Ostara

I woke up this morning, threw on my cloak, and headed out with my little sister to make myself my first broom.

His name is Ozwald. I later researched and found that 'Oswald' (pronounced oz-vald) is German for 'divine power'. Fitting, I suppose.

Although I much prefer staffs, I couldn't find a suitable branch on such short notice and suck with a broom instead. =)

Here's how I made him.

Materials Used:

• The broken handle of an old gardening tool
• The straps off a straw bale
• A large bundle of twigs
• 2 sturdy sticks about 7 inches long and a centimeter wide.
• A wood burner

I took the bundle of twigs, made sure that they were of roughly equal length, and separated them into groups of 4. I took the first 2 groups and tied them at the top. Then I tied them to the first stick. 

I did the same to the other 2.

Then I weaved in the second stick through the groups and tied up the deal.

It ended up looking like this, but much tighter.

Then I tied the handle to it, thought up a name, wood burned said name into it, spontaneously added a sprig of mint and a sprig of thyme, blessed it with sage smoke, set it out by the door, and went back inside.

It took a medium amount of time and --while it doesn't look very pretty (I should use a different rope next time)-- It works.

I should have also taken pictures of the process, but I am quite happy with Ozwald. He was fun to make and offered me some bonding time with my little sister.

All in all, this was a great Ostara. =)

Happy Spring!!

Blessed be. <3

I'm Back

Well, I'm back.
I decided to step away from Wicca for a while after my Mother expressed concern over practitioners of the religion 'loosing touch with reality.' I value her opinion, and I know that she does have a point that many people do get carried away, so I stepped back for several months to think about it. I have to say, it was very interesting. I have concluded that the way I see the universe is fairly grounded and very positive, and that I want to continue to enjoy the way I see it in my own way.
Just doing this makes me feel happy. I feel like I have regained my place.
I am Wiccan.

... And I forgot to celebrate Ostara. Well, not exactly. Last week, I got the feeling that another Sabbat was coming, but I forgot to confirm that feeling. Ah well. I'm thinking about making a broom. I found the wooden handle of an old shovel or rake, and it spoke to me, so I'll use that. Now for some nice twigs...