Pneumatised!

MM,

I’m fasting today. I got a call last week from my Wiccan teacher saying that I was to do something tonight. In addition, I needed to fast for 24 hours first. Thus, I’m fasting today. Last night, I ate some spicy shrimps and some potatoes with egg, cheese, bacon, and scallops. Yum! I want some now, but trying not to think of it. That was around 5:00 p.m. yesterday. I haven’t had any food since then. So far, I had some consomme last night. Then today, some chicken broth – two cans of it. I might have some more chicken broth before I go out tonight – leaving at 6:30. For some flavour, I decided to have a chrysanthemum infusion. There is some sweetness to the flower, so yum.

I’m nervous about tonight as I have no idea what I’m supposed to be doing. My guess is that I’m doing an impromptu ritual. I was told to bring my athame and my ritual gear. So, I’m a tad nervous, but trying not to be. The nervousness combined with the fast will just make me that much more tired. I’ll try to have a nap before I go out tonight.

My group met last week for ritual. It was an interesting ritual. To sum up, it was a ritual where we took a retrospective look at our past choices to see how we got to where we are without beating ourselves up over our choices. This was something I’ve done many times before. I’ve always been a little introspective about my life. For some reason, I never thought to do this type of work in a ritual. In any case, the idea was a great idea. The ritual was nicely performed considering it was put together at the last possible minute. Unfortunately, I didn’t need to look at my past choices right now. I’ve spent the past six months to a year doing this, and I’ve been fine with the choices I’ve made in life, so I just feel it’s time to move on right now. Time to do the things I was meant to do. Not that I didn’t find the ritual useful – it was just the wrong time for me personally to do something like that. My life feels like it’s moving forward now, and it feels “right”. Right now, I just need to keep my objectives in mind and focus on now.

Last week, I went to the full moon ritual in the park. Of course, I ended up being Priestess that night. This group is fairly small. I think it’s because people find it hard to go to the park in the colder months. That’s alright. Small groups are fine. There were four of us, my teacher, Nathan, another girl, and me. We did a ritual to show appreciation for the inventions that we have that help keep us warm and safe and healthy during the colder months. The deities called were Athena and Hephaestus. I had to make up a call to Hephaestus as well as the fire and earth elements. It was good practice for me. I still have to be conscious of my voice volume. For some reason, I adjust my voice to the amount of people present, but that doesn’t work well in the park. I need to adjust to the environment, not to the amount of people present. Ah… at least, I’m getting better at speaking indoors. Being Summoner is helping me get used to the vocal rance I need.

Speaking of being Summoner, Sunday’s public ritual was about love -the many types of love. The deities called were Aphrodite and Eros. The ritual was lovely, though being Summoner I missed hearing most of it. I have to keep watch on the people as well as the Priestess. It’s strange how as Summoner I’m connected on one level, but not on another. I’m so glad I have the other group rituals to go to – I can still get my spiritual connection there as well as through my personal rituals.

Okay, I’m getting tired again. No food at all. Lying here reading and a nap should help me conserve what energy I have. I can’t wait to get home tonight – I can eat then!

BB,
Cassandrah
Brigid’s Flame

MM,

Things seem to be getting back into a normal pace again after the craziness of the summer and the beginning of autumn. That time of the year always seems to be frantic for some reason. I guess in some ways it makes sense. From early August to the end of October is the harvest period in traditional Wiccan mythology. Maybe when this time of the year comes around people need to feel like they’ve harvested something so they try to get some project or other done. It seems strange to me now that the school year starts in the fall. Spring is the time of beginnings, and autumn the time of turning inward and reaping our rewards. Hm… perhaps even though school starts in the autumn, it is the turning inward that makes autumn a good season for returning to studies.

The public ritual on Sunday was a Wiccaning. This is similar to the idea of a Christening; however, a Wiccaning does not make a Wiccan. A person must choose to be Wiccan of their own volition and can be brought up with Wiccan parents. A Wiccaning does not mean the child will necessarily be a Wiccan later on in life, nor is it expected. One can hope, but it is not expected.

