williambriar

[williambriar]

Giving Thanks

Oct 2019 #Spiritwork #Domagick Day 30

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I approached the house and land sprites a month ago. The inspectors had discovered problems with the roof which required repairs almost immediately after we moved into the home. I understood the expense and how it increased the value of our home going forward; even so, I certainly hadn’t dreamed of putting out that kind of money so soon. At least, not on that! I’d hoped to splurge on new furniture — maybe even on some new electronics. I resented my plans going awry, and I worried the spirits would pick up on that resentment.

From the beginning, the house and land sprites seemed more interested in the repairs than my attitude about them. Due to the previous owners, both had suffered from a period of neglect, and they only cared about being looked after again. Some areas felt more abandoned than others, to the point that a few plants had nearly grown wild again. As I trimmed and pruned them, I struggled with the fine balance between owner and steward of the land. Having lived in apartments all my life, the concept of land ownership sat strangely with me. Regardless of whether I fenced a piece of property, it was hard to think of it as belonging to me.

Today, I offered incense, tobacco, and clean water to the spirits. I sat with them and gave up my gratitude for them changing my perceptions over the last thirty days. My resentment has faded as I’ve gotten to know them. Now I feel that my money was spent on a family member rather than stolen by someone I barely know. This is my family’s parcel of land to look after, and we will do our best in the years to come.

[williambriar]

Kitchen Energy

Oct 2019 #Spiritwork #Domagick Day 29

I split the difference today between spiritual and practical work with the house sprites. First, I journeyed to meet them and took a look at our property in the Middleworld. The house repeatedly led me to a storage area in the kitchen where the energy seemed to flow more poorly than rest of the home. This makes sense, as I’ve noticed that cooking smells linger there long after meals are finished.

After the journey, I started the day’s cleaning in the spot I’d been taken to by the sprites, making sure to declutter as best I could for now. However, it will likely take a more permanent rearranging to solve this problem, including the purchase of a stand-alone cabinet to shelter supplies. This requires more time and resources and I have this afternoon, so I must plan that for the near future, when more family members can help.

[williambriar]

Hibernate the Day Away

Oct 2019 #Spiritwork #Domagick Day 28

Yesterday’s ritual for Delepitoré required a period of quiet contemplation in her presence today. After leaving her an offering, I meditated with her for a half hour. She steered me towards a specific area of magickal reading, so I will see where that information takes me. One book often leads to another!

Afterwards, I touched base with the land and house spirits. Their energy felt different today, and I wondered if the ritual had somehow scared them off. Instead, the energy of many of the plants sprites simply continues to slow with the arrival of winter. Even the house feels more muted today, as if its energy were blanketed by the snow. Communing with them left me wanting to nap — to go back to bed until spring and hibernate.

[williambriar]

Prayer to Delepitoré

Oct 2019 #Spiritwork #Domagick Day 27

(I’m shifting focus away briefly from my house and land sprites to work with the daemoness Delepitoré this evening. This is a brief prayer intended for her as part of my rite. It includes her daemonic enn, or the phrase used to invoke / invite her into my ritual space.)

Hail Delepitoré! Deyen Pretore Ramec Delepitoré On Ca! Daemoness of Sorcery, bless me. All spells are known to you. All magicks are mastered by your hands. Bless me with your wisdom. Baptize me with your gifts. Let my talents grow in the coming year, And my knowledge grow to match it. Lady of the Arcane, bless me.

[williambriar]

Cold Snap

Oct 2019 #Spiritwork #Domagick Day 26

Laboring outside this morning felt like a greater offering than yesterday’s yard work. The temperature has dropped significantly since then, and even with gloves on, my fingers froze. Luckily, my family assisted me in this morning’s efforts, so we made quick work of what raking remained to be done. Today, I didn’t want to linger and listen to the birds — not that there were any to hear! The wind chased them off to warmer climes. It was no day for talking to the trees, either, just interacting with the sprites on the mundane level.

I plan to honor the house spirit later today with the regular offerings if incense and tobacco, as well as celebration. It’s game night, so the house will be full of laughter. My family will raise our energy together, the perfect ending of the week.

