Night One: Rite of Wind - Choosing my Signature Plant

Daily Affirmation: 

I am always connected to Spirit.  Spirit fills my every need and my every desire.  I know that Spirit lives within me.  - Silver Ravenwolf

The first night of my journey works with the wind.  I have opened all my windows to clean out the stale air and any foulness (smells or energy).  I have had my Nag Champa burning all day as it is my husband and my favorite incense.  I have even been airing out my car.  It is interesting that my journey begins with the element of air as it has never been the element I work best with.  However, I know that it will help push me to work harder with my changes as I need the wind to keep propelling me forward.

Part of my task for today, before my ritual this evening, is to choose a Signature Plant.  It will be one that I grow in my own garden and connect with always.  I had an idea of what the plant should be for, but it took me a few hours today to really come to a final conclusion about which one I should use.  And, in true Willow style, I choose one of the most expensive herbs in the world: Saffron

From the Herb Grimoire:

Saffron: Aphrodisiac, love, healing, happiness, wind raising, lust and strength. Burn, wear, or carry for healing and strengthening psychic awareness. Commonly used in love magick, healing spells, and to control the weather. Wash hands with water and saffron or keep saffron sachets in your home to bring happiness.

I think this is exactly the herb I need to keep around.  Part of my journey is to heal old wounds and close doors on my past, otherwise, it is going to keep disrupting my life and never let me move forward.  I need happiness in my life.  I want to be able to smile and mean it.  So, I ordered bulbs from a local nursery.  Apparently saffron grows during the months of September and October.  I am planting a bit late, but I might be able to get some plants to grow this year.  If not, there is always next year.

I want to move forward.  It always works.  Always a blessing.

Blessed be.

 

 

Well, it took longer than I thought . . .

Ok.  It has been about a year since I really wanted to write in this thing.  I have had numerous ups and downs, but never enough motivation to share any of them on this blog.  This past year has really been a private journey of self-realization and, perhaps, finally forgiveness (I'll get into that portion of the journey at another time).

I suppose what has finally motivated me to want to write for this blog again is a re-shaping of my practice.  It started on Thursday evening by going to a class with the High Priest of the Coven that I hang out with.  I am not an official member as I don't believe I'm fully "there" yet.  Then, yesterday was a low day.  My body ached.  I hurt everywhere - internally and externally.  I did not want to move from my bed or the couch.  Now, part of the reason for this is because I've been on an exercise/diet kick.  I think I over did it this past week.  However, the internal hurting came from the class I took on Thursday.  Some very old wounds opened up that I was finally ready to deal with.  This is where the forgiveness part of my re-directed path will eventually come in.  Like I said, I am not there just yet, which is why I do not feel it is appropriate to ask for membership into the Coven.

So, this morning, I began re-reading Silver Ravenwolf's book Hedgewitch - spells, crafts and rituals for natural magick.  I knew I needed to refocus myself.  I needed a kick start if I am really going to make myself happy, healthy, wealthy (not necessarily monetary), and wise (to borrow phrasing from my class as well as my Grandmother).  I am not "happy."  Content, yes, but I am not overjoyed with the way my life is going nor do I get excited for anything.  I just am.  I would like to get excited about life.  About exercise.  About food.  About reading.  About teaching.  I do not want to be simply "content."  I want to enjoy my experience here.  I think re-reading Silver's book and really taking Thursday night's class in to full context is helping me see a way of getting beyond content.

Thus, tomorrow I begin the fourteen day ritual process or re-directing my path as I would prefer to think of it.  I know I am a witch.  I think I have always known.  I am not changing that.  I just found a fork in the road, and although it is dark and, quite honestly, frightening, I would rather go this way.  I need to tunnel in through the weeds, rip them out and make the garden of me a little more inviting for the people around me.  I think I forgot the most basic principle of gardening: weeds come back.  I let them take over me and drown me.  Tomorrow's ritual is thus quite fitting: Wind.  I will blow in winds of change and let the air clean out, not only my home, but me.  I will use the wind to keep me moving, to keep weeding, because when I forget to do so, I head back down into depression and cannot rise above "content."  The weeds suffocate me.

Part of this fourteen day journey is keeping a journal.  I have my personal pen and paper journal but I also want to share aspects of it on the blog as a means of re-directing myself back to writing.  Part of the past year's problem was that I never once wrote a single thing for myself and I really missed doing that. If I forget that part of me, then I become unfocused and frazzled.  That is how I let the weeds start rooting again.

This is a new path that I wish to take whilst I wander.  The Green Witch is back.  This is not a new me.  This is merely a re-discovered me or a forgotten me.  Help me clear the weeds.

I want to keep writing this blog.  It always works.  Always a blessing.

Thank you and blessed be.