The Cauldron and The Sight

I did omen last night for Virtual Fire's weekly rite.  Last night was a cauldron ritual honoring Cerridwen.  I think the last cauldron rite was done by the same person...maybe...either way it was my second one.  I don't work with my cauldrons as often as I used to.  I have two.  One in the traditional shape and one for camping.  The camping one I use for the Norse offerings and hearth magiks.  The other big one just sits on my counter, by my teas.  I need to clean it up, because at our last place the sink had a bad leak and the Just-In-Case of leaks bowl (because that bitch leaked a lot) had moved, so my cauldron got a lot of water damage.  It's really rusted on the inside.  It's cast iron, so I'm not sure if I need to take some steel wool to it or what, or just retire it.  I need to look it up.  

I was raised around iron cast cookware, but never taught how to care for it.  I know for unrusted, you heat it up in the oven and use oil to season it, but never soap and water to clean...or something.  I can't remember...I mean how's it gonna get clean?  Again, I don't know.  No one taught me and I didn't ask questions (abusive home), I wasn't allowed to touch any of it.  Although I'm a grown ass person and can learn myself--tons of videos out there.  And I would like to use cast iron more--witchy and mundane.  Supposedly the one that my dad has is generational and weeelllll seasoned.  Be cool to have something like that for my line, and to be sure that we teach the teens and young adults how to care for them.

Anywho, I only bring out my big cauldron for this rite.  If I get space for my divination work, I'd like to have it in the space for Cerridwen.  She usually only comes to me on full moons, and when I do full moon journey work or scrying with Odin, I go into Her cauldron for wisdom, for messages.  

Last night's omen was a little different, because well one, I wasn't fully trancing, just describing what I was seeing.  And two, I didn't go into the cauldron, a card popped out of it.  I also didn't see Cerridwen, but I know Her cauldrons.  I believe She's the only one of my entities who uses one.  Well, Baba Yaga, Freyja, and Cailleach do, too, it they're not as central to their being, as it is for Cerridwen, if that makes sense. 

Here are Cerridwen's blessings (Using Mimir's Well by Tammy L. Rois):

Definitely a great omen.  Multiplying successes.  Who wouldn't accept that omen?

The host of the rite last night allowed people to volunteer for parts.  At first I wasn't going to.  I didn't have the energy.  My mom's deathday was the day before and I was feeling a lot of financial stress and anxiety.  Then I felt a psychic poke and all of that melted away and I was suddenly very energized.  I volunteered.  The host was thankful, because he didn't like doing omens "on the spot", although he had his deck just in case no one volunteered.

Omens are my favorite thing to do.  From the circles that I used to be in, the divination parts were usually the first ones to be picked.  But in this grove, omens make some folks nervous.  They may do them for themselves or not at all.  I get it.  

Or some people need time to prepare themselves.  Which is something that I hadn't realized, at least not for something like cards or lots.  Now when I do a possession, I need time to prepare.  But for anything else, I can usually just plug in and do it.  No time at all.  I forget that not everyone can do that--just do it "on the spot".  But I get it.  Especially if I'm in a group as the diviner, sometimes I need space to get away from the distractions so I can focus on a connection.  But most of the time I'm already connected, especially if it was like last night, where Cerridwen nudged me, as typically happens with this grove's rites.  I don't usually volunteer unless a Deity pokes at me.  I like to give other people a chance before I volunteer.  But I will if no one else wants to.

I have been asked in the past why does it seem so easy for me.  An answer that I never really thought about.  I'm usually connected to Someone, maybe that's why?  I dunno.

And the way that I do the omen is different than how others have done it in the grove, from what they've told me.  For me, it's not always a message from the Kindreds or the featured guests, it's from whomever steps up.  My style I'm almost always channeling Someone, whether or not They use tools isn't an absolute.  Sometimes they may choose automatic typing/writing/drawing.  Sometimes I just talk.  I describe what I'm seeing or hearing, no different from any other reading that I give (possession work is almost always planned because I need to prepare).  

People are always really impressed, too.  Which is very cool and awesome.  

Psychic work is something that I'm really really good at--I've had to work at it and will continue to learn and developed and hone, but it's always wild to me that people respect the work I do, or are in genuine awe and gratitude.   I've been doing this work for years, and every time, I'm still amazed and super glad that people are happy with a session.  Their praise and good reviews are still such a surprise to me.  I know I do good work, but hearing it from others is still strange, but very much accepted.  People looking forward to booking with me at events, me being fully booked, and having people upset because they didn't sign up soon enough is wild, yall.  I'm so grateful.

My last in-person event of the year is on October 26th, at a Holistic Expo in Delaware, Ohio.  I'm just offering rune reading this time--I'm not able to vend, plus my psychic readings usually bring in paying customers, more than my handmade goods anyway.  It's cool to have repeat clients, whether I'm down in Dayton or up in Central Ohio.  I'm looking forward to new faces, too.

Thank you, Kindreds and mortals all.

Another thing that our host said was that in some recon Welsh groups, Cerridwen isn't really welcome because She's a "newer" deity.  Not ancient.  Which is interesting.  1) I didn't know She was "new" and 2) She's a popular deity in a lot of pagan circles.

Young or old, ancient or modern--deity age doesn't matter to me.  As someone who has some Pop Culture Paganism in my very eclectic path, it would be hypocritical to care.  I've tried the Recon Hellenic Path--too restrictive and unauthentic, ironically, for me.  Too much fighting on the human side, too.  Too much control.  Plus some deities names have been forgotten over time, or conquering humans have changed deity names and roles, too.  

Either way, age is just a number and time isn't linear--especially in the Other.  

I always find it interesting when humans decide that certain entities aren't worthy in their specific pantheons and what not (like what happened with Loki and The Troth and many other Norse groups.  Or they say there's no proof that Jotuns were worshipped, but then there's a lot that didn't survive anyway and a lot that, I'm sure, was pissed on by Christian scholars--demonized and all that).  

If that entity were to just show up, would they tell them to go away?  That they're not old enough to join their club?  I dunno.  Honestly, probably say that they're not real, but a Trickster or something.  

I'm alive now.  My deities aren't stuck in the past, They're in the here and now.  Things have changed.  Many different entities are worshipped these days.  The ancients weren't the end-all, be-all of the Gods and how to worship and work with Them.  The history is cool and interesting, but not the only way.

Want to be recon, be recon.  Not for me.  I'd never turn away an deity because They weren't old enough.  Ridiculous and disrespectful in my opinion.  The hubris of it all.

Different folks, different strokes, ya know?  As long as you're not a dick, all are welcome at my fire.

- Dedicant and Hearth Keeper, Foxlyn