I often get asked, “How does one go about joining a group?” Coven work isn’t for everyone; there any many witches who enjoy and prefer working alone. However, coven work can be part of a fulfilling spiritual experience. There are many ways to find a coven that fits your needs. While sometimes it can be difficult to even find a group of Pagans in your area, much less find a group that is perfect for you, one will never know unless one embarks upon the journey.
The most popular way to find a local group is witchvox.com. The Witches Voice at witchvox.com is the most comprehensive witch and Pagan networking engine on the internet today. Organized and easy to navigate, this is the best place for one to start, especially if you rather communicate via text and email than phone calls. Another way to find a group is to search the groups on yahoo. Many covens use these email-friendly lists to communicate. Be aware, though, that many large social and solely online groups call themselves covens. You can always visit your local occult or metaphysical store. Many times, local covens either rent/use space in a local shop, or post notices on the shops bulletin board. You can always ask the proprietor of the shop about local groups. Also, subscribe to mailing lists of meetup groups, social groups, or Pagan events. Going to open events and networking may lead you to a group.
Once you do find a group that you are interested in, you’ll probably be asked to meet with the leadership of the coven, or attend a meet and greet to meet the coven in its entirety. These meetings are the place to ask any questions you may have of the coven, and answer any questions that they might ask you. It’s important, not just that they fit your needs, but that you fit theirs as well. Make sure your goals and your participation expectations are very clear. You’ll want to make sure the coven is structured in a way in which you could be happy.
My suggestion is to be at your best at these meetings. Once you are part of the coven family, then you’ll get to know the issues that your coven brethren have. This is not the time to tell your potential coven family that your wages have been garnished because you don’t pay your child support, that you have problems having orgasms, or that the Dagda has chosen you as his personal songstress and sends you unicorn dreams that you just KNOW means that you were a priestess of Brighid in a past life. Unless you are asked a question, don’t overshare; whether it’s personal life issues, or UPG (universal personal gnosis). Don’t lie, either. Ever. A coven is based on perfect love and perfect trust, and a little lie (even lies that you think don’t matter) will come out sooner or later.
Don’t come in with an entitled attitude. Realize that the coven is taking their time to meet you. They aren’t doing you a favor, and most likely they aren’t feeling like they NEED another member. Realize that even if you’ve been part of other groups before, or have studied for over ten years, you may still need to take dedicant/ newbie classes. These classes may include “Wicca 101” material, but there may be other reasons why one is expected to take these classes.
In my group, “beginners classes” help the initiates get to know the dedicants. It also gives the dedicants a chance to learn what the coven believes, how they perform ritual and other important concepts. In our coven, every dedicant goes through these classes, like a rite of passage. If you gripe or fight us on taking our classes, that shows us that you want to be part of a coven, not our coven. Usually, if you are aspiring to be part of a group, that group has traditions, and certain ways of doing things. Don’t come in hoping to change it into something you want to join. Also, realize your role in the coven at this point- if you are a newbie to the coven, don’t expect to plan rituals, or have large parts (if any) in ritual, etc. Entitlement is a big turn off.
I’ve heard someone say, “I was SO bored with the open event that [insert coven name here] put on. They just talked afterwards, and didn’t do anything witchy. Should I say something to the high priestess?” Um, no. They are opening their ritual to give you an opportunity to circle with a group. Putting on an open (or public) ritual is a very time consuming endeavor. Being invited to one is a privilege.
One the subject of non-witchy activities, one of the most common misconceptions of coven behavior is that it’s all witchcraft all the time. This isn’t true. It’s not all ritual/ trance/ meditation/ divination. If you want to be part of a well-balanced family-type group, you’ll get to know one another really well, which means that at some point, you’ll need to put the wands down and socialize. Sure, there may be scheduled classes and workshops, but realize that some of the best spiritual discussions can happen organically out of regular conversations.
