Witches Day Out at the Arboretum

For our May all-coven meeting, we visited the LA County Arboretum in Arcadia. The Arboretum is an oasis of trees, beautiful gardens- including rose and herb gardens, and a few gorgeous waterfalls. It also is home to LOTS of peacocks. The peacocks acted as thought hey were used to posing for cameras- spreading their tail feathers and rotating around. If I didn't know better, I'd think they were trained. It was a very beautiful afternoon spent together. Afterwards, we headed over to Barney's Beanery in Pasadena for a few drinks and snacks, while laughing about boys and geography.

Our Membership Process

We are always accepting petitions for Outer Court membership, though we may not have any positions open.

To join us, you must first meet the following requirements:

1) You must be 18 years of age and older.
2) You must be free of chemical illegal drugs.
3) You must have at least a basic knowledge of Wicca and Witchcraft.
4) You must be of an open mind, kind hearted and unjudgmental. 
5) You must be within driving distance of the LA/NOC area
6) You must be able to attend at least 85% of all meetings, classes, events, rituals and workshops.
7) You must have internet access, for most correspondance will be online. 
8) If you have a mental illness, you need to be on medication.

Joining a coven is a big step and a commitment, and should not be taken lightly. Take some time to think about it, and make sure that it is the path you wish to take.

1) Download the petition, fill it out and send on to barefoot witch @ gmail dot com (eliminate the spaces and the dot should be an actual dot, and all that). Its in Microsoft Word, if you need it in a txt file, email Ivy, and she'll send it to you. 

2) If we believe that you may make a good match with our coven, the High Priestess or officers will ask you some more questions and may schedule a meeting with you. After the initial meet, if you are still interested in our coven you may be invited to join our congregational group the Shadow Sisters. 


3)  If you will be a good fit with our group, you'll be invited to join our outer court and dedicate to the coven.


4) Outer Court members will be expected to come to open esbats, sabbats, Wicca 101 classes, all coven meetings, and social functions. Outer Court members will not come to inner court meetings, working rituals, closed esbats and some in-coven trainings. Outer Court members will be invited to most camping trips and festivals. Outer Court members are expected to contribute dues (Sliding scale $5-20 a month). Outer Court members will take part in a dedication ritual. Dedication to the coven does not lock one into coven membership in any way, and dedicants are free to leave if they feel the coven is not for them after all. Likewise, the coven is free to release dedicants, if they feel as though the dedicant will not be a good fit.
5) Outer Court members may be invited to join the Inner Court, and if so, will be initiated into the coven, earning the first degree in the Twilight Tradition.

Shadow Sisters

Because I'm sure the question will come up at some point, I wanted to write a short note about our new congregational group, Shadow Sisters. This very small group of friends and aspirants will be joining us at some gatherings. We will still have our open events for everyone (guys included), but this group will enable us to sustain a close relationship with our aspirants (as well as some of our closest and oldest friends), without the commitment that dedication entails. The coven bylaws have been amended to reflect this group, as well as their place within the coven.

April Meeting

We got a lot done during last night's meeting, as well as our usual snacking and sipping. 

We secured alternate plans for our Beltane retreat, figured out what we'd do during this retreat (and our Beltane ritual), and discussed plans for an invite-only "congregational" type group- like a casual OUTER outer court. We also approved corrections to the bylaws in order to create this group. After we took care of this business, Beth led her kitchen witchery workshop and we created a face/body scrub, a foot scrub and a body scrub to take home with us. 

Facebook URL Change!

 You can now find us on facebook with a shorter URL: http://www.facebook.com/twilightmoon coven. Blessed be!

Ostara 2011

Well, the first day of spring was hailed by a storm in our neck of the woods. Luckily, we didn't get to much of it last night during our ritual. The Spring Equinox can be celebrated with a ritual of balance and rebirth, and the mother showered us with sprinkles last night as we celebrated our rebirthing (which went fabulously with Aislin's meditation). We had our regular post-ritual celebratory potluck of course, and it included a vegan casserole, colcannon, deviled eggs, cheese (both goat and moo) and crackers. It was a really fun night, and I feel blessed to be a part of such a wonderful spiritual family.

 

  

Our Coven Symbol: The Fleur de Lis

When one thinks of Paganism, Wicca and witches, many symbols may easily come to mind. One that may not, is the fleur de lis. The fleur de lis is the symbol that we’ve chosen as our coven symbol. This symbol represents us in many ways. The fleur de lis is sometimes called the flower of life, or the flower of light, and it refers to a lily (or an iris).

We are connected with an ancient time, a time of many gods: the symbol has been found on many ancient pieces of pottery and other artifacts dating back to Mesopotamia

We honor both male and female divinity: The lily is a representation of not only femininity and the goddess, but within the lily, one can also seen a symbol of male divinity, as well.

