The Holly King - A Poem

Hidden deep in the forests darkest gloom,
Will you find a special, secret room,
Walls of trees, overhead branches loom,
Like some strange Hall or wooden tomb!

In the center stands great blaze,
Into the air the flames do raise,
Painting all with deep bronze glaze,
Lighting all in these dark days!

Laid on tables oh so wide,
Feast of fruits down each side,
Forest residents with hooded eyes,
At this feast are now all spied!

Beyond feasting tables lies a large throne,
Made from wood and bone and stone,
Over all of it the Ivy has now grown,
On top of it the snow has blown!

Sat in throne looking so very fine,
With eyes so brown that they do shine,
Lined face of beauty, so benign,
How could he be thought so malign?

Frost lies coating old mans beard,
He is One who's coming is feared,
The land below He has cleared,
As with snow it is now smeared!

Winter is a needed part of life,
Cold months with all their desperate strife,
Hunger abounds and is now rife,
As it cuts at belly like a knife!

He is Winter incarnate, Holly King,
He doth death and cold now bring,
Yet in depths of midwinter do we sing,
Of returning Sun, of coming Spring!

Dark half of the year doth He rule,
From summer heat to frost so cruel,
Yet think him not some kind of fool,
His reign doth end at coming Yule!

He does no more than play his part,
Coating world with His works of art,
Then for other lands he doth depart,
As growing season does now restart!

To his brother he does now atone,
As Oak king now doth take the Throne,
Once more his solar might is now known,
And once more are the crops now grown!

Suzanne Read
7th December 2010

Inspired by the recent cold temperatures and snow, hope you like!

Tru;y a Witch, a poem

Truly a Witch

by ~RavenSummerisle

What does it mean to be a Witch?
Its not about chasing a golden snitch!
Lucky Black Cat and Pointy Hat?
There's no real need for all that tat!


Watching Charmed on the telly?
Tattooing triskelle on your belly?
Singing along to Practical Magic?
Oh, dont be so bloody tragic!


Watching Twilight and New Moon,
Cant wait for the next one 'coming soon'?
Angel and Buffy are your Heroes?
Get a life, their only TV shows!


Hung with Silver everywhere,
Eager for disapproving stare!
Teenage fad thats 'oh so cool'?
Dont be such a rebellious fool!


Bookcase filled with TeenWitch books?
Huh, money taken by corporate crooks!
Shelves filled with crystals so fine?
Dont so waste your bloody time!


All these are thing any Witch may choose to do,
But doing them does not a Witch make you!
Being a Witch means none need see,
Being a Witch means you have to be free!


If you truly seek to be a Witch,
And you need to find your own niche,
Then it is inside that you must look,
Wisdom does not come from a book!


Look to the Old Gods to light your way,
Listen carefully to what they might say!
Pay heed to who They really are,
Walk with them as you journey afar!


Honour Maiden, Mother and Crone,
Now within the seed is sown!
Honour, Child, Hunter and Sage,
Learn the wisdom of every age!


To see your future then look to the past,
Look to the Ancestors, legion so vast!
Honour them all in your own Rites,
Connect with them at Sacred Sites!


Learn from those who came before,
Take heed of their experience and their Lore!
Practice your Art by night and by day,
But form your Rites in your own way!


Learn to listen to whisper half heard,
See the real in picture half blurred,
From your eyes let the blinkers fall,
Let yourself truly perceive it all!


Become aware of all thats around,
The Other realms you have now found!
Learn the ways to travel between,
Learn from all that you have seen!


Honour the Sabbats of the wheel,
They will truly help you to feel,
Learn from the changes of the Seasons,
Learn the lessons and their reasons!


Get out into the Woods late at night,
Beneath full moon, oh so bright!
In the darkness work your Rite,
Within the Goddess's sacred sight!


Find your connection to the ground,
Make your own roots viable and sound!
Connection to the land growing so strong,
As you write your own individual song!


To your own heart you must be faithful,
Even if others find it really distasteful!
The Crooked Path you've chosen to walk,
Will wind along with many a fork!


Let the ego deep inside die,
Let your spirit soar and fly!
Loosen the fetters of society,
No need for personal notoriety!


If these things you so choose to do,
Then to Old Ones you will show honour true!
You will no longer have need of labels,
As their blessings are enabled!


Then Pagan Priest(ess) you will become,
To Your true self you will succumb!
Druids, Witch, Heathen and Shaman!
All good labels for any honest Pagan!


This of course is my own take,
Tis not Mankind who a Witch do make!
Your own choices you must make,
Whether within you wish the Gods to awake!


