Songs of a Cricket - blog

Understanding Witches' Runes: Moon

3/20/2019

The Moon symbol being a familiar crescent moon represents not only the moon itself, but the darkness of night in which we are able to view it in the sky. It represents the lunar cycle of: New Moon, Waxing Moon, Full Moon, Waning Moon, and Dark Moon.

Moon corresponds with the Divine Feminine or Goddess energy that is held within each individual human being regardless of gender and is manifested within the natural environment in which we live. It represents the mysteries of night as even though we are able to see in the darkness our vision is impaired and sometimes the shadows play tricks with our vision, hiding things right in front of us. It represents secrets and those thoughts, feelings, and behaviors we may be hiding from others as well as ourselves out of shame or the fear of ridicule.

Understanding Witches' Runes: Sun

3/13/2019

The Sun symbol being a circle, which represents The Wheel of the Year, with lines drawn from it represents not only the rays of light that the sun shines down upon the earth and the creatures that live upon the planet, but also the quarters and cross quarters (or spokes) within The Wheel of the Year – the Witch’s calendar.

Sun corresponds with the Divine Masculine or God energy that is held within each individual human being regardless of gender and is manifested within the natural environment in which we live. It represents the completeness of time as the day begins when the sun rises in the East and ends as it sets in the West. It also represents life and the cycle of growth due to the fact that light is required for living creatures to thrive on the earth’s surface.

Understanding Witches' Runes: The Eye

3/7/2019

The Eye is sometimes used as the Master Stone within a casting and can be chosen to signify the individual that is benefiting from the Reading. When the caster does this The Eye rune will then represent the physical eyes of the individual or his or her Third Eye. The Rune will reveal that which the Querent sees or doesn't see but is present within their life experience; in this way the Rune becomes a marker for the Querent's perspective and focus or lack thereof.

The Eye corresponds with the ability to look or see beyond the physical, to view the interior workings of situations and people as well as oneself. It also represents "The Eye of God" or the eyes of the gods if the Querent is polytheistic and in this way is commonly associated with protection or casting "the evil eye".

Understanding Witches' Runes: Throwing the Stones

2/27/2019

When I work with the Witches’ Runes in a divinatory sense I throw them, meaning that I gather all thirteen stones in my hands, shake them, then throw them all at once onto a cloth that is placed on a flat surface, such as a table or on the floor. I then interpret how they lay on the cloth. I take into consideration a few things such as how they fell; are they face up or down, are they all on the cloth or did some fall out of bounds, are they all close together or are some that seem to be further away from the others. All these considerations will add to the overall interpretation of the throw and weave the narrative, which relies heavily on my intuitive ability and connection to the Spiritual Realm.

Understanding Witches' Runes

2/21/2019

The word "rune" originates from the German word raunen, which means "to whisper". I would venture that it is widely understood that any rune would then hold a whisper or a esoteric meaning associated with it so that if the caster of the stones listens closely enough he or she will be able to understand the hidden knowledge and wisdom it possesses.

Many of us may think of the Norse Futhark Runes when the stones are being discussed, but in this blog series I am going to be discussing what it known as Witches' Runes. For me they are easier to interpret as they use imagery that I am already familiar with and use within my own Witchcraft.

All runes are connected with the creative energies of the Universe so when you cast the stones you align yourself with that energy. This energy is not

Contemplation of Love

2/14/2019

It's Valentine's Day here in the United States and I found myself contemplating what love is ...
How does one define love? Can love even truly ever be defined by words?

If we go to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary we will find the definition of love as:
(1): strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties
(2): attraction based on sexual desire : affection and tenderness felt by lovers
(3): affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests
b: an assurance of affection
2: warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion

ABC of Paganism: Z is for Zen

2/6/2019

Zen is defined in The Magician's Companion as: a system of mental stillness origination in India, where it was known as dhyana. The idea is to attain release from attachment to the objective world with the goal of permitting experience by direct perception or intuition. This idea holds a dominate role within my own spiritual practice. It is what I intend to achieve through meditation regardless of what style or type of meditation I am doing at the time. I perceive this mental state as being ideal for communing with the Spirit Realm in order to gain knowledge and wisdom from my Spiritual Court, which would include my Beloved Dead, The Ancestors, my familiar spirits, Spirit Guides, Spirit

An A-Z List of New Age Practices to Embrace

1/30/2019

This blog post is in direct response to one made by Doreen Virtue, which can be found HERE.

The New Age offers a path to personal enlightenment and a deeper understanding of the Universe and humanity’s relationship with it. The New Age teaches us that we hold the inherent power to manifest whatever experiences we desire for ourselves as we live within the shared reality and physical realm of existence. The reality is that humans are just a part of the vast expanse that is the Universe and because of this we are searching for knowledge and greater understanding. There is no end to our seeking because there isn’t meant to be one.

