I haven't been able to have a permanent altar set up for a few weeks now, and I likely won't be able to again until September. My roommate is in Calgary for the summer and I can't afford rent on my own, so I'm alternating between staying with my parents and my boyfriend. Not only do I need something portable, I also don't have much privacy either.
So my solution has been this:
I have a designated space in both my parent's house and my boyfriend's apartment. When I have to travel between the two, I just pack up my items and go. It's not ideal, obviously, but it's the best I can do until I have a more private, permanent residence again.
My first IDGAF book choice is The Spiral Dance by Starhawk. I've had people look at me like I have two heads when I say that I've never read it. I honestly don't know much about Starhawk, but from the reviews I've seen I don't think I'll be disappointed. Hopefully I'll have it read in 2 weeks or so.
Thus begins my first official blog post to document my process as an IDGAF dedicant!
In case anyone who does not know what IDGAF is happens to stumble across this blog, here is a link to the website: http://www.idgaf.ca/
Onto the weekly blog prompt given by Renée: "how do the seasons affect your spirituality?"
Ever since elementary school, the change of the seasons has been a pretty significant part of my life. Going apple picking in September, making hand turkeys for Thanksgiving, carving pumpkins for Halloween, all the typical baking and decorating for Christmas, making Valentines, painting Easter eggs, spending summers in Cape Breton eating BBQ and making lupin bouquets. I ate that shit up when I was a kid. And I still do to this day.
These seasonal rituals are so overlooked when you're a child. It wasn't until I got a bit older and my teachers and parents stopped planning crafts and seasonal activities that I realized the sense of peace and connection to the earth they gave me. After noticing this I started observing cyclical patterns in not just my spirituality, but my personality, thoughts, and values.
Come December, I always have an intense urge to be close to my family. It's a time of stillness, quietness, reflection, and celebrating family. This period peaks around Yule, and continues until around the time of Imbolc. And then, like clockwork, my spirituality comes to a standstill.
I've observed that from Imbolc to Ostara, I experience the most chaos in my life. My spiritual beliefs get put on the back burner, I experience increased anxiety, a decreased ability to concentrate, and a feeling of being held down by a heavy weight.
Then Ostara comes, and I can finally start to see the light at the end of the winter tunnel. Around this time, my creativity is at its highest. I have the urge to bake, sew, cook, and paint, and my spirituality returns!
When the early months of summer arrive, my focus shifts to growth. I begin to garden and work on growing as a person, spiritually and non. It's also a time when I feel the least close to my family.
When the weather starts to cool, I start to shift my focus to being appreciative of everything I have. Maybe Thanksgiving has conditioned me to be that way. Who knows? I love harvesting plants and giving thanks though.
And then, of course, the cold months start to come, and the cycle begins again. At this point in time, I haven't decided whether or not I should try to do something about my "dark" period between Imbolc and Ostara. As dreadful as it is, it feels like it's a part of my natural cycle.
Something to ponder I suppose.
