Author: Leona Oigheag

Welcome to 2021!

~ Leona Oigheag ~ Leave a comment

What a crazy year 2020 was … there’s so much to forget, and so much to remember.

2020 was the year I finished my Clergy coursework, it was the year I moved to Montreal (where it feels right in spite of everything), I became a leader at work, and managed to build a team that works well together in spite of never having met each other.

I learned how to edit videos, and do some basic animation, I realized that there is more in common between my work and my spirituality than I thought. I solidified my daily practice and realized how much my spirituality supports me. I learned so much about who I am and what I really need to keep going.

There were lots of moments, days, weeks, that I’d like to forget – the stress of knowing if we could cross the border, missing my family and friends, wishing I could visit my family here in Canada, and a whole lot of grief over what we can’t do.

I have cried more this year than I can recall ever having done, but I have also learned to lean on other people and to ask for what I need.

There is good and bad in this year – and parts we should certainly remember. ADF has become more comfortable with online rituals and connections, I’ve realized that I can use zoom to reach out to my friends and family back in the US.

And then there are the things that aren’t related to the pandemic. Black Lives Matter but racism and hate still exist and are accepted in some areas of our societies. People will make choices on what some people say and not on logic or facts.

While we have a vaccine for COVID-19 and the US has a new president (or will in a few days), we can’t forget the lessons of 2020.

We must continue the fight against racism and strive to be actively anti-racist and promote minority voices wherever we are. We should remember how much we need each other and the importance of casual conversations and touch. We need to remember the lessons we learned about ourselves – our motivations, our needs, and what is really important to us.

As we move forward into 2021, let’s keep those memories and invite hope, joy, and abundance to grace us this year.

May the Ancestors support us

May the Nature Spirits nourish us

May the Shining Ones Guide us

May the Kindreds Bless our Lives

By Victoria S

Ogham and Rune Reference Cards

~ Leona Oigheag ~ Leave a comment

I’ve been exploring with graphic design on my iPad and came up with these reference cards for Runes and Ogham.

You are welcome to use them for personal use only.

I invite you to share the link to this post with others if they’re interested in getting the cards.

The original images are sized for a business card. You can add both images to a single word or google document and print them out. Just cut out around the edges. To help them last longer, you can laminate them with packing tape.

Wisdom as a Virtue

~ Leona Oigheag ~ Leave a comment

“Intelligence is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.”

by Miles Kington

There is a component of wisdom that is about understanding the best response in a given situation. It’s also about knowing the best way to engage with a situation. The quote above neglects to realize that there are recipes for fruit salad that include tomatoes. 

Wisdom is more than common sense. It’s also an awareness of self and of the situation. The quote above shares that it takes knowledge to know that a tomato is actually a fruit, not a vegetable. (It has to do with the part of the plant that grows to create the tomato.) However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t put a tomato in a fruit salad – you just have to consider what makes sense.

Most people consider tomatoes to be a vegetable, and they are mostly used in savory applications. But just because a tomato is usually savory doesn’t mean that it can’t also be in something sweet. We see chocolate used in savory dishes when it usually used in sweet dishes, so why not tomatoes in sweet recipes?  

Looking at wisdom as a virtue drives us to understand ourselves better. It also encourages us toward critical thinking and discernment. Wisdom helps us to navigate the world and helps us to avoid making poor choices.

So grab that tomato, and decide what you want to do with it.

Reading for the Week – Dec 14

~ Leona Oigheag ~ Leave a comment

This week I choose to use the Ogham as I’ve been working with it for my daily readings

The Ogham are:
Negtal (three diagonal lines) which talks about transformation and action that moves us forward.
Straif (four diagonal lines) talks about hard choices and the need to do something even when we don’t like any of the options
Alim (one horizontal line) talks about taking the long view and seeing the big picture

Together they remind us that we should keep moving forward, even when it’s not something we want to do just then. Keep the big picture in mind and go for your goal.

November Full Moon Reading

~ Leona Oigheag ~ Leave a comment

For today’s reading, I used the “This Might Hurt” tarot deck that I love.

Two of Swords ~ Three of Cups ~ Six of Swords
This Might Hurt Tarot Deck

This continues from the last reading to remind us that we should not let ourselves get mired in the ick that is the pandemic.

My reading on these cards:
This situation sucks, but putting a blindfold on doesn’t help to avoid the situation. It’s still there. Take the blindfold off and find your support structure. Celebrate with your friends and family in whatever way you can.
Make the choice to figure out what you need to keep going in this time and move towards that goal.

The Witches’ Sabbat

~ Leona Oigheag ~ Leave a comment

Over the last few months, I have had the pleasure to attend a series of online classes and events. It’s generally been great, but some events are better than others.

A conference that I attended in early November – The Witches Sabbat (http://witchessabbat.com/) – was one of the better ones. The content was excellent and diverse, the community is fabulous, and the pacing and inclusion was terrific.

The conference started on Friday evening with a guided trance journey by Storm Faerywolf to the Witches Sabbat meeting place – a liminal space on the astral where we gathered and set the stage for the conference. Over the next two days, we experienced a fabulous collection of live workshops with a decent amount of time for Q&A. The live presenters included Judika Illes, Temperance Alden, Laura Tempest Zakroff, Najah Lightfoot, Misha Magdalene, Devin Hunter, Mat Auryn, and Storm Faerywolf. In addition to the live presenters, we also got a TON of additional material from the guest presenters.  

In addition to all the excellent workshops and fantastic community, we also participated in the announcement of the winners of The Witchies! A new series of awards that are targeted at the modern Witchy creators!

There were a few technical issues as the hosts and presenters, and attendees, learned to use the new-to-them technology, but the hosts took it in stride and ensured that we still got a great experience! 

Since the conference, we have continued to see the involvement, updates, and additional information for the folks who attended the conference!

I highly recommend this conference for folks interested in expanding their knowledge and finding a great community. Sign up for their newsletter to hear more at http://witchessabbat.com.