ABC of Paganism: Y is for Yoni

1/23/2019

The yoni is an aniconic representation of the vagina and depicts the Goddess, divine feminine energy, or creative force including Shakti, within Hinduism. It is the gateway of all births, the entrance way to the womb and tomb. Depicted with the lingam together they symbolize the union of divine feminine and masculine that creates all of existence, the merging of the microcosmos and macrocosmos, the divine eternal process of creation and regeneration.

The divine feminine has a profound role in my spirituality as she has always has throughout my life. This energy first manifested as my

ABC of Paganism: X is for Xeni Nephidei

1/17/2019

I must admit as we get to the end of the alphabet for this YouTube Pagan challenge I struggled to find a word that began with the letter X that pertained to my personal pagan spirituality or Witchcraft. I considered skipping the letter, but then had an overwhelming sense of failure and I didn't like the feeling so I continued to search and I was pleased that I did. I decided to look through what books I still had on my bookshelf scouring the indexes of a few before I finally found something. The book I made my discovery in was titled; The Magician's Companion by Bill Whitcomb. It was a book I purchased years ago from a fellow YouTube Witch, Jacqueline DuBois. It's a wonderful reference book filled with a plethora of information that I find interesting though I must admit I haven't spent as much time in the book as I would like and will take time in the near future to spend more time immersed in what the pages have to offer me. I have the distinct feeling that it is what I would most benefit from at this time in my personal practice.

ABC of Paganism: W is for Words

1/8/2019

I love words. I am an author; I write and what I write is words. I love manipulating words and dissecting them. I use them to paint pictures in my mind and hopefully in the imaginations of other people who read my words. I like to write more than speak, but I enjoy speaking and listening to others as they express their ideas through words. I enjoy reading more than watching because it seems to me that what I imagine is more appealing to me than what other people create using the words of the author.

It is because I am so enamored with words that I know they hold power. All words possess a power that is uniquely their own,

ABC of Paganism: V is for Vortex

1/1/2019

When we lived in New Bedford, our family resided in a historical home located on Cottage Street, built in the year 1883 for a man named William P. Booth, who was employed by the House of Corrections as an Officer. He lived in the house until his death sixteen years later. The house remained vacant until Adeline M. Cornell, a dress maker, acquired it in 1907. She resided alone in the home for twenty years until her death at which time Fredrick and Agnes Dexter moved into the house, only to move out just a year later. In 1928 Charles and Sylvia Dunham acquired the home and lived there for nearly twenty-seven years and after which the house was occupied and vacated by a number of people until we occupied it in July of 2008.

During our time in the house we experienced

ABC of Paganism: U is for (The) Underworld

12/25/2018

When I was a little girl I was raised within a Roman Catholic household was taught that when someone died their spirit would either go to one of three places: Heaven, Purgatory, or Hell. If the person was good then they would go to Heaven, but if they were bad they would go to Hell, and if they didn’t know better, meaning they were never given the opportunity to know God or if they were never baptized, then they would go to Purgatory for purification and perhaps they would eventually go to Heaven. Each of these places had a reference point in my mind even though I could not see it with my physical eyes; Heaven was above the earth among the clouds and Hell was below the earth beneath the grass and dirt … very deep down. And Purgatory … well, I never really understood

Ending a Relationship With a Deity

12/12/2018

In an email from a subscriber / viewer of my YouTube Channel I was asked, "How do you end a relationship with a god when you feel the time with them is done?" Honestly I had never really considered this topic throughout the time I've been involved with my spiritual path though I do not have a specific god or goddess that I worship or work with at this time, I have in the past. Over the years I've been following a pagan spirituality my matron and patron deities have shifted and I've had rich and full relationships with; the Christian god, Mother Mary, Jehovah, Bast, Isis, Thoth, Danu, and Cernunnos, so I took some time and contemplated how my relationship with one god ended and another began. I wanted to give an honest answer to the inquiry I was given.

ABC of Paganism: T is for Tarot

12/4/2018

Tarot is a large part of my spiritual path. I have had a relationships with the cards for many years even before I knew what they were and once I became aware of their purpose I consciously decided to utilize them within my spiritual path, gaining sight to situations and relationships when I felt lost. Tarot has become a beneficial tool for me not only for personal purposes, but within my business career as well.

I know that many individuals hold a fear of the Tarot similar to the fear they possess concerning Spirit Boards, but I've never held such a fear. I was always intrigued with the image of an old "gypsy" woman sitting at a small table with the Tarot spread out in front of her, flipping