“What then is a Wiccaning?” you may ask. A Wiccaning is done for a new-born child as a way to introduce the child to the deities and the community. The parents bring the child forth and present their child to the Priest and Priestess (who are servants of the deities), then the child is brought around the circle to each of the elemental quarters to receive blessings and tokens from each of the four elements (air, fire, water, earth). The child’s chosen godparents then come forth and speak their vows to look over the child when the parents cannot. This includes situations where the child may be in dispute with the parents. The godparents are there to help the parents, but it is to the child’s best interest that they swear an oath. Finally, the child is given a Wiccan name – a spiritual name.

A Wiccaning is as much for the parents as it is for the child. The child now has a community to turn to if she/he needs help. The parents also know that they have a community to turn to if they ever need help with their child.

One of the most beautiful aspects of this ritual is the affirmation that the deities and the elements will look over the child. Hopefully, the deities will help guide the child along its journey through life.

The ritual concludes with the parents taking the child around to each person present and introducing the new-born to the community.

As Summoner for this ritual, I could not help thinking “This is my community. I’m proud of this community for the love it is willing to give to a new-born, a complete stranger that we have yet to get to know.” I think that this ritual in particular shows how connected the people in this community can be. It shows how much faith and trust we have not just in the deities, but in each other. That night I noticed many people touched by the ritual. Part of that may come from a wish that they had a ritual like that done for them when they were new-born. Since Wicca is just over 50 years old as a religion, there are many Wiccans (like myself) who were not born into the religion. They never had this ritual as a new-born. Of course, there is a Dedication that a Wiccan may choose to have, but somehow it doesn’t seem the same. In a Wiccaning, there is a conscious choice of the parents to keep the best interests of their child in mind, even if it may conflict with their views and opinions – obviously something that is very hard for many parents to do.

A Wiccaning sometimes involves a feast and presents. However, since this one was done as a public ritual and wasn’t an invitational Wiccaning, that is, no one knew ahead of time, feast and presents weren’t expected by the parents. I thought that was a wonderful thing for the parents to do. They didn’t expect anything – they just wanted to share their new-born child with everyone in the community and the deities.

I still find Wiccanings to be a very beautiful ritual, despite my radical opinion that not having children right now is a better idea. (Note: rant starts here.) I just feel it would be better to adopt one of the many “parent-less” children out there. There are so many that need a home. If I had the resources (generally, money), I would adopt a child. The other reason why I don’t think having children is a good idea is because the planet is grossly over-populated. The reason, of course, is that there are more births than deaths. If our birth rate keeps up, we won’t have much of a planet left. In case anyone else has noticed, our natural resources are going to die out – and sooner than you might think. Basically, there is a catch here. If you want to have a planet around for the next generation, people need to have less children. Think of the many children who are already born who comprise the next generation. We’re just using up this planet before the next generation even has a chance to live. I guess to sum this up, please consider adopting a child if you really want to have one. Parents who have adopted are known to comment that you don’t need to be blood related to love a child as your own. Love is not tied by blood. A Wiccaning can be done for an adopted child as well – I don’t see a reason why not. (End rant.)

BB,
Cassandrah
Brigid’s Flame

MM,

Occasionally, I go on message boards. This time an interesting topic was brought up, and it spawned some amusing comments.

The topic was pretty much “what is pagan?”. Through that it was mentioned that many of the Asian cultures are “pagan” in practice. This was something that I personally observed as well, myself being part of the Asian culture (specifically Chinese). It was early in my studies in paganism that I realized that the practices that my mother engaged in were pagan. Realizing this and also knowing a bit about my ancestors (who were likely peasants, not poor, but peasants nonetheless), I concluded that through my bloodline I was born pagan. My ancestors were, for all practical purposes, pagans (though I hesitate to call modern Chinese people pagan because I don’t like placing labels on people and some Chinese may follow other religions such as Christianity, Catholicism, or Buddhism). Such is why I always called myself “pagan” and do not call myself “neo-pagan”.

I consciously choose to follow Wicca (a neo-pagan religion) and practice witchcraft because I felt a connection to these practices. Strangely enough, it was my Wiccan studies that sparked a renewed interest in studying my own culture more, in particular its spiritual practices.

