Grey School Summary :: June 2019

I've had some health issues this month, and have had trouble sitting in an upright chair (i.e. at the computer) very much, but I managed to finish a couple of assignments. I'm still having trouble with the final essay for Core Energy Practices, on my experiences of meditation and visualisation practices. I decided to start meditating every day again, in the hopes that it would inspire me, but it's been difficult to find a routine.

I'm working on 4 classes at the moment, but I'm thinking of reducing to 3 once one of them is finished. Perhaps this will help me focus better.


Classes In Progress:
✷ Core Energy Practices 102
✷ Colours of Magick
✷ Herb Use & Safety
✷ Path of the Lorekeeper


Assignments in Progress:
✷ Final Essay (Core Energy Practices 102)
✷ Skills Assessment (Path of the Lorekeeper)


Classes Completed:
✷ none


Assignments Completed:
✷ Classes to Take (Colours of Magick)
✷ Self-Assessment (Path of the Lorekeeper)
✷ Herbs in Everyday Life (Herb Use & Safety)



Credits:
✷ This month: 0 Total: 11
(24 credits are required to finish Level 1)

Yearlong Astrology Experiment

I've mentioned before on this blog that I'm not too sure about astrology. The sign that's been assigned to me doesn't reflect my personality at all, and it's hard to imagine the alignment of planets so far away from us can affect our everyday lives.

Still, many very intelligent people I've come across online not only believe in astrology but organise their lives in accordance with it, so I wasn't willing to dismiss it out of hand. So at the start of this year, I decided to embark on a yearlong experiment to see if astrology can really predict my life, and if so, which star sign I actually am.

I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up with daily horoscopes; I thought weekly would be best. I did some research to find a site that gives a free horoscope that isn't too long and tedious to read. I settled on Hidden Insights at Spiral Nature magazine.

At the start of this year, I set up a spreadsheet to record the weekly horoscopes for four signs: Aries, Sagittarius, Aquarius and Pisces. Aries is my sun sign, Sagittarius is my moon sign, Aquarius is my rising/ascendant sign and Pisces is the one I most relate to. At the start of every week, I copy the information for each day into the spreadsheet. Unfortunately the horoscope doesn't come out until Tuesday Australian time as we are ahead of the U.S. but that's only a minor inconvenience.

Later in the week, perhaps 2 or 3 times during the week, I check back on the spreadsheet to see if the predictions for the previous few days have come true. I also check and make a note if something significant has happened in my life. I have a colour code system for recording the accuracy of the predictions. I've noticed that about half the statements are advice on what to do rather than actual predictions. I leave those ones black.

I have to admit, I've skipped a few weeks when I found the process too tedious, but I'll persist until the end of the year, when I should have enough data to be able to draw some conclusions. I'm looking forward to finding out the results and I'll be sure to publish them here.

Grey School Summary :: May 2019

I had a slow couple of months, study-wise, and there wasn't much to report up until this month. I was working, then I had an exhibition to organise. I finally had some free time towards the second half of May though. I'm happy to report that I finished a class: Wizards Don't Whine. It's a jokey title for a class that has a very important lesson -- having a positive attitude to life and taking action can take you so much further.

Students can take up to 6 classes at a time, but I try to stick to 3 or 4 so I don't get overwhelmed. Because I finished Wizards Don't Whine, I signed up for Path of the Lorekeeper, the introductory class to the Department of Lore. I have a strong affinity for lore. I love writing, both blogging and stories, I love reading, and I work in information management by trade. I don't know yet if I'll major in Lore, but it's a possibility.

I'm still procrastinating on writing the final essay for Core Energy Practices 102. I haven't meditated for nearly 6 months, and it just feels a bit hypocritical to write an essay on how meditation has benefited me when I'm not even doing it! This class is my last compulsory class though, and I need to finish it in order to do certain other classes, so I need to get past this block. I've decided I'll start meditating every day, for a week, then perhaps I'll be in a better position to write the essay.



