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'Hawk's Cottage
The gardens present a wonderful image, yes? We are delighted to have this opportunity to share our magickal side away with you! Whether it be a tranquil evening's stroll.... or a race through the night air, howling at the Moon!! .. as the garden grows, it is our hope that all who visit this place will find something of interest.. some useful tidbit that will encourage you to visit, time and time again! In this section, I’d like to take a few moments to introduce an idea that I’ve found most useful.. and a great deal of fun! Magick has a tendency to require standing with each foot planted firmly in two different realms. One, in the "real world"… the "nine to five".. "stop at the grocery".. "take out the dog".. "early to bed".. "rise and shine!!" world, where most of us muddle through.. relying on hard work (and a little luck!!) to get us through the day. The other foot finds itself standing in the shadows of dragons.. and wizards.. and values like, "perfect love and perfect trust".. and, "for the good of all.." .. and who could possibly forget to "harm none!!" .. lest we have to deal with the "law of three!!" YIKES!!! … and where the two worlds meet?? Ahhhh… <warm smile..> That is where magick finds it’s home. The intricate weave of shadows and reality.. the subtle balance between what "is," and what the faithful practitioner hopes to accomplish. It is in this world of visions, that things like "Magickal Mayhem".. and the garden.. and all the rest, transform from stray thoughts.. to hopefully, something quite wonderful! The little exercise that follows, is a very easy way to begin to find that mystical place in between realms, where one is surely to find true magick! Soo… follow along.. and let your imagination float off where it will.. And enjoy a tour of "the cottage." On a tiny hill, overlooking the grounds, you most certainly must have spied our cottage. What garden would be complete without one??! A place to store the tools.. the seeds.. all the things needed, to make the garden work. Even a small room for drying and arranging! MoonFlower is quite handy when it comes to things like that! A swing on the porch invites a most relaxing pastime. Be it a quiet evening under the stars, or just a place to while away the hours.. Ever just kick back and enjoy a rainstorm from the shelter of a cozy porch? Nothin’ quite like it! Good for the soul.. and verrry exciting should the "powers that be" provide a little lightening and thunder!! The cottage, much like the gardens that surround it, provide a place to work... a place to heal.. and at times, just a place to escape the "day to day." ......... waaaaay better than wandering aimlessly through the woods, muttering to yourself!! Why... people might talk!! and we certainly wouldn't want that!! Each of us has such a "place" inside.. and for each of us, it would be much different. For some, it would not be a cottage at all! I am reminded of "Moon Magic," by Dion Fortune. In this instance, "the cottage" became instead, a great temple! Others visualize things like castles. I have even read accounts of cozy quarters carved into the sides of hills! .. much like the homes of Hobbits, in the JRR Tolkien stories. It matters very little what kind of place your mind's eye sees.. as long as you take the time to make it as "real" as you possibly can. Mine, for example, is cluttered with everything imaginable! There is a huge desk where I have spent many an enjoyable hour studying.. or even working on articles such as this! An old stone mantle takes up most of the far wall. Quite often, I end my days, resting in a well-worn wingback chair, watching the flames dance warm in the ancient hearth. Shelves make up the rest of the wall. A place for my books and papers.. tiny bottles of herbs.. (that one day I really should sit down and label!!) pebbles.. half burned candles.. sea shells.. feathers.. My sword and staff set nicely in an old umbrella stand by the door. .. ever ready for a stroll through the grounds. Ohhh!! Almost forgot! Toohig has his own small spot in the midst of all the clutter! I dare not touch a thing!! You would not believe how cranky a pesky dragon can be, when you mess with his stuff!!! In the far corner, another bench.. more tidy than the desk.. it is here, that I tinker with my watches. .. a hobby I have come to love. Something very magickal about the insides of a watch. I will have more to say about that later! Here also are a few wands, in various stages of completion. .. another fun pastime we will have to visit! I think you will certainly enjoy that! All in all, "the cottage" is a wonderful mixture of the "real," and the imaginary. Yes.. I do have an old desk that I sit at and type away.. and it's cluttered with all sorts of odds and ends..... and, in the basement is the bench where I do the work of the wands.. and tinker with the watches... and upstairs, there are my books.. and boxes of so many things, that I doubt I could remember it all...... but once in the cottage, it all falls nicely together! Still a huge pile of clutter!! <LOL> ... but, everything in a place... and, a place for everything! I am sure your cottage would be much different than mine. Where I thrive on the clutter, and having so many ideas and thoughts at my fingertips, you might prefer something much more organized. ... and that is the beauty of it!! For it to truly be your own, you must take the time to tune into what makes you tick! .. and does that not make it something very worthwhile, indeed?? To learn to know yourself.. to take the time to construct a place for no one but you.. a place in that mystical gray area, where all things are possible, and all magick is born..... Take some time in the near future to visualize.. Create your own version of "the cottage." It will help you learn to walk freely between the worlds of imagination and form. .. and aside from any of that?? Heck… It can be great fun!! Enjoy!!
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