The Beltane Altar

Despite all of the things that make our house feel like home, I felt like I wasn't spiritually home until my altar was set up. Seeing it in my bedroom when I wake and before I go to bed each night helps me to feel a bit more grounded. With the greens of spring adorning it, my altar is set for the season.

My beloved bee rests at the center, between the cauldron and my heart stone.

At the back of my altar, raised up, sit Brighid (painted by myself) and the Horned God (a gift from my beloved witch sister, Anathemum). Before them rests my copper plate, where I often place offerings.

A large seasonal offering of fresh flowers and herbs reside in my stag head dish. Tomorrow evening, this will be given to the forest along with fresh fruits, honey and wine.

The batik fabric that everything rests upon is a recent acquisition. The greens and browns reminded me of the awakening Earth and the Sun patterns call to mind that its strength has returned. The oak leaves were torn from my tree and scattered in the yard during the storms earlier this week and upon finding them, I felt the need to place them here.

For the first time ever, I will be able to celebrate Beltane outside, around a toasty fire. My brother and I dug a fire pit in the back yard this afternoon and the lovely and I have been collecting large stones to surround it as we find them. I intend to practice jumping it, as I'm a terrible jumper with awful balance and may have made it a hair larger then intended. I've gotten the meade and plan to make merry until sometime the following morning.

What do you have planned this Beltane?

Can You Identify This Plant? Round 2

Hello my lovelies and welcome to the second round of 'Can You Identify This Plant?' As with the previous round, I will post some photos of the plants in question and if you know what they are, let me know! This round will revolve around two trees, one which is quite small and flowery and one which is much larger and likes to drop sticks in the yard.

To help with the identification, I'm in Hardiness Zone 7, North-Western South Carolina. You can click any image to visit its Flickr page where you can get a larger view.

Unknown Tree #1: Small and Flowery.
The first photo shows the tree as it was beginning to bud last month. The last two photos were taken over the weekend.

Unknown Tree #2: Large and Leafy.
I took quite a few photos of this one, since it has interesting leaves and seeds and the bark is different on the trunk and branches.

Full Tree.

Bark at the trunk.




Close up of the bark on a branch.

P.S. I need a wee bit of advice from those of you with more herb gardening experience then myself. You see, the previous owners planted thyme, which they did not make any effect to contain and it is now literally taking over my garden. As it stand right now, I have three massive bushes producing more thyme then I could feasibly use in the next year and a bunch of small, intrusive bushes starting up in the middle of other plants, such as my rosemary and sage (one of the sage plants is not looking too hot either.). My question is this, at this point how can I go about cutting it back, removing the intrusive bushes and containing it? I'm not above digging up a large bush if need be, I just want it to quit it's quest for total garden domination.

One Month Later

We've been in the house for a few days over a month now and things are starting to calm down. Most of the packing is finished, I've got my desk and craft cabinet temporarily set up until my brother and his girlfriend move out in August and I can create my permanent craft space. The living room and kitchen have come together nicely and our bedroom is more or less settled, aside from the lone box of random junk that's residing there until I figure out where to put it.

The vegetable garden has been more of a tedious task then I had anticipated. You see, I'm one of those odd people that really doesn't mind weeding; to a point. I went to work on the raised beds two weeks ago, plucking the weeds out by the root and spent the entirety of a week doing so as there was nearly no visible soil beneath the weed cover. Over the weekend I went outside to turn the beds and lo, half of the weeds had resprouted!

I've begun the arduous task of plucking all of the little buggers out once more and intend to turn the beds to break up any lingering root systems. If anyone knows of any other chemical free ways to conquer them, let me know. I want to get my plants in the ground as soon as possible.

I've been thoroughly enjoying the yard, as has Joe when he isn't mowing it. He's cursed the grass for being so healthy several times and each time I tell him it's better to have grass that grows well then yellow and dying! I helped mow the lawn once but I left a few straggler pieces of long grass here and there, so now I'm off lawn duty. The man and his lawn induced pride. *sigh*

The search for a day job continues to frustrate me as a position I'd actually enjoy continues to elude me. I've interviewed a few times, but nothing has come of them. I'm trying not to let my spirits droop too low, but it's difficult. As much as I love being home, tending things and getting my art on, I'd prefer to have an income to help pay for the ridiculous cost of my car's transmission needing to be rebuilt and doctor's bills and to spend on things which are fun as well. I'll keep searching, applying and interviewing and keep my hopes up, but after 3 months of searching it's getting old.

