Calico Hen: Preserve: October 2011

Calico Hen: Preserve: October 2011

Full Moon info and Indian Summer

I was recently asked about the full moon that is coming up and what I though was appropriate workings for this energy. So... I have attached info about this moon from the Farmer's Almanac and what my plans are for this moon.

October 11th Full Hunter’s Moon 10:06 pm

Full Hunter’s Moon or Full Harvest Moon – October This full Moon is often referred to as the Full Hunter’s Moon, Blood Moon, or Sanguine Moon. Many moons ago, Native Americans named this bright moon for obvious reasons. The leaves are falling from trees, the deer are fattened, and it’s time to begin storing up meat for the long winter ahead. Because the fields were traditionally reaped in late September or early October, hunters could easily see fox and other animals that come out to glean from the fallen grains. Probably because of the threat of winter looming close, the Hunter’s Moon is generally accorded with special honor, historically serving as an important feast day in both Western Europe and among many Native American tribes.

 I have also seen this moon referred to as the Warrior’s Moon.

Personally, after looking at the 10 day forecast, I am going to take total advantage of being outside on this night. It looks like this will be the last day of the Indian Summer, and after missing the fall season last year due to my accident, I want to fully experience it this year. For me to do this, I will need to reflect on the lesson learned in the past year. Please allow me to share.

One of the first things that I did when I was able to, was journal my experience from the accident. I needed to understand and grasp what had happened and the message that I need to hear. Some of them I will share with you and others are mine alone.

Control-do we really have control over anything? Maybe. I can control the shoes I wear to work today, but no matter how hard I try, other people’s actions are their own; some times you have to give up control to survive- mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally. Those are the big four in my book. The day of my accident, I had no control over any of them. Something greater stepped in and took control. No matter how hard I tried, I could not get out of the way of that truck hitting me head on. When I recall the impact, and when I started to go off the road, I watched it  from the back seat of the Tahoe. I saw my hair and watched my head bob back and forth. I still do not know were my body hit, I can only surmise by the injuries that occurred and the pain that I still feel.

 So, I ask, who took the wheel and got me off the road? Ancestors, Spirits, Guides?  I know that something did. I also know that there are not many days that I leave the house without some form of protection with me. Was that supposed to be my day to go forward to the next life. Maybe. What I can say is that as soon as I was able to hobble into my spirit room, I did. It was a challenge, (the first of many) but I had to honor what I knew had protected me.

The control lesson started at 10:00am on 10/05/10 and  has not stopped. From having a emergency facilitator sitting in my vehicle and seeing my Witch bag, to being trapped and literally cut out of my vehicle, to having my clothes removed-These and so many other events taught me that having control is letting it go.

Empathy- we all think we have it. I know that I always considered myself to be kind and considerate. But when you are seeing the world from an amigo electric grocery cart so that you can shop for groceries, the view is so different. I was judged or they looked past me. Why is she in that cart? When I struggled to reach for an item on a shelf, no one offered to help. (I started taking my grandson Carter with me. He is such a good helper and loved being there for me.) This is the public we live in. My shopping trips were emotional and exhausting. Walking into a restaurant with a cane was an experience. I was stared at and whispered about, but I did it, with a deep breath.

Help-Yes, I did needed it and I found a way to accept it and then say “Thank You” and many times that was followed by “I appreciate you” and "I love you".

In the ER, I asked Patty to make sure my mascara wasn't smudged. I had visions of Alice Cooper.

That night  I could not sleep because of the amount of pain I was in. I needed to take a combination of meds to get the pain at bay, so that meant that I needed to eat something. I had to wake Bo up at 3:00am. I was in tears and apologized several times for asking for his help. But we ate ice cream together in the middle of the night so I could take my meds.

The people who came and picked me,pushed me around in a wheel chair, carried my huge purse up the stairs, made dinner for my family, gave me a reality check(kick in the ass) when I needed it, cleaned my house, put up fall decorations, gave me a reiki treatment, a massage, bought me a gin, listened to me cry, talked me threw one of the sleepless nights,  hugged me and supported the many hard decisions that I have had to make this year.

