Posts Tagged ‘Poetry’

Want

Posted: March 7, 2015 in Inner Journey, Poetry
Tags: , , , ,
The Sensual Eye

The Sensual Eye

I don’t want to be here

I want to be there with you

Skin on skin

Dripping hot wax onto your flesh, cooling it with my breath

Scratching it off with my fingernails

I want hot lips and tongues leaving wet trails that cool into shivers

I want teeth nipping and biting

Fingers tangled in hair

I want to feel your body rise and reach towards my fingertips

I want back arching, lip biting, gasping, pushing, pulling, fighting for control, losing control love

Primal needs met in the language of moans and whimpers

Howling at the moon together

I want to feel possessed by passion

Lost in lust

Lose myself and find myself in the torture of touch

I want, I want, I want

(C) 2015 Romany Rivers

RRivers logo

Arise

Posted: March 2, 2015 in Inner Journey, Poetry
Tags: , , ,


Country Diary : Crows fly through branches of a tree
I awoke to a hundred crows perched upon the trees
Surrounding the boundaries of my property
Their cries harsh and hypnotic,
Falling over one another with the urge to speak.
A rhythm emerged, like clocks slowly syncing over time
Then silence sneaked in
Three lonely cries
And all did rise
Black upon the lightening sky
With drum beat of pounding wings
Leaving me windswept and reeling
Bereft in the quiet dawn

(c)2015 Romany Rivers

winter moon

The bitter breath of air whips the snow from its perch,
Lifting and twisting.
For the briefest moment the Spirit of Winter is made form,
White upon white before my eyes
The coldest kiss of an angel.

The Woven Word cover(Reblogged From A Bad Witch’s Blog)

Found a wonderful review of my book The Woven Word on A Bad Witch’s Blog. I am so glad and grateful that people are discovering and connecting with the book, and I am inspired by the positive responses to the rites and ceremonies. I truly hope my book will be of use to others, and I am blessed by every review – thank you!

 

 

 

 

“Book Review: The Woven Word – A Book of Invocations and Inspirations

Over the years I’ve collected quite a few books of pagan rituals that I look at when I’m asked to put together a ceremony. Some are better than others, of course, and these days I’m picky about buying any books to add to my collection. However, a new publication I’m really pleased I’ve got is The Woven Word: A Book of Invocations and Inspirations by Romany Rivers.

Publisher Moon Books describes it as: “A creative compendium of invocations, inspirations and blessings for the novice or adept to design personal, unique and magical rituals.”

The first part of the book offers simple poems, chants and prayers for specific purposes – such as purification, invocation or blessing. They can be easily slotted into rituals or used on their own. Some are relatively traditional, others less so. Take for example this elegant but simple “shower cleansing”:

Wash away the stress and strain
Wash away the hurt and pain
Refresh and cleanse my tired soul
To reconnect, to make me whole

The second part of the book contains complete rituals. As well as ceremonies for the usual seasonal festivals, there are ways to honour rites of passage from baby blessings and handfastings to rituals at death. The latter include last rites when a person is dying and a requiem for someone who has died.

As we are approaching Samhain, and this month on my blog I have been looking at various aspects of death, here is a short quote from The Woven Word’s passing over ritual:

Dearest Beloved, you are not alone
I am here to help guide you home
If your soul is ready now to depart
Then leave without a heavy heart
With forgiveness and without fear
For those you love will hold you dear

I wish I had had those words to say when I was sitting a bedside vigil for my father and then my mother before they died.

Moon Books says about The Woven Word on its website: “This is a pagan tome of poetry and prose designed for rituals, festivals and celebrations. Working with deities, Romany has chronicled invocations and evocations for many Gods and Goddesses, and created clear and crafty quarter calls, circle castings, celebratory prose and meditations. Ritual is broken into its component parts allowing for easy reference and personal adaptation.”

What I would add is that Romany’s words are beautiful, simple and powerful. As I read the book I could not only see myself using its rites without adaptation, I also felt that I wanted to use them. And to be honest that’s rare for me. With most of the other books of rituals I own, I find myself changing the words quite a bit to suit my personal taste or simply using them for inspiration and writing my own invocations or whatever based on them. I know I will be using many of the refrains and rites in The Woven Wordin the years to come.”

Links and previous related posts
The Woven Word: A Book of Invocations and Inspirations
http://www.moon-books.net/

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Autumn arrives

As my son cries

And places fallen leaf upon my outstretched fingertips

Fix the tree he pleads

The leaf

It fell over

Fix the tree

If only it were so simple

To kiss it better

To hug away the hurt

To ease the seasons sorrow

I wonder if his heart will break a little

With every red gold shiver

With every bitter breeze

With every leaf crunching underfoot

The tree is broken in his mind

How does one explain

The time and tides

The ebb and flow

The come and go

To brimming tear filled brown eyes?

