Litha: It's been a loooong time

Wow, my last post was Samhain...yeesh, nearly six months! A lot has happened, I have finished gowns, started several new jobs, quit one, am quitting a second, and keeping the original, had a rubbish Yule and New Year, no Valentine's day to speak of, but as the days get warmer, I am feeling a bit better, and finally, the first holiday I've enjoyed in a year, MIDSUMMER! I finally made it to Stonehenge again, after several years. Apparently I'm all over the news lol. I blame the orange blanket I was wearing cloak-style, someone said it made me look important and Pagan. I said it made me feel warm, which was the reason I brought it. I had a lot of comments on my 'stick' (staff) and one fellow asked me what it did. I replied, 'it holds up my umbrella! And showed him how I'd tied to on to keep it above my head and out of other people's eyes. He looked so dissappointed that I almost wished I'd made up a great load of blarney about it having magickal powers and controlling the weather or something!

I met a lovely couple from Vancouver Canada, who had just had their civil ceremony and wanted a handfasting, and on the spur of the moment, I asked Arther Pendragon if he would mind doing their handfasting as well during the ceremony. The night before I'd had the sudden urge to go to Tesco's and buy some fresh flowers, orange and peach roses, carnations and daisies. I took them home and spent the better part of an hour fashioning them into a floral crown, which turned out to be too big for my tiny head, with ribbons that were too long. I took it anyways and tied it around my staff. When they said they wanted a handfasting, I suddenly knew why I'd made it, and they were handfasted with the ribbons and the bride wore the crown, which actually fit her perfectly! I felt so incredibly blessed to see them so happy! That made my day, more than anything else, absolutely magical! I hope they share some of the pics I took, if any of them came out, I'm hoping!

I also performed two not so serious handfastings, and one un-fasting, all with the same bride! Who, if she does not stay married to her current husband until July 21st (the legnth of their vow) owes me two large glasses of wine. Or the husband if he breaks it off... :-). Much less serious, but all in good fun! Here's a few pics from the day...first ones from Stonehenge itself, then later that day for the lovely Midsummer picnic I had with the family. We made our safe version of a bonfire (in an open BBQ) and had BBQ chicken with spices, and some yummy fresh veggies, the first harvest of the year! I also made a really spice cheese and bean thing that even I wasn't able to eat much of, but it was lovely. I will never again underestimate the power of fresh jalapenos.

I took some of the pics below off websites as I didn't bring my camera to Stonehenge!

Practical Magic Blog Party-My Book of Shadows

Even before Practical Magic came out I have been obsessed with books, particularly spellbooks and old grimoires! I have tried to make one several times in the past, but something always happened, and finally, a few years back I found two amazing hardbound tooled leather books with blank parchment at T.J. Maxx in the US and, contrary to my common sense, I bought them, seeing as they were only $24 each! They are about 9 inches wide, 2 inches thick and about 12 or so inches tall, which makes them a nice large sze, without being too huge (although I do love huge books!). I chose one for a scrapbook of sort, and the other as my Book of Shadows. I wanted to make every page inside perfect, as this is my dream book, so the work on it is going slowly as I really dont want to mess up! Inside I am using calligraphy pens and inks with magickal oils added. From the start of the book I pressed flower petals and herbs inside the book so it smells really lovely! As it stands, it's still a work in progress.....I could of course, buy a replica book of shadows or a massive tome like the one from the movie at places like Lapulia or Brahm's Bookworks...but they cost close to $400!!! Eek! Unemployed mama on a budget here. Check out bookstores like Barnes & Noble and also anywhere that sells leather hardbound journals. You can always paste parchment paper or decoupage over the pages if you don't like what they look like inside...I've seen someone turn a gorgeously bound address book into a beautiful scrapbook like that! For my book of shadows I stuck to the traditional set of stuff, runes, chants, spells, correspondences etc. but for my magickal scrapbook I put in anything that had a profound effect on me, from beautiful fashion images, cutouts from metaphysical magazines, inspirational quotes and stories, news clippings of events I had witnessed and more! The est part of this is that there are no rules. It's your book, make it pretty! And no, it never has to be completely finished. All of my projects are in some stage of transition, being added to, transformed, or completely taken apart and rebuilt.

Closeup of my Book of Shadows. I carved out parts of the leather in the front and put semi precious gemstone chips in them!

The fron title page, still not finished...

Runes and magickal alphabets and the Wiccan Rede, which is a lovely poem, and I had once memorized in it's entirety!

The page on the left has spaces for more pictures, drawings and decorations...well, technically, so does the page on the right, when I find the right artwork!!

This was a gorgeous card which reminded me so much of Herne/Cernunnos/Gwyn the forest and hunter god archetype of the British isles that I had to have it. It's now on my ''Charge of the God'' page

So much space to fill!! Shall I? Or is it beautiful in it's simplicity?

My kitty is obsessed with my quill...

Just waiting for me to write!!! With some of the original rose petals that have been scenting my book for ages!

From here on downwards are photos of my magical scrapbook, which accompanies my book of shadows

Some fun articles from pagan magazines, girly mags etc.

The book on the left is my book of shadows, the right is my lovely scrapbook!

The London tube bombings happened on my 19th birthday while I was on holiday in Spain. Coming to London to stay there for the first time, & by myself two days afterwards was indescribeable. There was a mixture of fear, anger, greif, shock, and amazingly, comraderie as people began to pull together through a shared horror and help each other.

Well said. Brilliant quote, beautiful clothes!

I found this poem by my sister in a pile of old papers. It's sad, eloquent, and brutally honest to what she was feeling at the time. I find it incredibly moving.

I love the dove chocolate wrappers, inside they have these lovely little quotes, some of them are delightfully wicked! There are also love notes from my only missed boyfriend, a photo of an old friend of mine, a dirtbiker who was the first person ever to get me to drink beer!

My first ever ticker to the Tower of London where I met my husband. I only had to buy the ticket because I couldn't find him and wasn't well connected enough yet to get in free without him! There is also my Louvre ticket, and my first ever business attempt banner that I made when a friend and I went to the local farers market with all my soaps and lotions on a little red wagon and sold my goods, without a permit. We were kicked out after a few hours, but it was fun!!!

A poem a friend of mine wrote me in 8th grade? When I was still very shy, erdy and geeky. I kept it on my bathroommirror for nearly 2 years, just to remind myelf that some people did like me!!

A cool clipping of when Rosie O'Donnell married her girlfriend and my 5 foot long receipt from the Ghiardelli's Chocolate Heaven in San Fransisco. Which is the reason I should NEVER be allowed in a chocolate shop drunk, with a wad of cash. The total was narly $300.

My student card from my school in Paris, my daughter's first ultrasound photo, and a ticket to the Erotic Museum