Here we go with another round of 13′s. I love the number because of its associations with bad luck and other foolish superstition. There are big differences between traditional “ways of the wise” that have been passed down and superstition. Many folks who consider themselves of one or another mainstream religion, as well as many pagans fall into believing more superstition than magick. It always kinda cracks me up. Hence my love of 13s, black cats and walking under ladders.
You might remember that I started a lil bloggy experiment over at today[dot]com where I was posting witchishness. In my ongoing efforts to share more of me here with you, I present:

Walking Under Ladders, or: 13 Daily Practices of a Practical Witch

1) Make my bed.

That’s right. Seems like a pretty mundane act, doesn’t it? I can almost hear ya’ll now “What in Hades does bed making have to do with magick?” Well, for this ol’ witch it’s a magickal act that works to manifest in my life on several levels.

• It serves as a mini meditation. It’s the time when I put the dreams and visions of the night in their various places. Some might go into a mental file to be considered later in depth, others tossed out as psychological waste products, others might need to go in my write about or research this mental files.
• It sets me to start my day fully present in today. Puts a firm close on yesterday.
• I know that when I finish my day, I’ll be coming to a clean, neat space in which to be for my evening of relaxation, reading, love and ultimately sleep.

2) Bathe

For me this is usually a soak in a tub full of hot water, often scented with aromatherapy oils, although this time of year I’m likely to settle for a cool shower. It doesn’t pay to start my day overheating my body when the temp is going to climb over 100 degrees F. It is a time to rejuvenate my body as well as cleanse it. A time to meditate and sometimes plan my day.

3) Take care of and connect with my animals.

We have the sacred responsibility of sharing our home and lives with 6 rescued parrots, 4 dogs and 2 cats. Mornings as I feed them and change their water, I talk to them and send them my thoughts of love. Although I do this throughout the day, this morning connection is important. It grounds and centers me. It reminds me of my place in the world and my connection to all living things.

4) Greet my ancestors and my dead.

Make sure candles are burning on appropriate altars, like my Ancestor Altar, as well as any other purpose altars, rituals or spells I may have burning. Make sure the dead have fresh water and salt.

This is important to my daily life. It helps me feel connected to the love and wisdom of those who have gone before me; both those I never knew and the many loves I have lost in this life.

5) Clean house.

I won’t enumerate each aspect of housecleaning, I’ll just say that I do everything with purpose and focused will. Laundry is a special and meditative time for me and if I am sweeping, I’m sweeping the room in a counter-clockwise or banishing direction and I’m sweeping out more than what is visible to the eye. If I’m dusting or polishing or cleaning the kitchen, I wipe first widdershins to banish, then sunwise to bring in health and light and love. It’s especially important to pay attention to corners where negative energy can collect. I wish I lived in a round house with round rooms. Hee hee!

6) Meditation

My daily meditations are varied and eclectic, just like me, but they happen every day in one form or another. A simple repetitive act like washing dishes can be a deep meditation if one performs it with presence of mind and practices staying in the moment.. Some days I find myself performing Thelemic Adorations, others I gaze into a crystal or the flames in our fireplace, or weather permitting, a cactus flower or other living element. Some days I feel the need for a more obvious and conscious direction or insight and I’ll pull one of any number of different tarot or meditation cards and meditate upon the message therein. Some days I simply seek the silence of an uncluttered mind.

7) Pray.

Think witches don’t pray? Hehe. Call it by what name you will. I once heard it said that “Prayer is talking to God; meditation is listening” . I talk to my Goddesses, my Gods, the Universe, my Higher Self… daily. I ask for peace. I ask that those who hunger be fed. That those who suffer be comforted. I ask for guidance and for the ability to discern my True Will. (It is always my purpose to comfort the afflict and afflict the comfortable)

8) Take creative action.

Magickally I feel it’s important to create every day. Whether I’m writing for one of my blogs, be it serious stuff or a little anti – pioneer woman fun n foolishness; working on one of my novels or even a bit of poetry, or crafting something for personal use or to sell; even designing and implementing a DIY project for my home. The magickal aspects of the creative process keep magick alive in me and my life.

9) Learn something new every day.

So easy to do, especially with the resources of the internet at our fingertips. It’s so comfortable to stay within our spheres of understanding; to sit in righteous surety of what we believe we know. People and ideas will always surprise us if we open our minds and give them a chance.

