A New Year

Yes, I know that the case for the Samhain feast as the “Celtic new year” is only so good. But it's good enough that, combined with a lifetime of personal custom, I'll continue to make it an annual turning and assessment point. The past year has actually been pretty productive in occult and Pagan matters, and there's more to come. I’ve put out a new book, finally assembled a Stone Creed Grove Book of Rites, and developed a couple of new workshops for presentation.

The Nine Moons project is very near to conclusion. The ritual material is complete and being tested, and I'm a couple of articles away from done. I'm also moving along recording the trances and audio support. I'm left with one big question. Should I offer the material as an actual correspondence course, or publish it as a book with accompanying CD(s)?

There are several examples of the latter model. Ashcroft-Nowicki, Tyson, Buckland and, I'm sure, others have written and published self-contained month-by-month magical training courses. With the recorded support, I think I could offer something useful in a one-shot, which would require much less management and time from me than a correspondence course.

However doing the course would allow me to tweak the system with a round or two of students and is, of course, where the money is. Do I care about generating actual income (rather than a bit of extra book-money) from my occult work? That *is* the question.

On consideration, I’m leaning toward doing the direct publishing. That doesn’t preclude offering a course, with personal guidance and assessment, and new material as it develops. I just can’t resist the lure of having a shiny new book to sell.

At home, our transition is nearly complete, and we’re moving our Home Shrine into a new room, even now. We’ll have lots more room to work and I mean to make something nicely sculptural on the walls as I had done at a previous shrine. I want to be able to light it up into an inspiring display, my own indoor temple.

On Monday, which is roughly the first crescent of the moon of Samhain-month (November is called ‘Samhain’ in Irish), we will hallow the new shrine. That will begin a new round of observance and experiment for me. L. has been diligently meditating along these past months, but I’ve been slacking over the summer. I’ll be getting back to regular daily work, and to Retreat Days, working the material from the Nine Moons from where we left off. I must admit I’m hungry to do some serious magic. Just a little more prep work – a couple of key tool-consecrations – and I’ll be ready to attempt some of the spirit arte I’ve been designing.

On that side of things, I’ve been doing more work with my own Allies, especially the Familiar I’ve worked with for over 20 years (holy whoever… 20 years since that rite…). All results have been immediate and positive, for small, ordinary things. There’s been some sense of warning and reminders of reciprocity, but that’s all been working out, and will become easier with the new shrine in place.

I look forward to a productive year, spiritually, some of which I will chronicle here. This is the second birthday of this blog, and I do thank you all for reading it, and encourage your comments. On we go…