Month: September 2016
Drumming with my djembe
I cracked open the Jim Donovan DVD again and practiced rhythms while the hubster was upstairs playing the guitar. As usual the wee bagel dog is terrified of the drum. I’m getting more consistent tones with both hands, but I’m still better with my right hand for base notes. I find that weird since I’m left handed. Open notes are fairly even, and the slap notes are the same in volume, but the hits sound different to me, like I’m hitting with different parts of my hands.
I self-taught some beats and a number of rhythms years ago and though the sounds are the same as the ones on the DVD, I’m using my hands in different order than I’m supposed to so I’m trying to correct that. It’s hard. But fun. *grin*
I need to buy a frame drum with a synthetic head. The humidity here makes mine with the real head unplayable for half of the year. ~sigh~ MUSIC GOALS! I HAZ ‘EM!
Gratitude Project – final 2
Sept 21st – for ancestors remembered
Sept 22nd – for Autumn. Hail crisp clear air and the beautiful colour show of leaf death!
So ends The Gratitude Project of 2016. Daily gratitudes will continue, just not blogged. May your time in between now and TGP 2017 be filled with whimsy, love, and deeply satisfying experiences. See you next year!
Gratitude Project – five
Sept 16th – for the ability to let go without rancor
Sept 17th – leading a Reclaiming ritual for folks not well versed in our style
Sept 18th – for dreaming big and expecting it to manifest
Sept 19th – for my funny, delightful dog and cat, whose antics keep me smiling
Sept 20th – for allergy meds – wth pollen!
The Pentacle of Charisma: Invoking the Black Heart of Innocence in Community Leadership
The Pentacle of Charisma: Invoking the Black Heart of Innocence in Community Leadership
November 4-6, 2016, at a cabin in Raccoon State Park
Hookstown, PA 15050
Limited number of slots
Charisma is a necessary component of effective leadership in community. People love it when they see it, embrace it when they have it, yet shy from naming it. Let’s remove the stigma, and learn the art of being charismatic through the Black Heart of Innocence. Let’s Trust, be Present, act from Authenticity, be mindful of our Impact, and move in Delight.
The lowdown:
Sliding scale fee: $230-$150 to sleep over in cabin; $100 to drive in and out each day
Friday evening to gather and settle into the energy: 6p.m. – 10 p.m.
Saturday to embrace and work the points of the Pentacle: 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Sunday to discuss and begin to integrate the experience: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Payment through the donate button on Blossoming Bones. $50 deposit to hold your slot, full payment due by October 15th.
Send an email of inquiry to witches2brew@gmail.com, subject line, “The Pentacle of Charisma” to receive the registration form.
More from the Facilitators:
Thoughts from Amoret:
In all the world, there will never be another just like you. You, one of the many facets of the Universe, your living Black Heart is a droplet of infinite stars. Unique just like everyone else, human and of the gods, we each have a handful of years to take our Self and offer it to Life.
I say again: there will never be another just like you.
We have all felt the gravitational pull of Leaders. Sometimes we call that pull “charisma”. Many times I have looked at someone who was particularly compelling, someone who was brimming with magic and thought, “I wish I could shine like that.” In truth, the desire I feel in those moments is this: I want to unlock my own unique wisdom to share with the world in service. What if charisma simply describes those moments of congruence when we tap into our personal wellsprings of magic and are able to share our essence with others?
This is an invitation to befriend Trust, Presence, Authenticity, Impact and Delight – let’s use this pentacle to bring our gifts into the world, in service.
Amoret BriarRose | I am a poet, witch, and synergist, and have been working Reclaiming magic for 16 years. I seek the sacred in words and woods, in song and silence, and in the intimate magics of the everyday. I endeavor to look life in the eye and believe that surrender holds a key to grace. I am called to divination, gathering messages from tarot cards and runes, from the sounds of tree roots stretching and the drumming of heartbeats. I am called to community, knowing that many hands make light and interesting work. I come alive when our voices come together, calling to the Mysteries.
An itinerant Priestess at heart, I currently reside in Pittsburgh, PA, traveling to make sacred mischief. Find out more about me at http://www.amoretbriarrose.com.
Thoughts from Boneweaver:
What happens when we are in the presence of charisma? For me , I fall in love. I fall for the very essence of who they are. My spirit is touched and reaches back to them in reciprocity. I am enthralled. I want to spend time with them. I want to soak up what they’re offering. I want more.
When a leader in my community has charisma I find I want to be like them. I desire to have an impact as great as theirs. They inspire me to Trust in their Presence, to rise with their Authenticity, to welcome their Impact, and to squirm with Delight in all of it.
I stand Black Heart open, receiving and wanting, each cell begging to return this precious gift to those around me. I want this. I want to give with my whole self those things of service that only I can bring, those things that would be missing from my community if I didn’t show up and offer them.
Boneweaver |Chants, trance, and dance. I believe in the power of words, and particularly the power of words in song. I believe in the power of deep collective magic through sinking down, in and connecting outward to the all. I believe in the power of the body to move in rhythm with all the worlds, and I dance the borders between here and there, now and then, and life and death.
I am a death-working, transition loving, Reclaiming/Feri Priestess artist. I talk to the Dead, and They talk back. I thrill to stepping off of that cliff into the unknown, trusting the process to carry me to my work. I work to build healthy community through intentional compassionate magic and ritual, near Pittsburgh, PA. Visit me at http://www.leanintojoy.org to learn more about me.
Join us for our official kickoff of this new Pentacle!
Gratitude Project – three
Sept 13 – Whheeeeee the Hierophant! Love the cloak!
Sept 14 – Sweet words on paper.
Sept 15 – Nature!! At Buttermilk Falls:
I need to note this – extra active Spirits
I’ve been meaning to “note this somewhere” and here is as good as any place, yes? Starting about mid-August I’ve noticed unusually active spirits, sprites, Beloved Dead, and various other flitting-about Energies. Generally these are always around, seen when looking, and more easily visible as the veil thins towards Samhain. But this year, this year, they are early and active, like whoa.
It has been a distraction especially while driving. They are not fluttery wisps, they are dense and quick. So much so I’ve been reacting as if pedestrians are about to rush in front of my car. It is quite unnerving when I’m behind the wheel. I cannot fathom what it’s going to be like once we’re at Samhain, but I’m rather excited to find out. Hail our (often) Unseen!
Gratitude Project – it only seems like I’m behind
But I’m a Time Lord, so whatever. 😀
Ok – September 9th – for an uneventful ride into Philly after waking up with the beginnings of a borked-neck induced headache deflected by quick application of extreme moist heat.
September 10th – Blessed patience and humour of my friends.
September 11th – reconnecting with my Witchcamp Beloveds through love shown brightly in generosity.
September 12th – a bright clear feels-like-Autumn day.
Gratitude Project – blessings small and large
Yesterday – mustard greens came in our CSA this week. Delicious.
Today – anniversaries! Today is the 26th of our wedding.
Because I’m me, here is the hubster’s card:
Because he’s him, here are my carnations:
😀
Gratitude Project – extra $$s
For disposable income – I had enough to buy this!
LEAN IN TO JOY with BONEWEAVER 