Study Group

So, I'm thinking of starting a Pagan Study Group (hosted at my house). 


Pagan is an umbrella term (like Christianity) that has many subcategories (like Catholicism, Episcopal, etc). My path is Wicca. 


If interested, I want to set up a date to get together and I can explain what my religion is all about and if you are interested and feel that is something you would like to pursue or learn more about, I would like to make it a weekly (or biweekly) thing. 


I have over a decade in experience (both solitary and group work). I'm fully confident in my ability to mentor others. 

I think this could be fun. I would give a lesson, do exercises/practices, have snacks/food, worksheets, socialize, and whatever else. Go on trips to be out in nature. 


Please message me if you are interested :)

Please see my LINKS page for ways to contact me!

**DISCLAIMER** I am NOT trying to recruit or force it upon anyone. I am posting this because I have been receiving several inquiries about teaching others more about Paganism.

Ellen Dugan.

Ellen Dugan is coming to Massachusetts in less than two weeks! She is by far my favorite Pagan author! I am fan-girling over this ;)
I'm going to have her sign two books. Expect pictures! Then, I am attending her class about psychic protection, etc,.
I love her way of writing and I love her personality. She is comical, knowledgeable, down-to-earth, and just overall enjoyable to read.
If you have not read anything by her, I suggest you do so! You will not regret it.

Website & Webstore.

I am currently renovating and republishing my website/webstore, Maeva's Cottage! I'm so excited to be back in the game. I am truly happy and found something that I enjoy so much! :)

I will update this post later on with links once the site is complete!

Update:
The link to my website is MaevasCottage.webs.com :)
Check it out!

It's still a work in progress, however, it is complete [enough to publish].

Summer.

June 21, 2012
It's officially summer as of yesterday (Litha)! After getting myself and my daughters ready this morning, we headed to the car. Upon opening the door, exiting my air conditioned home, I was embraced by hot air, the smell of fresh cut grass from a few houses over, and the smell of the flowers on the side of my doorway. The air sat heavy, almost suffocating me with humidity. The trees, full and green; the little birds and critters roamed around (even those sneaky little spiders); and the sky, clear and brilliant blue --all reminded me of the magic of Mother Nature. The experience took away the fact that it was a sticky ninety-three degrees outside.
We got in the car and headed to the library. We played, read some books, and checked out a few books to take home. When we got home, we played outside in the sprinkler for a little while then had lunch.
I decided to take initiative, stop being comfortable, and start the dreaded project of cleaning my bedroom. Our washing machine and dryer broke recently, so I have been doing my laundry at my mom's house. I would bring the clothes home (folded, mind you) and place them on the bed to get sorted. But of course, I never put them away. Between the demands of children, two cats, a new puppy, and a husband, I never got around to it. Somewhere in between putting them on the bed and getting distracted, the clothes always end up in a heaping pile on the floor. Instead of taking care of it, I shut the door. Problem solved, right? Kidding, I know it didn't solve anything but in my defense, I have the entirety of the house to take care of. One room could wait. I am more than 70% of the way done in the room now. I'm taking a break right now. Yes, an hour break was necessary!
Well, I'm off to go trek the mountains (of clothing).

Proud Wiccan.

I was once asked...

“Maeva, are you open about your religion? -aside from having blogs and whatnot because that’s online…” 

As I listened to the question, I just saw visuals in the back of my mind, sounding like a marching band with bells and whistles. These images shown my pentacle necklace, my pentacle hanging in my front window of my home, my many Wiccan related posts on my personal Facebook, and of course my car (you know… that car with the chakra ornament hanging along side a huge pentacle pendant on my rear view mirror, “Witches really are green” and “Nature is my church” bumper stickers, and the pentacle stuck smack-dab in the center above the keyhole for my trunk) -and to which my reply was, “ehh, I like to think so.” :P

Yup, I’m Wiccan and proud, since day one. 

Anti-materialism

Some of the most common complaints amongst people these days are over materialistic desires, such as desires for a larger home or a fancier car. I cannot play a saint here and say that I do not have my own materialistic desires. There are several books I want and I would love to get a new washing machine and dryer (since both of mine recently broke). However, as the days go by, I find myself wishing to cut materialism out. Instead of complaining about having a bigger home, I am complaining that my home is too big. Sure, our belongings fit in this house, but it is more space to clean and an unnecessary amount of square footage. We could easily handle downsizing. I want a small single-story home instead of this two-story raised ranch. I sold my Jeep (with leather heated seats, moon roof, and digital everything) for a more economical and environmentally friendly 4-cylinder used Neon. It's perfect for me. It gets me to where I need to go (at a more affordable cost) and that's all that matters. Everyday, I look at the stuff in my house and realize, "Do I really need that? I could sell or donate it," and lately, I have been selling and donating as much as possible. Although my husband seems to think we have nothing left to rid ourselves of, I beg to differ. I keep finding more things! It never seems to end and yet, somehow, the house still feels cluttered to me. It does feel good having less and less in the house, though! It's never a bad time to assess your inventory and do some spring cleaning.

