The Ex and I had a lovely weekend. It started off a little rocky for a couple of reasons. One, I’d had a migraine since Thursday morning and it continued through Saturday. Two, we were still in negotiations regarding what works best for us.  We live 30 miles away from each other, we are both artists, and we both crave at least a little solitude, if not a lot.  It’s a good thing we love each other very much, I’ve never had a partner so willing to work his butt off for the health of self and the relationship. I am in bliss over that, even though the process can be a bit awful really.

These acorns, chestnut, and oak twig are from the park area near my office.  The chestnut was just a green spiky ball when I plucked it from it’s mama.  I just love how it split open.  It resembles how I feel. Split apart and yet with a shiny new seed in my heart, ready to grow into something strong and beautiful.

I did a card reading on Friday afternoon to see what was going on and got what I already knew.  Lots of letting go of people and issues.  But with the new season there are new feelings and new beginnings. That coupled with the growing pains of our relationship and the loss of my best friend last spring (irreconcilable differences), I realized that if something happened to my relationship with The Ex my close confidants are down to not enough folks.  It is time to widen my circle and to find some new heart friends. 

We attended a local coven’s Mabon ritual on Saturday evening.  It was well and truly wonderful.  They even had a bridge for us to cross from one season to the next, led by a woman in a black shawl carrying a lantern welcoming us to the dark.  It was really a lovely rite and The Ex and I have bulbs in compost mixed with ashes from the burning of the God at Lammas.  Niiiice. Cakes and ale was concord and champagne grapes fresh from someone’s garden. There was a potluck which is always nice as this group knows how to eat. One of the dishes, soup, had about 20 vegetables and herbs in it from gardens of the various women attending.  Lovely. 

So while I’m standing in line to serve myself up some of the amazing fruit tart that was there, something hits me on the head. Right in the middle of my crown chakra. There is nothing, and I mean nothing but sky, above me.  The gal next to me says “I saw it hit you and then it hit my leg.” It wasn’t a gift from the birds.  We were totally puzzled, couldn’t find it anywhere. Whatever IT was.  About 30 minutes later it comes to light that some of the gals at the table were throwing grapes at us to make us leave the tart alone.  HAR.  Might not be funny to you but we were cracking up.  They were telling the story of watching us trying to figure out what had happened.  It really was hilarious.  It felt like an initiation really.  This was only my second time with this group and I feel like I belong and stuff now. Warm fuzzy feelings.  I am hoping that some new and wonderful friends are going to come out of this group.  I really enjoyed all of the women who were there and look forward to bonding in some way.  I’m excited about the possibilities.

The Ex and I were home by 8:00 and watched Elecktra on DVD and had as romantic an evening as one can have watching a comic book assassin find her soul.  Lots of snuggling and art.  Lots of talk, all of it happy talk.  Not discussion, not negotiation, nothing serious, just chatting.  We needed this so badly this weekend.  We both feel a renewed commitment to whatever it is we are doing together.

Sunday found us at Gaia’s Temple for the Mabon service.  The topic was about making choices told through a new story of Persephone and her love, Hades.  The Ex turned to me on the drive home and asked if I saw the many parallels between the teaching and our last couple of weeks.  Yes, Love, Yes I did.  It was very validating and fulfilling. I really felt that the decisions we had made the day before were blessed.  I think The Ex did too. There were fresh heirloom apples for all, a waasail song to the apple tree, kids coming in with their crafty twig goodness.  Aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Afterwards we went our separate ways to nurture ourselves in whatever ways we chose.  I got home and took a 3.5 hour nap. I was just exhausted from all the stress, the discussions, the rituals, the migraine, and the fun.  And I forgot to mention that I was also dog sitting at my parents house so not in my own home until after Gaia’s Temple.  All the left over stuff was all gone when I awoke and I finished off the weekend with some crime dramas, some more embroidery on my Wheel of the Year wall hanging (photos of progress coming very soon).  I’m very pleased how some are progressing and it’s quite clear it might be a while coming because I keep adding more to some of them which means my thoughts that I might keep it simple are for naught.  But I’m really enjoying this project.

I found out that there are two of my pouches left over from last year’s fundraiser for Gaia’s Temple so I don’t need to give them as much this year as then.  It also means that 4 I donated sold for a lot more than I thought since I had thought that they sold 6.  Wheeee.

Harvest and donation blessings!