We honor our sexuality and our bodies: While it may been seen by some religions as a symbol of chastity, in the Greek culture, the lily was seen as an erotic flower. It’s also known as a symbol of birth, and motherhood- It’s said that Hera’s milk, while suckling Hercules, overflowed, creating the Milky Way in the heavens, and the white lily here on earth.

We may be different from one another, but we are all beautiful, and are all connected by common threads: Lilies come in all shapes, colors and sizes, but they are all lilies, and are all beautiful.

Call and Response for Ostara

This is a call and response reading that I wrote, adjusted for a six person group, but could be done as a solitary, as well!

Reader 1: Seeds of spring ride on winter winds,
We circle round with kith and kin

ALL: We celebrate the renewal of the earth (R1 lights R2s candle)

Reader 2: Butterflies flit from flower to flower
The Mother has refreshed her power

ALL: We celebrate the renewal of the earth (R2 lights R3s candle with hers)
Reader 3: Posies bloom from buds unseen
To hearken forth the flower queen

ALL: We celebrate the renewal of the earth (R3 lights R4s candle with hers)

Reader 4: Rays from God upon our face,
They hold us in their deep embrace

ALL: We celebrate the renewal of the earth (R4 lights R5s candle with hers)

Reader 5: Birds chatter up in branches high,
Sharp and sweet, we hear their cry

ALL: We celebrate the renewal of the earth (R5 lights R6s candle with hers)

Reader 6: We soon look forward to longer days,
Mirroring the ancient ways

ALL: We celebrate the renewal of the earth (R6 relights R1s candle with hers)

Reader 1: While day and night are of equal length
May the Goddess bless us with her strength

ALL: We celebrate the renewal of the earth! (R1 lights central candle)

Roasted Red Potatoes

I made this recipe for Imbolc, instead of potato soup, as Aislin was making vegan beef stew. They turned out rather well.


Roasted Red Potatoes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and cover a baking sheet with aluminun foil.
9 red potatoes
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (to taste)
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons (to taste) minced garlic (mine is in a jar)
2 teaspoons dried rosemary (I used 4 long fresh sprigs, minced)
4 tablespoons olive oil

Wash red potates and cut them into quarters. I ended up cutting the larger quarters in half to make smaller pieces. Place potatoes in bowl and add everything else. Toss in the bowl until everything is coated evenly. Lay out on the baking sheet and put into the oven for 35 minutes.

Imbolc 2011

We certainly had an action –packed Imbolc weekend.

Friday night, we got together at Chelsea’s and Jase from Night and Day Massage Arts came out and we had an evening of massage. Chelsea had transformed her living room into a relaxing candlelit temple. While Jase massaged each of us, the rest of us sat on the back patio and talked, and ate the myriad of munchies that we all brought. It was a very goddessy night, and a great prelude to our Imbolc celebration the following evening.

Saturday evening came, and Imbolc was upon us. Our ritual focused on Brighid and Diancecht, and wells of healing and light. This was also the first time we’ve honored the goddess we’ve chosen to focus on for the year, Artemis. Everyone contributed to a beautiful ritual. Our feast included vegan beef stew, roasted red potatoes and a phyllo and seitan dish. Dessert was Greek honey cakes, and strewsal doughnuts. As the night grew deeper, we dissolved into noisy giggles and the fun continued into early morning, as it is wont to do when we get together.

Our next event is our open event, Night of a Thousand Goddesses on 2/19. All information is found on our events page, and address information will be sent to those who RSVP yes.

2011 Outer Court

This Spring, the Coven of the Twilight Moon will be opening our outer court to a few new members. If you are interested in being part of our coven family, feel free to fill out our petition here and send it to us. The cut-off date for petitions will be March first.

Yule 2010

Due to the rain, we held our annual open Solstice ritual in the basement of the Little Old Bookshop in Whittier. We focused on the new year coming, and calling the light back to return to us, which seems especially applicable due to all of the rain we are getting. Of course, living in southern California, we need it- I can just imagine it making the soil of my future garden very happy! But, we aren’t used to getting this much rain, all in a row.

Anyway, we had a great wine, and stayed up until all hours of the night, eating yums, and drinking wine- talking about everything from our future, to politics and prank calls. What a fun way to end our official open solstice evening. This evening, we are getting together to celebrate the moon and the actual solstice with wine and fellowship. Blessed be!
Also, we will be opening to new dedicants this spring. If you are interested in our coven, please check out our website (that links to our blog) or our November 2009 archive , fill out the dedicant petition, located here and send to me (Ivy) at barefootwitch@gmail.com.

Samhain Ritual Ideas

Below are a few ritual ideas for Samhain, some are great for solitaries, while some are better suited for groups. Many rituals will focus upon one or two of these themes.


