. Give us the beauty, joy and love and give us the brokenness, imperfection and flaws. Give us everything, for that is what it means to live fully.

Blessed be and aho!

Thirteen Days of Samhain: Introduction

Welcome to my Thirteen Days of Samhain series! This year, I’m posting my series here as part of the Samhain’s Sirens project. Samhain's Sirens is a gift to the Pagan community. During the month of October, we post giveaways, articles, recipes, crafts, music and more all to celebrate our favorite holiday and season.

The Thirteen Days of Samhain is my way of extending Samhain from one ritual to a season of celebration. It all started a few years ago, as an inside joke amongst my coven. What would happen if I wrote a song about Samhain to the tune of “The Twelve Days of Christmas”?

This, my friends, is what happened. Starting tomorrow, look here on my blog to find a line of the song, plus information about this sacred time of year and our beloved Pagan faith. For thirteen days, we will count down to our sacred soul harvest, Samhain.