Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy

I had forgotten how much hard work it is being a witch, not to mention how humiliating it can be at times.

In terms of hard work it is the usual round of organising things for the latest festival. Lughnasadh (pronounced Loo-nah-sah) is the "festival of harvest, a time to acknowledge the fruits and labours of summer and the sacrifices to be made in order to survive the coming winter. Traditionally the character of John Barleycorn is sacrificed symbolising the harvest but from his death comes the gift of food that enables life to continue through the long winter months."* So I have to get my altar organised for the festival time on Thursday. At least it's at a decent time so I will manage to have a good night sleep afterwards.

Now for the humiliating bit. The end of last week saw torrential rain in Edinburgh, combined with severe thunder storms. By severe, I mean there was a whole area of Edinburgh that lost power, unfortunately the part where I work - at a hospital! During one of the lulls in the storms I went over to the main building, but on my way out I noticed that a poor bee was on the hedge by the door and so wet that it wings were sticking to its body. Depite the rain having stopped it was being dripped on from the overhang of the guttering. So I went back into my office got my scissors, cut the length of twig it was sitting on and found it a nice sheltered place where it would get sunlight and a slight breeze to warm and dry it, but still protected if it started to rain again. Of course, just as I am fixing the twig in it's new location one of the doctors comes up to me and asks me what I am doing. The look on his face when told him suggested that he thought I was ever so slightly mad. I'd like to think it was what any witch would do.

* Quoted from the Beltane Fire Society website at http://www.bfs.samhuinn.org