August 25, 2011 – 10:35 am
Greetings,
As many of you know , those of us who live in east coast states are preparing for Hurricane Irene. My little town of Carrboro, NC currently lies just at the edge of the outermost bands of the current projected path for the storm. However, nobody knows for certain what will happen as the storm travels.
Our mentality with these sorts of things at my home has always been to prepare like the dickens for the storm with the intention that you will in the end not even need it. Because our thoughts and words have energetic power for manifestation, we visualize and put energy towards a swift and smooth passage of the storm without devastation and with all residents in its path safe and sound. We will follow this plan of action and later today go buy extra storm supplies and make sure we have plenty of things like bottled water, bread, crackers, peanut butter and jelly, batteries, and the like.
I’d also like to ask all of you wonderful readers, magickal folk, and energy workers to send Reiki, energy, light your candles, etc. for the safety of all those in and along Irene’s projected path and their homes. Your energy can make a difference! I too will be focusing on this goal during my own Reiki work.
Thank you! Be safe!
Blessed be!
Blake Octavian Blair
Greetings once again!
Here in North Carolina we are still enduring this summer’s notorious heatwave. Today we are seeing some nominal relief with a high of only 87. Yesterday we were up around 104 without the heat index. So in comparison 87 is not so bad until you add the humidity that makes the air’s consistencey a sticky thickness that makes it feel like yesterday! Hopefully you have been able to beat the heat or at least keep it at bay as we have. Drinking plenty of water, saving outdoor activities until after sundown, and keeping the shades closed during the day for efficient cooling.
Speaking of activities and staying cool, I hope everyone had a blessed Lammas. My husband and I celebrated with a ritual and gathering at a friends house. In honor of the Celtic god Lugh, the craftsman, we had a handi-craft exchange. Although not many of us that were in circle work extensively with the Celtic pantheon, we still thought it an appropriate sabbat to honor our creative passions and skills in conjunction with the First Harvest. The exchange was executed by the random drawing of names from a bowl. Whoever’s name you drew was whose craft you were gifted with. It was wonderful to see all the handmade goodies that everyone brought. I gifted a healing novena that I dressed in HooDoo style for healing. My husband gifted a wood-burned altar tile. On the receiving end my husband was gifted with a Sangoma style divination kit (throwing the bones) that is comprised of a collection of natural objects such as shells, bones, stones, etc. I was lucky enough to be gifted with a beautiful shed peahen smudge feather that was hand painted and decorated!
One of the requisite activities that I love about these types of sabbat gatherings would have to be the potlucks. This was one of the best! We brought an old stand by seasame noodle dish and also “Soil Celebration” layered dip. The “Soil Celebration” recipe came from fellow author Deborah Blake‘s wonderful (and recently award winning!) book Witchcraft on a Shoestring. The dip was a complete hit. Thanks Deborah! All in all it was one of the best pot lucks in memory! Green bean casserole, squash casserole, fresh artisan bread, peach pie, and more!
I also recently submitted my spells for Llewellyn’s 2013 Witches’ Spell-A-Day Almanac . It was a really fun assignment and I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of coming up with just the right spell for each day. I can’t wait for it to come out next year so that all of you can read them! I’m busily working on putting finishing touches and doing some proof-reading on my other Annuals assignments.
Stay cool and take care until next time!
Blessed be,
Blake Octavian Blair
Greetings!
Summer heat has kicked in full force and we’re headed towards August which is generally the hottest month in my neck of the woods. However, this also means it is Llewellyn Annuals season! The 2012 Editions have just hit store shelves and I am featured in Llewellyn’s 2012 Witches’ Companion as well as Llewellyn’s 2012 Magical Almanac!** I received my contributing author copies in the mail about a week ago and it is exciting to see your own hard work in print. And to boot my writing was complamented beautifully with illustrations by artists Mickie Mueller, Kathleen Edwards, and Christa Marquez. So check out my articles, “The Art of Magickal Care Packages” and “Shopping for the Magickal Amid the Mundane” in the 2012 Witches’ Companion and “Academic Patrons for College Students” and “Magickal Moving and Relocating” in the 2012 Magical Almanac!