But be aware that oaths do bind,
That the Old Ones will again you find,
In future lives you will return,
Once again a Witch, once more to learn!


Suzanne Read
29th November 2010

Sacred Rite, a delve into the first outdoor circle I cast many moons ago!

 Sacred Rite

Dead of darkest Night in silent Wood,

Heeding the calling that stirs in my blood!

Sacred space swept, circle cast clear,

Soon we start, soon You will be here!

Heart and Intent aligned as One,

Now this Rite truly has Begun!

With Badger, Owl, Fox and Hare,

This Sacred night we do now share!

Calling Dark Mother to claim mine by Right!

As Daughter of Moon and Child of the Night!

Horned One approaches, feel him near!

God and Goddess, You are Here!

Calling You Forth with all of my Might,

Witch, Lord and Lady joined on this Night!

Connection shared with all around,

Honouring You on this Sacred Ground!

Listen hard, hear wind in the trees,

Owl's hoot, wonder what She sees?

Movement seen from corner of eye,

What is it now that we do spy?

Distant Voices half heard in Mist,

You know what I mean, You get the gist!

Working together past and future are seen,

With sight sharply clear and oh so keen!

Deeper workings now to do,

Intent aligned, us and You!

Yet all too soon tis time to end,

Energy sent, others to mend!

Libations given, circle released,

This Rite has now totally Ceased!

Clear the area before we Go,

What has occured here, none will know!

Suzanne Read 10th November 2010

Greetings once more Seeker, welcome and thanks for returning!

I'm conscious that I seem to have been focussing the blog on ecological issues recently, with 2 of the last 3 posts being about our wish to live a more ecologically sound livestyle and animal rights, so todays poem and post are a return to more spiritual matters.

I found myself driving to work this morning with numerous rhymes firing around my head, a vision of a Rite in darkened woods late at night (somewhere we've been so many times, somewhere that calls to your soul), it felt as if I was being 'told' to write about past experiences and those yet to come, as if I was being called to try and share the heightened awareness, that deep connection and the tingle of excitement that comes from holding a Rite in the woods at night!

I recall the first time we were asked to carry out a Rite in the woods at night, this was the first Circle Casting done with the given techniques whilst training with a Family Group, previously we'd done our own Rites in our own Sacred Space (a loft conversion in the old house, that we'd decorated and made special by our focus and the energy we shared in making it) and out of doors in daylight, but being told we had to go out at night, alone into the woods to cast a circle (and just experience the feeling of being there, all alone in the night) was something that caused a little concern, how would we feel, were we to be safe, and what sort of connection would we be able to find!

I shall share here some of what ocurred, written at the time as a part of the reports I had to complete for the Families training, which was back almost 10 years ago, I hope it is of some interest and use to you!

"Dark Moon, and finally I felt ready to go out and do my first circle, after having not felt the time was quite right for the past two weeks I finally found it right to go on the Dark Moon, surely not a coincidence? The night was cold, low cloud, windy at the house when we left and not as dark as we’d have liked (due to all the light pollution from Manchester and the works the other side of the Canal). We both wrapped up warm, packed a few bits n pieces in my rucksack and at 930pm headed off to the park that borders the Ship Canal, deciding once we had got there to use two separate bits of the ‘Beach’ area, Lee in the lee, myself on the headland. When I got up there it was to notice just off the corner of the beach a wonderfully sheltered spot underneath a tree. I made my way down to it to find the tree was directly to north at the edge of my circle area, and the canal to West, again right at the edge of my Circle area, perfect correspondances and representations in themselves! The woods felt peaceful, purposeful and more ‘alive’ at night than they did during the day, though whether this was due to my own senses being heightened by the darkness or something else I am not as yet sure!

There was a branch of the tree descending right to the left (west) of the center of my circle, which made a handy place to put my rucksack and supplies whilst I set everything up. I started by sweeping the area free deosil of any impurities, visualising it cleaning the area, (as although it was out of doors and therefore I felt shouldn’t need cleansing it was obviously an area that kids had played in recently). I then placed my crystal ball to north, just in front of the tree, my feather and incense to the East, the lit lantern to the South, and my chalice to West. In the center were myself, my wand (found late last week, it was a small branch I took from a tree Lee showed me, that I took to try and identify the tree, which was Hawthorn, and measured surprisingly (though maybe I shouldn’t be surprised at anything coincidental anymore! Lol!) exactly an Elle! and a small cake to share later.

