Last night, magick happened. I'm not talking about Vegas, sleight of the hand, bullshit. I am talking about real witchcraft. It's a rare opportunity to be able to celebrate Samhain with my coven on the actual night of, so when it happens - it's magical.

Samhain, among many things, is the Witches New Year. We celebrate death and rebirth, honoring the ancestors and the path leading up to our own births. After all, we wouldn't be here today without those who came before. My coven has dubbed this sabbat as Death & Wisdom. It's the one ritual every year where the main focus is on aspecting deity, and the messages that deity has for us. This is also the first ritual where the new Initiates are allowed to take on the sacred role of aspecting.

Before I go any further, I want to point out that aspecting is no joke. It should not be done alone, and should not be done unless you've done proper research and training. Please take the time necessary to prepare yourself, up to, and including, doing extensive research - both on the practice and the deity that you intend to aspect. There is a reason that our Initiates are not allowed to aspect before they've been in training for 8+ months. This is not for the faint of heart, and should not be taken lightly.

Now, this ritual is big for the Initiates - they get to take on new responsibilities, they have the opportunity to reach out to the collective that's come before them. The world begins to open before their eyes. I remember my time as an Initiate, walking this path; it was big work, and I was honored to do it. As ordained clergy now, it's still big work, and I continue to be honored. This was my first opportunity since my own Initiate year that I was able to work on this ritual in such a fashion.

The work that we do for this ritual spans the course of the full month leading up to it. This means that we are building altars for the deity we're to be working with. We are building a relationship with them, beginning to understand what it is that they have to say, and so on. Everyone has their own experience. Some people feel it more physically than others, some only feel it on a more mental level. Only the person doing it can know what it feels like for them, and trying to convey that is beyond words.

This experience changes a person. As the Priest/ess/x who is aspecting, you don't get much of the message. Though, that's yet to stop the deity from delivering one anyways. I've been working with Hekate for many years, and she's been more clear than not in her communications with me. So, in my prep, it was no surprise when I found her pointing things out.

She's been giving me my message for months, as it applied to this ritual, as well as how it applied to my devotion to her. Due to the nature of magick and ritual, sharing expressly of the things that happened will not make any sense. Magick is very much a lived experience and I would be doing both of us a disservice to share such a thing. However, I can share with you the residual notes of her message.

The big thing that Hekate had to say was, "Choose. Greatness lies ahead of you. All you have to do is take the step." It may take you 20 years to get to the end of the path that was illuminated, and that's okay. The important part is the journey. Taking this message and moving forward in life can mean some really great things for society. I know that my personal message is going to mean powerful things for the people of my generation and the ones to come - hopefully it will be done in time to still have an effect on the older generations as well.

Take this time to celebrate life and to take those steps that may have seemed too difficult, or too far out of reach. Regardless of your path, the gods will be there when we need them. Go ahead, go do that thing that you've always wanted to do, nothing can stop you but you.