Another question I get is “what does a coven look for in a potential member?” In my experience, sanity and the absence of icky drama, first and foremost. Adult life skills are also helpful. Be able to balance your checkbook, do your laundry, be aware of your hygiene, clean your house. Craft skills are also helpful, as are camping skills. If you’ve been on a Craft path for awhile, it might be helpful to choose and focus on one facet of the craft. Have a solid solitary practice going on.
Coven life shouldn’t take the place of your personal practice and relationship with the gods, but should complement your practice. Finding the perfect group for you might take time, but it is definitely worth it in the end.
Croissant Calzones
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Labels:
Recipes
Had an idea for an easy lunch recipe, and tried it out. It was good, so here it is.
Croissant Calzones
Makes 8 small Calzones (serves 4)
Ingredients
1 roll of croissants (garlic butter is best, but use whatever you've got)
Pizza sauce or marinara sauce
Mozzarella cheese
Whatever pizza toppings you like (I went with pepperoni)
Preheat open according to packaging. Unroll and separate croissants. Spread out pizza sauce on an unrolled croissant, then add cheese and your toppings. Roll up your croissant and place on baking sheet- cheese, etc. will be hanging out of the sides of the croissant. Bake as directed on package.
If you want to make smaller/appetizer sized rolls, in the beginning, cut each of the croissants in half.
Croissant Calzones
Makes 8 small Calzones (serves 4)
Ingredients
1 roll of croissants (garlic butter is best, but use whatever you've got)
Pizza sauce or marinara sauce
Mozzarella cheese
Whatever pizza toppings you like (I went with pepperoni)
Preheat open according to packaging. Unroll and separate croissants. Spread out pizza sauce on an unrolled croissant, then add cheese and your toppings. Roll up your croissant and place on baking sheet- cheese, etc. will be hanging out of the sides of the croissant. Bake as directed on package.
If you want to make smaller/appetizer sized rolls, in the beginning, cut each of the croissants in half.
Imbolc Recipe: Roasted Red Potatoes
I made this recipe for Imbolc, instead of potato soup, as Aislin was making vegan beef stew. They turned out rather well.
Roasted Red Potatoes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and cover a baking sheet with aluminun foil.
9 red potatoes
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (to taste)
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons (to taste) minced garlic (mine is in a jar)
2 teaspoons dried rosemary (I used 4 long fresh sprigs, minced)
4 tablespoons olive oil
Wash red potates and cut them into quarters. I ended up cutting the larger quarters in half to make smaller pieces. Place potatoes in bowl and add everything else. Toss in the bowl until everything is coated evenly. Lay out on the baking sheet and put into the oven for 35 minutes. Eat.
Roasted Red Potatoes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and cover a baking sheet with aluminun foil.
9 red potatoes
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (to taste)
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons (to taste) minced garlic (mine is in a jar)
2 teaspoons dried rosemary (I used 4 long fresh sprigs, minced)
4 tablespoons olive oil
Wash red potates and cut them into quarters. I ended up cutting the larger quarters in half to make smaller pieces. Place potatoes in bowl and add everything else. Toss in the bowl until everything is coated evenly. Lay out on the baking sheet and put into the oven for 35 minutes. Eat.
Reiki II
Last month, I attended a class and received my Reiki II attunement. This means that I can now channel more Reiki energy, and I am able to start up a professional practice. For those of you who do not know what Reiki is, it's a school of energy healing that is rooted in Japan. Rei means "universal" and Ki means "energy." Reiki practitioners channel highly vibrational universal energy in order to heal and help others. We all have this conduit of universal energy within us, and it's believed that the attunments wake that up and get our bodies in tune with this conduit. The energy is able to break up blockages, sometimes caused by low-vibratory energy, and is helpful for relaxation, pain, emotional problems and better sleep.
I'm a skeptic by nature, but this is something very easy to believe, as it's something I can physically feel. I feel so blessed to have this opportunity to help people. I'm looking forward to purchasing a massage table so that I can more comfortably help others.
