30 Days of Witchcraft: Witchy Role Model

I have been fortunate to have a number of magickal role models in my life.

The first pagan teacher I met was Kiwi Carlisle, then the president of The Alliance for Magical and Earth Religions. She was patient with me when I was young and dumb and hostile and ahs remained a solid friend for 30 years. Now, she is a wise crone and I strive to emulate her in many ways (excluding migraines and budgies)

Then came Tabitha in Little Rock. She opened my eyes to the fact I might call myself Christian but I was a witch. This was uncomfortable, as that was one of the parts I was desperately trying to banish. (and one of the biggest shards that I was forced to swallow in December. I have called myself a witch and cast, but never dedicated myself to it as I have now). Witch, like bisexual and trans and genius and all the other unacceptable bits had to be shoved away so I could force myself into the mold I thought would make me more acceptable to El. I was wrong in this. There was nothing I could do that would make me more acceptable.

When we became associated with Summerland Grove, I learned from everyone. But we all adored Mama Dragon. She was the leader and the author of the bylaws and everything. She always had a story and she always had time for a newbie or a child. She was the crone I aspire to become.

Aislynn Firehawk taught me to find the sacred fire in myself and that has served me well. I hope one day to learn from her in person again.

As I have made The Change, and wibble around in the mushy gender middle, I have begun talking and listening to the men of the church. Many are so young I have trouble taking them seriously, even when I know they are farther on the path than I am. But, I still listen and learn even if I have not chosen a particular mentor,

Today's magic working: Learn about Moon phases.

This month, day after tomorrow, is the full Scorpio moon, a perfect time for psychic powers, divination and advanced rituals. Also good for fertility.

New Moon: A time of beginnings. Manifest your desire and dream something into reality. Set goals, prepare altar.

Waxing crescent: go within and call in what you want to manifest before bringing it forth. Money and Career spells, moon water

First quarter: Go within and bring out. Also a time of attraction, drawing money or love or even lost items. Love spells, luck spells and healing

Waxing Gibbous: still constructive, great for the extra push to manifestation. Now is the time to start new routines, esp if you have trouble with them. Pause and observe.

Full moon: Address your major issues at this most powerful time. Focus spells and rituals on things of utmost importance. A good time for divination, psychic development and spirituality. Take chances, any spells.

Waning Gibbous: time for repelling, banishing and destroying the unwanted. Banishings & cleansings. Also good for introspection. Banishing spells, protection spells, cleansing and detoxing.

Last Quarter:  A transition period, use the energies to boost you over bumps. Rest and justice spells.

Waning crescent: Bigger banishings and dropping very large unwanted things. Look back and be grateful.

New Moon Abundance Check:
You can use a check from your checking account or create your own.
Your account numbers should be 000 for the Universe, 333 for the Ascended Masters, 444 for the powers and your birthday.
000333444mmddyyyy
No date
Pay to the order of: Your full legal name
in the box "Paid in Full"
on the dollar amount line: Paid in full
sign the check The Law of Abundance.

Write this all with the full expectation of Abundance. Get in the habit of doing ti every new moon. The next one is May 23

30 Days of Witchcraft: outfit of the day

Today was purely practical. Jeans and a safety pink tee shirt. I had to shop and figured bright pink would be an adequate heads up for social distance.

30 Days of Witchcraft: One Spell

I'm not much of a casting witch.
But I use this one and it's one of the oldest I know.

To bring rain:

Carry a vessel of water out of doors.
Pour it on the ground while yelling at the sky: "See, it isn't that hard!"


Ways to know rain is coming:
When leaves show their bellies.
When cows lie down.
When flies cling to the window screens
When frogs sing loud and long
When the sunrise is red and lowering
When there is a halo around the moon.
When smoke spirals downward
When birds fly low
When clouds build and don't just flow by
When everything grows very still and the air smells wet and swampy

Today was a bad day

I awoke to a phone call from the Irving TX police.

My oldest had become Report # 20-9106, missing white female, 28

She was on her way back to California from New Orleans and had stopped over with a friend in Texas. He went to bed last night, she was still up playing video games.

