Hail and Farewell

We say "hail and farewell," when we close a ritual. It's our way of acknowledging the deities and participants who've come to work Magick with us. It's our way of acknowledging our divinity as Magickal people. It's a simple phrase, but one that carries love, honor and respect.

This past week we said "hail and farewell," to two people whose lives touched many in deep and profound ways. George Michael and Carrie Fisher both left us in the same week and many are still grieving their passing, trying to cope with the loss.

What is it about grieving for celebrities and icons that is so personal? We don't know these people, yet we feel intimately connected to them. I believe it's because they're artists and through their work, they shared their soul. They exposed their vulnerabilities and allowed us to love, celebrate, and wonder, right along with them. Their words, their music, and their art became backdrops and tapestries to our own lives. And when they leave us, we feel it profoundly.

Along with the celebrities who left us this year, there were also personal losses. I began 2016 with the passing of my sweet dog, Shadow, and the year ended with the deaths of others I loved. I'm sure this is the case for many. Death finds it's way to everyone, every thing, eventually. Sometimes I think the mass sharing of grief over icons and celebrities also helps us to cope with our own personal losses. Not everything about social media is bad or fake.

As the Wheel turns toward the new year, and we feel the pain of loss, there is also the joy of a new beginning and looking back at the good things we accomplished in 2016. Not every day was bad, not every moment was filled with sorrow. There were moments of joy, laughter, camaraderie and friendship. Small goals were attained and milestones were achieved. Take time to remember the good things. Celebrate the things in 2016 that made you happy. Though we began the year with the passing of our dog, we ended the year by adopting a shelter dog and that has been a wonderful blessing in our lives.

We all need to carry on. I'm looking forward to 2017. It's the only way to keep moving, to keep going. As long as we're breathing we have opportunities for change and growth. It's up to us to choose how we use the days we're given. Let's make 2017 our best year, yet!

A Bucket, A Mop and A Broom

In the early hours of the dark of the morning, I move silently through my home.  I wash the floors, smoke the space and carry a candle.  I'm performing my house cleansing, an act I repeat on a regular basis.

I was taught this procedure by the one of the best, cat yronwode.  Several years ago I studied with her and completed her Hoodoo and Rootwork correspondence course.  It changed my life and was one of the best studies I have ever undertaken.

Cleansing my home on a regular basis takes me into all the nooks, crannies and spaces that one may not ever touch.  In our busy lives its hard to slow down and wash down your floors, windows and rooms.  Who has that type of time any more?  Yet each cycle I find myself drawn to the ritual even though physically I may not feel up to it.  But Spiritually it has become such an ingrained act, that I awaken and go through process, called to it from a Higher Place.

Its good to routinely cleanse your home, space, office or business on a regular basis.  Things build up.  Arguments happen, funk gathers, people may be in your space that you don't particularly want to return.  Over time this can have a cumlative negative effect on the Spiritual sanctity of your space.  And to add further to it, if you practice Magick, you definitely want to be cleansing your space on a regular basis.

When I arise in the dark, lit only by candle, moving by stealth through my home, I connect to the Old Ways.  A spirit arises in my soul that lifts me to another world and I love the feeling.  Not to mention how wonderful my home smells and feels when the cleansing is done.  When its complete I can rest assured for another cycle, my home is cleansed, blessed and protected.

With all the muck that we go through in our world, a practice of routine cleansing is essential.

Here's to all your works and may they be successful ones.

Priestess Najah