Fly or Die, Broom to the...Doom?

 Whatever, I've decided to go all-in. I have a website but will keep this blog separate for now. I am working on building up the site, the Facebook page, and whatever else I can fit into my schedule. I have a lot of witchin' to talk about and write about. The plan is to do a lot of it in book form. The website is pretty empty right now, but I'm getting it together when I can. I bought a house and am still trying to unpack and organize allllllllllllllllllllllllll my books, scarves, kitchenware, etc. We cleansed it, but there is more proper witching to be done inside and out. 

Feel free to check out the site: Better Hearths and Cauldrons - check back for updates. 

The page is more active at the moment because that's what I've had the most time for: Better Hearths and Cauldrons Facebook

Y'all know I ain't got the wherewithal (talent? yeah, talent) for TikTok or IG. 

Guess What?

 This will come as a surprise to NO ONE, but here it goes: I am not the type of witch you see on YouTube, IG, or any of those other sites. And I have a feeling that most of you aren't, either. 

Yes, I would absolutely adore being able to wake up quietly, do a morning meditation and/or ritual, prepare a magical brew of herbs, sweetened with local honey, and sip it at a lace-covered, crystal-adorned table, surrounded by houseplants. And yet...

What's stopping me? Well, for one thing, a lot of people have made showing carefully choreographed and curated snippets into their lives into an actual living. This is what they do for work. Everything looks amazing and perfect because that's their job, their livelihood. 

I, on the other hand, have no presence. I'm not cute. My house is never neat because I can only fight so much against the 'gorbage mornster'. I am anxious, I am stressed, I am very rarely dressed (not true but it rhymes). I get up at 5:30 to get ready for work. There is no time for a leisurely breakfast. I shower at night and am lucky to drink an entire cup of coffee before it's time to hit the road. And no, I am absolutely not getting up any earlier than that except for the month of Ramadan because I work for people who observe it and our days begin and end earlier. 

You want to know if there's a point, don't you? Well, there is. And here it is: I have a bad habit of beating myself up for not doing enough. I don't read cards enough. I don't do anything for the sabbats or esbats most of the time. I have no witchy daily routine to speak of. And as I said earlier, I suspect a lot of us are in the same rut. If we have the time, we don't have the energy, and vice-versa. 

We know better than to compare ourselves to those we see online. Consider this your reminder: They are doing a job. Do they really, truly do all of those things when the camera isn't rolling? I neither know nor care enough to speculate. I just want to remind all of us that we're not bad for getting busy with the duties society as ascribed to us so we can "earn" a living. We're not less-than because we don't cast a circle very single day. We're tired. We're all very, very tired. Tired of this pandemic and all the concerns it brings with it - health(care), school, work, social time, housing - many of us may have never faced such insecurities before. This is some shit. It's okay to be caught up in survival mode right now. 

But what if we made a plan to get out of some of that? What if we had some tiny steps, some itsy-bitsy goals, miniscule changes that could add up and give us some of that witchy spark back? I have ideas. I've been keeping notes. Not much has been done as of yet (see notes on pandemic and gorbage mornster). 

But what if we got together and supported each other as we achieved these little sand grain goals? Soon we'd have a whole beach to ourselves. Yes, I am going to say it: we could be sand-witches. I'm so sorry. Please don't leave. But seriously, is anyone out there ready, willing, and able to participate in little ways to reclaim our witchiness...es? Lemme hear from ya!

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.

You'll Never Guess

In January 2006, I moved from my home state to the Lone Star State for my first teaching job. I was, after six months and two crappy minimum-wage jobs later, finally going to use my degree.

I've moved a helluva lot since then. I started this blog when I was living in a different part of my home state. I blogged from overseas. I believe I started this thing in 2007. Holy shit. It boggles the mind.

There have been long periods of silence. The name has changed. Witchin' in the Kitchen was so good everybody kept stealing it. Nar's Witchy Kitchen replaced that. Better Hearths and Cauldrons came to me and made me laugh a long time ago. I have the domain name, and I will be getting a website together one of these days.

I'm still Nar Leoterra. I still keep a witchy kitchen, but mostly in my mind. I'll explain:

A lot of things have kept me from blogging. A scroll back through my history will show you that. I, however, will not rehash any of the last nearly 13 years. What I will say, though, is that I am back in Texas, in the very same city, but teaching at a different 'school'.

It's never easy to meet new people and make friends when you move as often as I tend to do. The Aussie and I pack up alllllll of our crap (a considerable amount), our animals (4 at the moment), and truck on over to the next job. Even this job's stability is on the line because of contract expirations and all that jazz. Who knows where I will be this time next year.

Right now, I can say that I am here. I am doing my best to keep my shit together. The Aussie and the animals help. And, perhaps best of all, I have encountered a few more like-minded people who may actually try to meet with some regularity. You know how I lack both consistency and self-discipline. Come onnnn. I need the kick in the pants that a group of people I like can provide. So maybe I'll be more active and actually leave the house after work once in a while.

Hopefully they will let me feed them. My kitchen doesn't feel very witchy right now. It feels too small, too cluttered, and in need of a deeeeeep cleaning. The whole place could use a thorough scrubbing, but I'm usually in some sort of pain and can injure myself easily. But! But I am going to try to get my ass in gear, dust off the cobwebs, get the boogers out of my third eye, and...gross. Anyway...

I have some witchin' to do! Let's just pray I have the fortitude for it.