Blessed Samhain 2013
Wishing all of my Pagan followers a very Blessed Samhain (and a blessed Beltaine to my friends in the Southern Hemisphere)!
This year I finally got to do something I've wanted to do at Samhain since the year that my Grandmother died, and that's go on a pilgrimage to the Toowoomba cemetery and visit her grave.
At the beginning of this month my sister Phoebe came to stay with me for 2 week to do her uni prac at the Gladstone hospital pharmacy. We had an absolutely lovely time. I'm so happy that she did her hospital prac at the hospital where her nephew was born. We even got to go to a belly dancing class together! :D She is such a beautiful soul. Here is the speech I wrote for her 21st birthday:
I remember the first time I saw Phoebe. She was sleeping in her crib at the hospital and I remember feeling to lucky to have such a beautiful baby sister and feeling that someone very special was now a part of my life. Growing up, Phoebe's nickname was "little miss perfect" because she was rarely naughty, never threw tantrums and right from when she first started school she was extremely bright and conscientious. She was a bit of a dobber as I remember! Phoebe always loved being artistic and creative and she showed a sense of style and flair from a very young age. Everyone around Phoebe has loved watching her grow into the fashionable young lady you see before you today. Phoebe is a good singer and she's always been good at remembering song words. In particular she liked singing along to the Sugababes. Softly spoken, modest and humble, Phoebe is a quiet achiever. Phoebe blossomed when she started university, forging many important friendships which will surely continue to be important throughout her life. Phoebe has a bright future ahead of her and I'm sure everyone here tonight agrees that it couldn't happen to a nicer girl.
Brenton said she can stay any time because she was no trouble at all and was a great help with Jonah. We just love her to bits!!!!! :D
After Phoebe went home my mum and Tristan (my brother who has been living in the "Silicon Valley" of Germany) came to visit, which has also been great! Tristan and Jonah get along like a house on fire. Tristan even said he plans to come and visit in October for Jonah's birthday. I'm looking forward to it so much!
On Wednesday last week we set off on a road trip to Brisbane to visit my Aunty Vivian and my cousin Esther and her husband and 2 kids. Jonah was generally really good in the car all that way (it was about 8 hours). We stayed with them for a few nights and we also got to have dinner with my Uncle Doug and his wife and 4 kids. It was a bit of a hassle because mum and Tristan are both doing a gluten-free "Paleo" diet thingamagig, but my Aunty Eva managed to rustle up something suitable for them on short notice. Props to her! Conversing with her, she said that she remembers how her first "holiday" with a baby wasn't really a holiday at all. Whenever I have my family to help out with Jonah I have a great holiday. She also says she remembers, having had four kids, that she enjoyed each pregnancy less, but each baby more. We had such a great time visiting everyone!
A pomegranate from my Grandad's garden... it was so delicious!
After we left Brisbane we went to Pittsworth, the town my mum grew up in. My Grandfather lives in a retirement village there, also 3 of my cousins still live in Pittsworth, Toowomba and surrounds and so does one of my Uncles. We went to church with my Grandad and the Pastor was a Rohrlach (Breno's mum's maiden name) so I said he might be related to my baby! He said he must be because all the Rohrlachs in Australia are related. I told Brenton and he said they came to Australia and bred like rabbits! We had lunch with my cousin Nathan and his family, who live on my Grandparents' old farm. His wife is really cool and a great sewer, she sews modern cloth nappies and other things in one of the old farm sheds that she did up as a sewing room! She gave me a few tips on using MCN's and I made an order for some of her products. We also dropped in on my cousins Ange and Jess. Jess live on a beautiful property with a nice big home and Ange's two little kids loved Jonah! I think Ange and her hubby Craig would get on with me and Breno... we could all compare tattoos and stuff! So I told her we'd catch up if we were ever in town again. Here is a "Halloween" pumpkin that was growing on my cousin's farm... cool, right? :D
Yesterday morning before we left Toowoomba we dropped in on my Uncle and went to the cemetery where my Grandma (as well as a few other family members) were buried. It was one of my favourite parts of the trip! Ever since she died the year I came to Gladstone I have wanted to go on a pilgrimage to her grave site at Samhain and now I have finally done it. Praise Hecate! Here is a picture of her headstone with roses from my Grandad's garden:
Today we got some work done in my Garden and we signed my mum up for facebook, which she had wanted to do for ages but wasn't quite sure how. Tonight we had a dinner feast including pumpkin from my mum's garden. It was soooooo good! The pork crackle didn't all turn out, but half of it... *Homer Simpson drool*!!! This has been my favourite Samhain in memory, even though I haven't actually gone and done a full-on kooky witchypoo ritual. Every Samhain from now on I expect I will remember this one and hold it up as the standard for every year to come!