Authors are like kids on Yule morning when we receive copies of our work in print. Additionally, what is especially fun about the Annuals is getting to see your work alongside that of talented fellow authors and friends. I am honored for my work to be presented with such good company!
More exciting news: I have also been contracted to be a contributor for Llewellyn’s 2013 Editions of the Witches’ Companion, Magical Almanac, and Witches’ Spell-A-day Almanac! So, keep your eyes pealed next year this time for those!
Until my next blog post, everybody try to stay cool, large portions of the country are going through heat waves. Be safe, stay hydrated, and plan your outdoor activities in moderation and avoid being out during the hottest part of the day if possible!
Blessed Be!
Blake Octavian Blair
**(Although in the 2012 Magical Almanac table of contents there was a typo on my name — “Octavio” vs the correct “Octavian” — my name does however appear correct on both my author biography as well as the title page of my articles. The error will be corrected for 2013.)
By Blake
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Posted in Uncategorized
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Tagged author, books, heat, Llewellyn, Magical Almanac, paganism, publishing, summer, witchcraft, Witches' Companion, Writing
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Greetings!
Since my last post spring has sprung and luckily has stuck around for awhile! It seemed in 2010 we had about five days total of spring weather before summer heat and humidity arrived. This year we’ve been able to enjoy a few months thus far of spring weather. I of course utilize the wonderful forward motion of the season to work on creative projects and writing. It is wonderful to be able to open windows and enjoy the cool fresh spring air while working!
Spring has brought with it a renewed energy for growth. In April I taught a First Degree Reiki class to a group of wonderful students. Their class culminated on the April Full Moon, providing a wonderful complementary boost to assist their launch into a path of energy work! However, the class was not without some excitement from outside factors. That weekend was when the first round of tornadic storms swept through our region. The class location was in Fayetteville, NC and the storms hit the area heavily. Luckily, the location I was teaching at was spared any damage, despite an extended power loss. But Reiki class continued through the period of power loss with the assistance of a battery operated cd player for appropriate music. After all, the Reiki energy is not one dependent upon the utility companies! There is no question in any of our minds that Reiki Energy assisted us all through the stressful parts of the storm.
My husband and I celebrated Beltane with a small maypole inspired ritual to make wishes to manifest in the coming months. We went into a wooded area and tied strips of biodegradable fabric to tree branches, each with an intention to manifest in the coming months. This is a wonderful and enjoyable ritual to perform if you find yourself without enough people or the proper conditions to dance a formal maypole! Just be sure that your fabric is 100% cotton and will break down over time with exposure to the elements so that you will not harm or strangle the trees!
This past weekend I had the pleasure of assisting in the instruction of a class in Peruvian style shamanism. The principles taught that are a part of this system are especially relevant in our current time as paradigms shift. Our Mother Earth has been abused for far too long, many humans have been poor landlords, and we must care for Her and come back to a place of balance. She is speaking loudly to us and asking us to please shift our ways. As we head into summer, I encourage all of you do do your part to honor and take care of Mother Earth, which the Peruvians call Pachamama.
Yesterday I was pleased and honored to participate in the International Rite of Her Sacred Fires in honor of the Goddess Hekate. The event is sponsored by the Covenant of Hekate of which I am a member. The illumination provided by this torch bearing goddess is certainly welcome during these tumultuous times. May she illuminate our paths and show us the way at the crossroads at which we are standing as a species. For more information about the Covenant of Hekate visit the organizations website at www.hekatecovenant.com .
I hope all of you have remained safe through the severe weather and natural disasters and keep those who have been less than fortunate in your thoughts, prayers, and energy work.
May the rest of your spring be full vibrant growth and energy!
