[Pagan Blog Project 2014] B is for Brigid

I guess I should start by saying how I'm utterly confused at what is the "proper" spelling of Brigid's name. I've seen her name spelled the following: Brigit, Brighid, Bríg, Bride. I tried once to figure out which was what in what language, but it seems the spelling is everywhere. Or, at least, I don't have enough etymology and resources to properly discern which is properly Gaelic and which is British and so forth. 

But anyway. Im going to stick to spelling her name as Brigid.

[Pagan Blog Project 2014] B is for Blood-Ancestry

Even before I narrowed my religion down to Gaelic Polytheism, I still was very interested in Celtic polytheism as a whole while eclectic. One of the first things I read was about honoring the Gods, Spirits, and Ancestors. Coming into Gaelic Polytheism, that three is called The Sacred Three (or Na Trí Naomh in Gaeilge) by Gaol Naofa: Gods, Spirits, and Ancestors.

As someone who is not close to my blood family, this poses an interesting problem... (tw under the cut: talks of abuse.)

[Pagan Blog Project 2014] A for Authors

Specifically: magic, occult, new age, and/or pagan authors.

I have the best boyfriend.

Flowers I got from William a month ago.

As I mentioned in this blog article on my mental illness, I have mental illness. Yesterday I woke up with an anxiety attack about how my life is at the moment. I won't get into the details here. William, my boyfriend whom I live with, reassured me about everything then helped me start to make myself an early lunch. Afterwards, his mom called and I surprised him by saying I would like to go out for lunch and even go to the DMV (despite the DMV making me anxious too.) All in all, I managed to come back from a severe anxiety attack to the point where I left my comfort zone to be around 1) his mother and 2) the DMV. (His mother isn't really that stressful, but being around her still can push my social anxiety if I don't have enough spoons.) 

I came home at about 4pm. I called my therapist to double check an appointment and my psychiatrist to make one, then I promptly went to bed to detox from the day.

I woke up today with William saying he had a gift for me. I was confused, because we don't have any money for him to buy me anything. He then gave me this:

It's an small garlic jar filled with my protection sea salt, sunflower petals, and topped off with his worry stone he carried in his pocket. He gave it to me for protection.

My boyfriend isn't pagan or "New Age", though. (He believes in pantheistic secular humanism.) He also isn't someone who does magic. This isn't the type of thing he does normally. But he did this for me, because he knows I believe in it and work with it. Just like the gifts he got me for my birthday.

So. I'm just. Floored by how lovely this is. It's really soothing to look at, which I think is because he gave me it.

Reflections on Sunday's Ritual

My Parshall Cross that I gave the UU's Little Free Library has a new home it seems on the banner! I'm happy it's still able to protect the church. I saw it tonight while attending January's UU pagan group's get-together. First ritual with a different organizer. While I'm still overall enjoying my visits with the group, I still have a bit of a complaint as someone without Wiccanate privilege. I don't know how to exactly bring up these sort of complaints... but at least I can voice them on this blog, eh?

[Pagan Blog Project 2014] A for Altar

I suppose it's 'bout time I joined in on the wonderful Pagan Blog Project. Better than late than never, eh? (Especially considering how late in the day I'm submitting this. Eeps.)

Anyway, so Altars!