10) Practice gratitude.

There is nothing worse than a whiny witch. Well, than a whiner; period. ‘Nuff said.

11) Be aware of my self image and pay attention to my language.

Words are powerful. Am I speaking my truth? Am I using my words to manifest the positive reality in which I choose to live, or are my words full of fear and negativity? Our language carries our message into a Universe that says, YES! It says yes to our bad ideas as readily as it says yes to our good ones. I touch on this a bit more in depth in my post on Manifesting Abundance in Dicey Economic Times .

12) Practice self awareness and personal responsibility.

No excuses. Pay attention to myself, spend some time looking at me. At or near the end of each day, I look back over my day. Did I do another harm? Did I neglect to tell someone I love them? Was I self centered and self absorbed or did I make the effort to be a part of the world? Was I stingy with compliments? If I was, it was most likely to my partner, so I can usually make amends right away. If it was in the world or to another I make a note to address the situation and right the wrong. If I’m given an understanding of a past wrong I can’t make right, I can always take a moment to light a candle, or pray, or simply send my good wishes and love out to that person and then sleep with a clear mind and a full heart.

13) Play!

That’s right- all work and no play makes Thorne a dull grrrl. It’s important for my spirit that I find some time to treat myself to playfulness and a childlike attitude of wonder and joy and freedom. Sometimes I play computer games or WoW, others I play with my animals and I am known to pounce the GirlyBoi for a bit of foolishness- a tickle or a pinch or even a little splash of water. Giggles are good!

Hey, it ain’t easy being a witch! But it’s my path and I embrace it in perfect love and perfect trust.

That’s my TT! Thanks for stopping by! I’m off to visit now!

Peace, out!

Thirteen Things about Thorne’s World

Thirteen Things that “nourish” me: body, mind, heart and spirit.

(Concept taken from my Yahoo group “Evoking Authenticity”

When I consider “Nourishment”, I think today first of my physical body.
1) I have eschewed the word and concept of “diet”, because of its weight loss and body image connotations, regiment and the yo-yo business of my weight for many years. So first here I am nourished by my acceptance of my weight and loving my body at whatever size I may be. Feeling my sexuality and sensuality regardless of social stereotypes.

2) That said, I have finally come to a place where nourishment also means caring for and being aware of my body’s health and listening to the messages that it gives me. For me that means that accepting that my weight doesn’t make me a “good” or “bad” person, or define my beauty or desireability is not at odds with the desire to be healthier and feel better physically. Losing some extra pounds nourishes my desire for a healthy body.

3) Dr. Atkin’s nutritional guide (to avoid the dreaded “D” word), is deeply and effectively nourishing my body. Through it I have discovered allergies to wheat and corn and an extreme sensitivity to refined sugar which have plagued my health for countless years. Using his methods as a nutritional guide to nourish my body makes me feel better, have less pain and I’m shedding some weight. All good things!

Nourishing my mind can be a bit trickier. I have a tendency to over analyze and intellectualize that can lead me too far from my center.
4) 4 and 5 fall under mind, but also resonate deeply with self expression. Writing is a mind nourishing behavior. I love to write and share my words. I write for me, and love when someone reads and “gets” me. I love language and my ability to “evoke” a response in others by using it well and creatively. I find that writing “prompts” like this one, (TT) and Mo’s “Manic Mondays”, help me get focused and be more disciplined, which is also an important nourishment of my mind.

5) Art, specifically designing, is a mind nourishing behavior. All of my art is nourishing, but it kind of crosses over into spirit and heart nourishing. The design and creation of a piece, whether for self expression or for a tattoo client is a mind nourishing excercise. Using my knowledge and talent for layout, line weight, color and light and shadow combined with my personal sense of the client’s needs and desires for their tattoo; what they wish to say and represent on their body is an exciting and revelatory process that not only nourishes my mind, but constantly creates a space in which I can stretch and grow as an artist.

6) Observing my process, my language and my behaviors is nourishing to my mind. Change begins in me often as an intillectual process. There are times when I must first observe that a behavior, the language I’m using to express myself or an inner process isn’t working for me. It may be creating or feeding a negative outlook or response that isn’t loving and open. I find that using the process of observation, (if I’m careful to not over analyze) nourishes the desire to create a space for change.