Blessed Be,
Blake Octavian Blair
By Blake
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Posted in Uncategorized
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Tagged Balance, Earth, healing, Hekate, May, Pachamama, Reiki, Sabbats, Shamanism, Teaching, Writing
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Greetings and a Happy Maha Shivaratri to you!
Today is the Hindu festival celebrating Lord Shiva. There are many traditions as to what the occasion. In some traditions it is believed that this marks the night that Shiva appeared in a form in which the human eye could interpret. Another belief is that this is the night in which Shiva performed the primordial dance of creation, preservation, and destruction. Devotees of Shiva (both Hindu and Non-Hindu alike) often spend the entire night in temples worshiping Lord Shiva through mantras, and various puja rituals including abhishek (ritual bathing) of the Shiva Linga. We held our own small Shiva Linga puja at our home including an abhishek ceremony. Shiva is one of our household deities and he is also the father of my patron god, Ganesha, so Maha Shivaratri is a holy day we take joy in observing.
Imbolg has also passed and seemingly with it the bulk of our winter weather. I think we’ve seen the last of the snow for the season and the trees are starting to show the first signs of buds (and pollen)! Imbolg celebrations for us included a ritual tarot divination using a spread based upon the three forms of the Goddess Brigid as well as a trip to the Watersong Peace Chamber in Saxapahaw, NC for a Imbolg Sound Ceremony in honor of Mother Earth and welcoming back the growing light!
As we approach equinox we are still experiencing the typical inconsistent weather here in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. One day it is 82 degrees and the next day we have a high of 60. Temperatures can still drop into the 30′s at night. However, we do not need sweaters more than we do and we are frequently able to open up windows to let fresh air in. Fresh air does wonders for the energy flow in a home!
I am also working on a few new writing pieces that I am really excited about! I can’t reveal topics at this point, however, they will certainly help provide ideas on using your resources! I’ve also developed a habit of listening to classical music while writing. I find often times if I listen to familiar music with lyrics it tends to be a bit distracting. However, a bit of Mozart just helps promote the flow!
I’ve also recently finished writing my 2nd Degree Reiki class manual and I am looking forward to the 2nd Degree class I’ll be teaching in just a few weeks.
In my last blog update you’ll recall I mentioned that I had learned to knit. Well it has really turned into a bit of an addiction! I’m still just chugging along on scarves, however, I have my eyes on working on a blanket very soon. It is such a relaxing and meditative hobby. In the midst of stressful activities a fifteen or twenty minute knitting break can work wonders. The danger of course is getting enchanted in it and losing track of time! There was a point in time where I never thought stitch-witchery would be among my magickal tools but I’m happy now that it is! I’d love to see your comments about your own projects and bits of stitch witchery!
Until next time, enjoy the energy as we slide towards Spring Equinox and harness this energy of growth and new beginnings and perhaps work towards hatching some of those creative eggs you’ve been incubating!
And a Blessed Maha Shivaratri!
Om namah Shivaya!
Blessed Be!
Blake Octavian Blair
January 6, 2011 – 4:49 pm
Happy 2011 to everyone! I wish all of you a healthy, happy, prosperous, and smooth year.
The winter holidays here went well and were full of celebrations. Shortly after Thanksgiving we put up our Yule tree and broke out the winter holiday décor. This is a celebratory ritual process in itself. When the trees are bare and the skies are gray more than they are not, the evergreen that we deck our homes with truly does add that reminder that life is still upon the land, enjoy the dark times, as spring will come soon enough. Not to mention the wonderful vibe of warm holiday cheer the sight of lighted trees and front doors adorned with beautiful wreaths provides.
My mother came from Florida via train to visit my husband and I for the Yule holiday. This created a bit of amusement on my part at the design and planning of the train station. As I arrived to pick her up at the station, I had the realization that the tracks block the train station. If a train is currently at the station, the track it sits on runs across the road the leads to the station itself. Everyone remains in their vehicles, turns them off, sits in the street, waits for the train to reload, and then depart. Only then can people actually cross the tracks and reach the actual station to pick up their loved ones. I had no end of amusement with this!