Almanac 06/19 NEW MOON

Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Waning Moon
Moon Phase: NEW MOON 11:02am
Moon Sign: Gemini
Moon enters Cancer 1:34pm
Color: Maroon
Incense: Bayberry

Almanac 06/18

Monday, June 18, 2012
Waning Moon (4th Quarter)
Moon Sign: Gemini
Color: Silver
Incense: Clary sage

TAROT READINGS!

Get a Tarot Reading online from me, Maeva Moonstar. The question, concern, and size of spread is completely up to you -same flat rate of $5.00USD (through paypal). Money will go into a savings account to fund my journey into Clergy. I greatly appreciate it! Thank you for following me and I look forward to helping you with your journeys and paths. Blessings, Maeva

Greek Deities

• Zeus: Divine God
• Hera: Wife of Zeus, Mother Goddess
• Apollo: God of prophecy, archery, and music
• Aphrodite: Goddess of love
• Ariadne: Goddess of the labyrinth
• Aries: God of action and war
• Artemis: Goddess of the hunt and protection
• Athena: Goddess of war and wisdom
• Calliope: Muse of epic poetry(female)
• Clio: Muse of history(female)
• Demeter: Earth goddess
• Dionysus: God of wine and ecstasy
• Eileithia: Goddess of childbirth
• Erato: Muse of love poetry(female)
• Eros: God of love
• Euterpe: Muse of music(female)
• Gaia: Primal earth goddess
• Hecate: Goddess of Witchcraft, ghosts, and the dead
• Hades: God of the Underworld
• Helios: God of the sun
• Hephaistos: God of sun, fire, and forge
• Hermes: Messenger to the gods
• Hestia: Goddess of hearth and home
• Melpomene: Muse of tragedy(female)
• Metis: Wisdom
• Moerae: Three goddesses of fate — Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos
• Mnemosyne: Goddess of memory, mother of Muses
• Nike: Goddess of victory
• Pan: God of the forests
• Persephone: Queen of the underworld
• Phoebe: Goddess of the moon
• Polyhymnia: Muse of singing(female)
• Poseidon: God of the sea
• Psyche: Goddess of the soul
• Terpsichore: Muse of dance(female)
• Tethys: Goddess of the sea
• Thalia: Muse of comedy(female)
• Urania: Muse of astronomy(female)

Roman Deities

• Jupiter: Great God; storms, thunder, and lightening
• Juno: Queen of Gods; women, marriage, childbirth, household prosperity
• Apollo: God of the sun, music, poetry, fine arts, prophecy, eloquence, and medicine
• Bacchus: God of liquid spirits, fruits, and parties
• Ceres: Goddess of harvest, agriculture, fertility, and fruitfulness
• Cupid: God of love and passion
• Diana: Goddess of the moon, hunting, children, and Witches
• Fannus: God of the woodlands
• Fates: Three goddesses of destiny; daughters of the night
• Flora: Goddess of nature
• Furies: Goddesses of vengeance
• Janus: Two-faced god of beginnings
• Mars: God of war and action
• Mercury: Messenger of the gods, trace and commerce, travelers
• Minerva: Goddess of wisdom, practical arts, and war
• Neptune: God of the sea, earthquakes, and horses
• Pluto: God of the underworld
• Saturn: God of harvest and golden ages in history
• Venus: Goddess of love
• Vesta: Goddess of the hearth, home, and community
• Vulcan: God of fire, craftspeople, metalworkers, and artisans