Classes In Progress:
✷ Core Energy Practices 102
✷ Colours of Magick
✷ Herb Use & Safety
✷ Path of the Lorekeeper (New)


Assignments in Progress:
✷ Final Essay (Core Energy Practices 102)
✷ Herbs in Everyday Life (Herb Use & Safety)
✷ Classes to Take (Colours of Magick)


Classes Completed:
✷ Wizards Don't Whine


Assignments Completed:
✷ Manifestation Painting (Wizards Don't Whine)
✷ Final Essay (Wizards Don't Whine)
✷ Personal Learning Style and Interests (Colours of Magick)



Credits:
✷ This month: 2 Total: 11
(24 credits are required to finish Level 1)

Eight Great Spiritual Podcasts

To parallel my Eight Great Podcasts on my other blog, I thought I'd do a specialised version for spiritual podcasts. As with my other selection, there are so many out there that it's hard to choose, and just because a podcast isn't on this list, doesn't mean that it doesn't deserve to be here!


* Rune Soup
Rune Soup, the blog, podcast and community, is the brainchild of Australian Gordon White. Known for chaos magick, he also covers the topics of animism, permaculture and much more. I always come away feeling like I've had a brain upgrade.
Website

* The Fat Feminist Witch
Paige has a friendly and personal style, whether it's interviewing one of her guests, or doing a solo show. Her book reviews are always insightful, and she's not afraid to cover topics that others might think are fluffy as well as the hard-hitting ones.
Website

* Medicine Stories
Medicine Stories focuses mainly on herbalism but also covers a diverse range of topics from indigenous spirituality to death rituals. I always feel peaceful and in touch with my own spirituality after listening.
Website

* The Lucky Mojo Hoodoo Rootwork Hour
A chatty radio show with interesting stories and guests. Every episode features questions from callers, which the hosts do their best to answer. I've found out about other practitioners from the show, such as Madame Pamita (who I might feature in a future episode on YouTubers!).
Website

* Witches & Wine
Chaweon interviews interesting people from all sorts of occult circles. She's not afraid to ask the hard questions and dig deep to get the most insights possible. This is an audio-visual podcast on YouTube.
YouTube

* Circle of Salt
Circle of Salt is hosted by two friends, Felix and Rune, who love to dish salt out on whatever and whoever they feel like. Tarot, magickal nerds and TV shows are all fair game.
Website

* Witch Wave
Each episode, Pam interviews an occult figure about witchcraft, often with a bent towards art and creativity. I always feel inspired to work on my art afterwards.
Website

* Hippie Witch
To be honest, I only heard about this podcast a few days ago, and I've only listened to one episode. But Joanna Devoe's enthusiasm and positivity was so engaging that I added her podcast to the list!
Website

Grey School Summary :: February 2019

The first half of this month, I was 'between jobs' (I'm a contract worker so that's normal for me). I had plenty of time but little motivation to study. Well, to be honest, I watched a lot of educational/spiritual Youtube videos, but I didn't do much written study. Then I was offered a job, and suddenly I became very enthusiastic about studying again! When I had all the time in the world, I didn't feel like studying, but as soon as that was taken away, my motivation returned. Does everyone's brain work that way, or is it just me?

I have almost finished my last mandatory class, Core Energy Practices 102, so I thought I'd earned the right to sign up for another subject-specific class. I chose Herb Use & Safety. I love working with herbs, and this class is a pre-requisite for many other herbal-themed classes, so I wanted to do it early. I also decided to sign up for Colours of Magick. I wasn't going to do it, but the class focuses on the different courses of study at the Grey School of Wizardry, and I'd been having trouble deciding which course to go with, so perhaps it might give me some insight.

The other good news is that my new work is in the same building as a library. It's a specialist library that only covers certain subjects, but I've been able to find some books that will help me with my studies.


