Quickening Moon Ritual

 

View of the Quickening Moon from Between the Trees at my Home

The Quickening Moon

The Quickening Moon is also known as the Snow Moon or the Bone Moon to the Cherokee.  It is considered the last moon of winter and is when the "quickening" can be felt in the pregnant animals whose babies are due in springtime.  It is a time when the Earth herself is reminding us that she is still alive underneath all of that snow.

Full Moons are sometimes a time for magic or for reflection.  For this Quickening Moon, I will be reflecting on my own mistakes and on how I'd like to improve myself.  Even though Imbolc has past, I still feel that its intentions are still in the air on this last night of February.  Imbolc is about cleansing the soul and meditating under the Quickening Moon is an excellent way to do that.  So, if you can find a window where the Moon can gaze down upon you or if you are brave enough to withstand the elements, light a candle (I always use white) and think about what you want to improve about yourself or in your life.  Concentrate on what you must do to make these changes possible.  You can even say this chant to yourself: 

I rejoice in the light of the moon

and in the presence of the Lord and the Lady.

I celebrate the season of darkness,
knowing that the next turn of the Wheel will bring light.
I use this time of darkness for thought,
introspection, and growth. 
As the moon above, so the earth below.*

*adapted from Winter Full Moon Ritual

After this you may wish to go into a formal ceremony or have a meal with loved ones and share in the warmth that they bring to the home.  This can be a reminder of the warmer weather that is on the way.  Decorate the table with signs of spring or just have a simple bouquet of spring flowers as your centerpiece (they can be real or silk).  Remember to give thanks (verbally or internally) for those who can share the meal with you and for the meal itself.

As you may have noticed. . .

I did quite a few updates to the appearance of this blog.  It may morph a few more times, but for now, I'm a lot happier with how it looks.  *squee*

Sleepy Children

A sleepy Marty:

and a sleepy Frankie:

 

Frankie also likes to peek in on our neighbors:

I guess this is how he plans to keep his little paws off the cold snow (and why he's so sleepy!).  Such a naughty fur child!

Quickening Moon Meeting

The Gods always know.  I was driving to the Full Moon Circle meeting just a little while ago.  I reached into my purse to grab my wallet and make sure I had enough money for the altar supply donation.  My wallet was missing.  I looked at my phone and sure enough, there was a message from my friend whose house I was at last night telling me she had my wallet.  I guess the Gods knew today was not a good idea and knew how to keep me home.

I should learn to trust my nerves more often.

"Where will I find that wishing stone?"

I guess all of those late night talks with the Lord and Lady about having a white winter were a bit much.  The hubby and my Dad are out shoveling the white stuff.  I'm stuck inside with a sour stomach.

This weekend I'm (hopefully) meeting with a group to celebrate the new full moon.  I'm a bit nervous as I've never met anyone in this group in person.  I took some advice and used meetup.com.  They all seem nice from reading their e-mails and message board posts, but I'm unsure.  I've never spoken with anyone in person about my beliefs besides my two friends.  I'm nervous about them being all about showy rituals rather than actual worship.  You hear stories about covens which is why I've played the part of a solitary.  But I've grown tired of being alone.  Although my husband is supportive of my beliefs, he does not wish to join me in them.  I do have my two friends, but one of them lives rather far away and the other is dealing with her own personal problems, so it makes it hard to get together without her worrying about 70,000 other things.

How should I approach this?  I plan on mainly observing when I'm with the group on Sunday.  I just hope all goes well and I'm not weirded out by them.  I wish I could stop being so nervous.

Garlic Grilled Lobster

   

• 1 pound uncooked lobster meat, start with two 1 1/4 pound whole lobster (This is for serving 2-3 people)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 3-4 medium garlic cloves, pressed
• 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste

1. Preheat grill. To prepare lobsters, cut off heads, split tails and crack claws; set aside. (I usually have the lobsters killed for me at the Seafood Market - I can't kill them myself - If you can do it, more power to you!)
2. Stir together olive oil, garlic and lemon juice; season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss tails and claws with half the olive oil mixture.
3. Grill lobster pieces, turning and moving them as they cook until shells are charred and meat is firm and opaque (8 minutes).
4. Crack lobsters and dip meat in remaining olive oil mixture.

