Kira's Pagan Diary

24 // Libra  // Baby Pagan = This blog is mostly like an archive for myself and my practice. It is one of the few places I can be my true self. If you follow this blog and use some of my stuff - thank you, you funky human! Be sure to tag and give credit :)

[medi-terranian]

Entry: #007

Date: 19/12/2023 - 22/12/2023

Title: Reflections on Yule 2023

I keep thinking of how I can adapt celebrating Yule within my current limitations.

I've managed to set up a virtual altar:

I put a candle with a wreath at the bottom, a cooked turkey, a poinsettia, a holly bush, an incense burner and a coloured glass lamp.

If I manage to have some time to myself with my virtual altar, I would like to gather my thoughts and maybe say some kind of little prayer - just try to celebrate Yule in any small way that I can.

On the other hand, physically I will be 'celebrating' / participating in Christmas festivities. Family members will be coming over to my house for lunch, and the excitement of catching up with family members, sharing food together and exchanging gifts is still an integral part of the holiday.

I hope that soon I can celebrate freely. I keep thinking of how I will / can decorate when I have my own house. I guess that is something to look forward to - the light that Yule, and that a new year can bring. Ironically these past few days have been very cloudy and stormy, but I keep reminding myself that storms will pass eventually, and the sun will shine brighter when they do. And maybe even if they take a long time to pass, one can always light a candle on the inside.

A bright flash can start with one small spark.

Until the next entry - Happy Yule everyone!

[magicyew]

LeLadyMoon

[forgotten--goddess]

pomegranate | punica granatum

aka: carthage apple, grenadier, malicorio, malum punicum, pound garnet, granatum physicality: a hard, round fruit of red-purple coloring with deep red seeds contained within that can be eaten elements: air, fire planets: venus, pluto signs: scorpio characteristics: said to increase fertility and bring wealth, used to invoke wisdom, aids in reaching beyond the veil and in divination correspondences: luck, wealth, abundance, prosperity, secrets, wisdom sacred to: astarte, persephone, sekhmet

pomegranate juice can be used in place of blood when performing old spells. it can also be used as ink for spells and petitions.

the branches can be hung above or around your doorway to ward off evil.

drink pomegranate juice or eat the seeds to invoke wisdom.

the abundance of seeds within pomegranates makes them excellent for use in fertility magick.

its association with the goddess persephone makes it an especially potent offering or tool in any petitions to the queen of the underworld.

sources: eluneblue, personal grimoire notes

[medi-terranian]

Entry: #006

Date: 17/11/2023

Title: The Pomegranate

I've loved pomegranates from a young age. I decided to eat a pomegranate as a kid after reading the myth of Persephone and the Underworld.

To many different cultures, pomegranates represent different things - life, death, prosperity, fertility and abundance being the most common ones. The many seeds on the inside represent fertility. I like to think that the deep red colour is somehow reflective of blood and therefore reflective of life and death - blood is needed for life but blood can also be symbolic of taking away of life.

For me personally, pomegranates symbolise my childhood. How I would eagerly be waiting for the fall so my grandma can buy the biggest, reddest, juiciest pomegranates she could find. Cracking open a pomegranate was like opening a bright red spherical box full little red gems. I remember sometimes the fleshy part at the tip of the seed would be more whitish/transparent in colour, and I would really like the ombre effect between the transparent and reddish flesh. I wouldn't eat just the fruity part. I would eat the seeds too. I wouldn't eat them one by one, but I'd grab a whole handful and shove them in my mouth - like I was afraid someone else would get to enjoy the pomegranate other than me.

My grandma has kept on buying me pomegranates come November, but this year when I opened it up, the fruit was all black and rotten. I was taken aback to be honest, cause I've never opened one up over the years that was completely rotten inside. It was a real nice colour on the outside too, so I think even the visual contrast between the nice colour of the exterior and the complete black inside shocked me a bit. I was disappointed that I didn't get to eat a pomegranate this year.

I would have liked to make some kind of one-time ritual centered around pomegranates as a kind of counter to the rotten pomegranate. Maybe buy a pomegranate candle, bake something...or something along those lines.

I look forward to the day I can

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Entry #005

Date: 31/10/2023 - 02/11/2023

Title: Samhain 2023

I would have liked to have a proper celebration this year, but once again it doesn't seem possible. At least not in the 'traditional' sense. So I'm trying to appreciate/ celebrate in the little ways that I can.

A few weeks back I visited my grandma's house (my dad's mum) as we were cleaning up some things for her/ taking things she doesn't need anymore. I decided to take pictures of photographs of my grandparents and great-grandparents while I was there. I actually realised that I had never really noticed the photos of my great-grandparents when I was younger, as well as realising that I didn't know their names. Or perhaps someone had told me when I was young but I forgot.

Nanna Tonina and Nannu Manuel are my Grandpa's parents. I found a photo of them in a studio, Nanna Tonina is standing and Nannu Manuel is sitting sideways. It could be their wedding photo, but I'm not entirely sure...I'll have to check the back of the photo. Seeing Nanna Tonina really struck me cause I realised that my Grandpa (Dad's dad) really resembled her. And especially since I found a photo of Tonina when she was more advanced in age - and she looks just like how I knew my Grandpa.

I also found a couple of photos of my Grandpa when he was young in a photo album...and it was so weird seeing my Grandpa when he was basically my age of younger. You can see the similarities between the what he looked like in his youth, and what he looked like in the time I knew him. It's like the realisation that I only knew my Grandpa for a very small chuck of time.

On the other side, Nannu Fred and Nanna Ginny are my Grandma's parents. There's a photo of Nanna Ginny which I was always curious about as a child, cause I just didn't know who the lady in the photo was. Presumably, I couldn't see any resemblance between her and my Grandma, so maybe I assumed that she was a random family member when I was young. I think Nanna Ginny was quite the elegant lady, as in the photos I've seen so far, she's wearing some kind of makeup, pearl earrings (in one of them she has a pearl necklace too) and her hair is done up in a style almost like Victory rolls.