I'm a skeptic by nature, but this is something very easy to believe, as it's something I can physically feel. I feel so blessed to have this opportunity to help people. I'm looking forward to purchasing a massage table so that I can more comfortably help others.
Five Waters: Holy Water Recipe
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Labels:
Magick,
Recipes- Witchy,
Wicca
Let me preface this with a statement: This is not the only way to make holy water- this is a project I've spent over a year working on. This is copyright me, 2011, for personal use only- do not duplicate my work- thanks!
This recipe is meant to make a concentrated water that can be added to any regular water to make it holy, or added to a regular recipe to give it a boost. I'm leaving out most gestures, etc in the recipe, as you'll want to make it your own.
Supplies:
Begin by drawing a banishing water pentagram over the local water, and say: I cast from this water all that is negative or harmful, that it be clean and cleared. Hold the water over the bowl, and then say: This local water honors the spirits of the land, and the place I make my home. Pour water into the bowl.
Take the bottle of new moon water. Draw a banishing water pentagram over the new moon water and say: I cast from this water all that is negative or harmful, that it be clean and cleared. Hold the water over the bowl and then say: Water from the new moon, lend your easy intuition and knowledge beyond the shadows to this sacred brew. Pour the water into the bowl.
Find your bottle of waxing moon water. Draw a banishing water pentagram over it and say: I cast from this water all that is negative or harmful, that it be clean and cleared. Hold the water over the bowl and say: Water fallen during waxing moon, lend your growth and ever increasing potential to this sacred brew. Pour the water into the bowl.
Take your bottle of full moon water. Draw a banishing water pentagram over it and say: I cast from this water all that is negative or harmful, that it be clean and cleared. Hold the water over the bowl and say: Water fallen under full moon bright, lend your peaking power to my sacred brew. Pour the water into the bowl.
Get your bottle of waning moon water. Draw a banishing water pentagram over it and say: I cast from this water all that is negative or harmful, that it be clean and cleared. Hold the water over the bowl and say: Water fallen under waning moon, lend your power of banishing and decreasing to my sacred brew. Pour the water into the bowl.
Gently mix the waters together, deosil with your wooden spoon and chant the following (I did it five times, but do what you feel is right):
Five waters in the cauldron go,
Powers mix and mingle so,
Magick mixture, power divine,
Amplify intent, the will defines.
Then add a pinch of salt and state something like: A pinch of salt to seal and purify against all other energies.
Mix again, and state the chant above again (five waters in the cauldron go).
This recipe is meant to make a concentrated water that can be added to any regular water to make it holy, or added to a regular recipe to give it a boost. I'm leaving out most gestures, etc in the recipe, as you'll want to make it your own. - rainwater collected under a full moon
- rainwater collected under a waxing moon
- rainwater collected under a new moon
- rainwater collected under a waning moon
- local water- ideally from a spring, but filtered tap water will work
- (all rainwater should be clean- I hand filter mine using coffee filters)
- sea salt
- bowl
- measuring cup, preferably glass
- wooden spoon
- final vessel (like a glass or crystal bottle or jar)
Begin by drawing a banishing water pentagram over the local water, and say: I cast from this water all that is negative or harmful, that it be clean and cleared. Hold the water over the bowl, and then say: This local water honors the spirits of the land, and the place I make my home. Pour water into the bowl.
Take the bottle of new moon water. Draw a banishing water pentagram over the new moon water and say: I cast from this water all that is negative or harmful, that it be clean and cleared. Hold the water over the bowl and then say: Water from the new moon, lend your easy intuition and knowledge beyond the shadows to this sacred brew. Pour the water into the bowl.
Find your bottle of waxing moon water. Draw a banishing water pentagram over it and say: I cast from this water all that is negative or harmful, that it be clean and cleared. Hold the water over the bowl and say: Water fallen during waxing moon, lend your growth and ever increasing potential to this sacred brew. Pour the water into the bowl.
