The Lessons of Winter

I look out my window to the melting snow.  Just traces remain of white beauty that covered the ground only days before, transforming the yard into a wonderland of pristine white.  I see a bird happily playing in one of the feeders.  No longer in a rush to gather what last little bits of food it may find in a time of uncertainty, but instead leisurely nibbling in the bowl of seed, taking the time to look around as it feeds.

I watch the melting snow change.  I see it saturate the ground leading to a number of trees tipping over even more as their roots, already unstable from the blizzard a few weeks ago, finally slide a little more out of the safety of the earth.  Soon these trees will completely fall.  Then they will have a new purpose as firewood or homes for the wild animals.  Either way, they will begin life anew. Changed, but no less important.  This is an important truth. All is change. Nothing ever stays the same. This is not a good or bad thing.  It simply is

What is winter?  It is a time of rest before life begins anew.  It is preparation for transition.  It is nature readying itself to awaken from its slumber, slowly blinking its drowsy eyes at the glowing sun. Many do no see this, or perhaps they simply choose not to.  Most people are busy complaining about the cost of heat or the annoyance of not being able to go out and do things.  Kids are cranky, sometimes adults are too.  As a culture, we have learned to hate the winter because it is annoyance in our so busy lifestyles.  We have lost sight of the lessons and gifts that winter has to offer.

This is the time to reevaluate our lives and figure out what we want to change.  My own life is changing drastically.  I don't think there is a single aspect that has not been affected in the last few months. I'm learning there are things in my life that must be allowed to end and be buried with acknowledgement and farewell.  Other things must be carefully tended and nurtured so that they may grow.  The challenge is to determine which is which.  Every choice we make, no natter how seemingly insignificant, will change our lives.  Sometimes in small ways. sometimes in drastic ways.  We have no way of knowing which at the time.  And so we go on about our lives, blissfully ignorant of the numerous times each day we change our path and future.

So here I am watching the melting snow.  I think of choices recently made and how my life has changed so drastically because of them.  One little thing was a catalyst for complete life-altering change, yet it seemed so insignificant at the time.  As I think think I can't help but wonder, what will today choices bring?

The Wrappings Don't Matter. It's What's Inside That Counts!

Over the last couple weeks I've noticed that the wrappings of magic has been a hot topic.  Everywhere I go, it seems, there is a new blog post or a conversation going about it.  I don't know why it suddenly is popping up so much.  My only guess is that this new age we are entering is leading people to open their minds and truly wonder about the world around them.  So the question is, do the trappings matter?  Now this is just my opinion, but no, they absolutely do not!

I so often hear that you must dress a certain way and have certain things that must look a certain way to make things happen.  In my experience, that is absolute hogwash.  The only time I have seen that as being true is when the person completely believes those things are necessary   If you believe you can do it yourself, you can!  I personally was raised in a backwoods - rural Celtic Elemental type of magic.  It was hidden through the family and of course, no one had special tools or clothes.  We dressed however we felt was best for the moment and used what we found or ourselves.  I was raised knowing with absolute certainty that all I needed was myself.  It wasn't until I was much older that I even heard of needing special things to practice.

So why on earth is there such a strong belief in all the "stuff"?  I'm sure there are a thousand different answers out there, and there is probably some validity to them all.  A friend and I had a great conversation about this recently and came up with some interesting thoughts.  Maybe this will give you some ideas for your practice as well.

"You gotta have the item because they used it in the book/movie Such-and-such so it must be true"  Ummm... No.  Over the years I have come across many a newbie wanting to get into paganism or Wicca because they watched a movie or tv show and thought it was cool and it must all be true.  Think of the hey day of Charmed and all the people who just had to have the grimoire just like on the show because that's only kind a "real" witch uses.  This is fiction.  Not real life.  As for the gromoire example, one of the most powerful witches I have ever known kept everything in those spiral notebooks you get 5/$1 during back to school time.  On the other hand, since you create your own reality, why can't you use some things you pick up in fiction?  Anything is possible!  It is simply a matter of making it so.  That means don't limit yourself by saying something can't be true if it's roots are in fiction.  If you come across something that really resonates with you, then find a way to make it work.  You never know where inspiration may strike!

"I was told/taught once-upon-a-time by so-and-so that it has to be this way"  Again, not really.  While there is a good reason for traditions and continuity of practice and faith, that does not mean it is the only truth.  We grow by stepping beyond those perceived boundaries and discovering new ways of doing things.  We grow both as a person and as a tradition. If someone didn't take that first step, there wouldn't be so many types of religions or branches within.  In fact, everything new that has ever happened in the history of mankind came about by someone looking at that boundary and wondering what treasures lay beyond.

There are of course other reasons, but these two seem to be the predominant ones.  So now we must address the question of whether we even need any "stuff" to practice.  This is a tricky question to answer.  Often people like the comfort of having something else to rely on.  They need the trapping to help instill confidence in their work.  But as you grow in your abilities and begin to have faith in yourself, you discover that nothing is needed but yourself.

So what is the lesson of all of this?  The wrappings are just that... wrappings.  It doesn't matter if the package is covered in beautiful fabrics with jewels and little trinkets or if it's wrapped in rough burlap and nothing else.  It's the gift inside that counts.  Look at your gift. Spend your time nurturing it and don't worry about anything else.  The rest is simply personal taste.  Wrap yourself in whatever makes you comfortable and happy.

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Images do not belong to me.  They were found as I wandered the internet.  If credit is known, it will be stated.  If you see an image without credit and you know the artist, please let me know so I may give proper credit.