Oh my gosh! I've never put this up. I've had this around for a while so.. Here ya go~
Monday
Beltane 2012
And so, today, our Beltane festivities begin.
I'll be picking up the girls around 6, we'll eat, then we'll head outside while the pies are being baked. My boyfriend's family are being insanely gracious and helping me out / letting me host it in our backyard. I'm going to try to find a way to rig up some music for us, and... yeah!
I'm a little breathy, smell like dirt, a little scatterbrained -- just spent a good bit outside, gathering up fallen branches and dried pine needles, building up our fire in the pit. Hopefully it'll stay lit for more than a few minutes at a time! I have four bits of ribbon for us. Fuchsia, royal blue, pearly white, and lush green. Very Spring-y colors, nice and lively.
I'm a little sad to say that I couldn't do a big meal for us like I'd planned, but I just haven't had work in a while. (Everyone is having fiscal troubles, eh?) But! We'll be having pizza instead, which isn't too bad an alternative. Who doesn't like pizza? We'll drink water and raspberry tea...
Whelp. I'll update in a few hours -- maybe in the morning -- on how everything goes.
Happy Beltane all!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
About 12 hours and a fantastic night later, here I am!
Picked up the girls as I said I would and it turned out they had made some goodies for all of us. Lemon thyme bars, nutmeg cookies, and a salad with almonds and strawberries topped in a raspberry vinaigrette -- all of which was freakin' delicious, of course. We chowed down on pizza, talked and relaxed for a little bit. On my way upstairs to grab our ribbons, my boyfriend's mother and I started talking. She ended up giving us a staff that she'd received from a seer friend of hers to use as our Maypole.
Excited, we headed outside and prepped our ribbons, writing our hopes for the year and each other on them. We each had our different colors, but the thick green one was for all of us as a whole. We huddled around it and took turns writing on it. Once all of the ribbons were attached to the staff, we lit up our bonfire.
Our timing was fantastic. The sun was just dipping beneath the trees, painting the sky radiant pinks and oranges. As the flames licked up the sides of the logs, we circled the maypole, our ribbons creating a colorful swirl about it. At the end, we tied them all together to keep them in place, and laughed. We were dizzy but we were happy.
We left the maypole in the ground and spent the rest of the night nibbling on freshly baked apple pie and the other treats that we'd made. Talking to each other, laughing, making future plans. My boyfriend and his brother joined us. We took 136 pictures all together, half of which came out looking horribly demonic because the camera didn't know how to function around a fire...
We ended up making the girls little beds in our room. We took them home around 11.
It was so much fun. I can't wait for our next get-together.
Midsummer, here we come? haha
I hope your Beltane was as wonderful as ours. Blessed be!
I'll be picking up the girls around 6, we'll eat, then we'll head outside while the pies are being baked. My boyfriend's family are being insanely gracious and helping me out / letting me host it in our backyard. I'm going to try to find a way to rig up some music for us, and... yeah!
I'm a little breathy, smell like dirt, a little scatterbrained -- just spent a good bit outside, gathering up fallen branches and dried pine needles, building up our fire in the pit. Hopefully it'll stay lit for more than a few minutes at a time! I have four bits of ribbon for us. Fuchsia, royal blue, pearly white, and lush green. Very Spring-y colors, nice and lively.
I'm a little sad to say that I couldn't do a big meal for us like I'd planned, but I just haven't had work in a while. (Everyone is having fiscal troubles, eh?) But! We'll be having pizza instead, which isn't too bad an alternative. Who doesn't like pizza? We'll drink water and raspberry tea...
Whelp. I'll update in a few hours -- maybe in the morning -- on how everything goes.
Happy Beltane all!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
About 12 hours and a fantastic night later, here I am!
Picked up the girls as I said I would and it turned out they had made some goodies for all of us. Lemon thyme bars, nutmeg cookies, and a salad with almonds and strawberries topped in a raspberry vinaigrette -- all of which was freakin' delicious, of course. We chowed down on pizza, talked and relaxed for a little bit. On my way upstairs to grab our ribbons, my boyfriend's mother and I started talking. She ended up giving us a staff that she'd received from a seer friend of hers to use as our Maypole.
Excited, we headed outside and prepped our ribbons, writing our hopes for the year and each other on them. We each had our different colors, but the thick green one was for all of us as a whole. We huddled around it and took turns writing on it. Once all of the ribbons were attached to the staff, we lit up our bonfire.
