back after a mental health hiatus

For the details you can just look over at The Oubliette.

I learned yesterday that I really am an Oracle. Now, I've been working on my divination skills since I don't think I'm very good at divination right now. Apparently in December, while talking to Mom, I said "The Caregiver will need to be cared for." I have absolutely no recollection of this. Mom said at the time she thought I was on some pretty good meds, probably prescription cough syrup for a sinus infection. She didn't think much about it, until she had to go to the hospital with her elevated blood pressure, and got her pacemaker a few days later.

Last night she asked me if I remembered saying that to her. She said in the ER she remembered what I had said, and she is the primary caregiver for her mother, Granny. Right now she can't take Granny grocery shopping or anything, because she is supposed to get NO exercise, until the pacemaker completely heals. Granny is blind and lives alone, so she needs someone to take her grocery shopping and put stuff up. Granny started going blind 20 years ago or so, from macular degeneration, so she's accustomed to getting around with limited sight. (She's legally blind, not totally blind.)

So, apparently it is a good idea for me to have a priest following me around, writing down whatever bizarre stuff I say, since I have no idea what I'm saying. At least now Mom is going to start paying more attention to my mad ramblings on the phone, and write down any nuggets of wisdom that I may unknowingly spout. Never though I'd be a true Oracle, in the Greek/Roman tradition.

Blessed Be!
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Happy New Year

Yes, I'm fully aware it's been over a month since I posted here. I've been not feeling so hot, plus I've been a little more philosophical on my main blog.

Right now I'm feeling pretty down about my health. I ranted about it on The Oubliette, and basically, the doctors don't really know what's wrong, at least on the neurological front. I'm kinda down right now, my life is pretty much at a standstill right now. I once had a reason to live, I am an EMT, an Emergency Medical Technician, and have been for 10 years. I don't know how many people I have helped on the worst day of their life, how many people I have watched die or cut their bodies out of a car using the Jaws of Life. I loved that work, it gave me a purpose in life - to help others. I didn't need to know thier names, and don't want to, it's easier to do that kind of work if you don't know the person too well and get emotionally involved too much.

Well, I've lost my sense of purpose of life, at least on my bad days. I am a Witch, a servant of the God and Goddess, and of all life. I can curse, but I can also heal. Intelectually, I know this, but emotionally on some days it is hard to accept this new path.

I am now officially a member of Nova Roma, New Rome as Lucia Galeria Mira. I passed the citizenship test, and completed my probationary period. I am researching the Ancient Roman and Greek form of worship of Hecate, so that I may become a Sacerdotes of Hecate, an official Priestess of Hecate. I will continue to serve Cernunnos and Freya, as they both chose me to be their Preistess. I have been trying to find out the Ancient way of worshipping both of them, with little luck. I have been considering attempting to hold more than one priestly office within Nova Roma, since I already perform many of the duties of several offices anyway. Another option I am truly considering is to be an Augur, in addition to a Sacerdotes of Hecate.

Roman augury is most often performed by observing the behavior of birds. Honestly, I have been doing that for years, and I have learned what various birds mean. For example: wrens mean good fortune in a home; crows/ravens indicate hidden knowledge; owls mean wisdom; hawks are divine power and wisdom; eagles are power and also fear; white doves mean peace; mourning doves (aside from being at your bird feeder) mean an impending death; a peacock (which you're not likely to see just walking around) means vanity or showing one's true self; swans mean transformation; vultures/buzzards mean death; a nightingale means yearning for something, and pain - possibly mental as much as physical; swallows who build a nest in your house or barn will protect it from fire and lightning, as long as you don't disturb the nest. I could go on, but you get the idea. I am assembling a list of birds and thier meanings, which I will share when I complete it. I have no problem in sharing my knowledge.

I guess this should be my new path, serving the Immortals and teaching magics to those who would use the knowledge for pure purposes. I will not post anything specific about how to do something that could be used against somebody. If you want to learn more about something, IM me so we can get to know each other, and I will decide if I will teach you. Those of you who have pure intentions know that I must be cautious in who I teach, I won't be responsible for teaching someone who will use their knowledge to harm others.