This is a great summer recipe and is a great, healthy way to have lobster (notice there is no butter).  I've taken my mother's version of this and essentially "South Beached" it with the Olive Oil instead of the pounds of melted butter my Mom uses.  It's also great because the lobster is already shelled and doesn't involve all the digging/cracking.

A new beginning

After doing much research on my maternal family, I was stuck in a limbo.  I was in college, a Catholic college at that, and I just never felt attached to anything.  I was depressed.  I felt like there was still a void in my life that no amount of drinking, partying, or other "extra curricular activities" could fill.  Of course, being an ignorant 20 something, I did nothing about this other than the above mentioned.  I graduated.  I found my first teaching job.  I met my husband.  I went through the motions of everything I was "supposed" to.  I hit a figurative wall: I couldn't sleep, I would panic over everything, and I could barely leave the house to go to work.  The constant burial of my anger and spiritual loneliness finally caught up with me.  I went on anti-depressants and sought therapy.  It's been a slow process, but I'm getting better.

So, how did any of this lead me to the path?  This past summer, I ordered 3 books on a whim from Amazon dot com: Scott Cunningham's Guide for the Solitary Practitioner , The Complete Idiots Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft (an excellent book, believe it or not), and Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft.  I was bored online and was searching through the recommendations and all three had come up (probably because of my purchases on Native American religions, but who knows?).  So, I ordered them.  And then I read.  Like a maniac.  Something finally clicked.  Everything that I had been taught by family was in these books.  All the morals I believed in, even the little herbal "tricks" my grandmother would use when we were sick, were in these books.  I was stunned.

I finally felt comfortable enough to approach the subject with two close friends who were Wiccan.  I asked them questions and I was given honest answers.  Talking about the emptiness I'd been feeling for so long felt so wonderful.  These were things I never thought anyone could understand, not even my therapist.  I felt better.  The missing puzzle pieces were right in front of me for years, but I'd ignored them.  I'd come home.

Retro Cooking Month - My favorite Recipe - Crockpot Chili

This is another cold weather favorite.  I found this one online originally, but I've tweaked it with my own additions.

You Will Need:

• 2 lbs lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper
• 1 Tbs chili powder
• garlic powder to taste
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
•  1 Tbs Hot Sauce (you can leave this out if too much spice bothers you)
• 2 cans (approx. 16 oz each) crushed tomatoes
• 1 can (16 oz) tomato puree
• 1 can (16 oz) kidney beans
• 1 can (16 oz) black beans

To Make:

1.Brown ground beef in a large skillet.  Drain and place beef into crockpot.
2. In skillet, saute chopped onion and green pepper in olive oil (or the grease from the beef - I don't use it to make the recipe a little healthier).
3. Mix beef, onion and green pepper into the crockpot and add spices; let stand 1 hour on low heat.
4. Add tomatoes, tomato puree, beans.
5. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours.  

Finding the path . . .

Yesterday, I started my story of my journey into the craft.  After my Confirmation, I stepped away from the church.  I was offended by their outright hatred of what I felt in my heart was moral and just.  It did not make sense to me that I would be damned for eternity to hell because I myself was bisexual.  It further didn't make sense that my own family members who were gay would burn.  These were people who worked to help others and were good, moral people.  Nothing about Catholicism clicked correctly in my brain anymore.  Sundays were now mine again.

I guess, for the majority of high school and college, I was what could be labeled as an agnostic.  I knew there was something out there greater than I was, but I couldn't put a finger on what.  I began to research my own family history.  My maternal grandmother was almost 100% Native American.  I didn't grow up knowing all of this; I actually found out around the time my grandfather died.  In my heart, there was something very beloved and treasured about this part of my genetics.

The more reading I did on my tribal history, the more of a sense of home and peace I was getting in my heart.  Of course, I didn't do much about it religiously.  I was still hurting and wrestling with that good ol' Catholic guilt.  The God and Goddess were waiting patiently for me to find them.  I know now that they led me to pick up the books on my family history and that eventually I'd come to seek them as well.

A Snow Baby

 

A little blurry, but my Siamese baby wanted to go play in the snow.