Heart and spirit are more obviously (though no more inextricalbly) intertwined than body and mind, so there is alot more overlap here.
7) Allowing myself the freedom and humanity to fully experience my feelings nourishes my heart. Not hiding or blocking or stuffing my emotions is deeply nourishing. I laugh loudly and wildy when I’m happy or amused. I weep freely and devastatingly when I’m sad. I am fully present with my emotions with the exception of anger. I perceive anger as a “cover-up” emotion that seems to always relate back to a love issue on some level. I try (although it is more difficult) to “feel” my anger when it arises without channeling it in directions that are without compassion and love. I try not to “react” and act out. If there is a way to have my experience of anger be nourishing rather than destructive, I haven’t found it.

8) Music. Music nourishes my heart and spirit deeply. Music and lyrics of exceptionally talented people. Dave Matthews, Poe, Aimee Mann, Toni Childs, Indigo Girls and numerous others speak to my soul in ways that fill and feed and nourish me.

9) Sharing and connecting with others nourishes my heart and spirit. Clearing the way for soul communication and revelatory sharing deepens my connection with others, and nourishes my heart and spirit and my connection with myself and the natural world.

10) Gardening, walking the desert, puttering and doing and be-ing and observing nature and all of its magick and wonder nourishes my heart and soul.

11) Caring for, connecting with and nurturing “my” animals, especially my parrots, nurtures me on so many levels. The connection I feel with these bright spirits is deep and profound. The happiness I feel at the honor of their care, of doing some small bit to help heal the damage done to them and protect and nurture these few is a sacred duty of love that nourishes my heart and soul.

12) Carefully being aware of the world, the environment, and politics and doing what I percieve as my part can be nourishing. It’s another area (like anger) where I have to be exceedingly careful to not do myself injury. Finding the balance of feeling and doing, of accepting responsibility without being martyred, of embracing my place in the greater picture.

13 is too short a list, so here are a few quickies:
13) Reading for both pleasure and escape as well as study and enlightenment, sex, dancing, naps, SARK, meditation, journalling, cleaning my house, crafting, making and fixing/repairing things, singing, making love, adoring my partner, being adored by my partner, giving, receiving, taking long bubble baths, accepting my physical limitations and finding creative ways to treat my body well, getting a massage, giving a massage, hugs (and more hugs). I could prolly go on, but I’m going shopping with my SiL (Sister in Love) this morning and that oo will be nourishing on many levels.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants on technorati

November is National Novel Writing Month. I’ve been wanting to participate for 3 or 4 years now. Every year past, the holiday rush and life in general has carried me along well into November before I remembered that I had intended to participate. This year was to be different. I made a committment to myself last year, and even went to the site and had them email me a reminder. I’ve had the little button on my sidebar for awhile now. I have a couple of friends who are also doing it, and we have agreed to support each other through this word-a-thon. The goal is to write 50,000 words during the month of Novemeber. A 50,000 word novel.

I had decided not to write an outline, or make any concrete story decisions, rather that I would write opening lines as they came to me over the last month and then on November 1, I’d begin writing with the one that I felt.

Since our Lil Pharoah died, my words felt like they withered and died within me. When my e., my Eda asked if I would be able to do NaNoWriMo, I said I wanted to write, but felt now that there was no life; no meaning in the opening lines I had written. Nor had any new muse spoken to me. Here in my blog I’ve been posting only snippets… song lyrics. Even my ability to speak my words has been hampered. It seems that the enormity of our loss has exceeded my ability to convey even the simplest concepts.

I told my Eda that the only words that keep coming back; that circle restlessly in my mind and heart; shifting and changing and flowing through myriad meanings and feelings are these: “The Space Between”. Those words of Dave’s have filled so much space in me on so many levels and speak so many secret truths that they have almost become a sort of mantra; no- more than that; a mystery that encompasses life, somehow. Eda said “Maybe you can write that story; “The Space Betwen”.

Thank you my e.; my eda. You opened my heart again to my words.

I found myself able to begin to write rather than just post lyrics. I began with my email to Dave, continued with At Loose Ends, and have made some small progress since.

I am going to write. I am going to write a 50,000 word novel during the month of November. The working title shall be “The Space Between”. I’ll need to write 1,667 words a day.

I also have many and many gratitudes to write to this incredible blogging community, no; family that has offered me so much love and support during this time. I think I’m ready to begin. This is only a small and small beginning, I want to embrace each and every one of you, and I shall.