The subject of fairies came up on a facebook group I am on and someone asked what books I would recommend. It’s a good question, since my perspective is very traditional I think its hard to find many good books on the topic that are true to the old view. I find many(…)
Author Archives: Lairbhan
Dark Night of the Soul, part 2
So its been about a month since I decided to re-assess my spiritual framework and chose to, basically, discard everything and start over at the beginning in order to find what really(…)
Witch Bottles
One of my favorite traditional methods of protection in witchcraft is a witch’s bottle. Its fairly simple to make, yet easily added to or adapted, and once made is set in place and then requires no maintenance. It’s effective, yet subtle. And its something that anyone(…)
Blood and Ashes – a poem
My heart is old and Otherworldly
Filled with primal fire and ice
Fierce and ruthless and seething
For me there is no middle ground
Between nothing and the
fullness of my feelings
What I love, I love completely<br(…)
Áine
It’s an interesting thing in Irish mythology and folklore that the Gods were reduced not into human characters, by and large, but into Fairies. So it is with Áine of Cnoc Áine in county Kerry who is believed to have been a goddess originally but is held to be a(…)
Midsummer in transition
So the summer solstice was on Wednesday and this year I found myself feeling very challenged on how to celebrate. I have only just decided to refocus my spiritual practice, well more accurately my religious structure, and I was actually at a bit of a loss as to what to(…)
Summer Introspection
I am not a summer person. While everyone else might be out at the beach, at barbecues, hiking, or otherwise enjoying the outdoors I’m avoiding the bright sunlight and heat by holing up inside. I’ve always been like this; I was the kid in high school who spent my summers staying up(…)
Ansuz
This month we are studying the fourth rune of the first aett, called Ansuz, Ás, Áss, or Os. It is cognate with the letter “A” in English. Just as the first two runes, Fehu and Uruz, represented opposite principles, so do Thurisaz and Ansuz. Where Thurisaz is(…)
"Good Wish"
This is a blessing prayer from the Carmina Gadelica, called “Good Wish”. It’s one of my favorites so I’m posting a slightly modified version that I use.
Good Wish (282)
Power of raven be yours
Power of eagle be yours
Power of the Fiann<br(…)
Weeping for the stone
I try to be philispohical about the vagaries of life. Bad things happen, and often these bad things are senseless, and there is just as often nothing constructive to be done. War and death and suffering are a constant of life and as much as I might detest them, as(…)