I can be contacted by the following IM clients:

AIM: oubliettemira
Yahoo: lucia_galeria
Yahoo: oubliette_mira

You can also go over to The Oubliette, where I have a complete listing of how to contact me.


Blessed Be!
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some updates

I've been updating my Book of Shadows, so I wanted to share some of the writings, poems, and such that I'm including. I have 2 different BOSs, one is written, and one is a loose leaf binder with sheet protectors so I can re-arrange pages as I need to. With my memory not being the greatest anymore, I'm not relying on it anymore and documenting more and more of what I do, what pops into my mind. So, I thought I would share some of the writings that are already in electronic format.


Daily Affirmation

I am a Witch!
I am at One with the Earth, the Universe, and the Divine!
Let this day be free from Strife and Fear;
Let only Joy and Love come near;
With Blessings given and received
I walk in Peace in Word and Deed.


Personal Journal/Book Blessing

These words herein are mine alone
Fashioned deep inside my bones
Each picture, thought, and quote you see
Are all reflections of what is me.
Beware the urge to take this book
Or read it in some private nook
Because its magic isn’t blind
And I will know you’ve touched what is mine.


The Thirteen Powers of the Witch

Thirteen powers do the Witches claim
Their right of lineage by Freya’s name.
Tie a knot and say the words
Or hand on head – the blessing conferred.
A Witch can give success in love
Curse or bless through Goddess above.
Speak to beasts and spirits alike
Command the weather; cast out a blight.
Read the heavens and stars of night
Divine the future and give good advice.
Conjure treasure and bring fortune to bear
Heal the sick and kill despair.

This is my birthright to have and to share
Blessings upon you, may the spirits be fair.



I hope you find these interesting. I'll post more as I convert more things to electronic format.

Blessed Be!
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merry samhain

I hope all had a Merry Samhain and/or Happy Halloween, then a Happy Celtic New Year's Day yesterday. This week I'm in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park from Monday through Friday. Monday night, when my husband and I arrived in the Park, we went straight up to the top of the main ridge of the mountains, Newfound Gap, and celebrated Samhain at the park. It was cold, with snow still on the ground from last weeks snow throughout the Applaichains. (After talking to a Ranger later, the Park got about a foot at the higher elevations, above about 4000 ft.)

We celebrated with me casting a circle using the Four Elements with my husband acting as my assistant, (although that night air was much more powerful than fire, my candle kept blowing out), then offering some nuts, fresh bread, a pear, and some wine for us, the God and Goddess, the Spirits, and our Ancestors. We remembered those who are dear to us who have passed on to the Summerlands, or beyond the Veil, especially George, the cat I shared with my parents who passed on recently and had not had a full Samhain Rememberance Ceremony yet. Despite the fact we were breaking park regulations, we did leave the offerings on the side of the mountain for the wildlife and the Spirits to partake of when we were through with the ceremony.

Oh, and Book of Shadows? What Book of Shadows? I made up all the invocations as I went along. Something along the lines of "I invoke and invite (Spirit of, Element of, or Deity Name here) to join me in my circle and ritual tonight. Please bless this (ceremony, ritual) with your presence, and watch over me while you are present." Then ending the ceremony/ritual is pretty much the reverse. "I thank you (Spirit, Element, Deity) for blessing this (ceremony, ritual) with your presence. While I no longer need your presence tonight, you are free to stay as long as you wish or leave and continue along your path. Thank you for your presence" Free-form describes my method of worship and ritual.

Anyway, I should have pictures when I have broadband again, and can upload the photos from this week to Flickr.

Blessed Be!
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Great Lord, God, Father of us all, protect us from your followers. Great Lady, Goddess, Mother of us all, shield us who worship you from those who do not acknowledge your divine presence. Give us strength to walk in the world with our heads held high, unafraid of our beliefs, or what the consequences of adhering to our beliefs may be.

