PBP: Blackberry Season

I am shamelessly turning this into a Pagan Blog Project post, because I need a second B.

Today, instead of taking a 5-minute drive down the street, I took a fifteen minute walk to a store and back again. I am now slimy from the combination of sunscreen and sweat (you're welcome, for that mental image), but it was worth it. Doubly so because on the way back, I picked blackberries as I went. They were growing wild amid the landscaping and didn't seem to be targeted by anything harsher than pruning shears, so I figured, why not? I nearly filled my water bottle with them. I had to empty it to make room; but it made a nice expression of thanks for the thirsty plants. Water is easier for a human to come by.

Blackberries are rather special to me: I grew up in a suburban area, but with the benefit of a designated, no-can-touch greenbelt behind the backyard, so I had a wonderfully leafy view. Because it surrounds a streamlet, the land is swampy, and blackberry bushes crowd the ground level. Unfortunately, the neighborhood committee sometimes poisons the ones growing on the edges, to control the brambly tide, so I wasn't allowed to pick the fruit as a kid. I know now that they're an invasive species -- that's why they take over so easily. But their presence was welcome. In addition to the blackberries, that strip of land houses cottonwoods, alders, low-growing willows, indian plum trees, and a couple salmon berries. (At least the last two are native.) Someday, I'll remember to take pictures when I go back to visit my parents.

Speaking of pictures, I decided to share this bounty with the gods on my altars. There is no prayer behind these gestures; they're presents, and tokens of good will.

I recently bought a nice blend of green and white teas from Celestial Seasonings. I thought Kuanyin might like some, so I gave her a portion from my mug in addition to the fruit.

 

I dared not leave Hekate out.

And even though Athena has been quiet lately, I decided to put two berries in her offertory dish, too.

Now, sometime tonight, I'll have to move or break down my altar so it doesn't get paint on it when the porch door is finished up. It would be all right if I was the one doing the painting, but I'm not. Call me a hermit, but I do not enjoy strangers entering my home, even on legitimate business. If it was up to be, the apartment complex would have never been painted in the first place....grumble-mumble. On the bright side, maybe I'll have new altar pictures to show you soon; that arrangement in front of Hekate is, I feel, out of date.

Pagan Blog Project 1: A is for Altar Overhaul

Well, I was planning to talk about something else for my first Pagan Blog Project entry (maybe I'll do that for the second "A" prompt), but today Hekate, who had been lurking about, thumped me over the head with a piece of art I found at a local Pagan shop and demanded a spot on my altar. Mine has felt stagnant lately, so I obliged.

(A photo from when I first set it up in February. In the course of the last few months, it fell into disrepair. I wanted to change it, and fitfully shifted stuff around, but nothing felt right.)

I worked by intuition. I moved the shell moon and sun windspinner down to be more a part of the altar space, instead of a wall decoration. Thus I wound up with a day/night theme. The moon neatly coincided with where I put the Hekate devotional. The Athena owl statue got moved back to Sunlitgarden's and my shared space; there wasn't a spot for her. I have a hunch she didn't want to be too close to Guanyin or the Lady of the Crossroads. I hope Athena isn't too annoyed...

(On the upside, she got her own little offertory dish.)

Here are a couple of shots of what it looks like now.

Full view.

Light side. I made the 3-point wooden symbol myself. The pieces lock together in a kind of puzzle.

Dark side.

(...I think I made an energy grid. From base to top, left to right: the copper and hematite tangle I made, something dark with translucent white spots, blue tiger's eye, red jasper, A MASSIVE LUMP OF HEMATITE, and red tiger's eye(??) banded with black & grey. All I know is it's for Hekate, as are the three candles. I have a hunch the grid has something to do with the path ahead. Forgive the shitty photo.)

(Other objects used, clockwise from bowl: a chestnut, a piece of rose quartz for Guanyin, a clay pendant with a spiral on it I made in gradeschool, serpentite, a glass shard, and an unidentified greyish-purple stone. And a new wand.)

