Where to Aim

 For someone who goes on and on about the traditions I’d like to build and pass on, I sure don’t get around to talking about them much, do I? I’ve actually been outlining some things, trying to compile a personal path and all it entails in a manageable number of pages. Sounds daunting when I put it that way, but that’s fine. It is a daunting task. 

Being a kitchen witch, most of my traditions are centered around food and the magical purposes of the ingredients. Kitchen items can be used in other rooms and for other reasons, too, and I’d like to share some of the things I’ve learned through a combination of experimenting and intuition. 

One of my biggest problems, though, is having too many ideas and no discipline/focus to finish even one idea before I start planning the next. 

I have most certainly bitten off more than I can chew with the big cookbook project I’ve been slowly picking at. I think it may do me good to take a break and give some attention to things that are finished, or mostly finished, yet unorganized. That might provide me with some sense of accomplishment and perhaps even motivate me to make more progress on bigger things. We shall see. 

I’d ideally like to put together some printable planner pages for the witchy week. I’ve been working on things such as what room to focus on for each day, matching planets, energies, and ingredients. Those ideas and energies would also spill over into meal planning, naturally. 

Other things I would like to be able to share with others include the sundown-to-sundown observance of sabbats with an overnight vigil and ritual at dawn, followed by an appropriate breakfast. Have I been working on recipes for that? What, are you new here? Oh, you are? Pardon me. Welcome. Yes. Yes, I have. 

If there is anyone left to read this, let me know where you’d like to see me focus my energies: Biiiiiig book only (get on it, witch!), path traditions (+ breakfast/brunch recipes), witchy planner, or throw it all in the bin and find another way to waste time? 

In Favor of Imbolc

 Let me start by saying that I do not dislike Yule. It’s really not very stressful for me. I have very few people to shop for, and our holiday dinner here will be for the two of us. I’m actually looking forward to the long weekend over which I will observe Yule this year. 

No, I’m not trying to say anything negative about Yule.The solstice time is warm, bright, and cheerful. Yule is very, very necessary for a lot of reasons. First and foremost, it celebrates the birth of the sun/god, the slow return of light and warmth.The winter solstice is the longest night; therefore the extra brightness reminds us of the light half of the year. In addition, in my wheel of the year, the new year is Yule (I’ve written about my reasons for this). By Imbolc, though, the goddess has also recovered much of her strength. 

Depending on your hemisphere and region, this time of year can be cold, gray, and wet or snowy. I, however, live in a place that isn’t usually that cold in December. Snow, when it happens, is more of a January-February thing. This past February was unprecedented and horrific, as many of you may know, but it’s typically just dark, cold, and depressing. 

The post-Yule period feels like a huge letdown after such a big buildup. The calendar rolls over and January is gray and slushy. It drags on. February may be the shortest month, but it has a way of feeling like the longest. February, rather than making us anticipate March and Ostara, heralding spring, we instead feel as though winter will never end.

It’s at this time we most need the reminder that the sun is growing stronger day by day. The days themselves are lengthening a little at a time. Imbolc, also known as Candelmas, is also about flame because of its connection to Brigid. Imbolc is also related to the pregnant ewes and the milk their bodies were starting to make. I guess you could also look at a cozy, glowing celebration as a way of cheering up a new or soon-to-be mother, in a way. 

Light lots of candles. Build a fire if possible. Decorate with dried orange slices and red chilies. Eat spicy food and traditional (and cooling) dairy dishes. Have a warm drink. Put some brandy in it. Get warm. Bask in the light. If there is snow outside, bring in a bowl of it and cheer as it melts. Help usher winter back to its slumber for a few months. Acknowledge the Cailleach and thank her for her gifts of winter solitude, silence, and rest. Remind Persephone it’s nearly time to return to her mother. Dance in a spiral to honor the sun and know that the earth will spring to life again soon. Carry an ember (figuratively) with you. Ostara will be there soon. 

Always Craving Traditions and Community

 It’s almost Yule. Once again, I feel kind of unprepared. Emotionally, I mean. I never seem to get my act together these days, leaving sabbats unobserved for far too long. 

I tell myself that things would be different if I had a group and could get together with my people. I tell myself I’d be more prepared if I had some time off during this part of the year, but this isn’t academia.

The reality: I’m lazy. I procrastinate. There are times when the darkness of this time of year combines with my everyday darkness to create a super clump of hopelessness and sadness that chokes me until well after the winter holidays have passed. Just in time for my annual Beltane depression, but that’s another story for another time. External motivation is pretty helpful, though. 

The point I am trying to make is my lack of celebration, my lack of food traditions and other witchy traditions for this time of year. Or any time of year, for that matter. I crave being able to build and share Sabbat traditions with my family, but...I don’t have one. I feel as though I’m the only one who really thinks this is important, and if no one else cares, why should I waste my time, right? 

In my witchy dream world, I do have a close community. We gather as often as we can. Wisdom is shared, spells are cast, the holidays are celebrated, and seasonal, magical foods accompany all of this. Also, I have more storage space and the kitchen cleans itself. It’s a dream world, after all. 

I’m not flashy. I’m rather boring. However, I do know my shit. Need traditional ingredients for a particular Sabbat? Esbat? Handfasting dishes? Croning? Hit me up, and I’ll totally hook you up. Hell, if you live in my town, I’ll cook it for you if you want. I just want to share my passions, and it hurts to think no one cares much either way, that my material is somehow unworthy of notice. I don’t know what to do to change that yet, but I’m thinking.