Classes In Progress:
✷ Core Energy Practices 102
✷ Wizards Don't Whine
✷ Colours of Magick (new)
✷ Herb Use & Safety (new)


Assignments in Progress:
✷ Final Essay (Core Energy Practices 102)
✷ Manifestation Painting (Wizards Don't Whine)
✷ Personal Learning Style and Interests (Colours of Magick)
✷ Herbs in Everyday Life (Herb Use & Safety)


Classes Completed:
✷ Basic Divination


Assignments Completed:
✷ The Power of Words (Wizards Don't Whine)
✷ Meditation (Core Energy Practices 102)
✷ Exploring Basic Oracles (Basic Divination)


Credits:
✷ This month: 1 Total: 9
(24 credits are required to finish Level 1)

Making My First Magickal Oil

Yesterday I made my first magickal oil. Oils have many names, depending on tradition: anointing oil, dressing oil, holy oil, condition oil, hoodoo oil or conjure oil. The oil I made was based on the Hoodoo tradition, and they have various names in that tradition alone. Spiritual oil is a good general name that doesn't tie the oil to any one tradition or religion.

My oil is made from things I had around the house -- essential oils and herbs from my stash. It's inspired by some Van Van Oil recipes I found online. Van Van Oil is a great oil for general success and luck, and is also worn as a perfume. It has a fresh, citrusy, grassy scent, and often contains vervain or lemongrass.

Please note this is not an officially recognised Van Van Oil recipe!
I have never used it before and cannot vouch for its effectiveness!

I mixed the oil in a small jar, which I'd purchased from a metaphysical shop and had previously contained herbs. I added the essential oils first:
* lemongrass, approx. 9 drops
* ginger, approx. 8 drops
* patchouli, 1-2 drops
* bergamot, 1-2 drops

Then I added the herbs:
* Melissa (Lemon Balm), approx. 1/4 teaspoon
* Poke Root, as above
* Bee Pollen, approx. 7 grains
* Pink Salt, a pinch

I didn't measure anything out precisely as I wasn't following any particular recipe. I tried to choose oils/herbs that have a fresh and citrus note. One source said that some Van Van Oil recipes have patchouli as that adds an earthy note, and I had some, so I added it. I have no idea whether it will smell good or terrible! I added Poke Root as it's good for protection and luck, bee pollen as its golden colour made me think of success, and pink salt as it was the only kind of salt I have, plus the pink colour added a warm and friendly aspect.

I then filled the jar with good quality olive oil. I was going to use standard olive oil from the supermarket, but then I found an extra virgin oil from a small company at the back of the cupboard, which we'd purchased while on holiday. I'd completely forgotten about it. I feel it must be a sign. There's enough to make perhaps 4 more oil blends.

I placed the jar on my kitchen windowsill to infuse. I will shake it every day (multiple times if I remember!) and open it in a month's time. The moon is waxing right now and it will be again then, so it seems appropriate. I'll report back then!


Sources:
http://doctorhawk.blogspot.com/2014/10/free-hoodoo-formulas.html
https://www.groveandgrotto.com/blogs/articles/eight-famous-magickal-oils-and-how-to-use-them

Magic is "Getting Something for Nothing" - My Thoughts

Recently I was listening to a podcast and one of the guests mentioned that some people disapprove of magic because they think it's "getting something for nothing." I apologise that I can't recall now which podcast it was. The guest didn't quote a particular source so perhaps it doesn't matter anyway.

When I heard that some people have this opinion, I was taken aback. Magic is certainly not "getting something for nothing," not in my experience or the experience of people I've observed who practice magic.

Magic takes a lot of time, effort and in many cases money, to practice. Let's start with money. Of course, you don't need to spend a lot of money on performing a spell or other magickal work, but for many people, having the right tools is essential to put them in the right frame of mind, and this may mean purchasing rare or antique tools or ingredients. Knowledge is even more valuable. My library of books is quite small -- only two bookshelves' worth so far -- but I've heard of people who own thousands of books, which is quite an investment. Then there's the online courses and workshops one can take to increase their knowledge. For those who interact with deity or other kinds of spirit being, there's the cost of procuring and preparing offerings. In several cases, I've even heard of people who've purchased a property due to it's suitability for performing magick at.

