I wrote this discussion last week on November 1st. We were without power until just this past Friday and no Internet until Sunday, a mere two days ago. As I write this there are still people without power in the state. So, let me share with you the thoughts I was pondering during the aftermath of Winter Storm Alfred.
Good Evening,
I find myself writing for you this day by pad and pen, rather than modern technology, due to the after affects of the latest storm to hit Connecticut, Winter Storm Alfred. Almost 800,000 people were without power and utilities when the storm hit on Saturday (October 29th, 2011) and today three days later we are still around the 500,000 mark for outages in the state.
This week has brought me back in touch with my childhood, growing up in the country and living on a farm. This week I have hauled and am hauling wood from the wood pile to burn in our fireplace, while remembering the countless cords of wood I split and stacked, hauled and put on the fire when I was growing up. The wood was primarily the young people’s job in the family.
I have revisited my culinary skills and have been cooking on a camp stove but it has honestly been easier to go out and get food already prepared,from restaurants and fast food outlets. Between taking care of food and necessary supplies and keeping the house barely warm enough with a fire in the fireplace, it keeps coming back to me how tough our ancestors had it. One family story is from my mother in law, who when she was a child in the early 1900’s would wake up and there would be ice on the inside of the bedroom windows. Now really!!?? That’s cold!
We are cold this week and bundle up with many blankets and cats during the night and many consider our situation a 'crisis'. Yet our grandparents and their parents back through the ages lived every single winter just like we are living it this week! Now if you don't have a fireplace or wood stove you really are in a crisis situation and should seek a shelter. But the way we are living was typical just 50 to 100 years ago.
The dark comes early without electrical power, and even as a witch who loves candles, they provide too little light to comfortably see and function by. We are listening to a battery run radio, AM talk radio just to keep up with the latest developments and it struck me that our grandparents or their parents gathered around the radio at night to listen to stories, news, radio shows and the like for entertainment and just something to do! Yet what we call 'crisis' they would call a typical winter day.
People are stressing a lot because their Internet access, television and telephone (many involving the same wires from the same company) have been cut off. I find it interesting that we have become so technologically advanced, so quickly. . . . that to go without, suddenly becomes a hardship, and an even greater challenge than it should be. I had to think about it this week, what did we do before everyone became so attached to their computers and televisions?
We have become creatures of luxury and excess comforts, myself included. I love the advances of modern technology and for me especially the far reaching research capabilities of the Internet and computer technology and I live for historical documentaries on television. But this week I am heartily glad for the bound printed matter called books and magazines that you buy rather than download and can read without any technology involved as long as you have a light source with which to read by. Instead my time this week has been spent in ‘survival’ mode getting enough of everything i.e. batteries, fresh fruit, water, candles, etc.
I spent time in the yard this week, after the storm, trying to care for my plants that the sudden heavy, hard packed snow have knocked down and in many instances have snapped or broken the main plant. I have slowly lifted branches and shook snow off of them to have them suddenly spring back to life and raise high in the air again, while others stay bent over as if in defeat. To these, I will simply allow them to winter over and deal with what I have to in the spring.
I will collect some of the snow to melt and save for potions and spell work.The energy from snow water like this would be to eliminate and stop specific situations in your life. Used in banishment spells primarily. I will also be on the lookout for gifts from Mother Nature. I know, under these tough conditions its hard to see a storm like this in light of 'gifts', a desirable thing, but they are there. Perhaps some wood that has fallen could be used for wands or staffs. Maybe some could be cut and fashioned into altars. Or altar patents.
So I will look for the gifts Mother Nature wishes to bestow upon me and light a candle and thank the Goddess for returning the light very soon. I hope you are faring well and are warm and safe.
Peace and Happiness
© 2010-2011 Enchantments, LLC Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website.
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