Take your bottle of full moon water. Draw a banishing water pentagram over it and say: I cast from this water all that is negative or harmful, that it be clean and cleared. Hold the water over the bowl and say: Water fallen under full moon bright, lend your peaking power to my sacred brew. Pour the water into the bowl.
Get your bottle of waning moon water. Draw a banishing water pentagram over it and say: I cast from this water all that is negative or harmful, that it be clean and cleared. Hold the water over the bowl and say: Water fallen under waning moon, lend your power of banishing and decreasing to my sacred brew. Pour the water into the bowl.
Gently mix the waters together, deosil with your wooden spoon and chant the following (I did it five times, but do what you feel is right):
Five waters in the cauldron go,
Powers mix and mingle so,
Magick mixture, power divine,
Amplify intent, the will defines.
Then add a pinch of salt and state something like: A pinch of salt to seal and purify against all other energies.
Mix again, and state the chant above again (five waters in the cauldron go).
Then charge with your personal energy however you usually do.
Then fill your vessel with your new concentrated holy water. You may want to pour into the measuring cup first, since the spout will help you pour into a bottle. The chant is structured so that, though all of the moon's energies are mingling within the water, the user's Will will define how those energies are used.
Ripples from a Pebble Tossed in the Reiki Pool
I was blessed enough to be able to take my first Reiki class/ attunement last month.
I have been told in that past that I had the potential to be a gifted healer, and that along with many other influences, led me to this path. I’ve tried some different types of healing before, but nothing really clicked for me; nothing felt like it worked. I pretty much just gave up, and concentrated my energies elsewhere. When a friend of mine mentioned this opportunity, I jumped at it. I’ve been researching healing methods for years, and Reiki is one that I’d always been drawn to. The class was great. Yadira talked to us about the history of Reiki, what it is (and what its not), and explained how to do a self-treatment and a treatment for others. Then she attuned us, and we had practice time.
Trusting my intuition has always been a challenge to me. I’m a very analytical person, and I over-analyze and self-censor quite a bit. I’ve always felt like intuition is just guessing, and that my brain was just making things up. I’m not a fan of the over-analyzy part of my personality, but it’s there, and I deal.
I’ve never been very confident in reading (tarot, runes) for other people, as I’m always afraid of being wrong. Something that Yadira mentioned at the class really resonated with me. She mentioned that if you mention something intuitive, and the person doesn’t really agree with it, then it might be something that is working on manifesting, or that will happen in the future. (I’m really paraphrasing, here, as this is what I got from it). I’ve never really had someone say to me that it’s okay if the person doesn’t agree. My role is to be the messenger. It really clicked with me, and I took that concept with me to my coven meeting, where our main topic was to talk about tarot. We discussed the trepidation that most of us felt when trying to read for someone else, and I was able to explain how I felt about it now. It’s like that’s clicked for me, and that’s a very freeing feeling to have.
I went this past weekend to a workshop that she hosted, where we meditated and practiced reiki on one another. I was able to sense the difference between Reiki I and Reiki II practitioners’ energy, and that was interesting and surprising to me. It makes me really look forward to taking the second class and attunement whenthat opportunity is offered. I don’t really take classes very often. My desire to take a class and my financial ability to take a class rarely line up in such a way where taking a class is possible. I just feel so blessed that it’s worked out for me this time. I’m going to try to go to more classes, as learning from Yadira has made me consider some things that might make me a better teacher myself.
I have been told in that past that I had the potential to be a gifted healer, and that along with many other influences, led me to this path. I’ve tried some different types of healing before, but nothing really clicked for me; nothing felt like it worked. I pretty much just gave up, and concentrated my energies elsewhere. When a friend of mine mentioned this opportunity, I jumped at it. I’ve been researching healing methods for years, and Reiki is one that I’d always been drawn to. The class was great. Yadira talked to us about the history of Reiki, what it is (and what its not), and explained how to do a self-treatment and a treatment for others. Then she attuned us, and we had practice time.