Our timing was fantastic. The sun was just dipping beneath the trees, painting the sky radiant pinks and oranges. As the flames licked up the sides of the logs, we circled the maypole, our ribbons creating a colorful swirl about it. At the end, we tied them all together to keep them in place, and laughed. We were dizzy but we were happy.
We left the maypole in the ground and spent the rest of the night nibbling on freshly baked apple pie and the other treats that we'd made. Talking to each other, laughing, making future plans. My boyfriend and his brother joined us. We took 136 pictures all together, half of which came out looking horribly demonic because the camera didn't know how to function around a fire...
We ended up making the girls little beds in our room. We took them home around 11.
It was so much fun. I can't wait for our next get-together.
Midsummer, here we come? haha
I hope your Beltane was as wonderful as ours. Blessed be!
Humbly,
Shannon Grey
P.S. The veil between the worlds is thinner on Beltane, right? Spirits and fae poke about curiously, causing mischief and taking part in the festivities, spreading their own ideas of merriment. -- Well. The wind was definitely playful with the energy of the evening. Numerous times we would attempt to do things, such as pouring cinnamon over the bonfire, or we would say something silly, and it would whip up, dancing all around us or send the smoke billowing in our direction.
Friday
Homework: Imagining
So, the
homework assignment that I gave to the girls was this:
Think and write out what you see, what you feel, what you imagine when you think of the God and the Goddess.
Think and write out what you see, what you feel, what you imagine when you think of the God and the Goddess.
My intent was that they would possibly create
a stronger, more familiar bond with them by utilizing the information/imagery
they created. I did it too, of course and here’s what I imagined~.
My
Goddess
Her eyes are what stand out to me the most. They’re
a soft green full of golden flecks, reminding me of mint and copper. Her skin
is smooth, a marble pattern, pale with splotchy freckles. Her lips are full,
her upper lip giving the impression of a permanent pout. The bridge of her nose
is broad and almost flat, its tip rounded off and flanked by equally round
nostrils. Her hair falls in wild waves of orange, darkest at the roots and
almost white at its tips. Her ears are large and poke out from between the
sheets of her hair some times. When she’s nervous or worried, she tucks it behind
them and fidgets with her fingers. She has curves reminiscent of waves; a large
bust, broad hips, thick thighs, sloped shoulders, a long neck, and dainty hands
and feet.
Depending on her mood, her eyes may become
more green, or adversely, more golden-orange. Orange being when she’s feeling
sensual, a mixture of the two being happy, a paler mint being when she’s upset
or shocked, and an intense green when she’s angry. Her hair changes with her
moods as well. When she’s serious, it flattens out and lays heavily, but when
she’s excited or feeling light-hearted, it curls and bounces, defying gravity.
Depending upon the season or the day, she’ll
decorate her skin with something like henna. The patterns can range from simple
to elaborate. Her clothing is white at the peak of day and shimmers golden, but
as the moon rises, it grows darker and shimmers with silver flecks. It covers
her modestly and flows freely. A gentle wind follows her movements and caresses
her every shape. Her nails on her fingers and her toes are all a deep, rich
brown. She decorates her hair with roots, or leaves, or flowers, or even fruits
some of the time. Animals will follow her at a distant, respectful and protective
unless she calls to them. Water will ebb and flow at her toes. Everything she
touches seems to pulse with recognition, dead or alive.
She loves to climb trees and roll in the
grass, to swim in the ocean and dance in the rain, to tease the clouds and
chase the wind. She smiles easily and will take your hand in hers often. She’s
affectionate and nurturing. She’s easily swept up into her emotions and can
often be taken by guilt when she can’t offer assistance to a situation. She
loves deeply and believes strongly in its truest forms, and this is why it
pains her so deeply when she sees that love can be sparse. She’ll do everything
that she can for you and visits with her earthly children daily/nightly. She,
however, takes on a more serious nature during the night and becomes a protectress
while her lover sleeps. She most resembles the crone in these hours and can be
a fierce queen.
Some days she dreams of escaping her ethereal
bindings to look for something more or to live as her children do, to evade the
weights of knowing and seeing so much. She needs her children as much as we
need her. She believes wholly that we should treat/see her as a friend and a
mother, not as some untouchable being. She desires respect and communication,
but abhors fear being a factor in either.
I call her Cybil or Reeve.