As for time, I've done spells that lasted 3, 5 and even 9 days. It takes commitment to get up every morning and spend up to an hour or more working an enchantment, setting up an altar, or worshipping beings. It takes time to track down the correct ingredients for a spell or find just the right tool for the job. The research required to follow a spell or ritual correctly can take days, weeks or even months. Magickal practitioners who follow the planetary hours may find it necessary to get up at any hour during the night to perform rites, or clear their schedules if a particular hour during the day is called for. Those who practice in groups need to spend time and effort in organising all of the logistics that come with that.

All of the above activities require effort, but there's also the effort and intention put into making handmade items, tools or offerings. Most people agree that magick involves energy, and the practitioner's personal energy is essential for magick to work. Expending energy is draining. Organising group activities requires effort, as does the study required to do magick effectively. The Grey School of Wizardry, for example, is a seven-year undertaking, requiring hundreds of hours of study and practical activities.

So, for those who claim that magick is "getting something for nothing," I beg to differ!

Plans for 2019

First of all, happy new year!

I didn't make any new years' resolutions/goals this year (a break from a long personal tradition of mine). I wanted to try something different. Deep down inside though, I still have that urge to change, to be better than I was last year. To learn more, study harder, do more. But also to relax more, worry less, have more fun. Sometimes it seems impossible to do all of these things at once!

On my other blog, I talked about how, instead of setting goals for the year, I'm trying a different system. Instead, I have a cycle runs for 6 months, from equinox to equinox. The idea came to me after experiencing the semester system at the Grey School. The seasons are important to me, and there are many activities I only do in Summer or Winter, so I thought, why not try setting up my plans and goals around the seasons?

I divided up all the activities of my life (both fun/voluntary and obligations) into seven categories. Spirituality is a whole category to itself. At first I was surprised at myself for this, but instinctively I must have realised that my spirituality is a very important part of my life, and it deserves its own category!

For this cycle (which is already more than half over!), my spiritual goals are:

★ finish 2 classes at Grey School of Wizardry (1/2)
★ continue Rune studies
★ work 3 magicks (2/3)
★ do divination 4 times (2/4)
★ meditate 10 times (1/10)
★ Spring/Summer altar refresh (done)

Most of these goals are underway: I've already refreshed my altar, which I posted about here. I've also pledged to blog more, both here and my other blog. I'd like to write more about what I'm learning. I'd also like to do write-ups of spells I've done, but I don't like to do that until after the effects have become known, which can take several months. Look out for them in future.

Until then, a teaser:

Fake Oracle Decks and a Message from Beyond!

I recently bought two oracle decks, and when they arrived, I realised they were fake. I bought them from Wish for about half the price I would normally expect to pay for an oracle deck. I should have known there wasn't something right about it, but I bought them anyway. It's something I'm not proud of, but I want to share my experience and hopefully it won't happen to others.

When the decks arrived, the first thing that alerted me that something was wrong was their size. They seemed to be no bigger than normal playing cards. While this isn't particularly unusual for oracle cards, I wanted to investigate.

According to Aeclectic Tarot, the goddess cards should be 12.7cm (5in) tall, but as you can see from the photo, they are only slightly larger than the standard playing card which I've used for comparison, which is 8.9cm (3.5 in) tall.

They should also be edged in gold, which they are not. The box was very plain with no images and only generic text. I couldn't help noticing too, that the images on the cards weren't as sharp as I felt they should be. Not only that, but the guidebook wasn't included.

The other deck had similar issues: small size, fuzzy images, box plain on the back, and missing guidebook.

Also, why would there be a $1 coupon offered on the box at such a random site? The QR Code supposedly leads to an electronic version of the guidebook, but I wouldn't trust it. The caption says 'tarot', not 'oracle'.

And as for the message from beyond?