Chinese culture is fascinating because it is quite rich and varied. The country itself started out with different tribes. Along the way, different groups emerged and mixed together. China, the country, is named for its first emperor, Qin, whose rule began in 221 B.C. Prior to that, China was divided into distinct territories and cultures. It is only recently within the last sixty years that China has been able to have some stability. The people of China over time developed and adopted many different spiritual systems. They weren’t afraid of learning foreign ideas. Thus, they adopted Buddhism from India at a time when China already had Taoism. The Chinese people today tend to be a mix of Taoist, Confucianist, and Buddhist (Ch’an Buddhist to be more precise) – quite an eclectic mix. Perhaps that is why I consciously choose to be eclectic in my spirituality.

My mother is traditional Chinese. She mixes Taoist, Confucianist, and Buddhist ideas while continuing to practice some folk traditions. The folk traditions of China before it was China likely became absorbed into Confucianist and Ch’an Buddhist practices. My mother follows the traditional Chinese calendar (the lunisolar one I discussed before on this blog) as a way of keeping track of when certain spiritual rites should be performed – the most common ones being the autumn moon festival and the new year’s festival. It has been only recently that I’ve looked at other festivals that are celebrated by following the Chinese lunisolar calendar. Coincidentally, many of these festivals fall around the same time as the Wiccan Sabbats. 😀

I grew up with some very pagan practices, even if I didn’t understand them at the time. Now, I’m fortunate to have the chance to study these practices and have a reference point for whether or not I’m getting it right. (Thanks, Mom!)

Thus, even though I follow a neo-pagan religion (Wicca), I am very much pagan in heritage.

BB,
Cassandrah
Brigid’s Flame

P.S. Time being the way it is, I haven’t had any time to study Chinese history in more depth. 🙁

MM,

This past Sunday was my first ritual as Summoner. It was an interesting night. Since it was a Sabbat night (Harvestide), the temple ended up quite packed. It was hard for me to keep an eye on everything going on inside the circle with a packed house and also considering my height (5’3″). Overall though, I felt I did a good job. I can get better at it, I know that already. It being my first night as Summoner, I was a tad nervous. Over time, I will just get comfortable and used to being in public so much that it should be almost second nature. I was always a little shy in front of large groups, but never quite as shy in front of people I’m comfortable with. Such is the reason I decided to do this. I wanted to get used to being in front of a large group of people whose attention would be focused on me. (In taekwondo, it occurs to me the students are more concerned with making a mistake and their own training instead of how I’m teaching them. Perhaps that is why it is easier being in front of the taekwondo students.)

The ritual was an interesting ritual. Being Summoner is definitely different than being a participant. You are denied the emotional connection to divinity on one level, but are still connected on another. I did feel more grounded. This also allowed me to think about the ritual on a more practical level, and I also got to watch other people’s reactions to the ritual experience.

Since it was a feast night, it was a long night. People tend to linger for a while. Since it is my duty to keep an eye on the Priestess and ensure her safetey, I stayed until she had left. Her husband was Priest for the ritual, so he did much looking out for her, which definitely helped.

Overall, I think people are receptive to having a woman act as Summoner, a role traditionally given to a man of the community. I think my experience as a martial artist has helped me in this. I’m not unfamiliar with being in an authority position since I have experience teaching taekwondo. In my experience, if you are confident in what you are doing, people sense that and will be more confident in you in response.

After the ritual, I was asked by some of my acquaintances and friends how I liked being Summoner so far. So far, it’s good. I like it. It is something I always wanted to do for the community. It’s something that I think suits me naturally – I’ve always had more yang energy in the sense of being active instead of yin which is associated with being passive.

I was pretty tired when I got home that night. I didn’t eat much all day because I was a little sick last week. In fact, I’m still a little sick, but I’m getting over it. There has been much excitement this past week with all the new things happening and the changes occuring, but it’s dying down a bit. Hopefully, in the next few weeks I’ll feel a little more settled.

Blessings,
Cassandrah
Brigid’s Flame

MM,

I have always been interested in tai chi, and Nathan and I have been discussing taking a martial art together. This past Saturday, we took the opportunity to try out a tai chi class.

The tai chi style we ended up trying out on Saturday is Wu style. There were a few schools we found searching online, but this one seemed to be a good one that was easy for us to get to. There was a good one in the suburbs, but since neither of us drives, we were looking for a school downtown or within easy access to frequent public transit. In any case, the school we went to is the Toronto branch of the International Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan Federation. The academy is run by Eddie Wu, the descendent of the person who created Wu style tai chi. All things considered, we were hopeful the school would be top notch.