In better news and for those curious, my eye appears to be doing better. The specialist I saw reassured me that no corneal transplant would be in my future unless my eye becomes scarred to the point where glasses can no longer correct my vision. She also answered a few of my questions regarding surgeries for my condition, no surgery including a transplant, is a guaranteed fix. She also informed me that despite my dislike of being medicated, I should get used to it at least until I'm old enough for my immune system to begin to slack off a bit. It turns out that when you have a strong immune system it over-compensates for the necessary healing after an outbreak, causing the scarring to be much worse. The medication lessens the chances of fresh outbreaks, which lessens the chances of permanent vision loss due to scarring. So for the time being, the pill taking will continue and my vision is nearly back to where it was previously. Hopefully I can avoid the doctor's office for another few months!

P.S. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend/Easter! We don't typically do anything to celebrate, aside from eat latkes which is a tradition Joe introduced me to, but the man did something silly yesterday morning and created an egg hunt for me in the yard. Here's my favorite find:

Witches in Fiction

If you weren't aware, Magaly over at Pagan Culture has been hosting a wickedly witchy blog party for the past few weeks, which celebrates witches in fiction. To celebrate along with her, I thought I would share with you the witches in fiction that I most relate to; unsurprisingly there are three of them. :)

Elphaba Thropp; Wicked Witch of the West, Luna Lovegood and Granny Weatherwax. I sort of got lazy with the background, so you'll have to forgive the white.

Luna Lovegood of Harry Potter fame is a light-hearted daydreamer, with a clever wit and infectious sense of humor. She is a fairly powerful witch with an open mind and a loyal friend. She is a bit quirky, a bit of an eccentric and has a sense of style that is uniquely her own. Luna holds many 'odd' beliefs, including steadfast belief in the existence of magical creatures thought only to be fantasy. Given my own wonder and belief in folk lore and mythical beasts such as Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster, I have to tip my pointy hat to her. I relate to Luna in regards to my inner child, the light-hearted aspect of my spirit and given her later career as a naturalist, in my fascination with all creatures and plants.

Elphaba Thropp, the Wicked Witch of the West, is whom I most relate to in my current phase in life. She was a misunderstood teenager and given a bad rap by her peers, but she proved to be a loyal friend in spite of their shortcomings. She learned to harness her abilities later in life, and took an interest in the well being of her country and those who could not easily defend themselves. An activist, a lover, an intelligent woman; Elphaba the bookworm, the passionate. A Wicked Witch who is not afraid of defying gravity or social norms.

I can only hope to age as well and grow as witty as a lot of folks' favorite crone (but don't tell her!), Granny Weatherwax. Considered to be the greatest witch in all of the Discworld, Granny has no use for the flashy and showy magic of wizards instead preferring to know more then everyone else and using that to her advantage. She is a talented herbalist, midwife, and shapeshifter; often 'borrowing' the mind and eyes of an animal. Her tough love attitude, stern icy blue gaze, sharp tongue and temper have given people the impression that Granny may be a witch most evil, but her actions have time and again proven otherwise. Still, others, including Death himself, give Granny a wide berth and as she says (she) 'had walked nightly without fear in the bandit-haunted forests of the mountains all her life in the certain knowledge that the darkness held nothing more terrible than she was.'

Which fictional witches do you most relate to? Are there any that you connect with, whose personality you can see in yourself? How about witches you aspire to be more like?

She Is...

She is the thickets and forests,

She is the mountains and valleys,

She is the sandy shores,

She is that which gives, sustains and destroys life.

She is our home, our mother, our Earth. May we honor, respect and protect her each and every day.

"Oh Goddess, Source of Gods and Mortals,
All-Fertile, All-Destroying Gaia,
Mother of All, Who brings forth the bounteous fruits and flowers,
All variety, Maiden who anchors the eternal world in our own,
Immortal, Blessed, crowned with every grace,
Deep bosomed Earth, sweet plains and fields fragrant grasses in the nurturing rains,
Around you fly the beauteous stars, eternal and divine,
Come, Blessed Goddess, and hear the prayers of Your children,
And make the increase of the fruits and grains your constant care,
With the fertile seasons Your handmaidens,
Draw near, and bless your supplicants."
- Orphic Hym to Gaia, Translated by Virginia Stewart.

Recent Works

I'll be honest, since we've moved I haven't gotten very much done in the art department. My art journals are sadly neglected and my watercolors have been a bit dry and lonely. I blame it on a combination of the moving blues, an incessant need to to be outside all of the time and a visit from the in-laws. All that being said, I have completed a few things, which surprisingly, have all been for myself and the lovely.