When doing my research on the goddess cards, I read that the creator of the cards, who has created many decks, has recently changed her spiritual beliefs and has disavowed everything she created before. I won't mention any names, but the information is readily available online with a little searching. I have to admit, I thought to myself: knowing that the creator doesn't even want the profits from the cards, maybe it would be all right to use them after all?

I put them with my other oracle cards, which I keep in a box on a high shelf in my bedroom.

As you can see, the box isn't very deep, but the sides are high enough to stop anything from falling out. A few weeks after putting the cards in the box, however, I heard a crashing noise from the bedroom and went to investigate. I found the deck of cards on the floor!

I don't have any rational explanation of how the cards would have fallen to the floor. I concluded that it must be a sign. I mustn't use the cards. From now on, I'll be more wary, buy quality products, and if something seems too cheap to be true, it probably is!

Grey School Summary :: October 2018

I renewed my tuition with the Grey School of Wizardry on the 9th of October, so technically this wasn't a full month. I was pleasantly surprised however, to find that I was closer to finishing off some assignments than I'd remembered. I had the satisfaction of completing a whole class as well! This brought my credit count to 8. I need 24 to finish Level 1, so I have quite a long way to go, but I'm not feeling discouraged.

The next thing I want to focus on is finishing the meditation assignment for Core Energy Practices 102. I've read the lesson and it involves trying several forms of meditation over a number of weeks. I'm looking forward to trying different types in a more formal way, but also a bit nervous as I still have that little voice inside me that tells me I'm 'no good' at meditation. But I'm willing to give it a try.


Classes In Progress:
✷ Core Energy Practices 102
✷ Basic Divination
✷ Wizards Don't Whine

Assignments in Progress:
✷ Meditation (Core Energy Practices 102)
✷ Exploring Basic Oracles (Basic Divination)


Classes Completed:
✷ Online Communication


Assignments Completed:
✷ The Power of Thought (Wizards Don't Whine)
✷ Communications Essay Questions (Online Communication)
✷ Exam (Online Communication)
✷ Shielding (Core Energy Practices 102)


Credits:
✷ This month: 1 Total: 8



T.O.R.C.H. Award Progress:
✷ Classes completed: 1 of 4
✷ Forum Monthly Check-Ins: 1 of 2
✷ Forum Conversations Participated in: 0 of 1 (not for a couple of months but I hope to change that)
✷ Take initiation oath -- NOT YET

Spring/Summer Altar Refresh

I like to change my altar according to the seasons, changing it every 6 months (at minimum!). It's spiritually refreshing to change the way it looks to align better with the seasons, and on a practical level, it's good to clean off the dust and remove anything that's gone off. To start with, here's a photo of my Autumn/Winter altar ... the 'before' photo:

(Apologies for the poor photography -- I don't seem to have a photo of the full altar!)

And here is the 'after' photo:

I removed the fuzzy winter cloth and replaced it with a placemat that I bought at an Op Shop. Even though it's a darker colour, the florals remind me of Spring. Unfortunately it wasn't quite wide enough to cover the entire shelf, but it's not too bad. I swapped some of the crystals, stones and natural things for ones that felt more 'right' for the season.

I recently found some things that I'd had/made since I was a teenager, and I decided to add them. There's a painted stone with a happy face, and some candles I made. Yes, I made my own hand-dipped candles when I was 15! I chose a group of three. Unfortunately I couldn't get the two taller ones to light no matter what I tried, but I don't mind too much.

And here are a couple of shots with the fairy lights on:

I think it looks lovely!

I've started creating altars in other parts of my house too, for specific purposes. I'll share them in a future post soon.

Grey School of Wizardry Hiatus (It's Over!)

Hello! It's been a while since I last posted, so you may have guessed that I've taken a break from Grey School of Wizardry.

It was a mostly accidental hiatus. At the end of June my first year of tuition ran out, and I decided to take a break before re-enrolling. It was partly because I had so many other sources of learning that I'd just discovered which were taking up my time, and partly to align with the school year. The Grey School semesters run from equinox to equinox, and I felt like I preferred my tuition to begin and end with the seasons, too. I've recently decided to base my goals and plans around the seasons rather than the calendar year, so I decided to wait until Spring to re-enrol.