The class on Saturday was from 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m. We arrived a bit early so as to be able to talk to whoever was in charge there. Then we changed into some training clothes. I brought my black pants from my gumdo uniform and a black T-shirt. Then, one of the instructors there took us aside and gave us some basic exercises teaching us correct posture and stances for tai chi. These exercises were fairly simple. However, for me, relaxation exercises that involve movement often involve me thinking about them too much and they aren’t quite as relaxing at first! I expect after a while once they are routine, they will be automatic and much more relaxing for me. In any case, since both Nathan and I have quite a few years of experience in martial arts, the instructor put us with some other beginners (they were only a few weeks ahead of us, but hadn’t taken martial arts before) and went through the first little bit of the basic tai chi pattern for the Wu style. This was the fun part for me because I always loved doing my taekwondo patterns.

Once we started the pattern, the stances felt more natural than in just the basic exercise drills. Because the stances emphasis movement and changing energy, it was easier to understand how to do the stances while doing the pattern rather than just standing still. We got to do quite a bit of the pattern, but it’s still pretty far from the complete pattern. The problem, of course, is that we don’t remember the schematics of the pattern yet, so it is hard to follow along because you have to keep watching the instructor.

In any case, it was interesting to try out. I can’t wait to learn the whole pattern and just work on refining it, but I’m going to take my time. I’m not planning on switching martial arts. Rather I decided to take tai chi as a complement to my taekwondo training. Since I switched do jangs over a year ago, I’ve been worried about the lack of training in hand techniques and stances at my new do jang. When I do end up taking a patterns class in taekwondo, I end up teaching it and don’t get the practice I would like. In any case, working on the tai chi patterns should help me maintain the precision I had when I used to do stance work more. I have to say at this point that I love the taekwondo do jang I train at, the Master treats everyone like family and is quite sincere, but he has a slightly different training style than what I’m used to when I was a colour belt.

I found the tai chi class to be challenging in a different way than taekwondo. It’s more meditative which is what I wanted. The interesting thing is that I felt a little energized after taking the class. I probably could have gone for some cardio afterwards. (However, I didn’t sleep too well the night before and was a little sick so in this case the tai chi class was good enough.) The tai chi class felt like a good warm up for me. Like all martial arts, tai chi utilizes the whole body – you will feel it.

The last twenty minutes of the class was set aside to run through the whole pattern as a entire class. It was challenging to try to keep up and try to do a bit more of the pattern just by following along. I think I got nearly halfway through before it got too complicated for me to intuit the next moves. (Since it is a pattern you can intuit some parts of it because some parts repeat but with slight modifications.) So, I stepped out and joined Nathan on the side to watch the rest of it. I have to say that even though tai chi emphasizes slow movements (referred to as isometric exercise), when you’re doing the pattern it goes by faster than watching it. I think once I learn the whole pattern (which consists of 108 forms), I will try doing the pattern slower and faster to get a different feel for it each time. My guess is if you do the techniques faster, you can definitely see the martial arts application of tai chi.

After the class, we spoke with the instructors there some more. I had some questions about some of their intermediate and advanced classes. They suggested that since Nathan and I both have martial arts experience, we could come to the martial class whenever. However, I don’t do much grappling sparring and I get enough of it at taekwondo, so I might pass on that. I was mostly interested in the health, push hands, and application classes. The health classes include meditation and qi gong among other things. Obviously, the focus is on using tai chi for health reasons. The push hands class will be interesting to try later. Those who study kung fu can compare this to “sticky hands”. Push hands works with energy concepts that need to be developed from working on the basic pattern and it is done with a partner. This will be interesting for Nathan and I to do together sometime. The application classes include things such as sword and sabre forms as well as rolls and break falls.

The two instructors at the school both have over twenty years of practicing tai chi. I have to say they both know what they are doing and they seem to be quite aware of other martial arts. They mentioned that another instructor there has a taekwondo background, so it will be interesting for me to meet him at some point. Eddie Wu, the head of the Toronto academy, is currently in Hong Kong. We were told he would be back in October. Hopefully, we will meet him then.