Is it too hard a truth to learn so young

That some things cannot be undone?

I cannot fix the tree for him

And reality upon me dawns

Just as the time has come for leaves to change

The mighty Mama also falls

No longer magic touch

Healing all with simple love

There are things in life beyond a Mamas reach

She cannot even fix the tree

(c)2013 Romany Rivers

Blessings of the Autumn Equinox to you all! May the turning of the seasons bring you peace and bountiful harvests. Look out for the story behind this poem in the upcoming community book ‘Pagan Planet’ due for publication soon!

hearth altarWhen I was young, my little sister died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. There was less understanding back then, and even at my age I heard the whispers in the village. I saw my parents friends remove themselves from our lives, people talking about our family in hushed tones, my step-mother sat almost catatonic on the sofa staring out the window, my little brother confusing my baby dolls with our deceased sister. I stood by my sisters graveside, watching this tiny coffin lowered into the earth, and I felt angry that this big, sweaty priest who knew nothing about our family and yet dared to speak of my baby sister and our family grief. Through all this, I felt my sisters spirit still in the house. I was aware of her presence in ways that other family members were not and it confused everyone. I did not display the same grief as others, because for me a part of her was still with us and that gave me comfort. I felt isolated in my understanding that death was not the end. I felt confused and sad for the loss of my sister and the pain her death brought to our family. I felt comforted and relieved to know there was something more than flesh and bone. In grief and a desire for understanding, I looked for God. I wanted answers. I found no comfort or answers in the Christianity I was brought up around, so I started to explore alternative belief systems. By the time I was a teen, I was fully immersed in the exploration of Paganism, Buddhism, Taoism, Witchcraft, and techniques of awareness and spiritual development. Later I studied psychology, I travelled the world, I read voraciously and I talked to some fascinating people. Slowly I developed my own practice and personal spirituality that honoured my understanding of death and dying.

In my twenties, after a rather shocking spiritual experience, I dedicated myself to studying Wicca and Witchcraft. I developed a deeper understanding of magic and transformation, and I truly transformed my personal life. During my practice I would call upon the Lord and Lady, I would connect with the Masculine and Feminine Divine and the spectrum in between, and I could sense the power and presence of the Divine – yet I did not connect with specific deities. In fact I rather enjoyed discussing the reality of distinct and different Gods, or all Gods as one God, or Gods as archetypes, or Gods as entities, or Gods as universal energy. I talked and listened, and in private I formed no conclusions but continued to work with the very abstract concept of Divinity from an energy spectrum perspective. I was happy enough working with my abstract philosophy. That is until a Goddess spoke to me. (more…)

I am very excited to announce the release date of my next book The Woven Word: A Book of Invocations and Inspirations, coming out in hardcopy and ebook on the 31st of October 2014. That is right folks, a happy Halloween release!

The Woven Word Full Cover

This is a pagan tome of poetry and prose designed for rituals, festivals and celebrations. Working with deities, Romany has chronicled invocations and evocations for many Gods and Goddesses, and created clear and crafty quarter calls, circle castings, celebratory prose and meditations. Ritual is broken into its component parts allowing for easy reference and personal adaptation, and the additional correspondences information benefits the creation of unique rituals and celebrations. Created for use by both solitary practitioners and covens, sample rituals are also provided for seasonal celebrations and life events.
Romany’s personal experiences as a High Priestess give this book an enlightened view of the use of poetry in ritual, whilst her skills in classes, courses and workshops create a solid, practical foundation. Pagans, Priests and Priestesses, initiates new to the Craft, RE teachers and students, and anyone who loves Romany’s poetry will thoroughly enjoy this latest work.

“A fascinating book celebrating and utilising the power of the word both spoken and written with all areas of the Craft, including beautiful prose, blessings, meditations, visualisations and invocations. A great reference for how to use words for the greatest benefit.” – Rachel Patterson, author of Kitchen Witchcraft and Moon Magic (more…)

I am so excited to reveal the cover design of my new ritual book The Woven Word: A Book of Invocations and Inspirations.

A creative compendium of invocations, inspirations and blessings for the novice or adept to design personal, unique and magical rituals.”

An extract from this book recently won the Pagan Writers Community Celtx Competition… meaning you can get a sneak peek right here! The Woven Word is being published by Moon Books and is due for release later this year. Please keep in touch for details of the book release, give aways, signings and workshops!

