The Storyspinner Wheel

An Overabundance of Summertime Rest & Recreation Riches

Am I the only one looking forward to the witchy time of the year?

My storyspinning schedule got all out of wack during my recent stay in Hawaii. Months of living along the rural edges of the north coast of the Big Island threw me off the rhythm of my Superhero and Campfire story games. I was immersed in nature for two long months, living between the rocky ocean cliffs on one side and the edge of a jungle gully that contained an abundance of tropical fruit trees on the other.

I went for long rambles with Malcolm the failed pig hunting dog (feral pig hunting is a thing in Hawaii) as my faithful companion. We would spot those pigs as well as lush orchards of macadamia nut, avocado, tangerine, guava, mango, papaya, noni, coconut, apple banana, mountain apple, and breadfruit trees. I became an excellent forager and subsisted on a diet of mostly fruit if you don’t count the tortillas I dunked in my mashed avocados.

It was a time steeped in nature. Hikes along the ocean bluffs, ocean swimming, exploring for fruit and nuts, and keeping a sharp eye out for successful pig hunting dogs. As I said, pig hunting’s a thing and I didn’t want to get caught in the middle of it. (I memorably did just once, but that is a post for another day.)

Nature puts on quite a lavish display here. Even the stars seem more abundant in this part of the world that eschews streetlights.

I’m home now in the Pacific Northwest, with a week still to play on the Campfire Forest Storygame. But I’m filled up with rest and recreation and being outdoors. I’m counting the days down to the Mythic Muse Marketplace game that starts on August 31. I have a Muse (creative project) I would like to ship to the marketplace.

And a recent message got me even more excited about our upcoming Monster Ball in October. Especially Witch Camp. It seems that the Pagans of Portland would like our witch group to dance for their Witchfest celebration. And I and the rest of the witches do love a good celebration.

A Calendar of Stories

The Storyspinner Calendar is designed to celebrate all the months and seasons, each in its own way with its own stories. This became a thing for me personally because it always felt like all the celebratory fun happened October through December. We packed in all the best stories and celebrations for our harvest and early winter celebrations.

And that use to make sense. Back in the days when these celebrations began there was still quite a bit of work to do until the harvest was done. Then it’s time to party. But only a small percentage of us live on a working farm nowadays. So we can share the riches of the fall/winter celebrations with the rest of the year. (One of my personal storyspinner goals is to make every month of the year as storied and celebrated as Halloween or Christmas.)

For now, Harvest Season and Halloween remain my favorites. Last year we hosted our Monster Ball. The game? Get your five monsters to the ball so the witches can dance and save Halloween. When our monsters aren’t trying to terrorize us into running awaaay from unpleasant feelings and tasks they play spine-chilling sounds that encourage the best witch dancing.

As part of the Monster Ball fun, we ran a month-long Witch Camp. I am longing for that now. I am ready for the wheel to turn, which is kind of the point of this celebratory wheel. I have immersed myself so much in the summer season that I am filled up with memories and sensory experiences and I am anticipatory about what comes next.

A little too much rest and recreation and being outside in the most summer of climates has left me ready for the mystery of the harvest season. First I have my September Mythic Muse game to play. And I think I’m going to use it to launch a bigger version of Witch Camp. Because Witch Camp doesn’t just have to happen in October.

I dust off my slides from last year’s class. The first slide shows an image of a curving path that leads into a mysterious moonlit glen. In the not-too-distant future, you will be able to join with other witches to set up your witch’s tent (altar) and discover what kind of witch you are. This will help you choose your witch quest. Here’s a little peek ahead to the Spooky Schedule for October.

Peeking ahead to Witch Camp

Camp begins with choosing your witch quest and discovering what kind of witch you are (if you don’t already know.)

For our Witch Camp, we’ve defined six types of witches that pair together rather nicely. The first pair is the Green Witch & Kitchen Witch. These witches have a passion for herbs and plant witchery, and stirring up enchantment in the kitchen.

Next is the Cosmic Witch & Hedge Witch, the maverick witches in the bunch. A Cosmic Witch is interested in partnering with the cycles and seasons in her magic. Very likely uses astrology and other divination enchantments. The Hedge Witch is a solitary practitioner. Rare in a practice that generally calls on the collective power of the group or coven for their spells and rituals.

Our final pair is actually a combination of opposites. The Modern Witch & Traditional Witch. The Modern Witch is creating a unique approach, borrowing favorite practices from all the traditions to create something new. The Traditional Witch will be a member of a coven and follow the heritage celebrations and rituals handed down through a witch lineage.

There is a place on this list for almost everyone. I myself feel most passionate about Kitchen Witchery, but because I also practice Cosmic and Hedge Witchery I have to put myself in the Modern Witch category.

Over the course of our time at Witch Camp we will learn how to set up our tent, what is traditionally called an altar. We will explore the various spells and rituals and celebrations of all six witch types to be ready for Witch New Year on October 31.

Until then, I’ve still got a few more Campfire Days ahead to come to completion. I’m filled up with rest and relaxation and seasonal earth magic and ready to set sail upon the Sea of Creativity to bring my Witch Camp Muse to the Marketplace.