Overall, the experience has been interesting. The instructors and people there seemed nice. The energy there is quite meditative and relaxed which provides a good learning experience. Nathan and I plan to go back. Nathan is actually going to sign up. I, on the other hand, have commitments to taekwondo still. I hope that in the next five years I will make it to fourth dan (Master) and will then be able to teach taekwondo. For me, it makes more sense to go to the tai chi classes when I can instead of signing up on a package deal. The rates are $65 per month. One class is $15. I don’t expect to be able to attend five times in a month on top of running, weight training, taekwondo, my Wiccan studies, and making some time to work on reiki. All of this is part of my spiritual practice; however, some things take priority at different times. To avoid burn out, I’m not afraid to take my time with some things.

Another interesting tidbit… part of the basic posture for practicing tai chi includes placing the tongue on the top ridge of the mouth while breathing through the nose and keeping a straight alignment along the whole spine. This is also a posture that is used in Japanese reiki exercises where breathing is done all the way down to the tanden (navel) past the diaphragm. In tai chi as with reiki, this posture allows easy flow of energy (chi or ki) through the body.

Blessings,
Cassandrah
Brigid’s Flame

MM,

The past year has been an year of personal growth for me by turning inward. During the past year, there were many things I had to work through, and I’m glad to say that I seem to have gotten through this period without any emotional scars. In fact, it has been a healing cycle for me. At the same time, I have learned a few things and some interesting lessons. These lessons have been necessary for the next stage of my spiritual path, and for that I thank the deities who watch over me. (Coincidentally, for those who know a bit about astrology, Saturn made a conjunction to my natal Sun this year. This translated to dealing with a lot of restrictions and boundaries, but it turns out this was good for me.)

A new cycle has started for me as mentioned in a previous post. So far it has been interesting. It seems the adjustment period right now will be the hardest – opportunities still like ahead of me, all I need to do is step through. It is funny that what you ask for sometimes is the hardest thing to do.

This cycle is also another one of renewal. Last year, I ended up taking time off from my Wiccan group so that I can focus on some other aspects of my development. Though I have not completed quite everything I wanted to, I have been able to return to the group and continue where I left off. In this, I feel that I am moving forward instead of just turning my wheels.

For this website and this blog, this means that I will be able to write about some other things that I have been wanting to write about in addition to what I have been writing the past year. I hope that readers will find this an interesting addition to this blog.

Thus, I shall end this blog by writing a bit about my group ritual this week. It was an interesting ritual based around the theme of changes at this time. Being a small Wiccan group, we each spoke about some of the changes that were happening in our lives lately. Then, since it was Harvestide (our autumn equinox Sabbat), we celebrated with a little feast and chatting. We did something a little different by calling upon our higher selves to join in the ritual and celebration. The ritual energy was nice and quiet, somewhat meditative which seems to suit this time of year. Overall, nice, relaxed. I felt quite grounded afterwards. 🙂 Though I wonder if I felt grounded because I was the earth element for the ritual. I made up a purification based upon the Chinese character for mountain. It had a nice earth feel. After I got home, I got the sense that I needed to write some additional verses to the purification that could be used as well by expanding the earth part and writing parts for air, fire, and water. I will need to set aside some time to reflect on this.

Blessings and Happy Autumn Equinox,
Cassandrah
Brigid’s Flame

MM,

In a previous post, I mentioned that a great opportunity came up for me to advance in one of my life goals. This relates to my Wicca studies at the Wiccan Church of Canada (WCC). At WCC, there is something called a Summoner and a Handmaiden, both of who help the Priesthood in ensuring the ritual runs smoothly with no interruption. The Summoner’s job is basically to protect the High Priestess from any physical harm and to be head of security. The Handmaiden’s job is to set up the ritual space and ensure that the performance of the circle is carried out smoothly. The Summoner stands guard outside the ritual. Normally, the Handmaiden position is held by a woman and the Summoner position is held by a man. This year, the best candidate for the Handmaiden position was a male, so they required a female Summoner (for the purposes of retaining the appearance of male and female polarity in a ritual context). I’m pleased and honoured to say that I have been given the opportunity to hold the Summoner position!

