Crossing the Ecliptic

Kismet and I joined the ritual celebration of Alban Eilir, The Vernal Equinox yesterday. As I mentioned in my previous post, we ventured south to Lincoln Park in West Seattle to join the Bards of Caer Pugetia for their druid ritual.

This was the first time I had been to this park. It very similar to other parks in the area with lots of old growth trees that predated the park itself. This particular park was on Puget Sound, so the entire western edge of the park is the beach. The weather itself was perfect, with a totally clear sky and temperatures in the 50s.

I decided not to take my camera since this was the first time we attended a ritual by this group. Showing up as a new participant is good, but with a camera in hand to take pictures is not always the best way to make a first impression.

We had to walk a bit to find the ritual site, but the walk was very nice. We made our way across the park to the beach, and walked south till we found the spot the group was meeting. The view from the beach was breathtaking! A clear, crisp Puget Sound stretched out before the site, with the Olympic mountain range far in the distance across the sound. It was fantastic!

The members of the group were very nice, and had a good energy. I enjoyed celebrating the coming of spring with them, it was a good group. They had reserved a covered picnic area for their meeting. This is fine, but they had the ritual itself in the covered area! I wasn't crazy about having concrete under me when we were surrounded by a beautiful park. I think the ritual would have been much better with the sky as the roof and the grass underfoot. However I was the new guy, and really wanted to go with the flow and get a feel for the group. Other than the ritual in the enclose, the rest of the experience was great.

The ritual itself was much more detailed and extensive than I am used to, but I see that in a positive light. At one point all the participants closed hands on two new members that were being initiated into the group. Even though we had not been initiated, we were encouraged to participate. When I laid hands upon one of the two in the center, I could feel the energy of everyone in the circle touching the two. The energy was quite strong, and very positive. I could feel Kismet’s energy intermingled with the others. It was a warm experience I will not soon forget.

After the ritual ended, many of the members went to a tea and incense shop on Capital Hill called Travelers. This shop is owned by one of the members of the druid group. It was nice to be in a more relaxed and social environment with the group members. It gave Kismet and I a chance to get to know a few of them a little better, and understand the group a little more. A very enjoyable end to our equinox festivities!

Equal Days and Nights!!

Yes, yes... the wedding is keeping us sooo busy, but it is almost the first day of spring and we HAVE to celebrate!

Bards of Caer Pugetia of the Bards of Turtle Island is a local druid group in Seattle. We don't have any experience with them, but they are holding a public ritual in the 19th, and we are going. It'll be fun to put on the white robes and welcome spring with a bunch of like minded people!

A Post of Continuity

It has been some time since I last posted, but not due to lack of activity. Kismet and I have been contemplating what kind of wedding we would like, and how to plan it.

This ceremony is going to be spiritual for us, and will symbolize our connection to each other and Mother Earth. We want it to be simple and 'down to Earth.'.

We will only have a couple of guests to act as witnesses, and are going to have the ceremony on our property. We are connected to where we live, and it will be the best place to perform this union.

The Cycle of the World, and the Circle of Life

Through my current Druid studies I have been contemplating the circle, and the many meanings and manifestations it makes on our lives. It is quite amazing how many different ways the circle is present in our lives, once we watch for it.

As a pagan, the obvious is the circle cast during a ritual. For me this is simply a symbol of the cycles present in our world and our lives. The cycle of the day, of the year, and of our lives are all tied to the reliable circle.

I kept these aspects in mind recently when casting a circle, and focusing the energy of these cycles into the circle. I believe the circle had more power than usual, and brought a greater energy to the ritual. I won't say the experience surprised me, but I was pleased with this positive change.

I took it a step further, and focused the energy of the cycles of life into casting a circle during meditation, when I was alive in my inner grove. I felt the energy of the circle within my inner grove, and the energy was very intense.

The Biggest Change of All

Kismet and I have decided to get married. We have set the date for April 22nd, and are keeping busy with all the planning that is involved.

We are going to keep the ceremony very smallwith two witnesses and Aspen to perform the ceremony. Even with a group so small, there is a lot of planning to do!

A Paradigm Shift

My last blog entry talked about my second job change, but that is nothing compared to the career change Kismet is about to go through, and how it will affect our household. Kismet is quitting her job, and is going to start a home-based business!

She and I have been working on our off hours selling on Ebay, and have done fairly well at it. We have decided that Kismet will stop working, and invest her time into building up the Ebay business. Our hope is I will eventually be able to quit my job and join her!

This first step will help us both free up time for the things we enjoy. I have been able to keep up with my Druid studies, but just barely. Kismet will be able to take over some of the maintenance and household jobs I have had to do and will still have plenty of time to give to the new business.

Imbolc is fast approaching, and I have several fun posts coming up about the festival. My next post will deal with the biggest change yet for Kismet and me. I'll post about it in a few days.

The Wheel Spins Fast!

I was shocked to see that I have not done a blog posting in over 2 weeks! I have been very busy, but have finally set down to chronicle all the changes I have recently experienced. I'm going to do them one at a time over the next few entries, because there are some biggies.

I have changed jobs again. It took a month away from my old job to see it was the changes that happened there that drove me out, not the type of work. The outsourcing to India took a job I loved and turned it into a job I hated within the span of one year. It took a month away to see it.

I was contacted by one of the company’s competitors, and they really wanted me to work for them. The interview was quite strange, I was asking them all the tough questions about the future of the company, and they were throwing me snowballs for questions. I was very concerned that what happened to me before would not repeat itself, and they went out of their way to satisfy me.

I accepted a job from them, and started at the New Year. I am back in an office in front of a computer. I had real fears that this was a mistake before I started, but I was thankfully wrong. I do like my new job and the people I work with, and see this as the right path for me.

Cooking was enjoyable while it lasted, but this is my path.