That lesson has been a strong one.

So as I reflect on this anniversary and then continue on to the full moon, I will concentrate my energy on appreciating the season  and thank my Ancestors, Spirits and Guides as they continue to protect me. I will thank the earth spirits for the beauty of the moon shadows, the last call of the night bird, and the beautiful Indian summer that has been gifted to us.

Then, I will rest.

Sunday Ways

Growing up in central New York, Sunday's were about church,Sunday school and a big Sunday dinner.  This is were I learned many of my cooking skills as the dinner was a family cooperative but it is also how I formed the ideas and connections of honoring the Ancestors. The Presbyterian church that I was born into, was founded by my Ancestors that settled the small farming community that I was raised in.

 Behind this church, those same Ancestors are buried along with my father, nephews and many aunts and uncles.

One of my very favorite things to do after church was to walk the cementary. It is a beautiful spot, with creeks running threw it. My dad used to dig up horesradish root from these creeks and later process it in our kitchen. My mother would tell us stories about the doings and adventures of her grandfather Guy, Grandmother Emma and Guy's sister Maude. I have pictures of each of them along with many others on my ancestor altar at the end of the hall. The Presbyterian church can be very conservative, and honoring the dead was not part of the normal service to say the least and questioning my sunday school teacher about ghost was not recieved well. I wanted to talk about the ghosts that were present in the 150+ year farm house that my family (and many of the others families in the community) lived in. When I finally got a camera for my birthday-(the kind with flash cubes), I took pictures of there graves. My Dad took me to visit his father's grave on memorial day one year. I was about 11. Those pictures have been lost with time and since my father's passing, not many people visit my grandfather's grave.

 I located the cementary in 2008 when I went home for my nephew's funeral. There is also an unmarked grave of my Great Grandfather and uncle that no one can find in this same cementary. My hope is to loacate this when I go home to New York next month.

Yesterday, I had the privelage to visit the grave's of some of my husband Bo's family and honor them along with my wise sisters of my coven.

 Aunt Bev was our tour guide and was so gracious as she spoke from her heart about her memories. I am still overwhelmed today as I type and mull the memories of the day.

 We had a picnic,celebrated a birthday and shared our stories with the Ancestors. The spiked and spicey cider was delicious and kept away any chill from creeping in.We had a doe walk within 30 yards of us.
We could not ask for a more perfect day.

Ancestors-We honor you

Named and Unnamed,

 Known and Unkown,

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.

As above, So below

We honor you.

Season of Transition

I begin this page with every intent to share, teach, learn and most importantly to heal. If you know me personally you know that this is how I live my life. Recently, I have had to move the heal to the front of the line. One of my wise sisters reminded me that part of healing is releasing and sometimes that means people, places and things.  Not always an easy task, but necessary. So, as I ponder out the kitchen window this morning over coffee, I was inspired by another blog site from a local lady that I respect. Her small family farm pictures are incredible and I found myself remembering a distant life of being raised on a small family farm. As with all aspects of life, we have our good times, bad times, hard times and now healing times. These experiences are what shapes us and makes one push onward.

 Farm life is like that. Some farms are strictly for the pleasure of pursuit, the crop may fail, but in a pinch you can go to the store and get what you need to feed the family on the way home from the office. The farm I was raised on was for survival. We did what we needed to do. When something failed, we found a way to make it work, or in some cases, work around it. It was a hard life, but one that dramatically influenced my choices in every aspect of my 46 years.

 Farming and country living puts you in connection with another side of the life cycles and the energy that runs beneath our feet, and the early autumn breeze that drifts around our face. My healing is mine to own and now it is time to embrace it fully as the season of change is upon me. I am no longer a farmer of the above description, but a dweller on the country ridge. So tonight, as I light my candles