So, I re-enrolled today. Technically, it's now 3 weeks past the equinox, I know! I deliberately waited a bit longer because I thought that at the end of the year, it would be nice to have some extra time after the end of the semester to tie things up, just in case I can't re-enrol for my third year straight away.

I've started working on my assignments again, specifically the shielding assignment for Core Energy Practices 201. It's the last compulsory class for Level 1, and it will be a milestone when I finish it.

In other news, I've bought a few new books, been learning about hoodoo and done a big spell. I've also planted some plants in my garden and I'm looking forward to sharing it all!

Grey School Summary :: June 2018

My last 'monthly' update was in March, so I guess this is really an April/May/June update!

I took an unintentional break from my studies for a few months. Grey School is self-paced, which is great for people with busy lives, but on the other hand with no deadlines it can be hard to find motivation to complete assignments. Work has been very busy and I've had other personal projects that I've been working on. Some of them have been spiritual, some related to art and craft. I've studied most days -- mainly watching speakers YouTube -- but not had the capacity to write much.

The last few weeks I've been feeling very motivated again. I'm not sure why. Perhaps because it's Winter here and I want to stay indoors and read/write more. Perhaps because I've had some physical injuries which have confined me to my house and desk. Perhaps because the end of my first year at Grey School of Wizardry is looming, and I'm very aware of being nowhere near finishing Level 1 yet!

In fact, today marks one year at GSW for me. I have to admit, for a while I was considering taking a break and not renewing my membership until I was feeling more motivated again. But motivation appeared just at the right time and I want to continue straight away. Here is where I'm at right now:


Classes In Progress:
✷ Core Energy Practices 102
✷ Basic Divination
✷ Wizards Don't Whine
✷ Colours of Magick

Assignments in Progress:
✷ Shielding (Core Energy Practices 102)
✷ Exploring Basic Oracles (Basic Divination)
✷ The Power of Thought (Wizards Don't Whine)

Classes Completed:
[None.]

Assignments Completed:
✷ Believing Equals Receiving (Wizards Don't Whine)
✷ Other Oracles (Basic Divination)

Credits:
✷ This month: 0 Total: 7


T.O.R.C.H. Award Progress:
✷ Classes completed: 0 of 4
✷ Forum Monthly Check-Ins: 1 of 2
✷ Forum Conversations Participated in: 1 of 1 (not for a couple of months but I hope to change that)
✷ Take initiation oath -- NOT YET

Spiritual Goals

Recently on my other blog, I wrote about having a list of 101 Things to do in 1,001 Days. (That's two-and-and-three-quarter years, to give it some perspective!) I've just finished my first 1,001 days and am starting my second one. I wrote about why I enjoyed it so much and how I felt about only having achieved one-third of the goals. (Honesty, always!) The post is here if you'd like to read about that. The list has all sorts of different things on it, from art and craft to fixing up the house. In this post however, I'm going to focus on the spiritual goals only.

In the last list, I kept most of my spiritual goals private, and for that reason I won't go over them. (Aside from that, I didn't finish most of them!) I want to be more open this time though, so I've decided to share all of them. The whole purpose of this blog is to share my spiritual experiences, and if doing that helps anyone else out there in the blogosphere, then I will have achieved one of my aims.

Without further ado, here is my list of spiritual goals for the next nearly-three-years:

✦ continue my Rune studies
✦ do Violet's Witchcraft 30-day challenge & blog it
✦ write a suburban wheel of the year
✦ celebrate my traditions properly
✦ learn more about crystals
✦ do 20 divinations
✦ experiment with working with the moon
✦ read the Tao Te Ching completely at least once a year
✦ create an oracle deck
✦ do Gordon White's sigils course

If some of the goals seem quite vague at the moment, don't worry! I am planning on mapping them out when the right time comes. I will endeavour to do my best to share my journey with you here!

