Now is the time between leaving my coven and meeting with the High Priestess to tie up loose ends. It is the quiet time. I find myself really considering what it is I want to do now with my practice. For many years my practice was very quiet, a daily devotion for certain but nothing really magical or celebratory, just a solitary, peaceful, constant connection with the, hmmm, divine seems too large and important, but you know, that simple knowing it’s all one. With occasional forays into magical workings.  Generally in the past I only did real focused magic in a circle when I had real need. My magic was magic of the kitchen stove, magic of the tended garden, magic of the french knot, magic of a good night’s sleep and a purring cat. Worked for years and now I know, I had what I needed. I needed to know that.

I also find myself asking what is my connection with deity right now? Do I still feel connected to the deities that have been part of my daily devotions? Have I felt connected to all of them? Daily? WHO is speaking to me now? I’m feeling a need for major simplicity in my life, not just spiritually either.

(This is a funny aside but as I started typing this about my High Priestess my phone rang and it was her, or so I thought, but it was my teacher calling from the HPs’ phone and I heard her in the background going, oh wrong number and I said “I was JUST thinking about you” and they said they’d call me tomorrow. How wild is that? Still connected, yes indeed. That was kind of weird.)

So I’m down here getting ready to finalize a project I really want off my plate (I must get these projects for others off my plate, I simply MUST) and my nephew, who is 8 years old, came down. He stood in front of my altar and pointed at Herne/Cernunnos and said “who/what is that?”  Hmmmm. That is the Lord of the Animals, he makes sure that the animal world works right.  “And who is that?” he asks.  That is the Goddess of the Harvest, she takes care of the grains and the fruit. “And them?” That is the statue of the three aspects of the Goddess Brighid, she rules over childbirth, the forge, and poetry. “Ah poetry.” He likes poetry, my nephew is no ordinary boy. I showed him how to use my singing bowl and then he went upstairs as they were getting ready to leave tonight. They fly away tomorrow and I am the sad. (I want to point out that he did not touch one thing on my altar. He is a very curious boy, yay!, but he instinctively knew not to touch but point only. I hadn’t said a word about it.)

I found it so interesting to be in the place to tell him in the simplest ways possible, in the most approachable ways possible, about my altar and the eensiest glimpse into my spiritual practice. And I realized that his curiosity really helped me coalesce what it is that connects me today. Lady of the Harvest and the Moon and the Lord of Death and Resurrection and the Sun. That’s it. Simple. Forgive me all you others as I pull in as the year really becomes dark.  As I allow things to percolate in the hibernation and quiet work of the dark half of the year. More will be revealed. We are always connected, You are always revered. Even if I don’t say your names every day, nothing has really changed.

You can see here a variety of things on my altar, special coins including sobriety year coin and one silver coin with an engraved charm made for me and charged.  Jesus and Mary Magdalene as a couple. Lakshmi. Copper plates, one for Mercury and one for Lakshmi. A small citrine orb and one blown glass orb with a waves and crescent moon. The spiral goddess.  A feather fan of local bird feathers including crow, jay, sparrow and pigeon. My cauldron for stick incense. Hekate’s black dog. My white handled knife. Bits and bobs.