Blessed Be!
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commentary on my pledge

I have been a practicing Wiccan for about 7 years now, and have been increasing my studies, expanding, the entire time. At this point, I have traveled far enough along my path to publicly call myself a Priestess to the Lord and Lady, each a half of the Divine One. I have been performing as a priestess since I first made the leap of faith, devoted myself to them, became a Wiccan. To be a Wiccan is to be a priest or priestess. And I feel that I must no longer hide my spiritual beliefs, whether anyone likes them or not. It is crucial that I live openly, honestly, and accept whatever challenges that brings. The First Amentment means freedom for ALL religions, not to be able to choose from any denomoniation of Christianity. That is what I am doing, no longer hiding my beliefs out of fear.

Blessed Be!
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My Pledge to the Lord and Lady

I who am a priestess, Witch, and child of the God and Goddess do hereby resolve:

I will walk upon the world lightly, striving for balance in all things.
I will strive for intregity and act with mindfulness.
I will look for the blessings and humor in all of my wanderings.
I will come from a place of love for all of creation.
I will look to nature and her wisdom for guidance.
I will be a source of strength and comfort to my family.
I will choose healing over harm, and remember that the choice is mine alone to make.

So shall it be.
(By Dianne Sylvan, published in Llewellyn's 2005 Wicca Almanac)

All that read this, my pledge to the Lord and Lady, know that I hold every word near to my heart, and may you all be witness to this pledge.

Blessed Be!
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merry mabon

I had this wonderful Mabon song/blessing/prayer composed for yesterday. Unfortunately Blogger ate it, and my Muse has left me, since it is no longer Mabon. There's always next year...

Blessed Be!
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reflections on the morning i nearly broke my wrist

First let me say that drugs, including your prescriptions, are not necesssairly the best idea in the world. Last Monday, I was given a Medrol Pack (a cortisone-like anti-inflammatory), to help with any inflammation in my Central Nervous System, and I had never taken it before. I hadn't realize how bad some of the side effects are, like jitteryness, mood swings, and extra energy. I was feeling the side effects of my prescription, insomnia, excessive energy, some impressive mood swings, and such.

Then I get the bright idea Tuesday to Draw Down the Sun, to bring the Cerrunos into me, while up on the Medrol. Drawing a God is an advanced practice for a woman. Women are most familiar with Drawing Down the Moon, bringing the power of the Moon Goddess into us. Drawing Down the Sun can be intense, and doing it on the Medrol didn't help moderate the intensity any - it made it worse. For a while, I was Lord Cerrunos, the Lord of the Hunt, riding the winds.

I have started more advanced practice, but I made such a basic mistake, performing a ritual while taking medications that alter the mental state. A word of advice, know what your medications do before performing any magics.

Which leads to part 2 of this lesson. I went outside to water my potted plants, and there is a retaining wall with plants on the stacked blocks. I slipped and fell on the grass on the steep slope, landing on my butt and left wrist. I nearly broke my left arm, and was left with a pretty severe injury. So, would I have gone out to water my plants without the extra energy? Yes, although I may have been more careful. Would I have broken my arm without the extra energy from Cerrunos? Good question, and one I will never know. Maybe the foolish drawing of extra energy kept me from being more seriously injured.

So always be careful, be aware, with your magics, you never know what other effects you may have. Harm none includes yourself.

Blessed Be!
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blogging will be restricted

Due to nearly breaking my wrist, I won't be blogging on either site as much as I would like. I even have pics of my wrist, both in and out of the brace. There is a very low ick factor, simply some bruising and swelling, showing where the doctor thought the fracture was. Posting will be dependent on my pain medication kicking in, and me being awake.

Blessed Be!
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what is witchcraft?

In a comment:

Anonymous said...

Hey, thanks for updating! I know that there are many different concepts associated with the word "witchcraft", and I was wondering: What is your definition of witchcraft? Do you cast spells on things? How does it work?

I decided this needed a complete post, or else it was going to be a very long comment. Entire books have been written about your simple questions.

My definition of witchcraft is the actual craft of creating/casting spells. I see it as the same as any other craft, such as art (I'm also painter/photographer) - you may not always be actively engaged in practicing your craft, but you are probably thinking about it on some level a fair amount of time.