I relaxed and spent some time just getting in touch with the surroundings, then taking my spare water I marked the boundary of the circle I was casting. I stood relaxed for a moment or two, and asked the Mother and Dark Father to witness my rite. I was relaxed, aware of every movement around me, the tree’s creaking gently in the wind, and felt somewhat connected to my surroundings.

I started at North, and with my wand traced the outline of my circle widdershins, chanting the Chalm of Making (Druidic, spoken in Welsh / Gaelic and has a rhyme that builds power for myself ‘Amal Nathras, Uthas Bethod, Dochyell Gyenveh’ – ok, I know it’s a bit theatrical, but it seemed to work for me!) I walked the circle edge chanting stronger with each repetition, a total of three times around, as this is what felt comfortable to me.

Next I stood facing North, and invited the Elementals, ‘To those who reside in the North, come forth and witness my Rite, lend me your presence and power’, backing this up with the suggested visualisation, and seeing the tree above and to the North of me in it’s stark beauty. I felt the cold and sure ground beneath me, and a sense of timeless ageless surety, firm, grounding, relentless, stability.

Then I moved to West, and invited the Elementals, ‘To those who reside in the West, come forth and witness my Rite, lend me your presence and power’, again visualising as suggested, and looking to the dark and still waters of the canal to my West. I felt fluidity, emotions coursing through me, a sense of being able to flow and change shape as required by experience and situation.

Next South, ‘To those who reside in the South, come forth and witness my Rite, lend me your presence and power’, Visualising the Sun as I stood facing that way, and conscious of the flickering candle light. I felt warmth, the feeling of protection one gets when in a Father’s arms, the warm glow of friendship and also more, the passion of uncontrollable lust, the heat of the furnace.

Finally East, ‘To those who reside in the East, come forth and witness my Rite, lend me your presence and power’, visualising the wind on my face as I looked to the East, which although it was a windy night wasn’t noticeable inside my circle! I could hear the trees being moved by the wind, creaking and branches squeaking as they rubbed together, but it was not something I could physically feel within the circle itself! I felt a cool moist breeze, the sense of a crisp morning in the mountains, inspiration and intuition, but also ordered thoughts, logic.

Then I stood in the center of my circle, eyes shut and visualised the circle coming above and around me, and my heart glowing as the diamond at it’s center, this felt true and good, as though it was more than any other circle I had done before!

After this I sat for a while on the tree branch, facing East, closed my eyes and meditated, in my eyes at first I could see purple / blue spots, but then I became aware of flickering to my right, and began to sense more of my surroundings, it was as though I could ‘see’ with my eyes shut! I stayed there for a few minutes, and then heard the metal gate at the edge of the woods bang violently, so opened my eyes and looked that way for a few minutes. It was soon after this I saw a light shine upon the grass, it appeared to come from the headland to my North, and was shining downwards onto the grass, though on telling Lee of this he says he didn’t hear the gate bang at all, and that he shone his light in the direction I saw the flash, though as he was below me and the land after rising up to a lip from where he was then fell away towards me, I am pretty sure the light source wasn’t him, as it would have had to shine through solid ground or be reflected 180 degrees for it to appear as I saw it! After I was fairly certain that I was still alone I sat on the floor in the middle of the circle, facing West, and closed my eyes to meditate once more. This time I seemed to float off somewhere else, time seemed to stand still and I have no visual clues to where I was, except it felt different, fuzzy, confusing and almost misty. When I opened my eyes and looked to the South (my left) it was to see mist surrounding the tops of the trees, and seemingly thick in between the branches, but to the West, North and East there was no hint of mist at all! It was almost a shock, it certainly surprised me, and Lee agreed it was strange too! Later when we left I noticed there was no mist anywhere else but around these trees.

After this I blessed the cake and water, ate a little and left an offering to the Old Ones, thanked the Guardians for their presence, ‘To those who reside in the East / South / West / North, stay if you will, depart if you must, thankyou for your protection this dark night’. I then took my wand and walked the Circle boundary deosil, saying ‘This circle is open, but unbroken!’

After this we both met up again, and walked home. Reflecting on the whole experience, it was more powerful and had more connection than I have felt before, and there were some parts that certainly made me feel and think more than I had before. Negatives, well, the area we were in was a little too bright for my liking, we are going to have to look further afield to find somewhere darker, and I think more preparation would be certainly useful next time!

In total we were out for 2 hours, it was 1130pm when we got home, yet it had felt like no more than a few minutes since we had left, time I know runs differently within Circle, and this night was certainly no exception! It was cold out, but neither of us felt it, both being extremely warm when we got home!"

