Winter solstice

I am always asked how I ended up in the great white north whenever someone recognizes that my accent is from the south.  I have been out of east Texas for over 17 years, yet I am still astonished when someone hears my accent.  I had thought it was gone.  Yes, I do still say things such as, "Y'all and fixin'" but I thought it was in a plain voice.  

I ended up here in New England because I love the snow.  Yes, I am crazy, but the sight of snow falling is one of which I never tire.  I can get lost in sitting and looking out the window to see flakes falling oh so gently to the ground.  

   
I have always had this fantasy about sitting in a glass gazebo in a hot tub watching a snowstorm outside.  I do not know what it is, but being in the midst of snow falling is one of the things that brings me peace.  One of the most beautiful sights I can remember was riding a snowmobile through the woods at midnight and seeing the snow glistening in the headlight.  It was as if I were surrounded by millions of diamonds.  Seeing the trees laden with snow after a heavy snowfall fills me with wonder.  As a part of my attempt to lose weight, I would love to learn to snowshoe through the woods.

 I leave you with my tries at composing a haiku:

Silent wonderment

Snow is falling gently down

Winter landscaping

   

Most definitely a rant...enter at your own risk

I am reading this morning and I keep seeing articles trying to guess the shooter’s motive.  Who gives a shit?  I don‘t, I could care less what lead this sick, psycho to gun down 28 people in cold-blood.  This asshole pointed a 9mm at these people and pulled the trigger without saying a word.  He blew his mother’s face off before he did it.  Do NOT try to tell me there was a good motive for this.  He deserved his death, just not the one he gave himself.  I know this may not be a popular comment and I do not care who likes it.  I think he deserves to be strung up with coarse twine pulled slowly through the palms of his hands, hung in the desert, covered with honey, and left to any creature that wants him.  No food, no water, no shade.  If luck were on our side, there would be a nest of fire ants, scorpions and brown recluse spiders nearby that can have their way with him. 

Brightest blessings in this dark time.

Who are you voting for?

With the election coming up soon, we have had people coming to our door asking us to vote for either the Mitt-wit or the Barack-en down in office.  Well, these guys are not for me.  I have looked around and Gary Johnson is the candidate that I am most aligned with.  I like what he has done in New Mexico and would like to see what he can do for our country.    Check him out over at Gary Johnson 2012.

            

Blog post for the Real Witches of Halloween 2012

I remember my first Samhain after realizing that I was a witch.  I was invited to attend ritual with the group I had found in my little Wisconsin town and was looking forward to the experience.  we were told to bring a knife with us to the ritual and have an imagination.  As everyone arrived, we were hand a pumpkin and instructed to carve it as a gift to someone who had passed.  As we sat carving, others arrived and I met some extraordinary women.  One had recently lost a son in the pediatric ICU where I worked and her story brought the carving to a standstill while we all cried with her. 

Soon, our host announced it was time for the ritual to begin.  Now, in Wisconsin it is usually cold in late October, so we convened to the basement after changing into our ritual garb.  As we were smudged, the lights slowly dimmed, and a haunting song began to softly filter into the room.  We took our places and called to the watchtowers to join us.  The deities were invited in and we sat quietly for a time, thinking on those who were no longer with us.  Soon, the lights brightened slightly and there was a fog hanging in the air.  We became aware of a presence with us and a voice began to speak.  An old crone was glimpsed in our midst, telling us of the tradition of using the thinning veil to speak to our ancestors and loved ones.  She told that their wisdom was available to us on this night and urged us to seek guidance from them. 

One by one, we began to speak of those who were on the other side waiting for us.  We asked them to impart their knowledge to us and were answered.  Stories of those we missed were shared and the threads of companionship were woven.  I was a time before we realized the crone had vanished and the music had ceased.  The deities and watchtowers were thanked and released as they wished. 

The assembly filed upstairs to our banquet where places were set for those gone before us.  As the night came to a close, the feeling of closeness remained.  As we took out leave, the young mother said that her heart was lighter and she felt her son’s soul was now at rest.  It was a very moving night for all involved.

I felt something take root in me that night that has only grown in the years since.  We may be many miles apart in body, but with the exception of one, those women are still my family in heart.

May you have a blessed Samhain night.