A few weeks ago I had the idea to create a painting based on Mesoamerican (Mayan, Aztec, Etc) styles for Joe as he has a deep seeded fondness for their artwork, culture and mythologies. I hemmed and hawed for an entire weekend over what to paint before deciding on Quetzalcoatl the feathered serpent. I cracked open my Art History books, thumbed through some of the books and photos Joe has from his time in Honduras and got to work.

12x24 Acrylic on canvas.

The final product is a blend of the bright bold style of Mayan paintings and my own typically more flowing style. This painting was incredibly difficult for me to do as it is so far removed from my favored style and subject matter; when I was about half way through I hated it. Now that it's complete and Joe loves it, I've grown a bit more fond of it, though I still have a difficult time believing I painted it.

I also painted and stained a box that was supposed to house my Faerie Oracle deck, however, I neglected to measure the box or the cards until after I had completed it and it is about 1/4" too small.

Acrylic on wood.

This is painted with my beloved bee who is a symbol of wisdom and communication as well as foxglove, which are often said to be a protective flower as well as being a plant that attracts bees and fairies alike. I will find something else to keep in it soon enough, I'm sure.

While all this painting was going on, a friend of mine offered to teach me the basics of needle felting. As someone who doubts she can ever have too many hobbies, I jumped at the opportunity to learn something new. She was kind enough to gift me with 4 needles and quite a bit of wool in different colors. I started off with a simple piece which I plan to hang from fishing line in my dining room window:

Is anyone really surprised by this?

After she went home I was left with the urge to make something else. In an obvious progression and having an entire project under my belt I decided "to hell with patterns!' and began poking away at a ball of blue felt until I had a wee pretty who now adorns my desk:

I have plans for several creatures now dancing within my head, from a larger Gaia to mischievous goblins, to dancing fairies to hang in the window, to a small dragon. But first, I have to gather some information on natural dying methods as well as kool-aid dying so I can put some color into the 4 oz of undyed natural roving sitting on my desk.

If you have any experience or suggestions on the matter, please, let me know!

Seeds Across the Moon

The wind blows, gently carrying the seeds of trees and flowers across the full face of April's full moon. The Wind moon rises, showering new life with her soft light as the warmth and renewal of Spring blows in beneath her.

The wind moon is a moon of new beginnings, a time to put your wistful sighs and dreams into action. This is also a moon under which to celebrate the spirits of the animals and plants around you, honor them as their strength returns.

May all of the seeds of change and new beginnings you sew on this night flower brilliantly. Blessed esbat, lovelies.

Above All...

And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.
~Roald Dahl

p.s. For those of you who are plant savvy and tried to help out identifying the plants in my yard, I've added a few more photos and my hardiness zone into the previous post. Go check out the updated Can You Identify This Plant Round 1 post.

Transitioning

Journal Page for 52 Weeks of Pagan Art Journaling. Prompt: A Letter to Yourself in 5 Years.

Being a witch who works with all animals has always suited me but a few weeks ago I began to have this niggling buzzing in the back of my head wondering if I had a particular spirit animal. So, I did what this witch does when she has a questions she can't answer on her own; I asked the Universe.

Almost immediately, there was a desire to snatch up anything with a bee on it, to paint bees and was partnered up with a fellow artist who's very important title is Queen Bee. The Universe was giving me signs, but in the hustle and bustle of the move, I neglected to notice. Then the bees began to buzz about me a bit more often, in effect following me on walks in the park, hanging about while I was sitting on a bench near nothing but sandy riverbed; one landed on my hand and a light bulb of realization switched on in my brain.

These are my spirit animals; the bees. The mysterious, buzzing creatures of Spring and Summer. Insects who many people fear, despite my having never met a bumbling bee who, like an angry hornet, just stings you for the hell of it. Messengers of the Gods, travelers between the Otherworld and the realm of the living, bees are filled with wisdom and hold the secrets of communication. They are associated with life and death.

Shortly after the living bees began to keep me company, dead bees began to lay in my path. I found the first while walking home, laying in the shoulder of the road. I brought it home, set it on my alter with offerings of rose petals and honey and there it has stayed. Within days I had found several more, dead in the garden. I kept one more particularly lovely one, who seemed to have just layed down where I was intending to transplant my sage, and died.