Celtic Deities

• Dagda: Father God(the good god)
• Danu(Anu)/Don: Mother Goddess
• Abarta: Warrior energy(Irish)
• Aine: Goddess of love and fertility(Irish)
• Amaethon: God of agriculture(Welsh)
• Aonghus: God of love(Irish)
• Badh: Goddess of battle — one of the three faces of Morrigan(Irish)
• Belenus: Sun god(Welsh/Irish)
• Bran: God of sea voyages
• Bran the Blessed: God of the underworld(British)
• Brigantia: Goddess of the water, war, healing, and prosperity
• Brigid: Goddess of healing, fertility, poetry, and the forge(Irish)
• Ceridwen: Goddess of fertility(Welsh)
• Dian Cecht: God of healing(Irish)
• Dylan: God of the sea(Welsh)
• Epona: Goddess of sweet water, fertility, and horses(Welsh)
• Lir: God of the sea(Irish)
• Lugh: God of the sun(Irish)
• Macha: Goddess of war — one of the three faces of the Morrigan
• Morrigan: Goddess of war; original goddess of the earth and agriculture
• Nemain: Goddess of war(Irish)
• Nodens: God of healing(British)
• Nuada: God of valor
• Ogma: God of eloquence(British)
• Rhiannon: Goddess of suffering and patience(Welsh)
• Scathach: Goddess of martial arts and warrior-princess of the Land of Shadows
• Taliesin: Prophet and bard(Welsh)
• Tuatha de Danann: People of the Goddess Dana

Norse/Germanic Deities

• Aegir: God of the sea(Germanic)
• The Aesir: The youngest branch of the family of gods(Germanic)
• Baba Yaga: Avenger of women(Slavic)
• Buri: Ancestor of the gods(Germanic)
• Dazhbog: God of the sun(Slavic)
• Forseti: God of justice(Germanic)
• Freyja: Goddess of fertility(Germanic)
• Frigg: Queen of the Gods
• Gefion: Goddess of fertility(Germanic)
• Hel: Goddess of the underworld and the dead(Germanic)
• Huginn and Muninn: Ravens — Thought and Memory — belonging to Odin; messengers(Germanic)
• Idun: Goddess of youth and apples(Germanic)
• Jumala: Creator god of Finnish mythology
• Kied Kie Jubmel: Lord of the herbs, stone god(Lapp)
• Leib-Olmai: Lord of the bears(Lapp)
• Loki: God of fire(Germanic)
• Luonnotar: Creatrix goddess(Finnish)
• Madder-Akka and Madder-Atcha: Divine couple who created humankind(Lapp)
• Mati Syra Zemlya: Moist Earth Mother(Slavic)
• Menu: Moon god(Baltic)
• Nerthus: Mother Goddess(Germanic)
• Njord: God of the sea(Germanic)
• Norns: Goddesses of Fate — Urd(Past), Verdandi(Present), Skuld(Future) (Germanic)
• Odin: Father of the gods; gifted in eloquence 
• Perunu: God of thunder(Slavic)
• Potrimpo: God of fertility(Slavic)
• Rig: Watchman of the gods(Germanic)
• Saule: Goddess of the sun(Slavic)
• Skadi: Goddess of vengeance and the hunt(Germanic)
• Svarazic: God of fire(Slavic)
• Tapio: God of the forest(Finnish)
• Thor: God of thunder(Germanic)
• Tuoni: God of the dead(Finnish)
• Tyr(Tiwaz) God of the sky and bravery(Germanic)
• Valkyries: Female battle and shield maidens who take brave warriors to Valhalla, the idyllic abode of Odin’s ghostly army(Germanic)
• The Vanir: The older of the two branches of the Germanic family of gods
• Vidar: God of justice(Germanic)

Egyptian Deities

• Amon: First worshipped as a fertility god; rose to prominence for a time as the most important god of Egypt
• Anath: Mistress of heaven, protector of the king; known for her ferocity
• Anubis: God of the dead and protection; Input is his female counterpart
• Anukis: Goddess of water
• Apis: The Black Bull, symbol of fertility and the undying soul
• Aten: Sun god who turned in to a monotheistic entity, then lost his footing among the other gods and goddesses
• Bastet: Goddess of cats, fertility, music, the moon, and protection from evil(associated with Sekhmet)
• Bes: God of good fortune and protection of pregnant women; Besest is the female side of Bes
• Geb: God of the Earth
• Hathor: Goddess of business, beauty, joy, love, harmony, children, and the all-seeing “Eye of Ra”
• Horus: God of the sky, divine child
• Hauhet: Goddess of boundless infinity; Hu is her male counterpart
• Hekat: Goddess of midwifery and childbirth, associated with water
• Isis: Goddess of All; Divine Mother; partnered with Osiris
• Ius-a’as: Goddess of creation
• Ma’at: Goddess of truth
• Mehet-Weret: Goddess of sky and floods
• Merit: Goddess of music
• Min: God of roads, fertility, and agriculture; protector of travelers
• Neith: Goddess of destiny, war, and the mother of Ra; protector of the dead; bisexual
• Nekhbet: Primal Mother Goddess; divine nurse
• Nephthys: Goddess of secrets, initiation, and the dead
• Nut: Goddess of the sky
• Osiris: God of vegetation and the dead; rules with Isis
• Ptah: God of learning, architecture, and building
• Ra: God of the sun
• Renenet: Goddess of prosperity and the home
• Sekhmet: Goddess of protection
• Selket: Goddess of scorpions, protector of the dead, travelers, and weather
• Seshat: Goddess of writing and patron of libraries
• Seth: God of storms and chaos; although unfriendly and cruel, he was respected
• Shu: Goddess of moisture
• Sobek: Crocodile God of lakes and protection
• Taweret: Hippo goddess of childbirth
• Tefnut: God of air
• Thoth: God of knowledge, wisdom, and the moon
• Wadjet: Serpent goddess of protection, children, and the land
• Wenut: The “swift one” — moves things quickly; hare or serpent
• Wosret: The powerful woman