He got up to find her clothes there, her car gone and the map to a bridge on his computer.
Her fiance got an "I'm sorry. Please be well. I hope you will be happy." text at about 7 AM central.

It has been...a difficult day.

She finally called her fiance about 6:30 this evening. She's in the ER at a Dallas hospital, sprained ankle, not talking about her morning, and awaiting transport to a mental health facility.

This isn't our first time at this particular rodeo, but it never gets any easier.


I have made grateful thanks to all who helped get her back. I have erased the contingency plans, including her obit. I am hoping she can find the help she neeeds.

The Witchy Month of May

Spent the weekend recovering from an allergic asthma attack. And I decided, starting today, we're witching up May.

So, that's the Witchy blogging, and an activity.

From one of my Pinterest boards.

Day 1 Sit quietly (5-10 minutes) in nature and feel the sensations of your mind and body. Listen to the sounds of nature, the breeze on your skin, and the temperature of your surroundings. Smell the fragrances of the earth.
Day 2 Research the cycles of the moon and their significance to the craft.
Day 3 Read an article or book about Witchcraft written by an author or blogger with whom you are not familiar.
Day 4 Visit a metaphysical store.
Day 5 Read a mythical tale about a deity that interests you.
Day 6 Research a new form of divination that interests you.
Day 7 Find a plant/herb/spice that is associated with Witchcraft, and learn about its magickal properties and uses.
Day 8 Research a new form of magick that interests you (candle, garden, tea, knot/cord, blood, kitchen, spontaneous, tea magick, etc.).
Day 9 Learn about a Witchcraft tradition you do not currently follow. (Green, Kitchen, Druidic, Hereditary, Celtic, Eclectic, etc.)
Day 10 Create a magickal craft, (a wreath, an altar decoration, needlework, engraving, weaving, etc).
Day 11 Pick a crystal or stone and research its magickal uses.
Day 12 Choose one of your favorite herbs and learn about its magickal and medicinal properties.
Day 13 Take a cleansing magickal bath or shower.
Day 14 Research a type of magick that makes you uncomfortable.
Day 15 Research tradition or magickal path that makes you uncomfortable.
Day 16 Read a book on Witchcraft.
Day 17 Listen to music that makes you feel “witchy”.
Day 18 Research a female deity that interests you.
Day 19 Journal about your path and where you would like to take your practice.
Day 20 Research a male deity that interests you.
Day 21 Start a Book of Shadows (BOS) or Grimoire.
Day 22 Watch the sunrise or moon rise.
Day 23 Write about your journey. (What do you believe? What are your moral standings, etc.)
Day 24 Research the elements and their significance to the craft.
Day 25 Create an altar.
Day 26 Research Sabbats observed by most witches.
Day 27 Learn about the lore of an animal you feel drawn toward.
Day 28 Try writing a spell of your choice.

30 Days of Witchcraft: Last dream

Last night was very weird.

I was flying with Audie Murphy. For those who don't know, he was one of the most decorated soldiers of WWII, an actor with over 40 feature films to his credit most notably Red Badge of Courage, and a songwriter.

Good looking guy and very sweet.

Until he crashed the plane. He deliberately hit another aircraft, taking out their tail and wing, and sending us into a crash on a city street.

We were trapped in the wrecked plane, with most of the nose and all of the windscreen gone. My legs hurt, bruised but not broken feeling.

A waitress from a nearby McDonalds (what? it's the middle of WWII, McD didn't happen until 1955) came over with some food. She was Linda Carter, for some reason.

We were rescued eventually. It tooks a ridiculously long time, especially for being downed on a major city street.

We were taken to a little yellow house and told it was a place to recover before returning to the airfield. I noticed a holographic sign on the side that said "Rest, eat, recover." It was like one of those old pictures that was only visible from one direction, the kind you turned this way and that to watch the baby open and shut its eyes.

Inside, there was a large, flatscreen Panasonic TV and the rest was done in basic early 1940s.
I kept trying to call Audie's attention to the anachronisms, but he wasn't understanding. They looked normal to him.

I had just been called out of the house by a lady with a clipboard when Mudd woke me.

He said it was a glitch in the Matrix.

