For the first time, ever, I am going to have family staying with me for the holidays. I am super happy and excited and I know I will not get a chance to write once they arrive. Fortunately for me someone posted a lovely article about Solstice and Wicca and I am going to give you a link and let you and me enjoy the holidays.
Nature is Divinity
http://www.cdapress.com/columns/sholeh_patrick/article_1fe33fd7-1c2b-55cb-b093-60cbd8097e32.html
May your candles be bright and light your way to a new day!
Blessed Be,
DM
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Honesty is such a lonely word
Thank you Dictionary.com:
hon·es·ty
[on-uh-stee]
Show IPAnoun, plural -ties.
Show IPA
2.
truthfulness, sincerity, or frankness.
3.
freedom from deceit or fraud.
What does that even mean today? So many people show us false faces. So many business people tell us lies. So much of the media is here to deceive us. If we show our true intentions there are rightly fears that we could be branded a bigot or a traitor or an abuser, even if we are not. There are too many people watching and judging what we do and say. We only have one sensible course of action...to hide who we are or what we do. We hide from our friends (even true ones) we tell ourselves lie after lie after lie that it is ok, what we are doing, we are protecting them or the ones we love.
That is not Honesty.
Honesty is taking a clear look at what you are doing. Honesty means being vulnerable. Honesty means knowing that you don't have the answers and that you are willing to go find them or get help. Honesty can be brutal but wise. Honesty is scary but safe. Honesty is sadness but fulfillment. Honesty is being true to yourself down to your core, knowing your mistakes or issues and not pretending that they don't exist.
Honesty to oneself is the only way to grow as a person...to be a better person than you are right now. You have to trust.
trust
[truhst] Show IPAnoun
1.
reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of aperson or thing; confidence.
2.
confident expectation of something; hope.
4.
the condition of one to whom something has been entrusted.
Trust is knowing that deep within you are being honest with yourself and others. Trust is knowing that the people you surround yourself with aren't screwing you over or talking behind your back. Trust is being true in spite of the fact that you want to hide or make up a story. Trust is being real.
Life isn't pretty. Life can punch you in the gut and wrench out your heart. I have been abused. I have been lied to. I have been deceived. I have been mistreated. I have been bullied. I have been made fun of. I have had people leave my life and I have been miserable about it. I have had people I love die. I have had pets I love die. I have had friendship end. I have had really shitty weeks. I contemplated suicide everyday for 5 years. I have lost jobs. I have failed.
AND I trusted that life had to be better than all that...and it has been.
I had to be honest with myself about certain things in my life and in doing so I was able to trust myself to make the right choices and live my life my way. My life is no where near perfect. The little things that I can't make better can still drag me down. Overall, I find my life acceptable because I am honest with myself and I trust those around me that when I am in need I can rely on them.
And when you are honest with yourself and you trust those around you then you have found love. Love of self, love of life, love of others.
noun
1.
a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.
2.
a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.
In Perfect Love and Perfect Trust
DM
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
I don't always meditate but when I do I ground first...
I have been a practicing witch for over 15 years (getting closer to 20 - yow!) and there are many things that I may take for granted but I am always grounded.
What does that mean? Well, for me, it means that I am clearly here...I know my feet are on the earth, I know that air is filling my lungs, I know that my heart is beating and I know that my head isn't clouded up with 1,000 things...right now.
My head will get crowded up with all the things, breathing and heartbeats are forgotten about as I go about my day, my feet will run around going from store to store in the hopes of finding that perfect gift for The Hummingbird...but for one moment during the day I am HERE, I am PRESENT, and I am ME.
According to a great website - http://www.thrivemeditation.com/library/grounding-techniques.html
Grounding is a very simple tool --you create (imagine) a connection to the earth extending from your 1st chakra/tailbone into the center of the planet. It allows you to release other people's energy, pain you might have, troublesome emotions, sub-personalities, pictures, etc, through the grounding cord. It is very simple and very powerful.
Powerful? Yes. Simple? Not even close...
First, you have to be willing to surrender to doing nothing but feeling who you are, in the moment, now.
Second, you have to imagine the feeling of your feet in the dirt, or of being a tree, with roots in the earth, or you need to sit and imagine a tail at your tailbone driving into the earth.
Third, you need to push all your energy into the earth (feel it move to your toes and then out to the earth).
Fourth, you need to then pull energy from the earth into your toes and then into you.
Some people cannot for the life of them do this. They are too stressed and refuse to give themselves a break or they think that saying that they are grounded is all there is or they can't imagine the earth idea AT ALL so the whole thing escapes them.
Grounding is recycling your energy into the elements. When you recycle a bottle, it goes to a plant and gets melted into more plastic (or glass) and then it is remade into another bottle or something else. That is what you are doing when you ground and meditate. You are giving your bad, negative energy to the elements to recycle and then you are taking new energy from the elements - energy that isn't clouded with how many bills you have to pay or how to schedule your appointments. Just clear energy that should be able to keep you calm and focused for the day. If you are feeling overwhelmed or spacey or woozy taking a moment to ground may be the answer to go on with your day. When I have been feeling super angry, I have grounded to keep me calm. When I have felt exasperated I have grounded so I can look at the situation in a better light. When I have felt actual dizziness I have taken a moment to close my eyes and ground before I call the doctor or make a decision on anything.