In art this means I'm looking for something new to paint and/or photograph. I also think about what size canvases I want to buy, what mix of turpentine and linseed oil I want to use as a thinner for my oil paints. I also have to decide what pigments I will choose in the paints I buy - titanium white, zinc white, or lead white? Each has subtle differences in the way they lighten various colors. Do I want to use all natural, mineral based pigments, like the old masters, or do I want to use less expensive modern hues of those colors?

As a witch, I'm thinking of the herbs I have withering in my garden due to the Alabama heat and the two tropical storms that have come over the Huntsville area. I'm also thinking of when the next full moon is so I can re-charge some healing stones I have, and hope it rains before then because I would like to use rain water to rinse them in. I can make do with bottled spring water or tap water, but using rain water would be the best for me.

Witchcraft is also not a religion, the same way art is not a religion. I am a Wiccan, and most Wiccans also practice witchcraft, but not all. Some people may become obsessed with witchcraft, but it is not a religion.

As far as casting a spell, you have probably already cast more than one spell already. We teach our children a very basic spell:

Star-light, star bright,
First star I see tonight,
Wish I may, wish I might,
Wish I get my wish tonight.

That is the first spell that nearly everyone knows. Wish magic seems to be the most common form of spell-casting. Tossing a coin in a fountain, making a wish when you see a shooting star, or blow out the candles on a birthday cake. Another simple form of witchcraft is planting herbs and flowers around the house. Plant lavender for health and healing. Put the flowers in a bath with some salts for a relaxing bath. Simple witchcraft.

As far as personally casting spells each one is unique. As you've seen some are very simple, while others are more complex. For one, I started with a spell in one of my books and adapted it slightly. The spell was to protect a friend of mine in the Army in combat in Iraq. I created a magic circle, a space where I could feel the magic, and a place to work. I carved a combination runes on a white candle with a pin that had never been used before that in the particular configuration I used, gave protection, strength, health, courage, and safe journey home. I also inscribed his name on the candle as a part of the spell, then asked the Norse Deities Odin and Freya to watch over him and bring him home safely. It was one of the more complicated spells I have cast, needing both fire and ice, to infuse the candle with protective powers. After I completed the work, I thanked Odin, Freya, and all the spirits that had helped me. I then had a candle that each time I lit it and let it burn for a few minutes would re-enforce the protection around my friend.

You don't really need all of the props like I described in the spell I worked for my friend in Iraq. Now, I can sit, meditate, and feel the magic around me. I do much of my magic without any tools. I use herbs more than I used to, along with stones for personal healing. I'm still not very good at scrying (looking into the future), but I do practice using either my quartz crystal ball or by looking into a fire, even if it is a single candle.

How does magic really work? I believe it is the ability to tap into the energy of nature that flows through all of us, through everything. Some people are more aware of it naturally, and find magic easier to perform. What you do with that energy is your responsibility. I will say now, primum non nocere, first do no harm. There are other variations, but as an EMT, I like this version for taking responsibility for your magical actions. You may have also heard "If you harm none, do what you will" as an alternative. Consider the results of you actions, and never impose your will on another, because then you are taking away the other's free will. You are free to help yourself, to attract money or other non-necessities, simply never at anyone else's expense.

In the end, everyone has their own way to cast spells. Casting a spell is nothing but manipulating the power that flows thorough all of us. I've avoided using any references to any deities, since I don't know what your personal beliefs are, but in general I this power comes a divine source, that is reflected in all of us. I've been desperately attempting to avoid any Star Wars references, but where do you think George Lucas got the idea for "the Force" from?

I believe I have answered your questions. If you have figured out on your own how to cast a complex spell, then use that power with care, and consider your actions before you do them. If you have not figured out on your own how to perform more powerful magic and spells, I won't tell you, or anyone else who is reading this, how to do that. I do not want to be responsible for teaching someone how to tap into their power without knowing that person, then only to have the person to do less than honorable things. If you wish to ask more specific questions, please contact me directly. I will have my email address and all my IM IDs on this site shortly, but for now you can find them all listed on my main site. I would like to get to know you better before I give you any more specific information. Yes, I know you can find such information elsewhere, and if you choose to look there, then so be it. I hope you understand my reluctance to teach someone I don't know how to potentially do harm.

Merry part and meet again.

Blessed Be!
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