Since the bees, I have encountered more dead animals then ever before. Many of them birds, but some smaller mammals such as hares and squirrels have been laying in my path as well. I say a few words over them whenever I come across them, and if the opportunity were to arise where was able, I would inter them and send them on their journey with offerings as I did with the bees.

I feel a transition forming on this crooked path of mine, this witch is being pulled and called in a new direction as it forks. I feel the call of the Wilds more strongly and Death has been leaving calling cards around. I find myself wishing to root around more in the muck, to get my hands dirty. I'm being drawn towards traditional witchcraft, folk magic, hedgewitchery. When spaced out and working in my personal art journal and during meditation, I've been scribbling sigils, though I know not what they mean.

I feel a renewed strength in myself, a renewed faith in my path. I hunger to learn more; to read, to experience. I wish to learn more about working with muck and bones and roots and the dead and dying animals who seem to be finding their way to me, though admittedly not with as much frequency as their living counterparts.

It all began with the bees.

***
If you know of any informative blogs or books on the subjects of animal working, rootworking, bones or magical symbols, please, let me know and I will seek them out. It seems incredibly difficult to find books on Hedgewitchery or Traditional Witchcraft that are very good.

My Pagan Profile

Aine, over at The Deepest Well created a Pagan Profile form to fill out and share so we could all get to know our eclectic circle of pagans and witches a bit better. I've been a bit slow about actually sitting down to fill mine out and you can snag your own copy of the form here.

Yours truly, lounging about with some daffodils.

Name: Danni (Danielle, if you're my mom or aunts.)

Location: South Carolina, United States

Profession: Witch, Artist, Dreamer

Hobbies/Interests: Walking in the woods, gardening, journaling, arting (bet you didn't know that was a verb), photography, reading, blogging and a vast array of other passing fancies.

Blog/Website name: The Whimsical Cottage

URL: http://thewhimsicalcottage.blogspot.com

If your identity was hidden somehow, (i.e. if you were behind a dark curtain or a sound-proof booth) and someone else was asked to describe you to the person behind the curtain, how would you like to be described OR what would you like this blog circle to know about you? A woman with a heart of tarnished gold who would just as quickly help you as smack you, depending on what you most needed at the moment. Loyal and trustworthy, but a bit of an eccentric who enjoys chatting with trees and smiles knowingly at bees and birds who fly through her path. A hippie who loves to laugh, is a master of sarcasm and will happily share a good pint of ale with anyone with a story to tell.

Your spiritual path: Green Witch, who feels pulled towards traditional and hedge witchery.

How did you find your current path? I've been a pagan for as long as I can remember, although I didn't put a name to it until I was in my late teens. I've always felt in tune with nature, enjoyed working with sticks and stones and have enjoyed the company of tress and animals; green witchery seemed the most suiting title for that which resides in my heart.

Previous spiritual path(s) (if any) None.

What drew you to and continues to keep you on this path? It's something deeply rooted in my soul that I'm uncovering as I learn and grow.

What, if anything, disappoints you about your path - what would you change if you could? Nothing disappoints me about my specific path, the only disappointment I have is the seeming lack of information on topics that I wish to learn more about.

If you’ve been pagan for several years, what changes have you seen in the Pagan community as a whole, and/or your own practice? I've moved past the point of following tenures that don't resonate with me, I'm no longer afraid to hex if I need to. I've seen a lot of this feeling surfacing more within the community over the years.

Do you have any spiritual practices that you created yourself - that are not the kind normally found in books or practiced in groups? My rituals typically are of my own design and come from my heart. I have a very informal way of approaching ritual and tend to just let go.

What subjects are you interested in reading about - in books, in blogs, etc.? Traditional witchcraft, the usage of bones in ritual and spellwork, how to help the dying or dead animals that have been seeking me out as of late cross into the Otherworld, spirit animals and guides.

What in your life do you consider “sacred?” All that is around me is sacred in it's own right. From the breath I am able to take, the eyes that allow me to see the beauty and ugliness of the world. The tiniest acorn, the biggest of bees. My love, my family. The Earth that sustains me; each has a sacred place in my heart.

What about you or your life are you working towards changing - short term/long term? I'm working towards deepening my connection with Nature, to rid myself of niggling negativity and depression, to open my mind and my heart even wider. To continue to learn and grow and walk this crooked path with my back straight.

What energies do you want to rid yourself of - what energies do you want to bring in? I'd love to toss self doubt onto the street and never see it again.