My God
He has thick, low set brows. His hair is a dark
chocolate brown, is brushed back and falls near his jaw line, with a short tail
that tapers down just below his shoulders. He has strong facial features; a broad
jaw that angles down into a wide chin, a sharply defined nose, pierced ears
that press to the sides of his head, and lips that sit firmly. He has stubble
that he sometimes leaves to grow out. His eyes are his softest feature. They’re
empathetic and watchful, a striking stone grey. His skin is a golden bronze
color and completely unmarked, save for a mark over his heart where his skin is
pale as if a light has bleached it from within. His hands are rough and large,
as are his feet. The hair on his forearms, lower stomach, and legs is curly and
lighter than the hair on his head.
At the beginning of the year, his antlers are
small, newly growing, but as time progresses they become larger and branch out.
At the end of the year, he saws them off so that they may grow again. Like the
goddess, when he is serious, his hair will lay flat. When he’s riled up, his
hair will rise up in straight little spikes, almost, as if he were a cat, and
it will move freely as if untouched by gravity. When he’s happy, his hair is
wavy and lightly curled, moving similarly to when he’s riled up. His eyes may
go from a deep ocean blue to an almost-white grey. They become a more intense
blue as he becomes angrier.
He wears little to no clothing, sometimes donning
just a robe which drapes from his shoulders and sweeps to his right hip
modestly. He is a sensuous man, but also like an older brother. At times, he
may border on overly-protective and almost too fatherly, but that comes with
the circumstance. He sets high standards for us and when we fail to meet them,
he may become disappointed, but he encourages us to do better as well. His
emotions strongly govern how he acts, though you wouldn’t know it from his
outward appearance, only telltale signs giving away his inner thoughts, such as
a nibble of his lip, or a tendency to hover over you as you do something.
Unlike the Goddess, he becomes tired at the
end of the day and will sleep a few hours each night. Wherever the Goddess
goes, he’ll follow protectively, carefully monitoring the situation as she
plays. As such, his typical seriousness can be broken by her, and she’ll coax
him into playing along. His voice is low and his laughter is heavy, something
that echoes in your chest and makes you shiver. He can be a tempest at times, fierce and
overbearing, but he can be a prankster and an imp at others. He favors
consistency and the Goddess’s temptation to flee responsibility worries him
some of the time, as he craves stability. He acts as a pillar for all who need
it, including her, and will fight for what he believes is right.
Stone beneath him quivers and hardens, trees twist
and stretch toward the sky at his touch, vines grow rampant as he passes, and
the wind flits fretfully about him. He is life, he is pure energy, he is
constant. He is the force that quickens –and slows– the flow of our veins. He
is a brother, a lover, a father. He is in everything that the light caresses,
and a guardian to all within the shade.
I call him Magus or Orion.
Are they anything like you imagine them?
To me, religion in general is just a larger scale, much more complicated way of meditating. We use imagery and stories to focus our energy, our intent, and with that added focus, it makes it easier to attain our goals. For example, someone might strive to be a better person so they don't go somewhere less than desirable when they pass on to the next life, right?
The God and Goddess are one more of these tools which we implement to focus our goals, to help us concentrate and think more clearly. They're our internal role models. -- Now, don't cry blasphemy. That's just how I think about it all. I'm not saying the God and Goddess aren't real, per se, but I like to keep it as, "I believe in the potential for greater things/beings." This imagery that I've conjured up is my tool.
The God and Goddess are one more of these tools which we implement to focus our goals, to help us concentrate and think more clearly. They're our internal role models. -- Now, don't cry blasphemy. That's just how I think about it all. I'm not saying the God and Goddess aren't real, per se, but I like to keep it as, "I believe in the potential for greater things/beings." This imagery that I've conjured up is my tool.
Does that make sense? I always have the hardest time trying to explain my point of view on that particular subject, haha... Hopefully I haven't offended anyone. I look at things in a more pyschological sense, I suppose is what it comes down to? Sigh. Yeah!
Whelp! I've said what I wanted to say.
Blessed be, friends.
Humbly,
Shannon Grey
Wednesday
Beltane Planning
My sisters and I spent this past Yule together, as well as Ostara just a few weeks ago. Each time we've made sure to at least see each other, to make some food and get together for a few hours, you know?