[williambriar]

Sweat Equity

Oct 2019 #Spiritwork #Domagick Day 25

Instead of the usual incense or tobacco, I offered the land spirits my labors today. In a previous meditation, they pointed out that I had left a bit of yard maintenance unfinished, plus why I shouldn’t for the welfare of the area. I gathered the necessary tools and set to completing the task this morning. I talked to a nearby tree as I worked, apologizing for my tardiness, but mostly I enjoyed the unseasonably warm air. The bare branches overhead housed numerous sparrows, their song bright and chipper. I built up a sweat for my efforts, but I enjoyed a lovely day outside. More importantly, I worked with the land on different level than the magickal, and got to know it better that way.

[williambriar]

Foggy Connection

Oct 2019 #Spiritwork #Domagick Day 24

Today, I have the number of mundane tasks planned that interrupted my usual spiritwork routine. Apparently, they were weighing on my thoughts this morning as I found it difficult to connect to the house and the land sprites. The sensations during my meditation were foggy, with my mind wandering to other things. I’m not going to beat myself too much for the failure, as this is one day out of an ongoing relationship. It proves again  however, that trying to wedge spirit activities in spare moments doesn’t always work for me. If I can’t settle and clear my mind, the connection with spirit simply isn’t going to happen.

[williambriar]

Cleaning Day!

Oct 2019 #Spiritwork #Domagick Day 23

It’s chore day! Time to put my nose to the grindstone. I can’t maintain my relationship with the house and land sprites through offerings and meditations alone. Today, I have to put my back into practical work – nothing particularly strenuous, but the light cleaning and pickup necessary to keep our home in order and running well. I have my to do list ready and have announced my intentions to the spirits. Now I just have to get some coffee inside me and I can begin. Forgive me that this post is so short, but I want to get at it!

[williambriar]

Last Week

Oct 2019 #Spiritwork #Domagick Day 22

Since I’m moving into the last quarter of my Domagick work for the month, I checked in with the house and the land sprites this morning to see how they were feeling. I wanted to find out if they needed any particular jobs completed before month-end. The house only indicated light cleaning and tasks we’ve been somewhat tardy in doing this week. The land suggested maintenance left unfinished in the yard — again, nothing I couldn’t have predicted. Indeed, the conversation served as a reminder to keep our shit in order and keep my magickal work going. I have my list to do for the week… and the knowledge that maintaining these relationships is a daily job.

[williambriar]

Bright Spirits

Oct 2019 #Spiritwork #Domagick Days 20 and 21

Unforeseen circumstances kept me away from the computer yesterday, so I could not report on my meditation. The tree we had pruned turned turned its attention to recovery, going quiet. While not exactly sulky, it definitely indicated it preferred solitude to conversation. It radiated the same energy today, so I left it alone, and checked in with the other plants about the yard. The rose bush continued to be in bright spirits, trying to bloom despite the cold weather.

Although the house seems to contain a single presence, the front and back yard shelter a host of them. I expected to encounter a single genius loci there, but as of yet that is not the case. Instead, I must negotiate harmony with a much larger group of locals. This isn’t bad by any means, but it makes for more active conversation!

[williambriar]

Ash Tree Branches

Oct 2019 #Spiritwork #Domagick Day 19

My family got down to practical work today around the backyard. I tried to prepare the ash tree we were pruning in advance, explaining why we were trimming its branches, but I’m not entirely sure I got my point across. It still seemed at least mildly annoyed, so I did my best to reassure it (and my somewhat guilty conscience) during the procedure. I managed to gather a future wand and stang from its branches, though they will take some time to dry. With these, I can not only direct energy and travel to the Otherworld. I can also continue to show the tree spirit my appreciation going forward by incorporating its offerings into my rituals. The rest of its branches will be taken to the eco-station or used as kindling, with as much reclaimed as possible.

