Helping humankind live with the earth not against it

Category: pagan living

Making a Your Own Wheel of the Year

Well, we did it. The clock has rolled over and it is now 2021. At least on a western calendar. The near year for the Chinese Lunar calendar isn’t until February 12th, in Nepal the New Year’s day for 2077 is 14th April. All of this is to say that time just… is! And calendars are human constructs. So, make your own! 

I thought this would be a good time to reshare an older episode on making your own calendar. 

I started a worksheet after I started working on my calendar this year. Hope it helps! 

P.S. If you are good at design and wanted to help with my handouts and worksheets I would love to hear from you!

Borealis Meditation – S04E12 IAmA Scientist and Witch AMA

Listen to the episode here:

In this episode I answer questions from both the reddit /r/SASSWitches and from submitted from listeners. The episode starts with a bit of an overview of working in academic research to give a bit more context to why my job is. I hope you enjoy and I am always open to answer any questions.

I brought up one of my favorite historical geologists Nicholas Steno

My husband also sent me this comic called “How people in science see each other” I have excerpted it here but it links to the full version.

Just replace technician with research staff….

The book I recommended for getting into witchcraft is Paganism for Beginners: The Complete Guide to Nature-Based Spirituality for Every New Seeker by Althaea Sebastiani. I highly recommend this book and this author for everyone especially those new to this path.

The other book I mentioned was Venus and Aphrodite by Bettany Hughes which I listened to on Audible.

Music in this episode is used by permission of the artists

Hungry Ghost Month – 7th Lunar Month

The 7th lunar month (beginning on the New Moon) in Asia is known as “Hungry Ghost Month”. During this time it is believed that the gates of Hell are open and spirits and ghosts roam the human world for the duration of the month.

There are a number of different traditional practices during this time as well as some superstitions surrounding different actions.

(image on the left is by artist Jim Benton)

This year Hungry Ghost month runs from August 19th through September 16th. The gates are believed to be open from the 1st through 30th day of the month with offerings made on the first, second, fifteenth, and last day of the month. It is common on the first day to offer a meal usually with fruits and deserts to show respect and as an exchange for the ghosts not bringing you any trouble, along with the burning of incense, paper money, and candles. During non-COVID years there are usually lots of cultural activities like community Chinese Opera performances known as getai’ performances.

In addition to all the activities normally carried out there are a number of things to be avoided.

  • Don’t wear closes with your name
  • Don’t pat other people on the shoulder
  • Don’t whistle
  • Don’t go out at night (Children and Senior Citizens especially)

(source, source)

  • Don’t stab your chopsticks into a bowl of rice (the ghosts will think it is an offering and may try to possess the person eating the rice).
  • Don’t open your umbrella inside the house (if you used the umbrella at night shots might have taken shelter and if you open it at home the spirits will enter your home).
  • Don’t leave your front door open at night (this invites negative energy in)
  • Don’t kill rare insects in your home (moths, grasshoppers and butterflies might be your ancestors paying a visit)
  • Don’t pee on trees (it offends the spirits in the area)
  • Don’t swim at night (ghosts of drowning victims might try to pull you down)
  • Leave the front row open at cultural events (it is reserved for the spirits)
  • Don’t kick the offerings left for the ghosts
  • Don’t play games that involve summoning spirits they are more powerful during 7th month
  • If someone calls your name from behind at night don’t turn around.
  • Do not gossip about ghosts they may try to put you in your place
  • Don’t get married or move house during 7th month (the spirits might try to join in when they aren’t welcome.

What are these offerings? The main type of offering is “joss paper” which is paper money as offerings. There is a belief that in order to send gifts to ancestors they must be burned so along with paper, things like paper houses, cars, watches etc. are burned as well.

This massive amount of burning paper also results in a lowering of air quality during this time.

This year of course the usual cultural festivals like traditional Chinese opera are not happening. As another sign of the times a shop in Hong Kong was seen to be selling joss paper masks to send to those in the afterlife. (source)

Photo of offerings being left posted on r/singapore by user u/loosejaws taken on the first night of 7th month. (source)
variety of offerings beyond money that are for sale. You can explore all these options here

Borealis Meditation – S04E09 Deep Time

Welcome to a conversation about the concept of Deep Time. Deep time is basically geologic time but the concept is so much more complex when trying to internalize.