Theme: Honoring Ancestors
In your ritual, evoke the ancestors
Create an ancestor altar
Write a letter to a loved one and read it out loud
Read a list of people who have passed on either in your life or in the past year
Ask your ancestors to bless an item
Non-ritual idea: Have a dumb supper- make a plate of food for those who have passed on, many eat in silence as part of their supper


Theme: The Dying God
Evoke the Sage/Old God
Honor the God in his last phase of life
Make offerings to the God and/or to underworld gods
Ask for blessings of the Old God for the new year


Theme: Divination
Do divination for the upcoming year
Get together with friends and do readings for one another
Try a sort of divination that you’ve never tried, or that has never worked well for you
Non-ritual idea: Get together with friends, and have a divination night where you teach one another a type of divination- it’s a great way to get introduced to different ways to divine.


Theme: The Final Harvest
Meditate on what you are thankful for
In a group- state out loud what you are thankful for, and praise deity accordingly
Do offerings to your deities to thank them for the good fortune brought your way this year
Ask for blessings for the upcoming year

Pumpkin Doughnuts (Vegan)

Beth contributes this yummy fall recipe, a hit at any Samhain potluck...



Pumpkin Doughnuts (Special equipment needed; donut baking pan.)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup AP flour
• 1 cup WW Pastry Flour
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp allspice, 1/4 tsp nutmeg)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup pumpkin, freshly roasted or canned
• 1 1/4 cup soy milk
• 1/4 cup Earth Balance (or other margarine), softened
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Instructions:

 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

 

In to a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cornstarch, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, salt, then add in the brown sugar.

Add pumpkin, soy milk, vanilla, margarine, & vanilla; beat with an electric mixer on low speed or whisk until just mixed.

Add the apple cider vinegar & carefully fold it in until just mixed.

Fill the wells of your donut pan almost to the brim. Bake them for 10 minutes, or till golden brown.

Remove the doughnuts from the oven & allow them to cool on a rack.

 

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Cinnamon Doughnut Glaze

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 4 tablespoons soy milk
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon, or to taste 

Instructions:

Whisk all of the ingredients together.

 

If you like a thicker glaze, add more confectioners sugar, to make it more icing-like.

After the doughnuts have cooled, use a spoon to drizzle the tops, allowing the excess to fall to parchment paper below your cooling rack.

 

For the LAST time, Wiccans are NOT fluffy...

.... well, perhaps those who call themselves Wiccan- solely because it's fun- are fluffy.*


But anyone who has any concept of the actual religion of Wicca would know better. There is this “Witchier than thou” ego-centric crap that has made its way through the Pagan community, and it sickens me. Guess what? What we do is not more right or more wrong than what your tradition does. There is this strange misconception that Wicca is all about love and light, and harming none. This is incorrect.

The Wiccan Rede is indeed: An’ it harm none, do as ye will. However, the word “rede” means advice. Not law, advice. We are advised to do what we will, while it harms none. Most Wiccans believe in some sort aspect of the Law of Return, or the Threefold Law. This means that what we put out, will come back to us- summed up it means personal responsibility. Can I do something that might affect someone in a negative way and still be Wiccan? This is a question that does come up from time to time. The idea of what I put out coming back to me is what keeps me in check, regardless of the Rede.

Many people think that Wiccans shy away from protective magick that sends negative energy back to the sender. I am Wiccan, but I am also a Witch. I will protect and defend myself, my family and my coven sisters. Period. If I need to be the hand of the Gods and return what another person puts out, so be it. Does this happen often? No. Will I take responsibility for whatever backblow occurs? Absolutely. Will I still honor both the God and Goddess, celebrate the Sabbats and the moon, circle within the Wiccan ritual structure, use traditional Wiccan tools, and honor polarity, both light and dark? Of course. This can be a little different if one is part of a coven, as then we have hive mind and other issues at stake, of course- that’s where perfect love and trust come in (but that’s another blog post).

Generally, I think that Wiccans are associated with love, light, etc. because one of the goals that many of us have is personal growth and achieving a successful life balance. So, maybe Wiccans are more perky than your average Pagan? That doesn’t mean that they aren’t doing shadow work to get to know themselves better. And if they are- it’s none of your business. Our relationships with our gods aren’t your business either.
If you are a non-Wiccan witch and get offended and upset when people automatically assume you are Wiccan, examine that. Why do you feel this way? Wicca is the most widely known tradition of Paganism. Use it as a teachable moment, not a moment to clutch your pentacle (in lieu of pearls, of course), and gasp- “I’m not one of them!” Explain the difference, don’t propagate more misconceptions of Wicca. While Wicca is more structured than many other Pagan traditions, this doesn’t mean that there isn’t room for flexibility and self-discovery. This is just done with a healthy respect of polarity and balance. This isn’t fluffy- Wicca is more deeply faceted than you might ever think.