Uncle Fester's Magick by the Month Parcel : March

I'm a little late on posting this, but I wanted to anyway for the sake of completion. As March is already over and we're into April, I'll just make it a quick post.

All the items in the March Magick by the Month parcel were water-themed. I received:

✨ a lava stone bracelet with crystal beads in rainbow colours. The lava stones can be anointed with essential oils.
✨ "Cupido Novus" oil from Charme et Sortilege. It helps to stimulate new love, friendships or creative projects.
✨ Gyrasol (aka Moon Quartz) crystal. A water energy stone, good for promoting inner peace.
✨ an echidna charm. To represent emotional water energy.
✨ Nag Champa soap. For cleansing.
✨ Divine Soul incense.
✨ a herb mix with Herb Robert, Jasmine flower, Job's Tears and White Willowbark.

Grey School Summary :: March 2018

March a slower month for me. With the heat of Summer winding down into the hazy days of Autumn, I found myself with more free time to concentrate on my studies. I managed to complete two assignments and start two new ones. The dice divination oracle came up with some interesting results, and I learned some new things through researching cleansing techniques.

Meanwhile, I earned 8 merits for my Lodge by answering questions about my star sign, my favourite oracle deck and my daily rituals/habits, among other things.

I wrote a few months ago about completing the T.O.R.C.H. Award (Level 1). Ideally it should be completed over the course of once semester (semesters are 6 months running from equinox to equinox at Grey School). I thought about whether to rush and try to complete it by the Autumn equinox. I still had to complete one class -- consisting of 3 assignments -- to be eligible for the award. I didn't think it was feasible to do that in three weeks, and give it the proper attention it deserved, so I decided to let it go and re-try for the award next semester. To that end, the goals at the bottom of this post have been re-set.


Classes In Progress:
✷ Core Energy Practices 102
✷ Basic Divination

Assignments in Progress:
✷ Shielding (Core Energy Practices 102)
✷ Exploring Other Basic Oracles (Basic Divination)

Classes Completed:
[None.]

Assignments Completed:
✷ Cleansing Self and Space (Core Energy Practices 102)
✷ Daily Oracle of Choice (Basic Divination)

Credits:
✷ This month: 0 Total: 7


T.O.R.C.H. Award Progress:
✷ Classes completed: 0 of 4
✷ Forum Monthly Check-Ins: 0 of 2
✷ Forum Conversations Participated in: 1 of 1 (several, actually!)
✷ Take initiation oath -- NOT YET

Collective Book Haul

Books I've acquired recently, in chronological order, oldest to newest:

I purchased Australian Druidry not so much to find out more about Druidry per se, but for its Southern Hemisphere take on a nature tradition. I haven't started it yet.
The Magical Battle of Britain is a collection of letters written by well-known British magickal practitioner Dion Fortune to her followers during World War II. I ordered it after seeing it referred to at least four times in different parts of the internet in less than a week. It seemed to be a sign. I've started it but I have to confess I'm finding it rather hard-going.

Of course I had to purchase Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology when it came out. The book itself is stunning -- photos don't do justice to the golden glow of Mjollnir on the cover. I didn't expect it to be hard cover either, which was a pleasant surprise. I'm about half-way through it so far and it's very readable, with simple but elegant language.

These two books are the catalogues for the Harry Potter: A History of Magic exhibition at the British Museum. What I wouldn't have given to visit the exhibition in person! A Journey Through the History of Magic (on the left) is designed for children, and A History of Magic for adults. I've flicked through them both and they're simply breathtaking in their own ways. Acquiring these books was a saga in itself -- the first set never arrived, though I courteously waited 3 months, and Bloomsbury very kindly sent me a replacement set. One edge of A History of Magic is a little battered unfortunately, but I don't want to push my luck. I'm just glad to have them at all.

