Here Comes the Rain Again

While I do love winter and the blankets of snow and chilly weather, the two good things about spring and summer are the flowers and the storms.  On Ostara there was a lovely storm and right now there is another one!  Some of my fondest memories are of storms.  Yes, I used to get scared when they got bad and still do(major fear of tornadoes!) but for the most part they're calming.  The thrumming of heavy rain, the wind, and, most of all, the thunder and lightening.

Georgia has some of the best storms in my memory.  We lived on an Air Force base and it was actually rather dull where we were.  The best thing there was the wooded area behind the house, which was a conglomeration of backyards of a large block of houses.  This place had a dried up stream that would fill up with a heavy rain and enough trees to play hide-and-seek when need be.  We lived at the top of Hill Street which was obviously a hill.  There were a few times the rain got bad and there was flooding but we were lucky enough not to be in danger.

During the thunder storms I would sit under the carport with my father and just watch the lightening.  I don't remember the conversations we had but I believe they had to do with science and nature, which was appropriate.  A few summer storms my sisters and I actually ran into the down pour and played around.  Bare feet and sundresses that quickly got way too heavy.  The only bad thing about playing in a summer storm is going into a house that has the A/C going.  Talk about chilly!

Well this storm tonight has been special.  Some cases of heavy falls and big gusts of wind.  I told Grendal I had the urge to run around outside but I wasn't.  He asked me why and I told him I'd get cold, plus I didn't want my inner child to win.  Grendal told me to go ahead, we have towels and its rather cozy inside.  That was enough for me.  I slipped on my sandals and hurried outside.  Yeah, cold rain isn't as fun as the rain from the middle of summer but I still enjoyed it.

An odd thing happened and it my just be a coincidence but it was thrilling to me.  I stood there, eyes closed and face turned skyward, and enjoyed the rain.  All I could think was that this was so rejuvenating.  The moment those thoughts were, well, thought there was a huge flash of lightening(the kind that makes it seem like its noon) and a deep roll of thunder.  I kind of took that as a 'your welcome' from my storm God of a patron.  :)

Pagan Blog Prompt: Balance Between God and Goddess

A lot of Pagan paths are Goddess-centered, sometimes seen as a rebuttal against the God-centered churches. But as Pagans, we also understand that balance in all areas of our life is important, and even necessary to our personal growth.

Today's topic is the balance between the God and Goddess in our own journey. Are you more attuned with the Lord or Lady? Do you follow a path that focuses on one more than the other? Or have you found a good balance between the 'two halves'?

I'm a stickler for balance and equality(I'm a Libra, go figure) so I honestly try to achieve a balance between Gods and Goddesses.  Because of this I've always felt a little irked by such a focus on the Goddess figure.  Growing up I was annoyed with mainstream religion because of the focus on a male figure.  Switching to Wicca and some Pagan beliefs it seemed to be the opposite.  They focus on the female figure and, oh yeah, there's a male figure too.

In the end I've kind of forged my own path, trying to get that balance I want.  Looking at the Canaanite beliefs it seems there is a balance there but there isn't enough information to see for sure.

As for attuning with them.....Oddly enough I feel more inclined towards the Gods rather than Goddesses, if I like it or not.  XD  I'm a bit of a tomboy in general and it seems to reflect in other aspects of my life.  I do fight against it in a sense so I guess you could say I'm working on it.  lol.

The Last to Arrive

I'm always slow on the uptake when it comes to following the crowd or the trend.  Don't know why.

Yes, it's 2011.  Year of the rabbit.  One more year closer to 2012 and the end of the world.  Okay, sorry for that last bit.  I'm a nut when it comes to reading up on that type of stuff; I blame my father and his love of reading up on that stuff.  I don't believe the world will end but I am hoping for a major change.  Or at least something interesting to happen.

Everyone has made their resolutions already.  I usually don't make any because I've had a horrible track record with them.  Here is to hoping this year is different enough!

1) Have a garden that thrives, or even a potted plant.  I have a black thumb, I swear, but I want to make something grow!

2) Get better at reading my tarot so I no longer have to rely on that stupid little book.

3) Work more with the Gods and Goddesses of the world, and be mindful of conflicts between them.

4) Get more in touch with nature!

5) Be proud of my path and never shy away from talking about it if someone asks.


These should be easy enough for me, except for the first one.  :|  I have killed more plants than I like to admit.  I never mean to, it just happens.  I've been wanting a garden for years, have tried for the past 3, and something always happens.  First year was kinda my fault.  I need to remember when asking a fertility deity to aid in the growth of plants to SPECIFY the ones that I planted.  The weeds were nuts that year.

On a happier note I managed to pick up a copy of Whisper of Stone: Natib Qadish: Modern Cannanite Religion.  I've read up to the chapters on the holidays and I'm loving it!  So much information and the author is always reminding the reader that the majority of the book is what they figured out from the sparse amount of knowledge of the religion.  She(I think it's a she) goes as far to give the names of all the books and what not she went through to get the information, and really wants you to read them for yourself!  Surprisingly enough Grendal's mother told me she'd like to read it when I'm done.  I don't know if she is genuinely interested in the subject or is doing the motherly thing and wanting to see what I'm reading.

I also got a copy of Buckland's Blue Book of witchy knowledge.  Okay, obviously not the actual title but the book is all the way on the other side of the room and this little miss doesn't feel like climbing over boxes to get to it. Ha.

Anyway, I have to cut this short.  The sleeping beast(i.e. Grendal) is awake and we both need our coffee.  Happy New Year and here is to hoping this one is better then the last!

Is it Safe?

I'm not much of a Black Friday shopper and, honestly, try to stay inside most of the day.  Luckily I succeed!

Thanksgiving was wonderful.  Grendal and I spent time with my father's family, and I didn't give a thought towards my mother because it would have only stressed me out.  I did get a text from her later in the day saying she hoped I had a good time and, even though I'm 26, she wanted me to email her my holiday gift list.  So all is well for now.

Usually when I search the internet I end up being in odd places thanks to following links that catch my eye.  This happened again and I ended up coming across a blog post about Natib Qadish.  The word captured my attention because I didn't know how to say it or what the hell it meant.  So I read on and, lo and behold, it's a reconstruction of the Canaanite beliefs.  I tweaked out for a second and read through the article, very much surprised that this movement was about and that I could get more information on Ba'al.  Needless to say I have two websites bookmarked that talk about Natib Qadish and have requested a book on the subject as a present this year.  Whether or not I strictly follow the belief or mix it in with my eclectic pagan ways, I'm not sure.  Either way I'm learning some pretty interesting stuff!

Natib Qadish, Canaanite Paganism

Grendal and I are moving to the upper part of his parent's home(not sure if I mentioned this before).  What's awesome about this move is that I will be able to construct my first altar.  Before it was always makeshift things and on the spot whenever a ritual/spell/holiday was in order, and it was small.  Now I have a decent sized table to set things up and decorate. This makes me unbelievably happy and, with some luck, we should be moved up there and have the alter set up by Yule!  If I feel gutsy and comfortable with it, I may snap a picture or two and post it.

That's enough out of me.  I have to make some dinner.