This is something I’ve always wanted to do for my community. I’ve been hoping for the opportunity, and now it is here. My installation ritual was last Sunday (September 17) and my term has officially started. This, however, means that I have to be at ritual every Sunday night. That is a big commitment, but one I was willing to take. I’m hoping that the year will be a positive experience for both myself and the community as a whole (there may be some people who aren’t receptive to having a woman act as Summoner). I’m relying on my experience in martial arts to help me not only in the act of defense, if required, but also in dealing with men’s preconceptions of a woman’s capabilities. I’m hoping that my experience teaching and training in martial arts will give me the ability to read people accurately and to judge their motives. The Summoner role requires someone who can welcome new people to the community (i.e, be a good PR person) as well as someone who can protect the community. It’s a big challenge and one I’m looking forward to overcoming.

Unfortunately, this new commitment means I may have to put some things on the back burner for about a year. I’m hoping this won’t be the case, but I’m trying not to burn out. Aside from the public ritual at WCC, I’m also part of three other Wiccan groups – two of which are important to my studies, the third is fairly important, but isn’t a commitment right now. Combining that with martial arts and reiki, it will be a very busy year ahead. *sigh* Someday, I will be able to combine all this in my life. This is just what I get for having too many interests (though they are all part of my own spiritual path).

So that is what is new with me. Another thing that might be new in the upcoming weeks is more focus on spiritual topics on my blog. If you only have a vague understanding of paganism and Wicca, you may not quite follow what is going on, but I will endeavour to explain things as best I can without having to resort to a “Beginner’s Guide to Paganism/Wicca” (though I know there are books out there like that).

That’s about it for now. I have lots of work to do still, but it is getting late. I need to make sure I get proper rest.

Blessings,
Cassandrah
Brigid’s Flame

MM,

Life has been crazy the past two and a half weeks. My mother decided that it is time for her to sell her house that she’s been living in for 31 years. The past few weeks I’ve been running back and forth to her house to help clean up and fix it up a bit. Well, I’m glad to say the craziness of it all is over. I just have to sit back now and wait for the offers to buy to come in. Speaking of which, I suppose I should post some information about the house for those interested in purchasing a home.

The house is located in the quaint, quiet Riverdale community of Toronto East. Those who enjoy convenience of living in the city will be interested in this house as it is a short walk to the subway and an even shorter walk to catch a bus. It is a solid brick house originally built in 1915 that has been carefully maintained over the years. The original structure of the house remains intact, and there is a wonderful addition to the back. The house offers a beautiful garden in the front and back. For the green thumbs, the soil is excellent for growing herbs, fruits, vegetables, and flowers. (There was once an apple tree, but it was blown down by fierce winds when I was young.) The house has a modern kitchen and bathrooms (one main bathroom, two powder rooms) while retaining much of its early 20th century design in the windows frames, doors, main staircase, floorboards, and electric fireplace.

Located only 30 minutes from downtown Toronto by public transit and maintaining an early 20th century design, this house is one of the more unique on the market. They do not build houses in Toronto like this anymore! If it is your dream to have a quiet home in the city, don’t pass up the chance to own this house.

The open house is taking place this weekend:

Saturday, September 9 from 1 to 5 p.m.
Sunday, September 10 from 1 to 5 p.m.

For more information, please visit:

Bosley Real Estate listing for 33 Hunter Street
Bosley Real Estate open house information for 33 Hunter Street
Agent Karen Trimble website information for 33 Hunter Street

Please note that if you are seriously interested in purchasing, I am required by contract to refer you to my family’s real estate agent Karen Trimble. You may, of course, have your own real estate agent contact Karen Trimble. Please do not contact me regarding the purchase of this house.

You will find Karen Trimble’s contact information on her website linked above.

Okay, so enough about selling a house.

Meanwhile, my friends Dave and Jaime finally tied the knot – literally. (Congrats, Dave and Jaime, who are probably, as I type, enjoying the sun in beautiful Panama.) Since they are Wiccans, they had a Handfasting (they had their Betrothal last year). Simply defined, a Handfasting is a Wiccan wedding. The reason it is called a Handfasting is because yes… they literally have their hands tied to each other. This is done with a cord made specially for the Handfasting. Now, this is not some kinky S&M practice (get your minds out of the gutter people, please?). Having their hands tied together symbolically represents the union these two have decided to enter into. It represents the bonding the two share with each other. While they are still tied together, the couple being Handfasted has to pass over/by a small fire and jump over a ritual broom (called a besom by Wiccans). The ease by which they accomplish these two tasks together will indicate the ease of their relationship, that is, how well they will get through things in life together. (At this point, you’re supposed to say “aw….”) This was all done within a ritual context, of course, since it’s a Wiccan practice. The ritual was quite beautiful and interesting. There is something to be said about being wedded outdoors in front of the gods rather than in a stuffy church in front of some old dude. (Although there was an old dude at my friends’ Handfasting to make their marriage legal, he was far from the typical church old dude. Kudos to one of the coolest Ministers I’ve met!) Anyway, my friends had their Handfasting the week of my craziness with fixing up a house, and I got to attend and participate.