I hope the many examples and repetitions help you start to understand this concept and how it can be beneficently within your practice.

I would love to continue the conversion in the comments or on twitter @katborealis

I have several recommendations for reading and listening:

Timefulness

This is the book I recommended on the topic of Deep Time. The first part is one of those books where when you are reading it you feel like “I wish I had written this!”

Timefulness: How thinking like a geologist can help save the world by Marcia Bjornerud

Dan Carlin

I have been listening to Dan Carlin for YEARS like… more than I want to say because it makes me feel old. He is super into the human experience in the past. His recent book has an excellent chapter on pandemics and his has an old episode on the topic as well. 

Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer

I don’t know what to say other than I LOVE her!

I don’t know what to say about this book other than I just love love love this book! My copy has so many underlines. This is where I got the accelerating climactic chaos! Much better than Climate Change.

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the teachings of plants By Robin Wall Kimmerer

John McPhee

John McPhee is Mr Geology writing I think is fair to say. He is amazing to read but not a page turner. I have a few recommendations:

This was a very influential book for me. The topic of this one is humans vs. nature. Humans trying to control the uncontrollable.

John McPhee’s The Control of Nature

Quick Back-to-Basics – Breath

This is a quick mini-episode going over something basic we all KNOW is good to practice but tend to forget about. 

Breath.

We talk about deep breathing and different ways to try and master this breathing technique. One place you can look for tips is from singing exercises. 

One of the easy ways to feel if you are “doing it right” when it comes to breathing deep and into your lower lungs is to stand with one hand on your belly and the other on your lower back and try to feel the breath in you lower back. Breath into you lower back and focus on moving that hand.

Another tip is to feel like there is a rubber band around your waste or a tube and inflate and expand it when you breath in.

Remember to breath in for shorter than you breath out. So if you breath in for a count of 3 breath out for a count of 4.

If you have any questions you can always find me on twitter

@katborealis

Borealis Meditation S04E03 – Foundations

Foundations – “You don’t understand something until you have to teach someone else”

Welcome to something new. Unscripted Kathleen!

In this episode we cover some concepts I started going over with a friend of mine I am currently teaching. This is a very personal episode because it dives into my thinking. Please let me know what you think.

Get ready to welcome into your life:
Sparkle!
Sparkle Body!
Conservation of Sparkle!

Photo: Kaimera Studio

Listen to the episode: Here

Follow me on Twitter
Like the podcast on Facebook
Follow me on Instagram

Podsafe Music included:
David Miles Huber – Oceanis
Podcast Troubadour – Science Nature Space 23

Borealis Meditation S04E03 Personal Calendars

Show Notes:

Hello Everyone! In this episode I talk about calendars, holidays, festivals and localizing you wheel of the year to where you live. This was a last minute change of topic so we can always revisit it later. I also have created a worksheet for you to use if you want to jump right in and work on customizing your wheel of the year.

Worksheet:

Listen to the episode here:

Or on itunes (trying to figure out getting it other places….)

Follow me on twitter and instagram @katborealis
Like the facebook page for updates related to the podcast

Or just drop me an email borealis (dot) meditation (at) gmail (dot) com

And I made a discord chat channel you are free to join here

Hope everyone is surviving 2018 and if I don’t get anything else out before then happy Yule and New Year! Much love!

~ Kat

Living one foot in the broom closet

So, I moved again, and this time into someone else’s space. That right it’s a care-taking house-sitting gig. Having witchy stuff all over the place in this situation is not advised. So while I was packing my witchy things up I did some thinking about what needs to go in the box-of-secrets, and what doesn’t. I thought I would share my results as a guide to living with a foot in the closet. (Totally 100% opinion and mine at that, and we all know… I am crazy.)

I have a box of witchy things now. My box is one of those nondescript plastic bins. I had to do some looking to get one that wasn’t see-through (ok the second store had them…). The following is a list of things that should and shouldn’t go in a nice box ‘o’ witchy secrets.

1. Books

If you have EXPLICITLY witchy books but them in the box! Your natural healing, and nature guides and normal/ generically new age enough to stay out. Also if you have fairy books and things like that, those are fun and secular enough to stay out. But the “witchy life” “witchcraft 101” “tarot reading” might want to be in the box. Tarot is one of those marginal things just because it is so popular. Home remedies and herbal use and care books can stay out too, just put the herb magic ones away.