Maslow Applies

Rewritten from a blog tour post called "Basic Psychology and the Apocalypse"

Maslow applies. Maslow always applies

If you are around me long enough, you will undoubtedly hear me say that at some point in time. Usually in relation to an apocalypse of some sort. I spent my last few years on the con circuit pounding that point.

I took basic psychology in college, just like every other undergrad. So it never ceases to amaze me when writers ignore the baseline needs of their characters.

An example: in the opening moments of "The Walking Dead" television series, Rick Grimes approaches a gas station, one with a mile of backed up cars, evidence that people were camping there but no longer are, and big signs that say “No Gas.” He goes clear to the pump and checks it. This, to me, is neglecting Maslow. He is looking for gasoline to find his family and neglecting to observe signs that compromise his safety. Safety rates just above basic physical needs on the scale. Belonging is the next step up from safety. Take care of your safety first. Put your own oxygen mask on first, as the airline safety speech says.

The baseline concern in any apocalypse is the lowest level: basic physiological needs. Air, water, food, shelter. The bare essentials of survival. And this is why we like apocalypses. They reduce our very complex lives and worries to the most simple things.

Right now, I have a lot on my mind: can we make it with me working part time? Will my son get into the university in Japan that he wants? Can I make all my deadlines? How am I going to afford all the conventions I committed to? Can I really get my publishing house off the ground? How's chemo going to work for my mom this time around? How much longer is my dad going to be around, and can he survive another week-long nosebleed? You know, all the stuff of the middle-class sandwich Generation X.

An apocalypse would focus all that into several big concerns: is the water safe to drink? Do we have food? Who am I going to have to shoot to keep me and mine safe?

Where we are today:
Maslow still applies as we go through this pandemic.

Money, that which creates food, shelter and safety, is an issue for a lot of people. They are the ones demanding to be allowed to go back to work. They need the baseline needs met before they can worry about other people. They're trying to get their own oxygen masks on first: stay fed and sheltered.

I am personally better rested than I've been in years and my brain is kicking out of survival mode (where it's been for 30 years) and into "what can I do" mode. Money isn't an issue for us and we are very fortunate there. Shelter and food are accomplished. I'm hitting Buckminster Fuller instead of Maslow.



But the people who are more precarious are going to continue to be a problem. There are also the usual "You can't tell me what to do" cranks and those who believe the conspiracy theorists that there is no virus at all, and this is a practice run for tyranny.  The latter two cannot be solved. The first, the answer is money.

If our government can hurl trillions at Wall Street, it can feed 300 million people for the duration.
$1000/month for 1 year is about $3.6 trillion, about what we dropped to keep Wall Street Solvent for an hour.. But when you put money in at the bottom, it circulates upward.

My brother makes $1000/mo as a school bus driver and is going to college full time to be a teacher. He shares a duplex with 5 other people: a bus driver (who makes the same), a college student, a disabled paramedic (disability), his boytoy and a logistics coordinator (who makes an adequate living). Together, hey manage rent and utilities and food. They have 2 car payments and gas is sometimes a struggle. Every one of them has bad medical debt they cannot pay. And he needs new dentures because his were badly made and do not fit.

Adding 6,000/month into this $5000/mo household would change everything. Rent would be paid in advance, medical debt would be cleared, college bills would be paid, cars would get paid off, savings could happen for emergencies. Everything would improve massively for them.

The money would be spent. It would buy groceries and gasoline, books and clothing, household goods and rent. And that is what creates jobs: demand for things.

If people felt secure, if they knew they would be able to pay their bills and eat steadily, they would be more willing to stay at home. Not all of them, true, but there wouldn't be the emergency feeling of "We have to open back up or we will die!"

It came across my facebook that perhaps, the feds could do something really useful:
Send out a box to every person once a month that contains PPE, a debit card for $1000,  and a vote by mail card. Use USPS.

The 1000 isn't even full time minimum wage (there is no such thing as full-time minimum wage and hasn't been for 35 years.) but it would make a huge difference.  It would let people get off the bottom level of Maslow.

And if we ever want to get anywhere as a country and as a people, we have to get off that bottom tier.

Maslow beats everything, because it always applies.