Then, I heard of a great opportunity for something that I’ve been wanting to do, and I jumped at it. Of course, that involved some anxiety… waiting is always nerve-wrecking. In any case, I received some happy news, and now I’m looking forward to a very interesting year ahead of me starting Sunday, September 17th. I’ll post some more information on what this is later, but for now I’d like to keep this a secret.

Tied into this great opportunity, I’m happy to say that I’m moving along with my Wicca studies. I have a few more things to do in the next three weeks or so and then something special is at the end for me… I hope, I hope. I was told to cross a date off my calendar. So there! I’m not available October 21. I’ve warned you all in advance.

Because of all the craziness with my mother’s house, I have not had a chance to get back to taekwondo since I picked up my certificate. 🙁 I really was not planning on taking so much time off. I was just about to go back after being away for more than a month when I got caught up with selling my mother’s house. I’ve missed three weeks at the gym, and as I indicated, more at the do jang. At the least, I’ve managed to get some exercise by running on the days when I had some time. I pretty much spent most of the past three weeks at my mother’s, the whole day each time. Definitely no time for running, the gym, or the do jang, never mind writing on a blog. So, of course now, I’m missing taekwondo like crazy, and the gym, but I have too much work to catch up on now. This brings me to…

Reiki. I was about to settle down and finish writing my Reiki Two Manual, then all the craziness started. I get a call from my do jang, but I have to help out my mother’s house and try to do some of my own work and try to get some rest in between. Then in the midst of all that, other things have happened. Sucks to be me sometimes, I guess. But… *shrug* life is good for the most part. Aside from selling my mother’s house, I like my life, and I like what I do with it. So, my dear readers and those especially interested in reiki, I have not forgotten. I’ve only been delayed by… life. I think the gods like to test me every so often, and they throw things in my way. Is that Loki or Eris I hear laughing? Haha… glad you enjoyed my performance. Thus, I have to push back my own personal deadline of getting classes started by the autumn equinox on September 23, in just over two weeks. I’m definitely not going to make that deadline. My new deadline is Samhain (Hallowe’en to you non-magical folk). Hopefully that should give me enough time to finish writing my Reiki Two Manual and get my materials together for teaching. *Knock on wood*

Okay, I think that about sums up my two to three weeks of chaos ruling my life. Now, I think I can breathe again.

BB,
Cassandrah
Your local webmistress (who will be back to writing on a regular basis)
Brigid’s Flame

MM,

For those who are in Toronto or the GTA, the Toronto Pagan Pride Day will be tomorrow, and your local webmistress (yes, that’s me) will be available, though wandering around, to give reiki treatments upon request. If you make it out for the Pagan Pride Day, be sure to ask for Cassandrah if you would like a reiki treatment, completely free!

Here are the details of the Toronto Pagan Pride Day, as posted on a few of the yahoo message boards:

Toronto Pagan Pride Day
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Wilket Creek Park, firepit 1
(At Eglington and Leslie)
From noon ’til after dusk
At harvest time, our pagan and pagan-friendly communities come together to celebrate the rich heritage and diversity of Paganism in Toronto.
With workshops, children’s activities, musical performances, bardic competition, and more it’s an event for everyone! Bring a blanket or a chair, sunscreen, comfortable footwear, and an open mind. Come to celebrate our community, come to dance and come to enjoy.
Opening Ritual at 12:00 p.m.
Workshops, children’s activities from 1:00 to 5:00 pm
Sacred Circle Dancing from 2:00 to 5:00 pm
Harvest Ritual at 5:00 pm
Drumming and a bardic competition are scheduled for the early evening.
For more information and workshop descriptions, please see our new website:

www.torontopaganpride.com

MM, MP, and BB!
Cassandrah
Your local pagan webmistress
Brigid’s Flame