Evocation of the Witch

I am one with the universe.

I am no-thing and I am everything.

I am the stars and the moon

the seas and the storms

the breath of life

the alchemical chance

the living and the dead

I am!

I am the power and the joy.

I am the spirit that dances.

I am the magick and the priest

the Witch and the sorceress

the angels and the elements

omnipotent

omnipotent

I am!

I am the past, the present, and the future.

I am the void

and I am the manifestation of my desire.

I am!

Invocation of the Goddess

I call thee down, O my great Queen

to enter my body

and commune with my spirit.

Be with me now as I fulfill my destiny

and work magick

in accordance with your will.

So mote it be.

Cabot-Kent Hermetic Temple: Litha Ritual

Last night, my best friend and I attended a Litha Sabbat Ritual held by the Cabot-Kent Hermetic Temple in Salem, Massachusetts. This was the first ritual we have been to hosted by the CKHT -so we weren't sure of what to expect since every coven, group, temple, etc., is different. To our surprise, it was not at all what we had expected. It was more of an informal religious banquet and we had a blast. We sat with a great couple -with whom we befriended and exchanged twitter links (oh, how modern times have changed). Before the ritual began, they did a door-prize raffle. The chosen winners received a free reading. The ritual was very serious and powerful. Before the Litha ritual, one of their inside members had a celebratory ritual and spell for his crowning (his final phase of his human experience -the male equivalence of the Crone). It was very touching and emotional. The room filled with cheer and applause upon the completion of his crowning. It was such a vibrant experience. The Litha ritual seemed to have been led by the Third Degree students of the CKHT. Nonetheless, it was a very involved and personal yet community-oriented ritual. Jewelry, hand-made candles, and CKHT rubber bracelets were for sale during the event. All proceeds supported the Temple. I purchased the rubber bracelet for $3.00. There were more raffles after the ritual along with complementary food and dessert. We did not win anything, however, the couple sitting with us won a few times, gifting us with their final raffle selection. The night was filled with love, understanding, deep conversation, and lots of laughter. At the end of the night, we were each gifted with a complementary Litha herbal blend and Litha blessing oil.

I will be attending every ritual further hosted by the CKHT.

Here are some photos:

Almanac 06/17

Sunday, June 17, 2012
FATHER'S DAY!
Waning Moon (4th Quarter)
Moon Sign: Taurus (enters Gemini 1:24am)
Color: Yellow
Incense: Marigold

Almanac 06/16

Saturday, June 16, 2012
Waning Moon (4th Quarter)
Moon Sign: Taurus
Color: Brown
Incense: Sandalwood

Almanac 06/15

Friday, June 15, 2012
Waning Moon (4th Quarter)
Moon Sign: Taurus
Color: Purple
Incense: Cypress

Recipe of the Day 06/12

STIR FRIED SESAME VEGETABLES IN RICE
(Source)

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth 3/4 cup uncooked long-grain white rice 1 tablespoon margarine 1 tablespoon sesame seeds 2 tablespoons peanut oil 1/2 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces 1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch

 pieces

1 large yellow onion, sliced 2 cups sliced mushrooms 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root 1 teaspoon minced garlic 3 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon sesame oil DIRECTIONS:

1.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a saucepan combine broth, rice and margarine. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed.

2.

Place sesame seeds on a small baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 5 to 6 minutes, or until golden brown; set aside. Meanwhile, heat peanut oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat until very hot. Add asparagus, bell pepper, onion, mushrooms, ginger and garlic and stir-fry for 4 to 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender but crisp. Stir in soy-sauce and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and stir in sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds. Serve over rice.