Well, just recently, I've had a bit of a celestial thump to the head. The three of us. Three. Three make a coven. Duh! I'll admit I've been holding back a little. I've always celebrated these things alone, so I've gotten used to keeping it all to myself, etc, etc. Besides, I didn't want to stumble upon... people who might come off as hypocrites or creeps? Oh, I could say such worse things, but I bite my tongue, haha. I shan't judge people so harshly.
My point is, as the 'eldest,' I feel like I should be helping out the girls a little more, ya? Opening up to them, in the very least, and really putting forth the effort to get some real planning done. I want to create traditions that we'll keep for the rest of our lives and, most of all, I want to really make sure that we're all comfortable in our own skin here. So! I'm really taking charge for Beltane -- May Day -- this year.
The day on my calendar is cleared and I've made sure I can have the girls over. Probably around sunset, I think we'll light up a fire in the pit. Maybe we'll add some aromatic herbs to the fodder? Cinnamon, rosemary, and sandalwood are respective to Beltane and they sell delicious.
Once we've done that, the real fun can begin. I'm definitely going to encourage that we play a lot of good music. Things that we can sing with and dance with, things that will get our energy up. We'll probably set up some speakers and play it just loud enough that we aren't disturbing any neighbors. Most likely turn it down after 9 if we're out that long, though, just to be courteous.
Then, I want to look into making a maypole -- or rather, a sort of maystaff. Nothing too tall or wild, but just a little staff that we can wrap in ribbons. I think it would be really neat if we all had our own specific colors of ribbon, then one to signify the coven as a whole. A little tradition I was looking into included writing little wishes of healing on ribbons and tying them to trees, but instead, I think it would be even neater if we wrote said wishes on the ribbons that will go onto our maystaff~! I would love to keep our maystaff for years to come and just add more ribbons to it with each celebration, you know?
And, the best part of any celebration, the food! I'm going to go over a few recipes myself -- probably make a pie and a main course with some sort of meat in it? -- and pick out what I want to make, then I encourage that the girls make something as well. Even if they're little treats that can be bought from Publix, so long as they taste good? Awesome. I definitely can't complain.
To close, in the morning, I want each of us to be able to walk around our respective places and beat out a ring of protection. We can walk around our houses, our yards, our rooms, whichever, and hum to ourselves, or sing, or talk. or just. think. and ask for the protection that we need, charge the ground where we walk with our love and energy. Maybe we'll beat around our fire the night before as well! Then, after that, we can roll in the dew and soak up the beauty of the season.
Yeah, I think this Beltane is going to be incredible.
On a side note: I've kind of assigned a little homework assignment for each of us. I want us to write down and really think about what we see when we think of the Goddess and the God. How do they move? How do they talk? What are their mannerisms? What do they look like? Do they have names that you associate with them? The idea is that if we can build a character around them, give them a more familiar form, then perhaps connecting and talking to them will be easier. It's just an idea and they don't have to do it, but I know I certainly will. Maybe I'll share it on here some day~.
Whelp. That's all I've got to share for now.
Blessed be!
Well, just recently, I've had a bit of a celestial thump to the head. The three of us. Three. Three make a coven. Duh! I'll admit I've been holding back a little. I've always celebrated these things alone, so I've gotten used to keeping it all to myself, etc, etc. Besides, I didn't want to stumble upon... people who might come off as hypocrites or creeps? Oh, I could say such worse things, but I bite my tongue, haha. I shan't judge people so harshly.
My point is, as the 'eldest,' I feel like I should be helping out the girls a little more, ya? Opening up to them, in the very least, and really putting forth the effort to get some real planning done. I want to create traditions that we'll keep for the rest of our lives and, most of all, I want to really make sure that we're all comfortable in our own skin here. So! I'm really taking charge for Beltane -- May Day -- this year.
The day on my calendar is cleared and I've made sure I can have the girls over. Probably around sunset, I think we'll light up a fire in the pit. Maybe we'll add some aromatic herbs to the fodder? Cinnamon, rosemary, and sandalwood are respective to Beltane and they sell delicious.
Once we've done that, the real fun can begin. I'm definitely going to encourage that we play a lot of good music. Things that we can sing with and dance with, things that will get our energy up. We'll probably set up some speakers and play it just loud enough that we aren't disturbing any neighbors. Most likely turn it down after 9 if we're out that long, though, just to be courteous.