While my Mother was visiting we had the honor of attending a memorial puja in honor of the passing of a friends grandmother. Her and her family were unable to fly back to India to attend funeral rites in person so they instead held a beautiful puja and dinner. Friends, family, and community were invited to join in the chanting and recitation of Hindu mantras, prayers, and songs in honor of Grandma. We all gathered around an altar with flowers and her photos that was set up in the main room under a mantle that displayed images of the household deities. The room was filled with the wonderful crackling energy of the celebration of life. You could in a sense tangibly feel Grandma’s gratitude for everyone gathering in recognition of her. A grand (completely vegetarian) feast of traditional Gujrati food was served after the puja. It was truly an honor to be able to attend such a rite.
Yule 2010 was a special rarity this year as many of you may know. Not only was it Winter Solstice but also a full moon and lunar eclipse. On the eve of Solstice we attended the Solstice Sound Ceremony at the Watersong Peace Chamber in Saxapahaw, North Carolina. This was an intensely powerful ceremony with a focus of honoring and promoting healing and love for Mother Earth and all her inhabitants through the modality of sound. Chanting, drums, rattles, signing bowls, and more were used to create the vibration of sound. As Watersong care takers say, “Sound is vibration and vibration creates change.” Peace Chambers worldwide signed up for one hour over a continuous twenty four hour period to hold Solstice Sound Ceremonies. The celebration at Watersong continued beyond the allotted one hour through the night. We stayed a few hours after the ceremony and then headed home to get sleep before the full day of festivities the next day on Yule proper.
Yule morning saw the traditional gift exchange around the Yule tree upon waking. I received many wonderful gifts, among them a book entitled Reiki Shamanism by Roberts and Levy, which explores the integration of various shamanic techniques with Reiki treatments, a beautiful parrot feather smudge fan, a statue of Hecate, and a copy of the wonderful anthology Hekate: Her Sacred Fires by Sorita d’Este. My mother gave both my husband and I wonderful goodies from the Indian Grocery in our stockings. Sandalwood soap, dhoop, and key chains with Hindu Deities on them. My car key now sports a stylish key chain with Laxmi and Ganesh on one side and the Om on the other — a perfect travel talisman! My good friends Jimi and Lynn also gave me a beautiful puja thali that they picked up for me at the Shri Swaminarayanan Mandir in Chicago. However, it is true to say that the gifts, although thoughtful, are not the most important part of the holiday. Gathering to celebrate in the presence of loved ones, celebrating family (both of blood and of choice), of life, and the wheel of the year should be the genuine focus of the holiday season. The true value of the physical exchange of gifts is not in the quantity or monetary value of them but in the thoughtfulness and caring that they symbolize. Just a few thoughtful gifts, whatever their value, hold a loving energy beyond compare. Gift giving is an art. It is a skill to be able to choose gifts that will be desired by, appropriate for, and useful to the recipient. Something of lasting value. Knowing the person cares enough for you to make, find, or acquire the item especially for you, is a gift in and of itself. The item carries the loving energy that person has for you and that they put into the creation of acquisition of the gift. That is the spirit of which we strive to embody in our gift giving rituals on such occasions. Striving for that goal also aids to remove the element of voracious consumerism that is also so often at play in Western culture during the holidays. A good friend of ours and fellow Reiki Master knit us a rainbow chakra afghan. One can undoubtedly feel the caring and thoughtfulness radiating from it that was put into its creation. A gift to be treasured for years to come!
Following the exchange of gifts, we had our Yule sabbat ritual. It has become our tradition that the ritual for this sabbat always takes the form of our modern rendition of burning the Yule Log. We use an eco-friendly fireplace log made of recycled wax cardboard pressed together for our Yule Log. During the ritual we write petition slips of those things we’d like to attract into our lives during the coming year and affix them to the log using wax, ribbon, etc. We bless the log and then burn the log completely in the fireplace beginning the manifestation process. This ritual provides a wonderful balance and complement to the ritual banishing done at Samhain. Together they form a nice system for “out with the old and in with the new!”