*In this post, I may generalize, but keep in mind, my generalization as Wicca and Wiccans, includes only those who are traditional-style Wiccans | This was cross-posted from Ivy's blog- Beyond the Circle.

Three Facets of Samhain

It’s difficult to imagine that Samhain is just around the corner, especially when you take into consideration the boiling hot weather we’ve been having over the past few days (114? Really?!?). It’s only about a month away. Our Samhain comes from the Celtic cultures, and their holiday celebrating the end of summer. Here in southern California, we’ve experienced Samhain in a variety of temperatures- from comfortable mid-upper 70s, down to the 40’s. Samhain tends to be the one sabbat each year where the weather is completely unpredictable. By Samhain, the night’s have visibly grown longer, and it gets dark much earlier. Samhain is a dark and spooky time of year, and this holiday has three main facets.

At Samhain, it’s believed that the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest. This makes Samhain a perfect evening for ancestor honoring and worship, as well as communication with other spirits, and the fae. Our modern customs of Hallowe’en evolved from old Celtic traditions. Jack O’ Lanterns used to be carved out gourds with faces carved in to scare aware spirits from darkening ones doorstep. In old times, one used to dress up in costumes to blend in with the dead that they believed literally walked the earth on this night. It’s also believed that this evening is the best time of the year to do divination. One of our covens’ traditions for Samhain is to include an ancestor altar with photos and mementos from those who have passed, in addition to our ritual altar.

In the agricultural harvest cycle, Samhain is the third and final harvest holiday, the meat harvest. Thankfulness is one theme of this facet of Samhain, much like at Lammas/Lughnasadh- the first harvest of the year- for grain, and Mabon/Harvest Home, the second harvest- for fruit. During Samhain, the animals were slaughtered, and their meat treated so that the people would be able to survive the cold winter. Many people celebrate this part of the holiday by making sure meat is part of the post-ritual feast, particularly pork. While several people in our coven are vegan/veggie, I usually try to bring a pork dish to our coven potluck for the meat-eaters, for traditions sake.

The third facet of Hallowe’en is found in the Wiccan theological cycle of the God and Goddess. At Samhain, the God dies, to be reborn at the Winter Solstice- in ritual, this also can be tied up into the first facet- the thinning of the veil. Some Pagans believe this to be the beginning of the new year. This tends to be the most popular and biggest ritual of the year in most Pagan groups, and while it can be very emotional (depending on the central focus of your rite), it can also be a very joyous occasion.


Colors correlated with Samhain include black, yellow, orange, silver, gold, white, purple and red
Foods associated with Samhain include: meat of any sort (especially pork), fruits (especially apples), root vegetables (coming from the ground makes root vegetables especially perfect for Samhain, as they are associated with the underworld, and death), pomegranates, and nuts

I’ll be writing a future piece on ideas for your Samhain ritual, and stay tuned for some recipes perfect for your post-circle feast.

September's All-Coven Meeting: Kitchen Witchery

Our inner court meetings are all about housekeeping, and ritual planning. Our dedicants join us for our all-coven meeting, where inner court sisters take turns presenting workshops. Last month Aislin presented an awesome workshop on archetypes, and we worked them into astrological charts for ourselves. This month, Beth presented the first part of her Kitchen Witch workshop (she wants to do a second part), and we worked with herbs. Each sister made a cooking oil, a tincure and a sachet- it was a really fun, hands-on workshop.

Dedication- Autumn 2010

This past Saturday night, we were blessed with two new dedicants, Kyla and Chelsea. They dedicated to our coven during a beautiful dedication ritual, and we already can feel the energy they add to our coven family. Blessed be!

Lughnasadh 2010

I haven’t been able to get my photos off of my phone and onto my computer- still, I wanted to write a short blog about our Lughnasadh ritual. We had our open Lughnasadh ritual a few weeks ago, on a Saturday afternoon, and it was a blast! Our friends and family were all invited, and we had about 25 people there, including spouses, and children! Prior to the ritual, all were invited to make Corn Dollies, which were then blessed in the circle. Traditioanlly, corn dollies were made with the last sheaf of wheat harvested. The wheat was fashioned into a dolly or other symbol, and then kept safe, ensuring a plentiful planting in the spring.

 

The main theme of the ritual was the First Harvest, and as part of the first harvest, we asked everyone to bring one vegetable. During the circle, we raised positive energy and sent it into the vegetables, which were later made into soup by our resident kitchen witch, Beth. We had a sumptuous potluck feast, with everything from dip to cheese, to dates, to sweets, and of course, bread- a staple of any Lammas/Lughnasadh circle! We thank everyone who made it out for our circle, and we hope to see you again at our open Yule celebration!

Aislin Elevated to 2*!

Last night, Aislin was elevated to second degree! She's worked very hard to earn it, and is looking forward to her journey to third degree. Congratulations, Aislin!

(Lughnasadh photos + post coming soon)