Witchy Pinterest Finds

In trying to find inspiration for my blog last night, I started scrolling through my Pinterest feed.  It gave me a thought - why not post some of my favorite witchy finds over on Pinterest?  (If you aren't already, you  are welcome to follow me on Pinterest here.)

If you like this post please let me know, and I will write more posts like these!

This beautiful sea-witchy necklace made of sea glass set on a curvy wire makes my inner magpie go all a-glow.  I feel like I could wear this to channel Mama Cocha.

Pinned by Stormy Heart // Originally found on CustomMade.com

"Spirit of the Lake" wand, which appears to be made from fishing net, crystals, driftwood, and deer antlers.  Be still my witchy little heart.

Pinned by Stormy Heart // Originally found at BDCrystals Creations on Etsy

Here's a fantastic statue of a raven perched on a skull.  It's not marketed as such, but it screams of The Morrigan to me.  I'm not normally one for statues of my gods, but man do I want this one!

Pinned by Stormy Heart // Originally found at isisbooks.com

Here's a delightful, utterly ethereal image of an air elemental.  I think I could just float away while meditating on this image.

Pinned by Stormy Heart // Originally found at http://cristinamcallister.blogspot.com

Plugging in to Deity

I've been thinking a lot this week about how we as humans connect to the gods.  It started at dinner with Jack the other night, when he got me talking about agnostic paganism and how it isn't necessary to believe a deity is a Divine Being in order to work with them.

I know for many agnostic pagans, they can still connect with the gods on a psychological level, as a construct within the psyche.  The Four Queens has several fascinating videos* on her YouTube channel where she talks about how as a pantheist she connects to her gods, who she sees not as discrete Divine Beings, but more as psychological archetypes.

"Moon Witch" by MotleyMitch on Deviant Art:
motleymitch.deviantart.com/art/Moon-Witch-153505544

I think that's a really powerful concept.  I feel like as a hard polytheist who does recognize my gods as discrete Divine Beings, as greater and wiser and "bigger" than me, I can still learn from that concept.  I feel like I can use it to better understand how I connect with them now and strengthen my connection in the future.

See, I've always recognized something of myself in my gods when I meet with them on the astral plane.  I always know when it's truly them, though, by a strong feeling of ...well, divinity (not sure how else to say it!  It's a feeling I don't really have a word for.)  How strongly I see myself in them is depends a lot on things like how open or "plugged in" I am at that moment and how strongly they have decided to (or are able to) come through.

I think that the "me" I recognize in them really is a part of me.  Like, a facet of my psyche or spirit that serves as an internal concept or archetype of that deity, and that piece of me connects with my god, and that combined/connected sort of being is who I perceive.  I suspect that internal archetype also allows the gods to come through better for possession, like something they can more easily fit in to and use to their Will.

I can't know if this way of experiencing deity is permanent, or maybe it's just in place until I am better prepared or able to experience them more fully without the more relatable filter of "me"-ness.

I'm curious how other people experience their gods.  Do you see them as Divine Beings?  Do you feel like you connect to them in a similar way?



*That's 3 separate links - I highly recommend watching all 3 videos when you have time!

The Morrigan Sings

Ever since the Conjure Dance at last year's Sacred Space, the Morrigan has been bugging me to write a chant for her for future Conjure Dances and such-like.  So as you can imagine, I've been feeling this chant building in the background for awhile.

Then all at once once night a couple of months ago, she had me light a candle for her, sit down, and then worked through me in the space of about 20 minutes to write it.  It was intense!  I finally remembered to record a cleaner, stronger version of it 2 weeks ago.  Those of you who follow my Facebook page probably already saw this when I linked up to my SoundCloud that same day.

This chant was written specifically with possession/drawing down/aspecting in mind, but it would also be a great chant to request her aid for things like self-empowerment or dealing with anger.



The Morrigan Sings
Calling through the dusk on the wings of black birds,
The Morrigan knows!
The Morrigan sings!

She cries out her fury and her fury is mine,
The Morrigan cries!
The Morrigan screams!

She grabs at my hands and her strength becomes mine,
The Morrigan laughs,
and then we both sing! 


What do you think?  Does this speak of The Morrigan that you know and work with?  Is this the kind of chant you'd use in ritual?
 
(c) Colleen Beaty.  You are free to share my post and SoundCloud widget, and to use my chants in ritual - and I would love to know that you do!  But please do not record or otherwise reproduce my chants in any other way without permission.

Monday Music Break: Innocent Wind (Wind God Girl)

I am back from the Sacred Space Conference!  Whee!  What a wonderful weekend.  I met so many amazing, inspiring people over the weekend, and even got to meet fellow bloggers Lonely Coyote and EmKat for the first time. 

This year at Sacred Space I spent a lot of time working on the process of moving on from the numerous instances of loss I've experienced (friendships breaking down, an intense and difficult break-up, my Grandmother's death).  I felt a powerful need to call upon the energies of the Morrigan - somewhat for her fury in the beginning, but mostly as a source of strength and self-empowerment.  I wore my raven earrings for much of the conference to help me in this.  It gave me a great deal of self-confidence in talking to people I didn't know and building upon new friendships that had just begun.

Image from http://www.paganspace.net/forum/topics/gods-and-goddesses-2

I found this song "Innocent Wind (Wind God Girl)" by a group called Morrigan.  It's not a pagan band - in fact I'm pretty sure it's from the soundtrack to a video game - but I listened to it and it speaks to me of the Morrigan and her birds.

I am still a bit burnt out from the intensity of the weekend, so I will be writing one or two posts with my thoughts on the conference later this week when I have more of my brain back.  In the meantime, enjoy the music and have a lovely week!