2. Candles

Most normally colored candles are just fine. Everyone likes candles right? Who doesn’t have some candles around the house? But candles with symbols carved into them? Or decked out? Those should go in the box, but think of them on a case by case basis.

3. Oils

 Essential oils are A-OK for out in the open but witchy oils? Those should go in the box. I have a set of hoodoo oils and those are stored in my box but my essential oils I store in my bathroom (I use them for baths). Also bath salts, I use bath salts a lot for calming and cleansing, those are also in my bathroom.

4. Herbs (and curios)

If you have curios and herbs that are not normally used in cooking (small wasps nest maybe?) those should be packed away. However, I would say the majority of your herbs can be kept with your kitchen. I have a nice rack for my herbs, with labeled containers. In contrast the herbs my husband uses for cooking… well those are normally in what I call “dangerously unlabeled mystery containers”. I am serious, I labeled one “NOT PAPRIKA”… only have to make that mistake once! On that note, dried herbs are fine to have hanging around too. My mom likes to hang herbs around the kitchen (they are never used for cooking just for… who knows… decoration… smell… its a mystery to me!).

5. Incense

LEAVE IT OUT! As long as it doesn’t have crazy names.. just leave it out. Like candles it’s not something that is “unusual” so feel free to burn away, and keep it out.

 6. Miscellaneous accessories

Have some seriously witchy items? Alter cloths covered in pentacles, very witchy statues, carved knives, runes…? Those are going in the box. Remember that a lot of items you use can be dual purpose. You can have a simple alter cloth that can be stored with other linens and your ceremonial knife can be stored in your kitchen if its plane looking. You don’t have to use the items for anything else, but they can live among your normal everyday things.

I think this is a good spot to talk about your alter. Now, my family has always had a fireplace and a mantelpiece. On that mantle my family has always put trinkets and candles, and photos. Remember this sort of thing, is totally “normal” so feel free to have some things out. I would caution against anything overtly witchy. Most of us I think have items we have on our alters that are not overtly witchy. I have several things I have picked up over the years because they caught my eye. Remember that there is a reason it caught YOUR eye and is likely to catch someone else’s eye too. Expect anything you leave out to attract some attention and interest, and be ok with others touching it.

I googled mantelpiece and here are three of the top results that I think illustrate my point. None of these are tagged “Alter” but you can see how mantelpiece’s can become an alter easily.

candles, photos, trinkets… something like this could easily be an ancestor alter! 
candles, flowers, trinkets… again something simple that could be an alter in disguise
Look at this beautiful  mantelpiece! Family photos, and meaningful items, and candles. To be honest, this is what my alter ends up looking like…. things and photos that only have meaning to me anyways! 

On the topic of duel use items, think back into the mythology and lore of witches. Often the classic witches used things from around their witchy cabin, and the women we would now call witches, the wise women of the village always used items from around the house. Don’t feel like you have to have a “special broom” or a “special knife” that “look witchy”. If you are at a shop and a broom catches your eye and you LOVE it that is perfect fine. That broom can have special witchy meaning to you, and to everyone else be just a nice broom. You can always have a special witchy broom that is very witchy, but if you are living one foot in the closet, a simple one can be just as powerful. Also several places sell things like “decorative cinnamon brooms” that can easily be duel use as decor and witchy broom. Witches and wise-people are resourceful!

I am a firm believer that we can all be surrounded by our witchy things, and still be living one foot in the closet. Get creative in the book store and get reference books that are not overtly witchy, you never know if you might find some amazing information. Get items that catch your eye but are from more mundane sources. Keep everything else in a box that you use when you need. Anther fun thing you can do is, make secret hollow books! I have one that I keep my tarot cards in. It is always fun to be able to look at your bookshelf and know you have secrets hidden in the books.

Also one more thing… if you are worried about people going through your box…. WHO GOES THROUGH BOXES IN OTHER PEOPLES HOUSE!? Seriously… If someone in your life is THAT nosy you might have a different problem, a boundaries problem… and you should talk to them about that.

 I hope this post helps! Any questions, tips, comments feel free to hop in there!

 ~Kathleen

 P.S. my “witchy box” sorry for the shitty photos….

an important box masquerading as any old box

Full of my witchy goodness and yes that is my hollow book on the lower left… bookshelves are not 100% loaded yet so its still in the box.

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