Finally are two books by Dr. Rupert Sheldrake: The Science Delusion and Science and Spiritual Practices. I decided to purchase them after hearing Dr. Sheldrake interviewed on Rune Soup podcast. I decided to start the older book first (The Science Delusion) and am enjoying it very much so far. I've already written some notes on it which will hopefully become a blog post at some point.

Grey School Summary :: February 2018

Things were 'back to normal' this month, in that I barely had any time to work on my studies! In fact, I did work diligently on them, but I have very little to show for it so far. I started the class Eternity's Gamble: Basic Divination and am working on the first assignment, which is to keep a daily oracle of my choice for a week and document the results. Perhaps I'll write a blog post about it if it turns out to be interesting enough.

On the other hand, I did quite well in the monthly challenges, earning 10 merits towards the semi-annual House Cup awards.


Classes Completed:
[None.]

Assignments Completed:
[None.]


Classes In Progress:
✷ Core Energy Practices 102
✷ Basic Divination

Credits:
✷ This month: 0 Total: 7


T.O.R.C.H. Award Progress:
✷ Classes completed: 3 of 4
✷ Forum Monthly Check-Ins: 1 of 2
✷ Forum Conversations Participated in: 1 of 1 (several, actually!)

Progress with Meditation

A few months ago, I wrote about my troubles with meditation. After convincing myself that I was 'no good at meditation' many years ago, I'd found myself having to do it for class assignments. I'm happy to report that after some practice, my attitude is changing and I'm improving. I've really started to notice the benefits, too.

I set a goal for myself this year to meditate 3 times a week. Whether I stick to that or not really depends on whether I need to meditate. When I was on holidays from work, I didn't meditate at all. If I'm having a stressful time, I tend to meditate more often. On some days, I even think to myself: "I can't wait until lunchtime so I can go to the library and meditate!"

Since I started meditating again, I've noticed that I'm less anxious and react in a calmer way to stressful situations. People around me have commented on the difference as well.

The meditation resource I use the most is an app called Insight Timer. It has both a timer with background noise, and many guided meditations to choose from. It's been fun finding the guided tracks that work best for me. Not all of them do. One that I tried sounded good: lying in a field and looking at the stars. However, the visualisation began while it was still light and described the sun setting. I've always found dusk to be a very depressing time of day (I don't know why, it just is) so I didn't enjoy that one very much.

Two of my favourites from the app so far are Mountain Meditation by Andy Hobson and Melting Stress and Anxiety Away by Lisa Abramson. After listening to Lisa's track for the first time during my lunchbreak, when I went back to work I was so relaxed that I kept dropping things and people remarked on how my mood had drastically changed!

I still don't think I'm very 'good' at meditation. I can only clear my mind for a few seconds at a time before I start thinking about things again. Sometimes I'll be thinking through things for a few minutes before I even realise I'm doing it. This doesn't worry me as much as it used to though. Every day and every session is different. As much as it's a cliche to say it, meditation is a practice. You will never be perfect, you just need to keep trying. Now that I'm starting to accept that, meditation is much more pleasant and I look forward to my sessions every week.

Uncle Fester's Magick by the Month Parcel : February

February heralds the end of Summer in Southern Australia. It's still hot, but there's an end in sight. Air and Fire energies mix, creating an atmosphere of excitement and creativity.

This month's parcel came with the usual information sheets for my binder, crystal, charm, herb mix and some other things. The information this month speaks of the Indigenous Australian view of the seasons, a concept I find very interesting and would like to learn more about.

There were two small sample packs of incense. This month's herb mix isn't labelled, so I wouldn't drink it as a tea, but it smells lovely and I will probably use it as a potpourri.

There were four fridge magnets with inspirational quotes. Word magick and inspiration seem to fall under the Air element.

This month's crystal (5 actually!) is red carnelian, and the charm is a bat, an Australian native Air symbol. Finally there was a candle in a jar in one of six scents, with artwork by Lisa Parker. Mine was Empowerment, with a sandalwood scent. This is something I could always do of more with in my life, and I liked the scent, so I was happy with it.