Trusting my intuition has always been a challenge to me. I’m a very analytical person, and I over-analyze and self-censor quite a bit. I’ve always felt like intuition is just guessing, and that my brain was just making things up. I’m not a fan of the over-analyzy part of my personality, but it’s there, and I deal.
I’ve never been very confident in reading (tarot, runes) for other people, as I’m always afraid of being wrong. Something that Yadira mentioned at the class really resonated with me. She mentioned that if you mention something intuitive, and the person doesn’t really agree with it, then it might be something that is working on manifesting, or that will happen in the future. (I’m really paraphrasing, here, as this is what I got from it). I’ve never really had someone say to me that it’s okay if the person doesn’t agree. My role is to be the messenger. It really clicked with me, and I took that concept with me to my coven meeting, where our main topic was to talk about tarot. We discussed the trepidation that most of us felt when trying to read for someone else, and I was able to explain how I felt about it now. It’s like that’s clicked for me, and that’s a very freeing feeling to have.
I went this past weekend to a workshop that she hosted, where we meditated and practiced reiki on one another. I was able to sense the difference between Reiki I and Reiki II practitioners’ energy, and that was interesting and surprising to me. It makes me really look forward to taking the second class and attunement whenthat opportunity is offered. I don’t really take classes very often. My desire to take a class and my financial ability to take a class rarely line up in such a way where taking a class is possible. I just feel so blessed that it’s worked out for me this time. I’m going to try to go to more classes, as learning from Yadira has made me consider some things that might make me a better teacher myself.
November 2010 Update
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Labels:
Life
November is such a weird time for me. I know I haven’t blogged much, but I’ve been busy, and have been having some issues lately. But enough of that. On with the good!
A few weeks ago, I took my first reiki class, and had my first attunement. Those who know me, know that I’m an open minded skeptic, and while I wanted it to be awesome and work, I had this skepticism that I couldn’t shake. I’m always skeptical about EVERYTHING. It’s actually part of what brought me to my spiritual path. Anyway. Back to reiki… The teacher was phenomenal, and the coolest thing of all, is that it works. Doing reiki is something that I am able to physically feel in my hands, which is amazing, and after coming home and practicing, took a lot of my self-doubt away. I did a hands-on treatment for my husband, and I’ve been doing self reiki very often. Now, I’m just trying to figure out the practical logistics of how I would be able to give a treatment without igniting my back problem. It’s a lot of leaning and standing, and that’s something I need to figure out how to do, so I don’t need to drug myself up.
My niece is so big now, and she's more adorable than ever. She looks like a little person- it's amazing how quickly they grow! I'm going to need to plug my BIL's blog for her in my next post, but I have to wrap this up.
I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving, and a short break from work. I need to regroup and figure out what I want from my career, and this might be a good time to do that.
A few weeks ago, I took my first reiki class, and had my first attunement. Those who know me, know that I’m an open minded skeptic, and while I wanted it to be awesome and work, I had this skepticism that I couldn’t shake. I’m always skeptical about EVERYTHING. It’s actually part of what brought me to my spiritual path. Anyway. Back to reiki… The teacher was phenomenal, and the coolest thing of all, is that it works. Doing reiki is something that I am able to physically feel in my hands, which is amazing, and after coming home and practicing, took a lot of my self-doubt away. I did a hands-on treatment for my husband, and I’ve been doing self reiki very often. Now, I’m just trying to figure out the practical logistics of how I would be able to give a treatment without igniting my back problem. It’s a lot of leaning and standing, and that’s something I need to figure out how to do, so I don’t need to drug myself up.
My niece is so big now, and she's more adorable than ever. She looks like a little person- it's amazing how quickly they grow! I'm going to need to plug my BIL's blog for her in my next post, but I have to wrap this up.
I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving, and a short break from work. I need to regroup and figure out what I want from my career, and this might be a good time to do that.
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