The Woven Word cover

This publication is a pagan tome of poetry and prose designed for rituals, festivals and celebrations. Working with deities, Romany has chronicled invocations and evocations for many Gods and Goddesses, and created clear and crafty quarter calls, circle castings, celebratory prose and meditations. Ritual is broken into its component parts allowing for easy reference and personal adaptation, and the additional correspondences information benefits the creation of unique rituals and celebrations. The use of language as a sacred act is also explored, highlighting the importance of ritual language as an act of magic in and of itself. Created for use by both solitary practitioners and covens, sample rituals are also provided for seasonal celebrations and life events.

Romany’s personal experiences as a High Priestess give this book an enlightened view of the use of poetry in ritual, whilst her skills in classes, courses and workshops create a solid, practical foundation. Pagans, Priests and Priestesses, initiates new to the Craft, RE teachers and students, and anyone who loves Romany’s poetry will thoroughly enjoy this latest work.

Reviews and Endorsements:

“Combining ritual and the sacred with the everyday world. Romany in this timeless work will bridge the gap that once did not exist between the spiritual and actual. Wander into the world of beauty and wonder in these pages and return to a reality tinged with rainbow magick. We will return to this book many times and at different life stages but it will always retain the freshness and inspiration of the first journey.” – Cassandra Eason, Author of The Magick of Faeries, the New Crystal Bible, and A Year and a Day in Magick

“Romany Rivers has created a valuable compendium of poetic verse, ready and waiting for use in your favorite ritual. I wish she had written this book years ago – it would have saved me hours of slogging through piles of poetry and ritual books, searching for the words that would move the participants at the rituals I officiated. Thankfully, it is available now, providing the grateful reader with a wide variety of lyrical verse for use from the opening of the ritual through to the close. Ms. Rivers has thoughtfully included full sample rituals that demonstrate the effective use of her beautiful verse, as well as an extensive set of correspondences that will provide inspiration for the creation of rituals uniquely suited to each occasion.” – Laura Perry, Author of Ariadne’s Thread: Awakening the Wonders of the Ancient Minoans in Our Modern Lives

In ‘The Woven Word’ Romany has created a real treasure that is destined to become a reference book for everyone interested in learning or developing their own rituals, invocations and practice. There is something here for every occasion and all of it easily adapted to fit the needs of any solitary practitioner or group no matter what their level of experience . Words have power and this comes over very clearly in this careful and considered compendium based on Romany’s own experience as a High Priestess and clear love of ritual and her craft.” – Yvonne Ryves, Author of Shaman Pathways Web of life

A fascinating book celebrating and utilising the power of the word both spoken and written with all areas of the Craft, including beautiful prose, blessings, meditations, visualisations and invocations. A great reference for how to use words for the greatest benefit.” – Rachel Patterson, Author of Kitchen Witchcraft and Moon Magic

I love, love, love The Woven Word! I adore its simplicity, the way that it feels so old and yet so fresh at the same time. There is an akashic nature to what Romany has written, this book almost feels channeled straight from the Divine.” – Arietta Bryant, Author of Ramblings and Rhymes and Circles of Sacred Laughter

PreOrder

Excited to announce that Poison Pen Letters to Myself is now available to pre-order through this site and through Amazon.com! As a special offer, the first 25 signed copies purchased through this site will receive a free postcard print of my painting Dark Heart of the Fire Flower as a thank you! Please do share this picture far and wide to spread the word. If you would like this book personalized with a message or name, please just let me know in the ‘Add Special Instructions’ box during checkout. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for supporting me and helping to make this book a reality.

Bright Blessings, Romany

Dark Heart of the Fire Flower, Oil on Canvas, by Romany Rivers

Dark Heart of the Fire Flower, Oil on Canvas, by Romany Rivers

 

Imbolc

Deep in the belly of the earth life now stirs

Awakening within and shaking free of ice and snow

The Goddess carries the child of promise within her arms

Trailing light and warmth wherever he goes

Slowly the world awakens from its slumber

Pushing shadows back from long cold night

All around

Life abounds

Reaching out towards the growing light

Imbolc Craft: St. Brigid's Cross. By Amber Dorko Stopper

Imbolc Craft: St. Brigid’s Cross. By Amber Dorko Stopper

Imbolc Festival of Light

Welcome to the festival of light

Where springtime lies within our sight

Earth softens and milk flows

Babies are born, seeds are sown

Soon the thaws will flood the streams

And winter becomes the land of dreams

The Crone returns to the land of snow

And all around us light now grows

Hold high your flame, shine your light

Chase back the shadows and shrinking night

Prepare the path for spring to come

And rejoice now in the growing sun!

All text copyright. Romany Rivers (C) 2013. Text will appear within upcoming book: The Woven Word