Re-reading it again now it surprises me at how far I have come on from this point, the dark woods at night now hold no fear for me, be they familiar ones I am working or unfamiliar ones that I do not yet know, the connection I now feel has no need of Tools, nor for complex Rites, everything has been pared back to the absolute minimum I need, nothing within and without the circle tend to surprise me any longer, its not that I have become jaded, but more I can feel my connection and know when I am safe!

I may well choose in the future to share some of the other writing from some of the Rites we have done, possibly the first Full Moon Rite we did with that Family, although certain of the Family Rites that we attended I cannot post about, they are 'sub rosa', oathbound and cannot be discussed except with those that were present and only then if we are alone!

I hope you found the poem inspiring, and the writing of some interest! Return soon for more of my musings and some more poor attempts at poetry!
Dark Dreams
Suzanne

New Beginnings?

Greetings Seeker, and welcome once more to my rambling writing!

Possible name and formal logo of the new working group

New Beginnings

With the Years tentative new start,

Comes the chance to practice our Arte,

With staunch companions by our sides,

Endless possibilities, wide open skies!

 Heeding the Call from Old Ones voices,

Working together, with intent and choices!

By Badger, Fox, Owl and Hare,

Our intent we now Share!

A focus grounded in the past,

Foundations built to last and last,

Core of the group now comes together,

Lee and Sue, Bear and Heather!

Gatekeepers all, holding strong,

Protecting the Group from whats wrong!

Others too will be at out side,

From close and far, near and wide!

Working together with all our Might,

Through the days and in the Night!

Holding together a Sacred Trust,

Do as ye will, Do as ye Must!

Pay the Price if required,

Heed not, if weary or tired,

A sum now greater than its parts,

This is now where it all starts!

From small seed doth huge tree grow,
This be true and this we know!
Earth, Air, Fire and Water
Bind Us now as One!

Suzanne Read 7th November (Hekate's Day) 2010

Last night was fun, not only a chance to catch up with an old and dear friend, but once again synchronous thoughts, actions and intent become apparent! Unfortunately due to ill health in one of H's furbabies, (Fern the Cat, please send whatever you can to help her, she is diabetic and has problems, its not sure whether she will recover or move on as yet, but she, H and Andrew are in our thoughts), Andrew and Heather were unable to make it to the meetup and meal at ours, but Bear (Andru) was fetched over by us both, a welcome feast served and plenty of talk and drink flowed as the evening progressed!

Bear is a former HP of the Circle of the Moon Teaching Coven, (to which we once belonged) and counterpart to H (who was HPS of the same), and a dear and true friend, one of those friends who you can go years without seeing, (in truth its been 2 years since we last met up, at the Samhain Rite at Heathers after which we walked away from CotM) but when you get together tis as if no absence has occurred, you feel totally at ease with one another and immediately pick up where you left off!

Big hugs were the first order of business, then a chance to catch up on what we'd all been up to and how life has been treating us all! As could almost be predicted, Bear has found himself being 'told' that his 'group working' sabbatical (with H and us both) is over, that tis time for something new to come, he'd even talked with H about what was happening a few weeks ago, the pair of them had already tentatively spoken about a possible name and format for the group, being less hierarchical than CotM was, and possibly using multiple sites for Ritual, with a focus possibly being an old working area we were familiar with!

We ate well, Homemade Tomato soup, followed by Rissotto and Pumpkin Chilli, followed by Cheese and Biscuits, washed down with a bottle of our Elderflower Wine and Wilkins Cider, with a Damh the Bard album playing in the background! Good food, good company, good drinks and good music plus a topic that we were all passionate about set the foundations for a great (if late) night!

With H and Andrew not being present no real decisions could be made, but concepts, thoughts, focus, intent, Ritual format and locations, Deity and a Birthing Rite (for the new group) were all subjects that were discussed, the Muse was definitely with us as ideas and inspiration flowed thick and fast, our intents and thoughts were aligned and a strong base found for us all to move forwards with.

A possible name and basic logo for the group, no decision made as yet, as without consensus from the Core group, nothing can be decided, all must be in agreement, each will hold power of veto, in all aspects of the Group!

As part of our discussions we looked at where those who could be within the Group live, and where they normally work, and after plotting them on a map discovered it formed a flattened inverted pentacle, so a basic symbol for the group was then discussed, using the inverted pentacle, a stags head to represent the masculine energies (Herne, Pan and Cernunnos were the 3 Gods who immediately came forth, especially to Lee who was listening more rather than firing out the ideas and suggestions that Bear and I were doing, normal for him, looking to his connection to bring forth what is required by the Old Ones, but when he did speak it was with power and heeded by us all!). This would then be surmounted by 2 inward facing crescent moons, not only symbolising the feminine energies (forming a symbolic Yoni), but also forming the 'eye' symbol (inward crescents flanking the dark moon), or the hidden face of the Goddess symbol (Breagha, Hekate, Cerridwen and possibly Gaia were Goddesses that seemed to resonate) I know many consider an inverted pentacle to be some form of negative or evil symbol, whereas it is in actuality a symbol of 2nd degree, and as CotM was a teaching coven (or first degree if you prefer), then it makes sense that the newer group which is the next step onwards takes a symbol that is further along the Path, so it works on many levels!