[williambriar]

Tree Talk

Oct 2019 #Spiritwork #Domagick Day 18

A particular area of my backyard continues to feel standoffish despite numerous visits, with offerings and dialogues doing little to soften its skittish energy. Because of this, I consulted a nearby tree today for advice on how to approach this feral spirit going forward. Balance again seemed to be the word of the day. However, this does not necessarily mean maintaining a compromise between our current positions. The ash tree pointed out that we both will have to use ingenuity and new techniques to make a relationship work. Both parties will have to change their way of acting / feeling — no small task to be sure. I expect something of an uphill battle with this little patch of garden in the upcoming seasons, but I am determined to find harmony yet.

[williambriar]

Cause and Effect

Oct 2019 #Spiritwork #Domagick Day 17

There was a second lesson in yesterday’s footprints in the frost. The trees pointed it out this morning, and then today’s reading underlined it.

“The worker of witchery knows that the toucher is touched. This is an old saying in witchery warning that all that we touch touches us back… Needless to say, this wisdom far from lacks moral muscle. In fact, it provides the witch with the lens through which to discern all actions and reactions within the very weapons life that is the witch’s Goddess. And the spirits and magic we conjure also conjure us.” — The Flame in the Cauldron, Orion Foxwood.

Though slower to speak than some I have dealt with in the past, the land spirits in my yard have undeniably left their mark on me already. Even when I meditated with them today, my energy instantly began to slow: to go to ground and relax. Whether due to the season or their innate nature, I can call on this tendency in the future when I need to calm down. I wouldn’t want to draw on it for high intensity, big energy rituals unless I want to anchor myself, but it is still good to know how the spirits effect me. I can use this to plan out my work around them more efficiently going forward, in harmony.

[williambriar]

Footprints in Frost

Oct 2019 #Spiritwork #Domagick Day 16

Frost covered the ground this morning. Everywhere I went in my backyard, I left tracks behind; they stood out startlingly clear against the grass as I looked back at my path. I could see every stop I’d made, every place I’d been.

This weighed on my mind as I entered meditation. Everywhere I go, I leave a trace behind, visible or not. Yet as supposed “owner” of the land, I often leave more than footprints in my wake. Regardless of whether I do so respectfully or not, I make changes to suit my family’s longevity — and that leaves marks. Again, I suppose it will come down to balance. We’ll have to achieve the best compromises we can. That’s the only way to live in harmony with the sprites around us.

The land felt… slower today, the plants a little harder to reach. Winter creeps closer, turning down the pace.

[williambriar]

Take Notice!

Oct 2019 #Spiritwork #Domagick Day 15

Odd noises. The sudden scent of perfume when no one in the house wears it.

After not wanting to talk yesterday, the spirits demanded attention this morning. Yet it wasn’t the house speaking so loudly, but the land — and reasonably so. Since the weather turned, I’ve spent more time working indoors with the house sprite than I have with them. Balance is important to maintain. I have to look after the property and its spirits as a whole, without neglecting any portion.

So, despite the snowy drizzle, I took my offerings outside today. Instead of meditating, I walked the boundaries of my backyard, touching and talking to the plants along the way. The fall season ended sooner than we hoped, so much of the pruning and weeding my family intended to do still needs to be done. I cataloged what absolutely must be taken care of to protect the plants before the worst of the snows arrive. The tension in the land’s energy seemed to back off, but I sensed I must be more careful with my focus in the coming weeks. I can’t ignore it.

[williambriar]

Advice From the Trees

Oct 2019 #Spiritwork #Domagick Day 14

When I checked in with the house spirit this morning, I sensed it did not want to communicate. Perhaps yesterday’s activity tired it? Regardless, I took the hint. I made my offering and left it alone. It had been some time since I had meditated on the front yard’s energy, so I turned to the land instead. I spoke to the sprites there about a particular change that we would have to make – one that had weighed heavily on my mind. They indicated I must accept the situation, so I might as well do it with grace. Good advice there, and I’ll give it my best efforts.

[williambriar]

Recharging

Oct 2019 #Spiritwork #Domagick Day 13

Yesterday’s spooky movies never manifested. Other events intervened, and we delayed celebration until today, when the family gathered for food and games instead. I concentrated on family fun rather than spiritwork this afternoon, fitting in only a quick offering and dialogue. This was not a day for deep metaphysical connections but mundane ones.