No matter what element you are comfortable in, you can ground to it. Earth is best, because it is GROUND but...
FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE COMFORTABLE IN AIR:
Imagine a gentle breeze that you can control (like a mini funnel in your lap), fill this up with all your energy (blow into it, if you like) and then send it up into the air to be scattered to the 4 winds. After you are sure that your negative energy is gone, bring back the funnel to your lap and imagine it filled with clean air and breathe it into you.
FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE COMFORTABLE IN WATER:
Pour yourself a glass of water. Hold that glass in your hands and imagine all of your energy in that glass. Let the negative go into the glass and then gently pour it out (down the drain, onto the earth, or river, or ocean). Then fill up the glass with fresh water and drink it, feeling the fresh new energy filling you up. This also works really well while taking a bath or shower.
FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE COMFORTABLE IN FIRE:
Light a candle and sit looking into the flame. Feel yourself wrapped in its warmth. Very gently give your energy to the flame. The flame will take what you give it and burn it away. The flame will recycle the warmth and then you can pull new energy from the flame. You could also blow out the candle and then light another one or you can have 3 candle going at the same time, one for the release of energy, one for the gift of energy and one to steady yourself in the moment.
Grounding is so important to life. Physically, spiritually, emotionally, mentally...all of these need care inside you and this is a great way. It is therapy, except YOU are your own therapist.
Stop and be at peace and ground yourself before you leave your house for the day...I think you will be glad you did!
Always,
DM
What does that mean? Well, for me, it means that I am clearly here...I know my feet are on the earth, I know that air is filling my lungs, I know that my heart is beating and I know that my head isn't clouded up with 1,000 things...right now.
My head will get crowded up with all the things, breathing and heartbeats are forgotten about as I go about my day, my feet will run around going from store to store in the hopes of finding that perfect gift for The Hummingbird...but for one moment during the day I am HERE, I am PRESENT, and I am ME.
According to a great website - http://www.thrivemeditation.com/library/grounding-techniques.html
Grounding is a very simple tool --you create (imagine) a connection to the earth extending from your 1st chakra/tailbone into the center of the planet. It allows you to release other people's energy, pain you might have, troublesome emotions, sub-personalities, pictures, etc, through the grounding cord. It is very simple and very powerful.
Powerful? Yes. Simple? Not even close...
First, you have to be willing to surrender to doing nothing but feeling who you are, in the moment, now.
Second, you have to imagine the feeling of your feet in the dirt, or of being a tree, with roots in the earth, or you need to sit and imagine a tail at your tailbone driving into the earth.
Third, you need to push all your energy into the earth (feel it move to your toes and then out to the earth).
Fourth, you need to then pull energy from the earth into your toes and then into you.
Some people cannot for the life of them do this. They are too stressed and refuse to give themselves a break or they think that saying that they are grounded is all there is or they can't imagine the earth idea AT ALL so the whole thing escapes them.
Grounding is recycling your energy into the elements. When you recycle a bottle, it goes to a plant and gets melted into more plastic (or glass) and then it is remade into another bottle or something else. That is what you are doing when you ground and meditate. You are giving your bad, negative energy to the elements to recycle and then you are taking new energy from the elements - energy that isn't clouded with how many bills you have to pay or how to schedule your appointments. Just clear energy that should be able to keep you calm and focused for the day. If you are feeling overwhelmed or spacey or woozy taking a moment to ground may be the answer to go on with your day. When I have been feeling super angry, I have grounded to keep me calm. When I have felt exasperated I have grounded so I can look at the situation in a better light. When I have felt actual dizziness I have taken a moment to close my eyes and ground before I call the doctor or make a decision on anything.
No matter what element you are comfortable in, you can ground to it. Earth is best, because it is GROUND but...
FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE COMFORTABLE IN AIR:
Imagine a gentle breeze that you can control (like a mini funnel in your lap), fill this up with all your energy (blow into it, if you like) and then send it up into the air to be scattered to the 4 winds. After you are sure that your negative energy is gone, bring back the funnel to your lap and imagine it filled with clean air and breathe it into you.
FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE COMFORTABLE IN WATER:
Pour yourself a glass of water. Hold that glass in your hands and imagine all of your energy in that glass. Let the negative go into the glass and then gently pour it out (down the drain, onto the earth, or river, or ocean). Then fill up the glass with fresh water and drink it, feeling the fresh new energy filling you up. This also works really well while taking a bath or shower.
FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE COMFORTABLE IN FIRE:
Light a candle and sit looking into the flame. Feel yourself wrapped in its warmth. Very gently give your energy to the flame. The flame will take what you give it and burn it away. The flame will recycle the warmth and then you can pull new energy from the flame. You could also blow out the candle and then light another one or you can have 3 candle going at the same time, one for the release of energy, one for the gift of energy and one to steady yourself in the moment.
Grounding is so important to life. Physically, spiritually, emotionally, mentally...all of these need care inside you and this is a great way. It is therapy, except YOU are your own therapist.
Stop and be at peace and ground yourself before you leave your house for the day...I think you will be glad you did!
Always,
DM
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