In the early afternoon we had a wonderful Yule dinner centering around a main dish of a roasted Tofurky, with roasted oven potatoes, steamed veggies, and homemade apple pie for dessert! After dinner we headed to Raleigh to participate in a Munay-Ki shamanic fire ceremony and Solstice celebration. That concluded our run of Solstice celebrations. A busy but fun run it was!
One of the things I enjoy so much about the holiday season is its diversity. I have friends who are Pagan, Jewish, Christian, Atheist, Hindu and all manner of religions. All of the different faiths and belief systems bring wonderful celebrations to the milieu of the season. Many with similar goals and each with their unique offerings to add to the mix. A fellow Reiki-Master (who knitted the aforementioned afghan) invited us to her house for their Italian Christmas dinner. Many people may not think of baked ziti as a main course for Christmas dinner, but it is an idea that I could get used to! We also brought a batch of my husbands homemade fruitcake to share. Hold your groans, this isn’t the scary nuclear colored candied fruit cake you see in department and discount stores. He makes it from scratch using real dried fruits such as apricots, blueberries, cherries, raisins, and even a dash of pecans — all soaked in rum of course. Then every other day for two weeks it is spritzed with brandy. Yes ladies and gents, it is good fruitcake! Even our friends who dislike fruitcake loved it and we had a wonderful time taking part in celebration of our friends sacred day.
The days just prior to New Years found me giving a few tarot readings to clients to provide some outlook on current situations and the outlooks for new possible ventures. I love giving tarot readings at any point in time, but New Years readings are especially fun. Both the energetic drive and threshold that time of year provides always makes for wonderfully interesting readings! I was pleased to be able to greatly help these clients so that they are able to move forward and make decisions that allow them to guide, direct, and foster a new year full of great new opportunities for themselves! It is truly a wonderful feeling to have a line of work that I both enjoy and helps people when they are in need! Truly a win/win situation!
New Years also found the cleaning bug working its way through our apartment. We managed a full cleaning spree of the fridge, kitchen, linen closet, walk-in closet, vacuuming, and procuring an entire bag of old clothes to donate to the thrift store. It all started with cleaning our walk-in closet. Cleaning your closet is supposed to be a simple but effective piece of New Years Feng Shui. It is said that symbolically, that the organization of your closet energetically mirrors the organization of the rest of your life. Well, after the closet we were on a roll and couldn’t stop there! I’m glad we didn’t! Cleaning may not be the chore one most looks forward to, but the energetic results are oh so nice!
In other news, I am again learning how to knit. I have tried several times in the past using books, online videos, and a few people attempting to show me. For some reason it simply never ‘took.’ Well, a friend recently sat down to give an attempt at teaching me. Well, it seems she has been met with success because I now have a scarf well underway! Perhaps my sporadic attempts to learn this skill are over and know I can actually claim the title of knitter!
I think that sums up my update for now. I will be posting another blog very soon with some fun writing news…so stay tuned! In the meantime, enjoy a new year full of opportunities!
Blessed Be!
Blake Octavian Blair
November 15, 2010 – 6:02 pm
Autumn Greetings!
In some ways it is hard to believe that it is already November but the signs are tell tale.
The foliage here in North Carolina has turned a wonderful patchwork of harvest golds, oranges, and reds. The weather is becoming consistently more crisp, however, there is still the occasional warmer day that catches us all by surprise!
Since my last blog update we have celebrated Autumn Equinox/Mabon as well as Ganesh Chaturthi in our home. Ganesha Chaturthi, celebrating Lord Ganesh’s Birthday, fell on September 11th this year and we made a visit to attend festivities at an area Hindu temple. The temple had a wonderful shrine set up for Lord Ganesha specifically for the festival. That evening we also performed a puja honoring our beloved elephant headed god at our home shrine and gave offerings of mantras, milk, bananas, incense, sacred flame, and beautiful celosia flowers bought fresh that morning from our local farmers market. Ganapati also received an offering of our evening meal before we ate.
