Mandrake and the Cabbyrinth

 Hey witches,

I've been working on screenprinting recently, and wanted to share these two pieces, especially the mandrake because the inspiration for that came from our W3 class.

The other one came about when I noticed how much the inside of a purple cabbage reminded me of the classic labyrinth pattern. :)

- Laura

Coins of the Realm

A friend of mine, who likes to be called Bean, has been having a tough time of it lately due to being overly concerned with what some people in the rather large group she travels in have to say about her. She talked a bit about what she calls "the original wound". I assume she means one of those pivotal events that most of us would consider our "baggage".
A shaman would call this type of thing shadow work. Shamans like to travel light and shadows don`t weight much if you maintain them and pack them properly.They can take up an incredible amount of space in our lives if we try to just stuff them though.
Here`s the advise I offered to my friend.

You are suffering from the curse of the human experience and especially from that part of the curse that comes from living with your eyes (and ears) open, Bean. This is a two sided curse and is like a coin in that you can flip it over and many times the curse will become a blessing.
While one side will try to suck us into darkness and discordancy the other side can teach us that sometimes with just a little effort things can become shiny and bright again. In order to fully appreciate the smooth and brilliant things in our lives we need to know the dark,scarred and ugly side as well. One of the things that the human experience is meant to teach us is how to balance and flip our coins, Bean.
Some of us only see the dark or scarred face of a coin laying in front of us. It`s the face of a coin we don`t want to pick up or risk carrying around with us. If we see any value in it and decide to take ownership of it we will always be reminded of how scarred and ugly it is whenever we dump things out in front of us in an effort to make change.
Sooner or later it gets to the point where we can`t stand the idea of carrying it any longer and have to be rid of it. Many of us attempt to hand it off to someone else in an attempt to exchange it for something that person has that we want.
When one of these dark,damaged coins is pulled from someone`s pocket and is cast in front of you as payment you can either flip it in an attempt to see if the other side is smooth and bright or you can simply slide it back toward the person offering it and say something like, "I`m sorry I can`t accept this" or "Here,keep this, you need it more than I do".
Remember to smile and be kind when you say it. That smile can serve as a balance point as well.

Much love,
Daedalus

One simple word

A friend suggested that instead of a resolution to mark the secular New Year we each choose a word to work with for a year. This sounded like both and excellent idea and a challenge. Being a sucker for challenges I took her up on it and discovered "authenticity" wanted to be carried around in my pocket for a while. At least that`s where it started. I wrote the word down on a small sheet of paper,folded it and stuck it in my wallet. Being a practitioner of magick I should have known better.
That slip of paper kept showing up everywhere and every time I turned around I was unfolding it and staring at my word for the year. In no time at all it had traveled from my pocket to my head and was rolling around up there like a billiard ball smashing into the other balls on my table and chasing them into pockets till it was one of the few balls left in play. Next game up authenticity has shifted from a numbered ball to being the cue ball. Now my head is really in the game. Even as I am sitting quietly on the sidelines I have my cue in one hand and am chalking up for our next shot. I`ll study the table and try to envision what angles and lines will appear for me next. I am aware that the game has drawn a few spectators and even a few side bets are being placed on my ability to remain standing and in command of the table. The eyes are focused on the table but the thoughts,assessments and doubts are focused on the players.
I have to keep reminding myself that this is meant to be a year long tournament and that I`m bound to lose a game here and there. I need to keep focused, practiced and in the game yet not let what I`m playing for move from my head and hands toward becoming a monkey on my back.
We each circle the table when it comes our turn to shoot. We may view the lineup a bit differently than our own team mates even when we`re aiming toward the same end results. In the end we stand alone and take our shot. Even if we don`t sink it then we need to at least not leave the opposition an opening to run the table and send us out into the street wishing we had played things differently that evening.
So now I find that authenticity is actually a very accomplished shapeshifter and,at least for a while, has morphed from being the cue ball into the cue I have taken possession of and will be playing with for the foreseeable future. I have already defeated others using things such as discernment, frustration, chaos and distraction against me. They played a good game and who knows, I may play against them again as the year progresses. In the end we`ll see if authenticity and I have what it takes to make the money shot and win this tournament.