I’ve been away from my blogging for long enough, I think.
My Thanksgiving holiday was nice. Spent the day with dear friends and one of the nephews. Worked solo in the office on Friday. Got to see the other nephew and meet his boyfriend on Saturday. It was nice and laid back and cozy. Everyone needs more of that in their lives, I think.
It’s getting colder here, and that only means one thing: MORE HOT DRINKS. I have a ton of hot chocolates and herbal teas in my possession, so it is time to drink more. Tonight’s tea is Sleigh Ride from David’s Tea.
From the website:
The ultimate holiday punch. With cinnamon, apples, almonds, hibiscus and beetroot, this sweet, tart and lightly spiced caffeine-free herbal tea is as nice and rosy as a caroler’s cheeks. Feeling the chill? Add a splash of brandy for a drink that’ll warm you from the inside out. It’s the perfect blend to snuggle up with while watching the snow fall.
It’s a delight, and I absolutely adore it. I drink it all year round, as it’s a flavor that is as tasty iced as it is hot. It’s a bright red (as you can see), and that also makes me happy.
Tell me of your favorites, dear readers. Black, green, white, red, herbal? Favorite blends? Tea houses? Flavor combinations?
I love the glitter out of this dude. He’s exactly who I want to be.
I’ve been doing a lot of reading and watching on HerbMentor and their basic apothecary course. It’s a decent intro into most of the different herbal preparations. I’ve gotten a lot of it through the Ohio Herb Center, but this is helping reinforce that.
I have a lot of work to do to fully earn the title of hedgewitch (my own grading system), but I am also well on my way. I know where I can turn if I want or need assistance. I have a lot of tools in my bag. I have the drive and need to learn all I can and be better. And I have a need to help people with this.
For 30 years, I’ve been a witch. For the first 12, I was a solo practitioner who was reading a lot and not doing a lot, kind of adrift and unsure of where to go next. For the next 18 years, I was a technopagan in a teaching coven, helping more people be better witches. Now, it’s time to do something physical and natural to help my community and to teach people these skills.
I love this path. It’s green like new grass. It’s gold like aspen leaves and copper like maple leaves. It’s the dark blue of juniper berries and elderberries. I cannot wait to see where these take me and what I can do.
Still having focus issues. About half an hour of Diablo IV and about 10 minutes of Mass Effect tonight. Four or five bouts of knitting for about 10 minutes each throughout the day.
Had a medical appointment today, my quarterly checkup. Got blood drawn for labs. Got my second shingles vaccine, and my arm hurts like a mother. They offered the new COVID booster, but I have things going on tomorrow, and every other injection has kicked my ass for 24 hours. I’ll find a Friday afternoon when I don’t have anything on Saturday and get it then.
And then…. the butt camera. My nurse practitioner is sending me for a colonoscopy. Yuck. Evidently, there is a prep treatment other than Golytely (the biggest lie in the world, according to everyone who has dealt with it). I’m so not looking forward to it. Yuck.
Finished Sex Education today. Decent ending, I think. I’m sad that it’s done. I didn’t have nearly enough time with Adam’s storyline or Maeve’s new storyline or Aimee’s success or even Dave’s reaction. Still, overall very satisfying.
I have 8 minutes left of A Most Excellent Midlife Crisis by Robyn Peterman, read by Jessica Almasy. It’s such a great series, and I’m super happy that October turned our little book club onto it. We’ve been sharing audiobook recommendations for a while, and it’s always so much fun to talk about these. Thankfully, some of these series are many books and while we’re all getting caught up, it gives us something to listen to while we’re waiting for the next books in our favorites. The next one in the Burning Witch series by Delemhach is due out on January 30, but Aftermath (the next book in the Expeditionary Force series) by Craig Alanson (read by the incomparable RC Bray) is due out on December 12! Needless to say, they’ve both been pre-ordered, and I need them NOW. I’ve got the latest Jim Butcher novella in the Cinder Spires series ready, too, but I’ve also got 6 more books in the Good to the Last Death series ready to go, too.
Started thinking about next year’s garden. I’m going to do all herbs, and I’m starting to decide which ones I want. I’ll probably start a few of them in my Aerogardens in February or March and transplant them into the buckets for the garden. I’m going to try for 12 herbs next year, with nothing else. We don’t eat enough veggies and we don’t have the space for anything else. Plus herbs can be used for cooking, for the apothecary, for incenses, and for spellwork. I need to start incorporating more in my world. Hedgewitch doesn’t just happen.
I’m exhausted for no real reason. Time to take my pills and go to bed like the old man I am.
Today is an election day in the US. It’s always the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November (because that’s not arcane or anything). Here in Ohio, we had two very important state-wide ballot initiatives, Issue 1 and Issue 2. There are a couple of other things, such as the race for Columbus mayor and Issue 16, a tiny tax levy to help support the Columbus Metropolitan Library. I look forward to getting that little round sticker every time I vote.