I didn't manage to take photos of everything, but at least I'm glad I took the ones I could.

I would like to try working on a little altar I can keep in a drawer, and maybe it's possible to make an ancestral version for the next Samhain.

[medi-terranian]

Entry #004

Date: 13/10/2023

Title: A New Start

It's been a very long time since I've practiced something, and to be honest I was getting a little anxious/ daunted by how I would get back into the rhythm of things.

But, a few weeks ago I had a small breakdown, and I felt like I needed some clarity about the issue, so I decided I was going to do a tarot reading.

The tarot deck I have is not a full one, just made of Major Arcana. I also made it myself on Word with very minimal designs. Anyways, here are the results/ interpretations:

What is my present? STRENGTH UPRIGHT

I see this as confirmation, affirmation in a sense of my resilience. I have been enduring this situation for a very long time. So I think there is some credit to me having gone through it for so long. When tensions rise I try to stay as calm as I can, even though sometimes it is difficult.

I would like to channel Strength - to be more composed when tensions do rise, and to have the courage to show compassion, as this can break the cycle.

Why do I feel frustrated? JUSTICE REVERSED

Justice Reversed is seen as a kind of 'admission of guilt'. You can either own up to the wrong you have done or keep hiding from it.

I keep feeling that injustice is being done to me, rather than I have done something wrong, but I think that can also be a representation of Justice Reversed. I hope that I will find the right opportunity to take action and bring balance to my situation.

What do I need to work on? THE SUN REVERSED

To me, this is a reminder to try to enjoy life as much as I can. I tend to feel sad and hurt when situations like these happen, and since they happened more frequently the past few weeks...I think I need to take a step back and enjoy myself as much as I can.

This reading wasn't fancy, and I ended it abruptly because I was afraid of my parents seeing me the whole time. But, I am still grateful I got the opportunity to do this reading. I am reflecting on my results about a week later from when I did the reading and honestly, I think that works better to help me process the emotions I was feeling at the time, and to look at what happened a bit more objectively.

See you in the next post!

[medi-terranian]

Entry #003

Date: 24/12/2021

Title: Yuletide Musings

The long nights of winter have ended. Now, little by little the days will get warmer and the nights will get shorter.

For Yule, we light candles and fires to keep us warm. We feast and are merry to celebrate the slow start to warmer days ahead and to forget about the cold outside.

I hope the days ahead of me next year are bright and warm and happy, and that even when I am troubled and anxious, I can find solace and relief, like one warms themselves by a fire on a freezing night.

I wish that next year, I will try to carry out my practice as best as I can, and that when I feel overwhelmed, I will try to find satisfaction in the little things. Practising a little is better than not practising!

To all the pagans out there, I wish you all a very Merry Yule!

[medi-terranian]

Entry No.: #002

Date of Writing: 26/ 02/ 2021

Entry Name: Bleeding Heart

I find that being able to channel emotions into physical objects is quite a beutiful thing. To express your emotions and manifest them physically. Making art for your sake. To soothe your own soul..not to hang in some museum somewhere. 

I think it’s also quite a beautiful connection to your ancestors, even if you never knew them. How they passed on a tendency, an ability to make art. How they too must have channelled their own emotions in art of their own. Their pottery, their cooking, their embroidery and stitching. 

It’s okay not to cry, or not to cry fully. Creating your own art to express emotions is just as valid as sobbing...if not more eloquent and beautiful... Creativity is another way of crying too...

= End of Entry #002 = 

[Photo: The cover of one of my notebooks]

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Entry Number: #001

Date of Writing: 25-26/12/2020

Entry Name: Reflections on Yule

Although I’m writing this on Christmas day, I would actually like to reflect on the 23rd of December. Last year I did not get the chance to celebrate my first Yule properly, so this year I was determined to make it count. I asked a trusted friend of mine if she wanted to join me in doing something to celebrate Yule. She isn’t Pagan herself, but she accepted my invitation. 

On the 21st proper I had a day off, so I stayed home and baked some cookies :) I really had fun and for my first time baking and they turned out really good...my family and friends really enjoyed them. Even though I don’t consider it an “actual” celebration - ie. I didn’t plan on doing that, I still very much felt the Yuletide spirit. Making sweet treats to be enjoyed by a fire with a nice cup of tea and sharing them with friends and family, I think embraces the spirit of Yule too.  

On the 23rd my friend and I had a day off, so I decided to celebrate Yule “officially” on the 23rd. I didn’t want to do anything complicated or above my current skill level, so I decided to go hiking with my friend in the countryside. Nothing special really, but spending time outdoors I think is always a good way to celebrate any occasion. It was a beautiful day and at the start of the hike we found a small orange grove, the fruit bright and ripe.  I found that oranges are often associated with happiness, prosperity, good luck and good health - a fine way to start the day.  

When we got to our second stop, we found a small Baroque chapel. It was closed, but one of the windows on the side was open for devotees to make offerings on the window sill. Apart from a small unlit candle and a few prayer cards, there was a small bunch of white narcissus flowers. I later did some research and found that narcissus flowers are associated with renewal and rebirth. At the end of the walk, we found a natural sinkhole which is a nature reserve. We stopped to have some lunch and slowly started making our way back. 

In the end, a little hiking was a great way to celebrate Yule. Appreciating the beauty of nature, feeling the warmth of the sun and spending time with a friend is a humble yet wonderful way to spend Yuletide. This is a time to celebrate the start of slowly returning warmer days and blooming nature 

Happy Yule! 

= End of Entry #001 =