I found a wand today, too. It is carved from Hornbeam, which is a plant I do not believe I have actually seen alive. I spent more money than I intended, but it called to me. The wood is wonderfully pale and smooth. Wikipedia tells me it is nicknamed "ironwood" for its density. According to the description on the tag, "Hornbeam is a lucky wood. It brings good fortune to the bearer. This wood is the bringer of change. It helps promote love and creativity." And, "Hornbeam helps promote creative expression, eloquence, and art of all types. It aids in opening a person up to their full potential." Fitting. I would have chosen it anyway, but...yeah. I could use some change.

Before today, I felt burdened by the expectations of others, and my own unfulfilled wishes. They hung like a huge weight over my head. Now, I feel like things could move soon, in my favor. Maybe it has something to do with giving a little money to the Ganesh statues at the store. That, and I had a good outing with Sunlitgarden today. ^_^ We so rarely get the same days off work, it's a treat to go out and do things together.

Postscript: One more thing. At the Pagan shop, Sunlitgarden, a Bast follower, found an adorable plushy of her Goddess.

(Isn't it the cutest thing?)

With my super serious Hekate image, there was a lot of deity in the car on the drive home!

A Second Introduction

Today I signed up for the Pagan Blog Project. Another introduction is in order.

I AM A DEWY-EYED, GLASS-HEARTED NEWB. Expect naivete, trepidation, and heaps of self- doubt. Actually, those last two are everyday traits of mine...I could have just as easily called them "healthy amounts of caution and common sense."

THE. F.A.Q.

Why the name Sunstone?
     Back in my mid-teens, this girl and I were very close. I'll call her Byakko or Byakko-chan, because that's what she goes by on the internet. So Byakko went away for a week or two to visit the Redwoods in California. She bought me a gift there: a small pouch of tumbled, clear yellow rocks, billed as "sunstones." Later I learned that they were probably citrines, but the name stuck. They look more like solidified sunlight than the true sunstones, anyway. I consider myself more of a solar/day-aligned person than one of the "night" (in all its connotations, except "evil": shadowy, dark, mysterious, et cetera), though I try to balance the two.

 Also, as you may have already guessed, I like rocks.

What Gods/Forces/Entities do you work with?
1.) Athena.

I've been poked by her several times in my life. Here's an example: while reading Pagan Holiday: On the Trial of Ancient Roman Tourists by Tony Perrottet, I felt like she was looking over my shoulder during the chapter on Athens, saying, "Are you paying attention? You are learning something about me, yes? Good." I think of Her as both the personification (deification?) of the city, as well as a standalone goddess. She is the voice in my head urging me to become better and more focused in my artistic pursuits: the intellectual side of the creative drive. She also demands that I stand up for myself. Though I often fail at that, I greatly admire Her inner strength. I wear a little owl necklace when I feel I need protection from the sticks and stones people randomly throw at me at my job (retail). The jewelry isn't necessary, of course, but it's a nice physical reminder. :)

2.) Kuanyin/Kannon/Avalotitesvara (esp. the first "face"). I first encountered Her/Him in a Chinese Art History class. As part of an assignment I visited the Seattle Asian Art Museum, which housed a life-sized wood statue of the Bodhisattva. That statue...had such a presence. It radiated kindness and calm. I visited several times throughout the quarter and afterward, and I always spared a few minutes to sit in front of it. Sadly, it left for several years to tour its homeland (China) and other parts of Asia. (Sad for me, that is. I imagine the statue quite liked visiting where it came from.) I do not know if it has returned, yet. For my everyday needs, I recently bought a statuette and placed it in a lotus-like candleholder. I get much the same feeling from it, so it's a good little conduit.

     Kuan Yin touches me on the head from time to time, to remind me to calm down, step back, and view the bigger picture. She also gently reminds me to be less harsh about others, especially those who annoy me, because there's more to that person than I can see. In that respect, she is entirely different from Athena, who prefers Justice (of the Tarot sort). But until I can install shelves on the walls of my home, those two will just have to share altar space. Like this:

Besides, I think it would be tough to rouse a being of pure compassion to rivalry. I am imagining Kyuan Yin offering the feisty Greek goddess a cup of conciliatory tea. It is a somewhat humorous picture. (I am now wondering if I should give the Bodhisattva an offering of nice tea -- it's calming to me, at least. I'll look into it.)

I think I will save writing about fictional (book/TV/movie) characters as potential spell-guides for another day.