Issue 1 is about reproductive rights and a woman’s right to choose. Most of my friends know my thoughts on this. I don’t have female reproductive parts, so I don’t get a say in a woman’s rights. That said, I’ll be damned if I let any old mediocre white men decide that for anyone else. They’re all about freedom, but only their freedom. So, you know, screw that noise right in the goat-hole.
Issue 2 is also a personal freedom initiative: legalization of recreational marijuana. I’ve been pro-legalization for decades. It is stupid that it’s not legal. Alcohol is legal, and it is absolutely deadly. You can die from too much alcohol. Do you know what happens if/when you smoke too much pot? You devour a bag of Doritos and fall asleep. It’s ridiculous that we’re fighting this. Let people find a tiny glimmer of hope and joy or escape from this pre-dystopian capitalist hellscape in which we’re currently residing. Plus, those same old mediocre white men don’t want to let out the legions of brown and black people in prison for minor marijuana charges.
On the positive side of today, I got a new book about rituals and coven practices for smaller magical groups (2 or more). It’s called The Everyday Witch’s Coven by Deborah Blake. I’m unfamiliar with the author, and while I’m searching for another magical group, I’m getting together with friends and sometimes a more formalized ritual is nice. I’m sure I’ll have opinions on it, so stay tuned! I know you’re all waiting on the edges of your seats.
Starting the new sleepy pill tonight. I hope it works like I need it to. Wish me luck.
So here we are at the start of a new work week. For me, that means my therapy session. My therapist and I have a running joke that, when she isn’t available on a Monday, things go absolutely sideways in my life (Dad going into hospice, coven thing, a couple of other things), so, of course, she tells me, laughingly, that she won’t be in the office next Monday, and we both laughed and I said, “Oh, so things are going to catch fire. Maybe because we know about it, it’ll be fine!” I will try not to make a self-fulfilling prophecy.
After migrating everything over to my new webhost and starting up the blog, I finally got everything working tonight, thanks to my friend Clay who sat on Zoom with me for a good long time tonight. So now, officially, somethingwicked.me points to this blog, and I’m all kinds of happy.
I have so many thoughts going on in my head, and I don’t know how to settle them down properly. I’m hoping that I can get some of them out of my head so that I can sleep tonight. Which means that I really need to get to the pharmacy to get my new prescription.
I’ll be studying a few herbs intensely this year. I mean, there will be many more that I study, but I’ve decided to try three for sure and maybe a fourth if I can find enough information about it. The three for sure are rosemary, juniper, and violet, with the optional fourth as castilleja, which is the non-racist name of the the state flower of Wyoming, the Indian Paintbrush. Gorgeous flower, not so gorgeous name. So far, I can’t find a whole lot about it, but I’m going to try a lot more work to put together a data sheet. Because I can’t possibly be the only apothecary/hedgewitch who wants to know more about it.
I think I’ve gotten everything out that’s going to come out tonight. I’m really appreciating the longform blogging of WordPress. It’s what I’ve been missing since LiveJournal went all shitty, and microblogging on Facebook and Twitter/X has been in the forefront.
I wwas finally able to get to the Magical Druid and get myself some juniper berries. I also picked up some juniper berry essential oil and got a quick and dirty lesson in flower essences from Mike and Seamus. Chatted with Seamus about some books that he’s ordering for me (because I’d much rather buy local and pay a little more than buy online), so I have that to look forward to next week.
I may see about putting in some juniper bushes next spring, especially if I’m going to be using them for magic and healing. We have a few spots where I think they’d do well, and then I’ll have all of the juniper I need. I’ve already got a great rosemary plant, and I may also look into getting some mugwort going. A friend in Nevada is also going to be sending me some wormwood, so I’ll also probably try to cultivate that.
I’m also trying to decide what classes I’m going to take next year at the Ohio Herb Center. They have a lot of great offerings. I’ll probably also do some volunteering and purchase a membership as well.
I really need to get a handle on the backyard. We need a new fence, but I’m trying to convince the Husband to put up a 6′ chain link fence and fill it in with those plastic slidey thingies to make it less transparent. I want to put in a greenhouse, too. Having a place to grow herbs all year round would be awesome.
Learning the plant stuff is a lot. There is so much out there to know. I try not to let it overwhelm me. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. I still going to keep learning, though.
It’s a cold beautiful night, the moon is just past full, and I’ve done my re-dedication to magic and witchcraft. Leaving most of the trappings of technopaganism (though they will always be a part of me; I mean, I need the internet to help me learn!) but leaning more into the realm of green witchery and becoming a hedgewitch is a much different path and, truth be told, somewhat scary; exhilarating, but scary nonetheless
I also acknowledged and named my ancestors, my Mighty Dead, especially the two newest this year, my father and my aunt. I made sure to count among them the Mighty Dead of Spirit and of Orientation, the Witches who have shaped me as much as my blood relatives.
The upcoming year will be filled with challenges, setbacks, and successes. I have goals that I’d like to achieve. I have places to go and things to see, as cliché as that is. I have so very much to learn and do and try and experience. Blessed Samhain to you and yours. May the peace and strength of the God and Goddess be in your heart. May the next year be gentle on you and on all of us.