What are your current goals/aspirations? How are you working to bring these to fruition? (practically and/or magically) I'm working towards a healthier lifestyle, in regards to eating and activity. I've become a bit sedentary due to previous jobs and a lack of safe walking spaces or activity space during our time living in apartments. I'm cutting a lot of fat and junk food out of my diet, eating more raw vegetables and fruits, have been spending a good amount of time outside weeding, planting, walking and have bought a bike to ride when I need to run errands close to home... just as soon as I get accustomed to riding with cars. Living in the woods for 23 years, with nearly no cars has given me an incredibly nervous complex about riding with traffic.

What about the world would you like to see change - short term/long term? An end to reckless endangerment and damage to our planet and it's ecosystems. An end to corporate greed and the pushing of religious agendas to further political careers while harming the populace. More of a movement towards self sufficiency, a lack of reliance on oil and mass produced products and food. Accountability and a nipping of this genetically modified food bullshit in the bud.

What has made and/or continues to make you truly happy? being out in nature, my family, friends and the ability to create.

What is your favorite word? If I'm being totally honest and not g-rated? 'Fuck'. :)

What/who inspires you? A great number of things and people; Renaissance artists, an incredibly loyal dog, a particularly vibrant sunset, music, my love, urban homesteaders, baby oak leaves as they break from the bud... an ever changing array of wonder and strength from the world around me.


If at the end of your life, you were given a new name, which in one word described your contribution to the the web of life (the connections you made, people you touched, etc., ) what would your name be? Wicked. <|;-)

Welcome, Spring!

Spring has always been my second favorite season, right behind Autumn. It's neither too cold nor too hot to be completely comfortable outside and is a period of transition. Counter to my beloved Autumn, which is a transition into death and the dark half of the year, Spring is a time of rebirth and ushers in the brighter half of the year. The Goddess walks the Earth in maiden form once more, bringing beauty through the green and growing things and the God continues to regain his strength. Soon the two will be reunited; blessing the lands with fertility and prosperity.

The Earth is shrugging off the white blanket of winter and beginning to wake up. Trees are beginning to bud, seeds are pushing their way through the toughened Earth to bask in the rays of the warming sun. You can hear the Song of Spring sung by a multitude of birds as they begin to feed and woo each other. The bees are back and buzzing about, fertilization of plant and animal alike takes place and soon there will be babies abounding.

The Earth isn't the only thing awakening right now, I can feel the touch of Spring tapping my inner child on the shoulder, telling her that it's once more time to come out and play. Time to run barefoot through cold grass, to sniff early blooming flowers, to break out the lawn games and invite friends over.

I feel a lightening of spirit and a sort of buzzing in my heart as the sun grows stronger. It's time for this witch to get outside and get her hands in the Earth; to plant and weed, to get dirty and sweaty. It's also time to cleanse and bless the house once more, to throw open the windows and use the renewing energy of Spring to drive out the glum and gloom that's accumulated in the place during the shut-up darkness of Winter.

How does Spring make you feel? What does it mean to you?

Can You Identify This Plant? Round 1

Hello my lovelies and welcome to the first round of 'Can You Identify This Plant?' As I've explained in a few previous posts, a lot of the plants that are in my backyard are of un-named mystery to me. I'll post photos of a few of the plants in my yard and if you know what they are, let me know. Edited to add I'm in zone 7, Northwestern South Carolina. I've also added a few more photos, per reader requests!

Unknown Plant #1: Has been Identified! Painted Buckeye (Aesculus sylvatica)

This one is a fairly tall tree, a little over 7 feet tall. It has fairly smooth bark. The last photo shows that it's begun to bloom in the few days since I originally posted this entry.

Unknown Plant #2: We believe to be a type of Ligustrom.

This one is a large shrub. The leaves are thick and waxy while green but turn a tan/brown as they dry and fall off and have the consistency of a kettle cooked potato chip.

Unknown Plant #3: Has been identified! Variegated Japanese Maple.

This one is a wee little tree growing near the house. It stands only about 2 - 3 feet tall and has smooth bark.

Thanks so much for playing along! This will not only help with labeling my photos, but also in the care of the plants. I'll be back soon enough with Round 2.

P.S. Thank you everyone for the thoughts, wishes, candles and prayers for my eye health. I've been a bit mum on the subject, as well as in general, as when I'm upset that's just what I do. As of right now, things are the same as they were on Wednesday. I continue to have blurry vision and no pain; trying to keep my thoughts as positive as I can right now. I see the specialist Friday.