[trystan830]

i do get the burned out - i have off monday for the xmas holiday, so i can recharge a little.

well, i'll get to go..... but cold and dark and going somewhere new for only the second time, and this time in the dark? we'll see if i actually want to do that.

we're expecting snow and cold on friday, but that's winter for you. our travel day on sunday will be cold, but should be dry. i don't care for the ice either - or the wind when it's that cold.

[Dalhanahue]

Blessed Yule to anyone who celebrates!

Nice! We get Friday and Monday so I'm hoping to recharge myself before it goes right back into our busy season which is like mid January through April.

You'll have to let me know if you wound up going.

[trystan830]

Blessed Yule!

depending on the weather, i might have friday off if it's too icy and slippery to go in - that's one of my retail job days. so if i go outside and slip on the ice, i'm calling out.
ooh, question - do you call out of work, or call off of work?

and yep, i'll let you know. :D

[Dalhanahue]

Well it has officially started snowing here. Doesn't look to bad though at the moment. It's kind of fine.

That's a good question and I think it all just depends on context. As an employer there were times I had to call employees off work because we had overscheduled and not enough work load. When making the call for myself I actually say I have to call IN sick or ect. and then when referring to another employee or coworker that couldn't come in for whatever reasons, in converstation I would say, "So and so called in sick" or probably "Called out because of the weather." lol that's probably not helpful at all. Also might just depend on your area how it's referenced or exactly how you're phrasing it.

[trystan830]

Originally Posted by Dalhanahue

Also might just depend on your area how it's referenced or exactly how you're phrasing it.

oh i'm sure it's regional!

went to the solstice service! it was simpler than the other ones i'd been to, but still good! and there was a soup dinner afterwards, and i talked to a few people as well. :D

[Dalhanahue]

Awesome! Mind going into a little more specifics on like examples of other ones you've been too vs this one? I'm just curious. I don't really do the public rituals or ect. so I was just kind of wondering what it was like.

That's great you were able to go though and even talk to a few people.

[trystan830]

so the main thing was with this one, we invited the directions (Air, Fire, Water, Earth), sang a few songs, lit a candle and passed it around the circle, and then released the directions and opened the circle.

the previous ones were: invite the directions, and include Spirit, and other Gods and Goddesses, sometimes based on the season, the weather (Persephone was usually called on in the Spring and Fall).... and we'd sing a song or chant, and then some kind of talking relating to the ritual.

i got the order of service for the one that i would have gone to if i were back where i lived, i'm still on the email list, and there was what they call "popcorn style" to answer "in the darkness i feel..." and anyone can just 'pop' in and say what the darkness makes them feel. and there's also a Talking Stick. a topic would be set - the darkness, the harvest, planting things - and then the Stick would go around the circle, and people could relate the topic to their own lives, and whoever had the stick could talk until they were done. or you could pass.

and then there'd be a chat that would end in raising energy - healing, warming, loving, whatnot - that at the end of the chant would be pushed out into the universe. we'd finish by releasing the guests, Spirit, and the directions, and open the circle.

BUT, to be fair: i thanked the woman who had led the service and asked if there had been/will be others, and she said this was the first one that she did. and while there was a CUUPs chapter (Covenant of UU Pagans) at the church in the past, there isn't a chapter there now, so we shall see. so it makes sense that this was more simplistic than i'm familiar with.

[Dalhanahue]

I gotcha. And yeah, that makes sense if it was the first one she'd done. Especially if she's not quite sure of all the people there what traditions they follow and what deities people pay homage to and ect.

I find I cast circle less often now or if I do I throw up a pretty basic one but in the past I've developed a pretty elaborate way that I reserve now for dire need. If I'm casting though I'm usually doing so to commune with deity, spirits, or fae.

I do imagine though, raising energy with a group of people would be quite effective and just an experience on it's own level. At most I've only ever raised energy with a couple other close friends. I can admire the group and public ritual experience for what it is I just get reluctant. I'm pretty sensitive to energy so I worry. I could probably throw up a bit of a ward if need be but the opportunity has never really come up either save once. Went to Pagan Picnic in St. Louis one year and they were holding a handfasting ritual. I watched from the sidelines though.

[trystan830]

Originally Posted by Dalhanahue

I gotcha. And yeah, that makes sense if it was the first one she'd done. Especially if she's not quite sure of all the people there what traditions they follow and what deities people pay homage to and ect.

exactly.

i want to get more involved, i like the community of like-minded people. :D hubby is supportive. until i'm able to hopefully drop my sundays from my retail job though, i'd only be there on weekdays. it's a start :D

[Dalhanahue]

That's great though that there is at least the opportunity for you to get more involved if you want and when you can find the time!

Also great to hear that hubs is supportive.

Ugh, why life always get in the way of doing things we wanna do though? Lol

I've been telling myself for years now I'm going to dedicate more time to do spiritual things, particularly composing my BOS and diving a bit more into kitchen witchery. Alas, life. Works been crazy and we'll be heading into our busy season again BUT hopefully this year will be a more typical year and we'll actually have more down time afterwards. Plus we're working on hiring a couple more people to even out the load.

[trystan830]

Originally Posted by Dalhanahue

Ugh, why life always get in the way of doing things we wanna do though? Lol

yep. silly real life adulting stuff you gotta do....

ooh, sounds like you can actually use the downtime so you don't get burnout. what do you do?

[Dalhanahue]

IKR? Stupid adulting.

Hubs owns an accounting firm. He's a CPA and I'm the office manager. The last few years between Covid, stim checks, advanced child tax credit, ppp loans and other things resulting from Covid it's honestly been overwhelming and insane. We haven't gotten our usual downtime in years. We're a growing firm which is good but needless to say we are already to the point of burn out and just trying to push through, hoping this next tax season is more 'normal'. We also bought out another firm that was selling. Again, a good thing but we need more people and working on that. If we keeping going at this rate though hubs may need a partner or at least another CPA that can eventually become partner.

[trystan830]

oh that sounds crazy busy until at least april!
good luck. :D

[Dalhanahue]

Yeah, then we usually have a good lot of extensions but those aren't as urgent.

How was your holiday weekend?

[trystan830]

fair enough.

actually, it was pretty good. we went to my inlaws, that was a 5+ hour drive one way.

[Dalhanahue]

Ooh, bit of drive. Glad to hear it was good though. Were road conditions sketchy or okay?