Monday, August 18, 2014

Tools of the Trade

First of all, life has been rather hectic. Will had minor surgery and was out of work for a week. That means my routine- my cooking, my cleaning, my magickal work, and my sewing were all disrupted. He just went back to work today, so finally I can write.

Because Will was home, I stopped doing some Darker Work. I thought the problem was just about solved. Not following up resulted in a regression. I have the exact same problem I started with. So I started over. This time I am going to be more stringent and not stop until the job is done.

I started healing the land. One of the first problems I encountered was The Stopping Point. My father has told me many times that there is no stopping point in remodeling. There is always something else that needs a little paint. If you do finish, it will only be a short while before something needs your attention again. It is the same when trying to establish property lines. It's not just my property that is a mess. My in-laws haven't maintained their land either. So I can clear out a whole section of mess, or I can clear to the fence line. And then the weeds will gradually reach over the fence. In some ways, me cleaning inspires my mother-in-law to start working on her yard. Sometimes this is really annoying like when she won't pay out of pocket to take her grandson to the doctor but she can pay extra money and have the neighbor cut down kudzu. I'm trying to pick my battles here, but I really think a kid needing medicine out-weighs a shed covered in vines. Somehow, as I set boundaries, as I cut bramble vines, as I pick up trash, I need to incorporate wisdom, kindness, and honesty. I have much work ahead of me.

I am also having problems in my family. I keep getting slighted. I have voiced my concerns in the past, but over the weekend there was a major fight. The end result was I am not speaking to either my parents or my aunt and uncle. I feel they owe me an apology. They think I am over-reacting and that's it's okay to treat me like a doormat. I'm pretty sure another fight is coming. Which leads back to healing the land- I need a safe place where I can think.

We also had a minor incident in which we were lied to. On the surface, it doesn't seem like a huge deal, just a minor disappointment, but the more I think about it, the more I think we were being cased. A man stopped in a week ago to inquire about a junk car Will had. He wanted to buy it and I was so excited to get the thing out of the yard that I didn't stop to wonder how exactly he knew the car was here. He talks to Will, says he's about to go out of town, but he really wants the car and will call in a week. A week comes and goes. No buyer. Will calls, wrong number. No such person, and no, they don't want to buy a car. Well damn. Then during one of my trips down the driveway with trash bag in tow, I look up. I can't see the car from the road. I can't see the car until I am more than halfway up the driveway. How did he know we had it? The car can't be seen from my neighbor's house. You can see it from my mother-in-law's house, but not very well and unless he was in their yard, and he had no business over there. I don't think he noticed it while driving by. Will has been robbed several times over the years. I believe this was a case of someone wanting to see if we had anything else of value. I'm hoping his fear of my dogs will keep him from coming back.

I'm also going to put some protection spells on the house. Which brings me to today's post- my tools.
Yeah, that's dishes and rolling pins. I'm a Kitchen Witch. I use what I have laying around the house. I look for magick in everyday items. I think what really draws me to this kind of Witchery is that it is very place oriented. It is personal. It is myself and my life. It is the same with sewing- I use fabric I bought, fabric my grandmother used, fabric from my old clothes. Every time I look at what I have made, I think of what was going on in my life when I stitched things together; I remember the weather, the personal struggles, our highs and lows. I look at a quilt and see my life's story. I thumb through my cookbook searching for dinner ideas and I see memories of dinner parties. I remember Christmas past, summer BBQ's, birthdays, and farewells. I'm pretty sure if I gave you my dishes their magick would serve you well. But you wouldn't get my memories or my spells. The magick would flow in a new pattern around you.

The hutch used to be my altar. Will has done some work. It now stands a little straighter. Will gave it a new top. He added a divider on the top shelf and he plans to add doors. Eventually, lighted shelves will be added to the top. He had some cedar trees cut and the wood will be used to finish the hutch. I like the idea of something from Salem being added to something old from another place. It's still an altar. I still do magick here. I roll good wishes into pie crusts. I serve food on charmed plates. And I have plans to add spells.

Like most important things in my life, this is a work in progress. I bought a set of brass scales which I intend to use in my work as a way to achieve balance. Or maybe I could use them for weighing options. I've been seeing scales everywhere lately. I've also noticed keys and glass bottles. I think the Universe is trying to tell me something.

What tools do you have? Is your magick in paints and brushes? Is it in clothes? In food you eat? Is it in a place, in a room or a nook or the attic? Is it in the music you hear? Did you bring the magick to these or was it already there, waiting for you to notice?

3 comments:

Aine O'Brien said...

I like to use what's available nearby as well. Here, I use rocks. The beaches here have very unusual rocks, and I have gone there on several occasions to find rocks, mostly for healing as that is the energy that I sense from them, but also rocks are used as protection and are what makes up my altar. I buy locally grown herbs to use in my work as well, and all kinds of natural things, such as pine needles and branches of trees that have fallen.

Anonymous said...

My goodness things are certainly busy there! I hope that the would-be robber doesn't return. Keep standing up for yourself. Eventually people will learn how to treat you properly. I love the glimpse into what your tools of the trade are. I use what presents itself to me as well as, you guessed it, my paints and brushes. My fathers old Grumbacher paint brush sits on my altar and I bought some empty paint tubes for crafting charmed/blessed pigments in artWork.

Unknown said...

Chance favors the prepared mind, as they say (you know...them!)...Anyway I just love that you're a Kitchen Witch (totally awesome) and that your tools of the trade are so basic & natural... it's like "duh" why wouldn't you use use these simple beautiful tools to work everyday miracles...? Simply stated, I'm a fan!
PS: You're an awesome blogger as well...I voyage to another place every time I read your words. Merci beaucoup!