I have been reflecting on the lessons and blessings of Samhain and how our culture is generally not very good with death. I don't mean this as a judgement on anyone, but I say it because I believe it is something we can heal within ourselves and help to heal in our communities. We must remember that physical body death is not the end and cherish the role that our loved ones who have left the earth plane continue to play in our lives. Just look at how our pilgrimage to Toowoomba has brought our family together! I love my Grandma, I think of her often and miss her, but she's still with us!
Apart from older people who's time had come, I haven't experienced a lot of death in my life, at least not the death of anyone close to me I must admit... however, I have been through experiences in life that felt like death, such as the ending of close relationships, friendships and bombing out in my third year of uni (whilst trying to get a psychology degree) and having to accept that I wouldn't have the career I always wanted. That has been something that has caused me great pain over the years, but I feel ready to let it go! I may not be helping people in the way I thought I would, I'm not making enough money to afford a Chanel handbag darling, but I have so many blessings in my life it's not funny! I am accepting the new role and purpose I have in life... all is not lost. :)
Tomorrow mum and Tristan are going home and it's back tp dreary old reality... first order of business, getting my car down to city trans to figure out why it won't reverse! Wishing you all warm Sabbat blessings wherever you are! I hope you have enjoyed my once again sporadically regular (or regularly sporadic) blog post! xoxo
This year I finally got to do something I've wanted to do at Samhain since the year that my Grandmother died, and that's go on a pilgrimage to the Toowoomba cemetery and visit her grave.
At the beginning of this month my sister Phoebe came to stay with me for 2 week to do her uni prac at the Gladstone hospital pharmacy. We had an absolutely lovely time. I'm so happy that she did her hospital prac at the hospital where her nephew was born. We even got to go to a belly dancing class together! :D She is such a beautiful soul. Here is the speech I wrote for her 21st birthday:
I remember the first time I saw Phoebe. She was sleeping in her crib at the hospital and I remember feeling to lucky to have such a beautiful baby sister and feeling that someone very special was now a part of my life. Growing up, Phoebe's nickname was "little miss perfect" because she was rarely naughty, never threw tantrums and right from when she first started school she was extremely bright and conscientious. She was a bit of a dobber as I remember! Phoebe always loved being artistic and creative and she showed a sense of style and flair from a very young age. Everyone around Phoebe has loved watching her grow into the fashionable young lady you see before you today. Phoebe is a good singer and she's always been good at remembering song words. In particular she liked singing along to the Sugababes. Softly spoken, modest and humble, Phoebe is a quiet achiever. Phoebe blossomed when she started university, forging many important friendships which will surely continue to be important throughout her life. Phoebe has a bright future ahead of her and I'm sure everyone here tonight agrees that it couldn't happen to a nicer girl.
Brenton said she can stay any time because she was no trouble at all and was a great help with Jonah. We just love her to bits!!!!! :D
After Phoebe went home my mum and Tristan (my brother who has been living in the "Silicon Valley" of Germany) came to visit, which has also been great! Tristan and Jonah get along like a house on fire. Tristan even said he plans to come and visit in October for Jonah's birthday. I'm looking forward to it so much!
