Dreaming of Ostara

I have been finding myself dreaming about Ostara. Along with that comes hope for more sunshine and spring weather. I often struggle to stay present in whatever moment I’m in. My mind and heart wander towards the past or into the future. This part of the year is always the hardest. The holidays are over and they leave in their wake a long stretch of gray that seems to be never-ending.  Right now my home is lit up with pink and red lights leftover from Valentine’s Day. Anything to make my surroundings feel more festive and alive. I’m trying to cultivate fire to assist me in feeling less dull. Fire is something I can capture but it is hard for me to keep it burning. As I gaze out my window the snowflakes are falling and the view is both pretty and depressing. It’s easy to welcome the snow in December but much harder in mid-February. I remind myself that two months of snow isn’t that bad but that doesn’t do much to change my mood.

This week I intend to work on both cultivating fire and staying present in the moment. Of course, the Mercury retrograde isn’t going to make that second part easy. I feel like a 17-year-old who is one month away from their 18th birthday. I am so ready to burst forth into the future but I have to wait just a little bit longer.

How are you handling the winter season? What are you working on magickally?

A Season of Release

I am experiencing a season of release. When I was younger I would hold onto things until the universe would pry them away from me. It was painful and my life improved so much when I learned to let go. It feels like spring is right around the corner even though we were just blanketed with a fresh snowfall. As I dream of the fresh growth I know is coming soon I have to remove the deadwood of what has died to make room. Some of it is more than ready to go and other parts hold on and resist. I gently tug on those bits being careful to remove the roots as well.

Working on self-respect means that I have to let go of some toxic stuff and people. Just because something or someone is comfortable and easy doesn’t mean that they are good for us. I have been struggling with fibro lately. It has been really tough and I know that in order to get better I can’t have a lot of drama in my life. So I know that eventually letting all of this go will be better for my health as well. I keep reminding myself that Ostara is not that far off and soon my little plants will be poking their heads up searching for the sun. I have to make sure nothing is in their way!

How are you preparing for the next turn of the wheel?

D

Disrespect

Well, the goddess is wasting no time in talking with me about my intentions for this year. One of the areas of focus is around respecting myself. I kinda always knew this was going to lead where it has begun to go but I have not been looking forward to it. Part of respecting myself is not letting others disrespect me. I have a habit of allowing people to behave in ways that are disrespectful because I don’t want the confrontation or because I don’t want them to dislike me. In the past when I have put my foot down it has cost me relationships and people started to see me as being too tough or that my expectations were too high. I have found that within Pagan circles excellence is often looked down upon. If you exude excellence you are seen to be intimidating and intense and those are seen as negative qualities. Maybe this is why I have traditionally struggled to fit into these circles. I take my spirituality very seriously and I tend to seek out relationships with others like myself. Sometimes this means I feel isolated and misunderstood. The problem comes in when I compromise my beliefs and standards in order to fit in or have friends. I cannot allow others to disrespect me and still respect myself. Oh well, I have my work cut out for me! I think this may be the theme of my full moon work this month.

Imbolc 2020

This year as we move towards Imbolc I can feel the energy gently whispering in my ear. I’m not feeling the excitement I usually feel for numerous reasons but what I am feeling is right for where I am right now. This weekend I will plant my intentions and wait for them to flourish, I will freshen my altar space, and do my yearly rededication to my practice and my gods. It may be quieter than some years but quiet is ok for Imbolc. I will reignite my quest for fire energy and continue to try to cultivate that energy like I did last year. I will also do some sort of hearth blessing for Bridget since she is the goddess of our hearth. Some of this will be solitary and some will be alongside my partner.

What are your plans for Imbolc? Do you have intentions to plant?

Morrighan’s Day

Tuesdays are a devotional day for me. I will sometimes bring Morrighan a token or devote a work out to her. Other times I will talk with her about whatever things are going on in my life. I feel when you choose to walk with Morrighan you are not choosing an easy path. She seems to choose those who challenge themselves and she almost always has a challenge for me. Her challenges never feel like a burden and I know that I will be better for having taken her up on it.

Right now my main challenge has been dealing with my health issues. I felt like she was telling me way back at Samhain that this year was going to be very self-focused. I felt a little guilty choosing that path but I trust her and so that is the direction I started to walk. Soon I found out why that was needed and I’m so glad that she gave me the heads up about it. I’m starting to see that part of the challenge is living life to the fullest and not just moving from commitment to commitment. I have also been focusing on turning down all the negative noise in my life which means less time on social media. The world may need me but I need me more.

Over this waning moon period, I have been working on letting go of any lingering guilt or shame that I feel but that doesn’t really belong to me. Each time I work on this process it gets easier and there is less to let go of. For the new moon, I’m planning to set intentions around positivity and not letting my illness rule my life. I can’t believe that Imbolc is just a few weeks away! Before you know it we will be enjoying spring.:) The wheel keeps turning…

Do you have a primary deity? How do you honor that deity?

D

January Full Moon

Well, I survived the holiday season and I’m more than ready to move forward. The universe threw me a bit of a curveball over the month of December. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and so I have been spending a fair amount of time figuring out how to manage that. I have been spending time every day using EFT and meditation to help me get back on my feet. Despite what has been going on with my health I’m feeling super energized about this year and what it holds for me. I turn 50 in June and so I’m trying to clean up my life a little. I want to create something fresh for myself for the second half of my life.

Yesterday for the full moon I incorporated some yoga into my ritual time. I used the Cancer energy to help me mother myself and engage in self-care. I took extra care to cleanse my space and make it as nice as possible so I could truly relax and not be distracted by anything. It was pretty delicious! After that, I took a nap and then when I woke up I took a bath. In the evening I spent some time finishing a book I have been reading. All in all, it was a great way to spend the full moon.

Full Moon Yoga

I found this great full moon yoga video on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWEu0Z-rokU

Full Moon Magick

Did you have a lovely full moon? I’d love to hear about it!

D

Time To Rest

I hope that all of you had a lovely Samhain season. I had a restful week taking time away from social media and allowing myself to turn inward. My solitary time was nice as well as the time I spent with my coven. We had a surprise early snowfall this year here in Wisconsin which made things feel a little off. I think the Mercury retrograde just added to that sensation.

My word for the year is Self. I’m working on self-love, self-trust, and self-respect. My card for the year is the King of Wands! I have never pulled a king card for my yearly card so that will be cool to work with. Joey Morris was pulling Ogham cards on Facebook the other day and she pulled Hawthorn or Huathe for me. Lastly, at our coven ritual, I pulled Inguz as my token. So there is lots to chew on there over the coming dark season. I’d like to work on a vision board at some point.

Now that the dust has settled some I’m going to take a day off to rest and just breathe. How was your Samhain? Did you celebrate alone or with others? Did you have any big takeaways?