Then, I want to look into making a maypole -- or rather, a sort of maystaff. Nothing too tall or wild, but just a little staff that we can wrap in ribbons. I think it would be really neat if we all had our own specific colors of ribbon, then one to signify the coven as a whole. A little tradition I was looking into included writing little wishes of healing on ribbons and tying them to trees, but instead, I think it would be even neater if we wrote said wishes on the ribbons that will go onto our maystaff~! I would love to keep our maystaff for years to come and just add more ribbons to it with each celebration, you know?
And, the best part of any celebration, the food! I'm going to go over a few recipes myself -- probably make a pie and a main course with some sort of meat in it? -- and pick out what I want to make, then I encourage that the girls make something as well. Even if they're little treats that can be bought from Publix, so long as they taste good? Awesome. I definitely can't complain.
To close, in the morning, I want each of us to be able to walk around our respective places and beat out a ring of protection. We can walk around our houses, our yards, our rooms, whichever, and hum to ourselves, or sing, or talk. or just. think. and ask for the protection that we need, charge the ground where we walk with our love and energy. Maybe we'll beat around our fire the night before as well! Then, after that, we can roll in the dew and soak up the beauty of the season.
Yeah, I think this Beltane is going to be incredible.
On a side note: I've kind of assigned a little homework assignment for each of us. I want us to write down and really think about what we see when we think of the Goddess and the God. How do they move? How do they talk? What are their mannerisms? What do they look like? Do they have names that you associate with them? The idea is that if we can build a character around them, give them a more familiar form, then perhaps connecting and talking to them will be easier. It's just an idea and they don't have to do it, but I know I certainly will. Maybe I'll share it on here some day~.
Whelp. That's all I've got to share for now.
Blessed be!
Humbly,
Shannon Grey
Open Doors
Hi! You can call me Shannon~.
(Seem spastic at all? haha I never was very good at introducing myself...)
I've been a practitioner for the better half of my life -- though I've only come unto an actual name for my beliefs in the past three years -- and I absolutely love to write. I've realized, as many are wont to do, that things can get a little hectic and we often forget to take the time out to relax, to simply enjoy ourselves. When I think of Wicca, I've always associated it with my place of peace. It's how I've survived hardships and how I've learned things about myself that I might not have otherwise. In hopes of keeping that spirit alive, and expanding upon it, I've created this blog.
Three Sisters Green will be a place where my sisters and I can write out our plans for the holidays, share ideas, and basically keep track of our explorations. We don't always get to see each other, so hopefully, this will be a way hat we may fill in that gap. My main hope is that this blog will help us to bond, to keep in contact, and to build up an understanding of each other -- something akin to a like mind -- so that our coven may flourish and no one is left in the dark.
Anyone is welcome to read this blog, to comment on it, whichever. Share your advice, your experiences, or maybe just a smile. All are welcome. However. Those who choose to be rude will be dealt with swiftly. This is a place for thought and sanction in the otherwise chaotic stream of day-to-day living -- don't mess that up. Besides, everyone should know the golden rule: Do unto others as you would have done unto ye, right? Whatever you send out will be sent threefold back to you.
Thank you so much for your time~.
Blessed be!
(Seem spastic at all? haha I never was very good at introducing myself...)
I've been a practitioner for the better half of my life -- though I've only come unto an actual name for my beliefs in the past three years -- and I absolutely love to write. I've realized, as many are wont to do, that things can get a little hectic and we often forget to take the time out to relax, to simply enjoy ourselves. When I think of Wicca, I've always associated it with my place of peace. It's how I've survived hardships and how I've learned things about myself that I might not have otherwise. In hopes of keeping that spirit alive, and expanding upon it, I've created this blog.
Three Sisters Green will be a place where my sisters and I can write out our plans for the holidays, share ideas, and basically keep track of our explorations. We don't always get to see each other, so hopefully, this will be a way hat we may fill in that gap. My main hope is that this blog will help us to bond, to keep in contact, and to build up an understanding of each other -- something akin to a like mind -- so that our coven may flourish and no one is left in the dark.
Anyone is welcome to read this blog, to comment on it, whichever. Share your advice, your experiences, or maybe just a smile. All are welcome. However. Those who choose to be rude will be dealt with swiftly. This is a place for thought and sanction in the otherwise chaotic stream of day-to-day living -- don't mess that up. Besides, everyone should know the golden rule: Do unto others as you would have done unto ye, right? Whatever you send out will be sent threefold back to you.
Thank you so much for your time~.
Blessed be!
Humbly,
Shannon Grey
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