On Wednesday last week we set off on a road trip to Brisbane to visit my Aunty Vivian and my cousin Esther and her husband and 2 kids. Jonah was generally really good in the car all that way (it was about 8 hours). We stayed with them for a few nights and we also got to have dinner with my Uncle Doug and his wife and 4 kids. It was a bit of a hassle because mum and Tristan are both doing a gluten-free "Paleo" diet thingamagig, but my Aunty Eva managed to rustle up something suitable for them on short notice. Props to her! Conversing with her, she said that she remembers how her first "holiday" with a baby wasn't really a holiday at all. Whenever I have my family to help out with Jonah I have a great holiday. She also says she remembers, having had four kids, that she enjoyed each pregnancy less, but each baby more. We had such a great time visiting everyone!
A pomegranate from my Grandad's garden... it was so delicious!
After we left Brisbane we went to Pittsworth, the town my mum grew up in. My Grandfather lives in a retirement village there, also 3 of my cousins still live in Pittsworth, Toowomba and surrounds and so does one of my Uncles. We went to church with my Grandad and the Pastor was a Rohrlach (Breno's mum's maiden name) so I said he might be related to my baby! He said he must be because all the Rohrlachs in Australia are related. I told Brenton and he said they came to Australia and bred like rabbits! We had lunch with my cousin Nathan and his family, who live on my Grandparents' old farm. His wife is really cool and a great sewer, she sews modern cloth nappies and other things in one of the old farm sheds that she did up as a sewing room! She gave me a few tips on using MCN's and I made an order for some of her products. We also dropped in on my cousins Ange and Jess. Jess live on a beautiful property with a nice big home and Ange's two little kids loved Jonah! I think Ange and her hubby Craig would get on with me and Breno... we could all compare tattoos and stuff! So I told her we'd catch up if we were ever in town again. Here is a "Halloween" pumpkin that was growing on my cousin's farm... cool, right? :D
Yesterday morning before we left Toowoomba we dropped in on my Uncle and went to the cemetery where my Grandma (as well as a few other family members) were buried. It was one of my favourite parts of the trip! Ever since she died the year I came to Gladstone I have wanted to go on a pilgrimage to her grave site at Samhain and now I have finally done it. Praise Hecate! Here is a picture of her headstone with roses from my Grandad's garden:
Today we got some work done in my Garden and we signed my mum up for facebook, which she had wanted to do for ages but wasn't quite sure how. Tonight we had a dinner feast including pumpkin from my mum's garden. It was soooooo good! The pork crackle didn't all turn out, but half of it... *Homer Simpson drool*!!! This has been my favourite Samhain in memory, even though I haven't actually gone and done a full-on kooky witchypoo ritual. Every Samhain from now on I expect I will remember this one and hold it up as the standard for every year to come!
I have been reflecting on the lessons and blessings of Samhain and how our culture is generally not very good with death. I don't mean this as a judgement on anyone, but I say it because I believe it is something we can heal within ourselves and help to heal in our communities. We must remember that physical body death is not the end and cherish the role that our loved ones who have left the earth plane continue to play in our lives. Just look at how our pilgrimage to Toowoomba has brought our family together! I love my Grandma, I think of her often and miss her, but she's still with us!
Apart from older people who's time had come, I haven't experienced a lot of death in my life, at least not the death of anyone close to me I must admit... however, I have been through experiences in life that felt like death, such as the ending of close relationships, friendships and bombing out in my third year of uni (whilst trying to get a psychology degree) and having to accept that I wouldn't have the career I always wanted. That has been something that has caused me great pain over the years, but I feel ready to let it go! I may not be helping people in the way I thought I would, I'm not making enough money to afford a Chanel handbag darling, but I have so many blessings in my life it's not funny! I am accepting the new role and purpose I have in life... all is not lost. :)
Tomorrow mum and Tristan are going home and it's back tp dreary old reality... first order of business, getting my car down to city trans to figure out why it won't reverse! Wishing you all warm Sabbat blessings wherever you are! I hope you have enjoyed my once again sporadically regular (or regularly sporadic) blog post! xoxo