 Ganesh Chaturthi festival shrine at temple.  My personal household Ganesha shrine on Ganesh Chaturthi. Later in the month was the celebration of Mabon – the Autumnal Equinox. The equinox provided us the perfect time to perform a rite during our sabbat ritual with the intention to bring more balance into our lives as we honored the light and dark halves of the year. We had beautiful fresh cut sunflowers to adorn our Equinox altar. In the past we had used them on occasion, however, I now like to use flowers more often than not. I’ve developed this liking because fresh flowers not only bring a vibrant touch of life but also a great way to bring in another reminder of the seasonal cycles.
 2010 Mabon sabbat ritual altar. In early October I became a Usui Reiki Master-Teacher. Becoming a Reiki practitioner has been a very empowering and life changing process. Becoming a Master-Teaching and having the ability to initiate others into the life affirming and nurturing world of Reiki is very fulfilling. Reiki also integrates so seamlessly into one’s personal practice of shamanism, witchcraft, and magick — bringing forth new perspectives.
This years Samhain celebration was especially poignant with this years loss of Pagan and Druid leader Isaac Bonewits. I never had the pleasure of meeting Isaac in person, however, we did correspond on a few occasions electronically and he was the ever helpful guide, elder, and pagan brother that many describe. Although Isaac is no longer with us in a corporeal sense he is most certainly still with us all in spirit. In fact, many have commented that they are sure Isaac happily attended numerous Samhain celebrations this year without the constricted bounds of travel time and physical body! Also fresh in our minds are the loss of several GLBT youth this year to suicide. The outreach from public figures supportive of the GLBT community and its rights has been touching. I do hope that everyone contributes to their efforts to make the world a friendlier place for all persons. Perhaps it seems idealistic, however, every little bit helps. An individual can make a difference, you could be the supportive friend and listening ear, or the voice of public support or defense, that just may save someone’s life.
Another significant person on my mind this Samhain was a dear friend of mine I lost in 2009 to an unexpected illness. She was a Reiki practitioner herself and the night before my Master training she briefly visited me withthe message that I was doing the right thing and that she was proud. In part, becoming a Reiki Master-Teacher felt like an act of honor to her as well. I could feel her smiling down upon me — pleased with my joining the lineage of practitioners.
During our Samhain ritual we called upon Santisima Muerte (Saint Death) and Archangel Michael. We have an affinity for the dark manifestations of the Divine Mother in our house and calling upon Muerte and Michael for Samhain seemed fitting as they are both psychopomps among their many roles. We made sure to offer Muerte her beloved tequila and chocolate and among the offerings attendees brought for Michael were tumbled blue lace agate as well as fresh sprigs of lavender. Their arrival and presence were strongly felt during the entire ritual during which we read prayers and offered candles to the Ancestors as well as burned the poppets we had been carrying for the month. On the last day of September we make poppets representing parts of ourselves we find less desirable — those things that do not serve our highest good. Throughout the entire month of October we carry the poppet with us everywhere as a reminder of what work it is to carry around that baggage and that we need to work on banishing those beneficial traits. Bad habits, harmful emotions and experiences, and sickness are all examples of things one could put into the poppet. Then during the Samhain ritual they are burned on the log to banish those things the poppet represents. I can assure you, it is a very cathartic act!
In the photos you will see that we also decorated Mexican sugar skulls! This was not only great fun but they also made a great offering for the Ancestors. Some remain in our home on our ancestral altar and others were taken to a local cemetery as offerings on November 1st in honor of Day of the Dead.
