Dairy Free Andy!

Something that has increased for me in recent weeks is my sense of connection with all things. I've said many times before that I know I am part of The All, but this is something that has become more of a reality for me. I do feel part of it - part of the Dance of Life. It's like I've broken into the circle of dancers, joined hands with them and am dancing along! We're all dancing together, but each according to our own steps, our own paths, separate, yet together.

About three weeks ago I moved from being vegetarian to also becoming dairy free. I'm not about to get on a soap box about it, that's not something that I do, although I feel passionately about my reasons for wanting to live a cruelty free lifestyle. Many pagans have criticised me for this, some even suggesting that my lifestyle is incompatible with walking a pagan path. They are welcome to their view, I just don't share it! What I didn't expect, in taking this step, was the deepening sense of connection it bought to me with all things. I don't mean this in a silly Dr Doolittle kind of way, I just feel that I moved into a new space. I felt joined by the many sentient beings that walk this earth and make their own journey alongside me. It was something that I didn't expect, but it was a most welcome experience. It reminded me of this quote:

Animals... are not brethren, they are not underlings: they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendour and travail of the earth. Henry Beston

I really want to mark Imbolc this year and because I've been somewhat out of action for a little while I intend to make it a kind of rededication to both the Lord and Lady. I'm feeling the 'shove' of Spirit! It's time for me to move on, to get active, to stop dabbling and to really get in there! Often in the past I've allowed this impulse to lead to a kind of frustration, as time and other pressures often get in the way, I'll explore this in my Imbolc ritual which I will carry out in my Temple Room sometime on Sunday. I feel really excited now I've actually written this down - it's a real and genuine intention and now I've spoken it, not only will it come to pass, but it will be eventful!

New Moon

What an amazing New Moon ceremony this evening! Four of us met in my Temple Room, and we worked elementally with New Moon energy, focusing on our relationship with Source, the All, and making room for our Higher Self to radiate within and from us. It was just such a special time, probably one of the most powerful times I've had in ritual.

Although we shared experiences at the end of the ceremony, I obviously can't share the experiences of others here, but I want to share a few of my own experiences.

I wrote the ritual based on my spiritual development of the past few weeks. The emphasis was very much upon deepening ones relationship and connection with Deity, with ones True Self and beginning to release the Inner Light of ones Higher Self. Obviously I needed to tread very carefully with this, so the emphasis was upon people working and holding the energy personally, moving at an individual pace that they felt was right for them, but then also blessing and giving to each other. It was a joy to see how well this worked.

As I was calling in the elements, the Lord and Lady, my Guides and Ancestors, I saw the room filled! It was strange because almost as soon as I noticed them, I couldn't see them, but I could sense and feel them. Truly, and honestly, the room was filled with Beings who were celebrating with us and blessing us as we gathered there. It was an incredible moment.

The sense of being filled, powerfully filled with energy at this moment for me was terrific and I don't think I've ever experienced anything quite like it before. As I sat down I was physically shaking.

We then moved to working with the elements. This was such an important ritual for me because it was about celebrating, experiencing and sharing our relationship and connection with The All.

With Earth, individually we held a conker, the conker acting as a simple symbol and representation of Earth, but also something that carries the energy and vitality of Earth. Individually we experienced our connection to Earth, knowing that we live here on Earth, but our race is from the Starry Heavens. For me my connection with the Underworld was strong once again, but also the fact that I am connected to the highest star. I saw myself taking this journey which was down a very long, straight road, I was travelling at pace, and the colours all around me were blurred somewhat. It was something like a parade and it felt like I was being welcomed into a new place.

Holding this energy we moved to Air, each of us smudging the other with white sage. This felt so cleansing and renewing, a real blowing away of the chaff and a sense of stepping into the new.

With fire we held tea lights, allowing us to visualise our Inner Light filling us from our Higher Selves.

With water we anointed each other, and for me this was about trusting and believing in my own intuition and starting to move in this trust. Believing in myself - a key lesson of recent months.

The energy was so high at this point I thought that I was going to combust! I had been holding the energy from each element and was conscious of this building within me, and as I glanced around the room I could see that each of us were holding it and moving with it. We really were working magically, it was wonderful.

Then we stood together, raising the energy that had built through the ritual and sending it to people and places where it was needed.

This sounds so simple as I write it, but the energy we had between us was more than tangible, it was incredibly powerful. I looked at everyone at the end and said "special, magickal people!" because to me it was an honour and a privilege to have worked a simple ritual with these people.

We are just an ordinary, small group of people, but tonight we connected and bonded in a very real and special way.

I think each of us have stepped into a new place with our Gods this evening and as the moon waxes so we will build upon and develop that relationship, each of us moving onward in the process of Becoming.