The Beauty All Around You

One of the most important lessons that my matron Blodeuwedd has instilled in me is that there is so much beauty in the world and all 'round you. You just have to open your eyes and see it.

The detailing and symmetry in a daisy's petals, an earthworm wiggling its way to the surface during a rainstorm, the scent of a rose, the grandeur of a crashing waterfall, the technique in a painting.... I could continue for hours and that is just the point I am trying to make. Even when we are forced into  "not-so-pretty" situations--often times through no fault of our own-- whether it be due to the recession, family emergencies, or what may seem a simple string of bad luck, there is still beauty.

I have always been an optimist--my dad once told me that I see the world as a "beautiful, shining place" and even though he was being sarcastic and thinking me to be nieve, I cannot help but look back on his statement and smile at the truth behind it. I do see it this way. But for many people, it isn't that east to see the happiness. Many people get so lost in the "shadow" of negativity that they become depressed and bitter towards the world.

If you are feeling depressed and as if you are out of touch with the beauty of the world, I would recommend this rite that I've written. It is best done on a Friday (for love and beauty) and during a crescent/waxing moon phase:
---Grab a piece of amethyst (for recovering from addictions, in this case the negative outlook that has been smothering your outlook on life), a bowl of water (preferably rainwater collected during a thunderstorm, it is naturally charged and direct from the Goddess), one black candle, one white candle, lavender oil, lemon oil, and an assortment of flowers (just the blooms not the stems, as you will be floating them in the bowl of water) of your choice that you find beautiful to the sight, touch, and smell.
---Cast your circle. Annoint the black candle with lavender oil in an outward motion from the center for banishing. Annoint the white candle with the lemon oil in an inward motion for bringing energy to you. Light the candles. Begin to float your flowers in the bowl of water (the element of beauty and love) and as you do so focus on their beauty and think of Blodeuwedd. Focus on her myth--how she came from the flowers. How her spirit was made into another being. She did not ask for it. She was forced into it. But she still found love in the world and beauty around her. Call on Blodeuwedd and ask her to aid you in learning this lesson.
---"Blodeuwedd, Goddess of the ninth-wave, wise owl and beautiful flower. I ask thee to join me in my circle and bless me with your power. As darkness wanes, so light does wax, help me gain optimism back. The beauty and the light, I want to see them shining bright. The beauty and the light, I want to see them shining bright. The beauty and the light, I want to see them shining bright."
---Feel the power enter your circle and focus on the energy she is conveying to you. When you are finished, drop your amethyst in the bowl of flowered water. Hover your hand above the bowl and motioning your hand in a deosil motion above it 3 times say:
---"Let this amethyst be a talisman carrying the energies of Blodeuwedd; that as long as I carry it, I will better see the beauty in the world and focus on the bright, divine light. So mote it be."
---Thank Blodeuwedd. Clean up. Open your circle. Pour the remainder of the water and the flower blooms on the Earth, to nurture and thank the Earth.


I hope that you enjoy this rite, and that it helps you better focus on the beauty all around you, as well as getting you in touch with Blodeuwedd. Let me know of your experiences. Blessed Be. )o(

Choosing a Pantheon

For many, including myself, this was--perhaps to you the reader, still is--a headache inducing topic, especially if you are a "Type A" personality and require structure (I know I do.) When I first started exploring Wicca, I knew  immediately that it was for me. After reading a couple of "Wicca 101" books, I began to start molding my personal beliefs to this structure. 

The first aspect many turn to is the choice of pantheons, or group of deities from a certain culture. Some Wiccans do not make use of pantheons, instead choosing to work with the God and Goddess alone. Although I respect this, it wasn't for me. I saw the God and Goddess as archetypes-- a sort of description of all deities through the ages (sort of how the words mankind and womankind are used to describe all humans through the ages.) 

I had always loved mythology, so the names, faces and stories of deities from many cultures were already known to me. My first pick were the deities of Egypt. I was intending to go to college for Egyptology--since I was six years. In fact, I was heading to college this year to study this field. I worked with these deities for a few months. I resonated with them, I enjoyed working with--make no mistake, and I still find myself very close with Hathor-- but something wasn't resonating as it should. It took one of those "divine is going to slap you upside the head" moments to realize this.

I had received several scholarships and financial aid for attending college. My major was Egyptology. I was all packed and ready, when two days before heading out, I was informed by the college that my finances were cut by several thousand dollars (this wasn't the first time that the financial office was giving me trouble either.) I couldn't make up these funds in the allotted time. I felt like the world and the gods had given up on me. In fact, what they were doing was steering me in the direction I truly needed to be in....

The following day (my eighteenth birthday) I was sitting on the couch and having a good cry. Lo and behold, within two hours I saw a documentary on the Celtic peoples of Ireland and Wales, my mother uncovered an old book she had packed from our previous move concerning Celtic history and religion, and I discover a local school that I could afford to attend.

Now I don't know about you, but this is divine interference if ever I've witnessed it. What had happened was, I was too afraid to look outside the boundaries and boxes that I had forged for myself. I never allowed myself the liberty to change what I wanted to "be" as who I was changed. It isn't that the Egyptian pantheon "rejected" me, but they knew they weren't the best option for me.

This story continues in how I discovered who my Patron Deities are (they choose you, you just have to figure it out) but that is a story for another time. What I was trying to get across is that choosing a pantheon is not easy. What I would suggest is to keep a Pantheistic viewpoint: they are the same deities, with different names and faces in each culture. So, start with whatever calls to you first, or if you have never studied any mythology look to your heritage and if this group isn't what is meant for you, they will show which culture's images are. 

Once again, I appreciate you taking the time to read this exhaustive post. Do you have an interesting story of how you found your pantheon? I would love to hear from you and hear your story. Blessed Be )o(