The Blossom On the Bough

The fires are lit, my lover, and the hills are flickering with little points of light. The sun is set, and deep within the rills the seeds of stars are littering the night. The smoke is rising, lover, rising high in winding spires of ribbons in the air and in the rivers where the willows cry and on the leys the ancient druids dare to walk, the chalk is glowing. I know you will never leap the…

View On WordPress

What is Paganism?

This month at Ravens Rest Moot we were covering the topic of what paganism is and what paganism means to us as members. We started out by defining what Paganism in the broadest understanding – that is an umbrella term for spiritual beliefs and practices which do not confirm to the societal normative religion. Today this would refer to Christianity and similar Abrahamic faiths but the term “pagan”…

View On WordPress

First Steps In Geomancy

Regardless of the chart being cast, the first step in Geomancy is the Casting of the Mothers. The Mothers of the foundation of reading, the First Mother represents the querent and all the other figures of the chart are derived from them. It is in the creation of the mother that the intuitive mind first comes into play, because they are obtained through meditation and trance. Forming the Mothers…

View On WordPress

The Song of Wandering Aengus

I went out to the hazel wood,Because a fire was in my head,And cut and peeled a hazel wand,And hooked a berry to a thread;And when white moths were on the wing,And moth-like stars were flickering out,I dropped the berry in a streamAnd caught a little silver trout. When I had laid it on the floorI went to blow the fire a-flame,But something rustled on the floor,And someone called me by my name:It…

View On WordPress

The Geomantic Figures

The geomantic figure is the foundation and focus of the geomantic reading. Each figure has its own form and interpretation but these are based on their anatomy.  Each figure consists of four rows of dots made up of either one or two dots. The four rows, from top to bottom are known as the head, neck, body and feet and are in turn associated with the four classical elements according to their…

View On WordPress

It Must Be Spring

Hush, can you hear it?The rustling in the grass,Bringing you the welcome news thatWinter’s day is past.Soft, can you feel it?The warm caressing breeze,Telling you the sticky budsAre bursting on the trees.Look, can you see them?The primrose in the lane.Now you must believe it –Spring is here again. © May Fenn 

View On WordPress

What is Geomancy?

No, this isn’t a post about earth energies and earth magic – this is the start of a series of posts looking at an ancient form of divination. Geomancy, or Geomanteia (γεωμαντεία), is a Hellenic word consisting of two words, gaia=earth and manteia=divination therefore it is divination by the earth. Geomancy was a common form of divination from 1200 CE all the way to the 17th Century, with…

View On WordPress

Primal Dance

Artist Unknown Music thrums deep in the dark of the night,beats fall like rain drops on tanned hide,The witches, they gather and raise up the cry as the heavens sink down to the earth. Slick shining skin writhes under the stars, veneration before the unnamed.Lit by fire flamesTaboo gensturesForbidden wordsHomage to throw off the chains. The witches, they gather!The cry of the meak, as they see…

View On WordPress

I know an Eighteenth - the final charm of Hávamál

Intent: Union of male and femalePrimary: A rune which represents the practitioner Secondary: To be discovered by the practitioner Old NorseTranslation – Patricia TerryÞat kann ek it átjánda er ek æva kennik mey né manns konualt er betra er einn um kannþat fylgir ljóða lokumnema þeiri einni er mik armi verreða mín systir séI know an eighteenth which I never tell a maiden or any man’s wife the…

View On WordPress

Keeping the Ways Clear

We are more settled in our new home, but I don’t want loose the impetus that carried us here. I’ve managed to settle into my new magical working space and it’s time to  perform my first act of magic in this new setting. Hekate, three formed mistress of witchcraft, lend me your ear and carry my words to the gods and the cosmos beyond. Hekate Endonia, open the way and clear my path of…

View On WordPress

Of Galdrastafir and Cipher Runes

Galdrastafir – Icelandic Staves  Often conflated with bind runes the Icelandic magical staves are an hybrid outgrowth of the ancient runic alphabet being incorporated into the Icelandic grimoire tradition and the latin alphabet. These creations are creative expressions of magical spells and often appear upon amulets and within magical books. The runes themselves do not appear often or clearly,…

View On WordPress

Imbolc 2024

Imbolc is a time for new beginnings, and that often results in a degree of disruption. Things are in a state of flux as I move house and begin a new chapter with the family. The are always some snagging issues with such things, and our move is no exception. I’m hoping to be up and blogging properly as of next week but for now I’m going to enjoy my new surroundings as we make them our own.

View On WordPress

I know a seventeenth - the seventeenth charm of Hávamál

The Seventeenth charm of Hávamál Intent: To keep romance in a marriagePrimary: GeboSecondary: Inguz, Ehwaz Old NorseTranslation – Patricia TerryÞat kann ek it sjautjándaat mik mun seint firraskit manunga manljóða þessamun þú Loddfáfnirlengi vanr veraþó sé þér góð ef þú getrnýt ef þú nemrþörf ef þú þiggrI know the seventeenth, that the youthful maid will never avoid me;Loddfafnir, you will be…

View On WordPress

The Posionous Fires of Self Interest

A political thought for the day… Created using Starryai So they called forth a formFrom the Deep dark abyssTo embody their evil desires.Obedient it cameFrom the realms of the Dead,Arrayed  in its magical attire.As it passed o’re the EarthThe fair flowers fell dead,From its breath of poisonous fire. Attributed to Hermes TrismegistusPg 188 The Encyclopaedia of Ancient and Gorbidden Knowledge by…

View On WordPress

Intention Setting for 2024

My life and household are going through major changes as we prepare for a new year and a new beginning. We’re currently packing up our entire house to move into a new home, hopefully by the end of the month. After some lucky events in 2023, and setting my intentions at the start of the year, we were able to move to a slightly bigger house. Now I’ll have my own office, so I won’t have to stay in…

View On WordPress

Reading the Runes

As a form of divination runes are a tool for seeking advice rather than a clear answer. You will never get a “do this” response from runes, rather you will learn about the influences in effect in a given situation or about various possible outcomes depending on the actions you take. Runes give you an idea but they leave you to fill in the details for yourself.  Runes are mutable in the…

View On WordPress

Happy Solstice 2023

View On WordPress