 2010 Samhain sabbat ritual altar.  Mexican sugar skulls made at our Samhain gathering this year! Now with Thanksgiving fast approaching here in the U.S. I am experiencing the deja vu that comes over me this time every year as I contemplate, “Didn’t we celebrate this holiday already at Mabon?” While the answer is that of course we did, I take Thanksgiving as an opportunity to celebrate family togetherness and my thankfulness for that. Thanksgiving, despite the dubiousness surrounding its origins, has become a holiday revolving around family gatherings and togetherness with those we perhaps don’t get to see as often as we’d like. It is on those grounds that I greatly look forward to eating Tofurky, homemade cranberry sauce, and delightful homemade pumpkin pie with loved ones.
I hope for all of you as well that your upcoming seasonal celebrations are magickally filled with all of these things and more!
Blessed be!
Blake Octavian Blair
September 4, 2010 – 6:33 pm
Greetings!
Harvest season is upon us and I hope that everyone is celebrating in their own way and reflecting upon the projects and aspects of our lives that we have been working hard to bring to fruition and are currently or soon will be harvesting.
The is much to talk about since the last update of this blog. My husband and I spent Midsummer in Missoula, Montana, celebrating and visiting with our extended spiritual family at Opus Aima Obscurae (OAO). We camped along the Blackfoot River in an area active with a great deal of Blackfoot spirit activity. As part of the many rituals and ceremonies held throughout the week we left offerings to the spirits inhabiting the area thanking them for allowing us to stay on their land, allowing us to become closer it it, as well as share with them our reverence for it. One could definitely sense that while the spirits of the Blackfoot were welcoming, they were also understandably cautious. A very sacred area indeed. Our trip to Montana was filled with celebration, ritual, spiritual family, and experiences to remember.
In July I became a Second Degree Reiki practitioner. My love of the Reiki energy grows as my relationship to it as a practitioner grows. Such a powerful gift from the Universe! While Western medicine has made impressive advancements, the wisdom of Eastern and alternative practices is not to be overlooked in our current time. I am looking forward to becoming a Reiki Master/Teacher this fall.
North Carolina weather remains majorily hot and humid as we begin the month of September. However, my husband and I noticed while out and about the other day that the sycamore trees are beginning to change color. Nature is showing subtle signs that the seasonal shift is beginning in earnest and providing us hope of upcoming crisp autumn air.
Another reason for celebration is the approach of Ganesha Chaturthi on September 11th! This festival celebrates the birthday of the Hindu god Ganesha. Ganesha also happens to be my patron deity, so the day has extra significance at my house. We will celebrate with both a home puja as well as a visit to a local Hindu temple. Jai Ganesha!
In writing news, I have finished my writing assignments for the 2012 Llewellyn Annuals and am excited to see them in print. Look for my articles appearing in both the Witches’ Companion and the Magical Almanac!
In website news, there are many updates including a link to my Face Book profile as well as information on my tarot services (PayPal coming soon!).
Until next time, Blessed Harvest!
Blake Octavian Blair
*This post is backdated from another blogging software.*
Welcome to my first blog entry for the website! As I write this we are fast approaching the Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and in my current corner of the world in North Carolina the heat is certainly here! My goal is to do my best to update this blog near each of the eight sabbats (if not more often) with news, information, and the latest from my corner of the world.
I soon hope to have the Tarot portion of this website, detailing my tarot reading services, up and running for your viewing in the very near future. Plans are in the works for making online readings available via paypal. So visit often and stay tuned the launching of that!
I’m also excited to announce that I will be a contributing author for Llewellyn’s 2012 Annuals. Be sure to look for my articles in the 2012 Witches’ Companion, to be released late 2011! Stay tuned to the website for more details and updates on where you can find my writings.
As I close out this somewhat brief blog entry, I’d like to invite us all to reflect upon our Mother Earth as we approach the waning half of the year. From the numerous earthquakes to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Mother Earth has been under great trauma. I encourage everyone to harness the energy of the waning half of the year in your own way and focus on lessening our impact on the earth. As our imbalance with Her becomes increasingly apparent, contemplate how we as a people can take steps to bring ourselves back in to balance with and to heal the Earth.
Blessed be and Namaste,
Blake Octavian Blair
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