A possible more formal Logo as produced by Bear

Although we all felt that the new group wouldnt be a hierarchical group, we did discuss the need for a Core group, Gatekeepers who hold the decisions and direction / focus of the group in their hands, all with equal power of Veto, all holding the energy of the group and able to work for the group, which it seems will start with the 4 of us, and then be built upon with others as we see fit and are guided by the Old Ones. Outside of this Core would be others who would belong to the group, both experienced and WIT's (Witches In Training), who would be then admitted to the Core group as their intent, commitment and experience levels reached the correct level. This wasnt discussed as any form of elitism, but more as a means to protect the group and ensure only those who fitted in and were committed to the group were able to make the major decision, although any of the Outer Circle could bring forth suggestions and requests which would then be considered. I normally dont like any form of hierarchy, nor any smack of elitism (been there in my youth and took a long time to get away from its taint, with the foul smell of egotistical behaviours tainting what was done and less honour than was required paid to the Old Ones!), but did feel that this was a necessary part of forming the new group, how it works and whether it is something thats needed going forwards only time will tell!

Another possible formal Logo, to be discussed with all present!

The use of possibly 5 working sites was something we also felt good, not only allowing us to remain unseen by those who could object (by working different areas at different times and not using any too frequently), but also allowing us to hold synchronous Rites if it was not possible to all meet up at one site. It also means that everyone will take their fair share of travelling and equally travel the distances involved (about 1/2 hour by car maximum)

We talked also of using music / singing / chanting / resonance within Ritual, something that I exoerienced in all its glory at the Goddess Hall Samhain Rite (and have experienced at other times when we were with CotM), which was well received by the 3 of us, hopefully this could be something of use without becoming too 'fluffy'! Guided meditations are something we all felt a definite pull towards, so inculsion in most of the Rites is a possiblity, although it will be left to the Ritual Leader of that Rite to decide (we felt having a different person lead each Rite would be a good idea, splitting the workload and making it as inclusive as possible for all present!) exactly what format and how each Rite will pan out, splitting the workload and allowing different styles and knowledge come forth!

Yet another possible formal logo, only time will tell which of Bear's designs (if any) meet with universal approval, or whether some tweaks will still need to be made!

The group will not be Wiccan in framework, although most of us have had some experience within Wicca / wicca, its not where our current paths lie, instead it will possibly be more Traditional Witchcraft based, quarters and elements will be used, but possibly in the older form of the animals, Badger, Owl, Fox and Hare, you may think slightly shamanistic or druidic in format, but it matters not. This is a new group, seeking to reclaim and reconstruct what was once lost, drawing on the influences, knowledge and practices of us all, using what works from the past and our own knowledge and experiences, discarding that which does not work or feel right to us all, which is how it should be!

We would probably be a very balanced working group, focussing neither solely on the Goddess or the God, nor on light or dark, but utilising all aspects as the need arises! We probably wont follow the wiccan tenet of the Rede, 'An it Harm None, Do as Ye Will', but more the 'Do as Ye Will, But Know what Ye Do!' type of guideline! There need be no hang ups that X,Y, Z isnt being used, or that the format is different, its the intent and focus of the group as a whole that matter to us all, as long as we honour the Old Ones, each other, ourselves and the Ancestors, then it is as it should be!

Ritual Libations (Cakes and Ale) were discussed, and we felt that it probably needed to be something personal, homemade food and drink in preference of bought items, the same with other ritual items, a nice part of being beekeepers is that honey, propolis and beeswax are something we can easily source!

A lot more needs to be discussed, and not least we need to get the 4 of us together and make some firm decisions, especially with H being draconic in nature ('Do not meddle lightly in the affairs of Dragons, for Ye are crunchy and taste good with Ketchup!'), but it does feel as though we've made a start, that some great ideas for a firm foundation are out there and who knows, with the Old Ones blessings they will come to fruition!

And as Bear did write..........
'The Raven calls, the Wolf approaches, The Dragon flies and the Bear lumbers on.'
Beautiful!

Darkest Dreams
Suzanne