Dem Bones

The fence that surrounds Baba Yaga's home is made from human bones, topped with human skulls. So it is natural that we associate bones with Her and that they are requested as offerings from time to time.

When I was visiting Iceland, I came upon this letter opener carved from reindeer bone. I was drawn to it immediately and found it nearly impossible to put down. I had not as of yet incorporated bone into my personal practice, however I had been pondering it for a while. After far too much overthinking on my part, I decided to buy it. After getting home, I realized it was for Baba Yaga. It was only after contemplating the topic of bones as offerings that I realized shells are bone and I have been using them in my practice for some time. I have a strong connection to water, so it goes without saying that shells would be a focal point for me from both a spiritual and aesthetic perspective.

What's in a name?

I encountered a discussion about Baba Yaga and how to pronounce her name. I was prompted to do some research and discovered something that needs consideration. There are 13 Slavic countries (Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia) and 12 distinct Slavic languages (Belarusian, Russian, Ukrainian, Czech, Lower Sorbian, Polish, Slovak, Slovenian, Upper Sorbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, and Serbo-Croatian). Thus, how her name is pronounced is largely dependent on which region the speaker is from.

The most common pronunciation (Bulgarian, Polish, Serbian) is BAH-bah YAH-gah. It should be noted this is the most common way her name is pronounced in English-speaking countries. Ukrainian is BAH-bah yah-GAH, with the emphasis on the second syllable of “Yaga”. Russian is BAH-bah YEE-gah. The most interesting was the Hungarian name which is Vasorru Baba (VASH-orr-oo BAH-bah), which translates to “Iron-nosed Witch”. At the time of this writing, I have not been able to track down any additional variations from the other languages mentioned above.

Something that also has an impact is your own dialect, which can affect how another language sounds because your accent will differ from native speakers of the language. So while I think it is definitely important to show respect to our Deities by learning the proper pronunciation of their name, in this case we have to simply choose what we are comfortable with and what fits with our practice. What feels right to us as opposed to what someone else tells us is right.

Reclaim your breath

A few years ago, I was inspired to purchase a bird feeder for the purpose of offerings. I find it to be a great way to incorporate nature into your practice and connect on a regular basis. After filling my feeder, I decided to fill a jar and place it on my altar as an offering to Baba Yaga.

While I was cleansing and consecrating the jar, She told me to “reclaim your breath” and I was guided to gently blow on the jar three times. She further said that our breath holds tremendous power, but are often made to feel that to use it is wrong. For example, I was taught not to blow out candles because it would negate the magical intent. That by breathing on them, I would be blowing my negative energy on them. I now see that for what it is. A load of BS.

One of the aspects of working with Baba Yaga is to question what it is that you have learned, rather than simply accepting it as fact. If something doesn't feel right, honor that feeling. Research things that give you pause. As you would transfer a plant that has outgrown its pot, let go of the ideas and tools that no longer serve and it will give you the room you need to grow.

Earn the fire

In preparation for the dark moon, I decided to buy cashews as one of my offerings. I put them in a large canning jar (as witches are prone to do) and as you can see, it isn't full. So in my infinite wisdom, I decided to top it up with sunflower seeds. I then headed out to the yard to trim a tree or two and fill the bird feeders. While I was working, I was told that I was going to separate the sunflower seeds from the cashews.

This reminded me of the tasks Baba Yaga assigned to Vasilisa.

“Baba Yaga said that Vasilisa must perform tasks to earn the fire, or be killed. She was to clean the house and yard, wash Baba Yaga's laundry, and cook her a meal. She was also required to separate grains of rotten corn from sound corn, and separate poppy seeds from grains of soil.” - Wikipedia

I am not in any way comparing what I was asked to do to separating poppy seeds from grains of soil. What I reflected on while I worked was the motivation behind filling the jar. Was I simply trying to appear affluent? Why was the offering that I chose not enough on it's own? I often do this. Go ten steps beyond what is expected because I feel to do otherwise isn't enough. That my honest effort isn't valid. That I am not good enough unless I surpass everyone's expectations. The flaw in this thinking is that once others grow accustomed to this level, then their expectations also inflate to the point that you consistently overextend yourself, causing harm to your physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and financial well-being.

The lesson here is that what you offer is enough and that trying to offer more than what you have to give is only going to mean more work for you, not more gratitude from the recipient. Instead, focus on giving every task an honest effort.

Let's Chat About Offerings

As I went about my research, I found some great advice. When leaving offerings of food on your altar, rather than trying to “guesstimate” when the deity/otherworldly being in question are finished with your offerings, light a tealight candle and let them know that you will leave it there until the candle burns out. I typically do this in the evening and leave the offerings there until the next day.

With regard to what to offer, I was prompted to buy Baba Yaga a bar of red chili infused dark chocolate. European butter, maple syrup, butter tarts, chocolates, candy, and peanut butter pretzel nuts have also been well-received. I have a shot glass of alcohol on the altar at all times. Baba Yaga has shown a preference for Fireball Whiskey and green apple vodka.

This has been my experience and it by no means is a “rule”. I always recommend asking what the deity in question would prefer and following your intuition. You may have access to something they want that can't be found elsewhere, so it's good to keep that in mind.

The Work Begins

I didn’t seek her out. She found me. It made me nervous. Baba Yaga’s reputation proceeded her arrival on my doorstep and after working with The Morrigan, I knew what it was to be dragged through the muck by your hair and forced to face things you would rather leave buried.

Once I made the decision to accept her invitation, the Work began. One of the first things I learned was that Baba Yaga is not a fan of clutter. That doesn’t mean she expects your space to be spotless at all times. If there are things you’ve been avoiding or if you are disrespecting an area of your home, this is something you will be expected to amend. If you ask for her help, you will be put to work. She wants payment in elbow grease.

My first task was to go through my space and get rid of everything my ex gave me. I didn’t have much left, but it all had to go. I had to sever all ties fully and completely. I extended this task to anything from my past that had negative energy attached. The decision was made to toss my high school yearbooks. Although I have many great memories, they were buried beneath a lot of hurt. I also downsized my Pagan library, letting go of books that were no longer relevant to my path and forwarding them on to others in the community.

Four years ago, I made the decision to sell my house and live with my parents on their acreage. This would help me become debt-free and also enable me to travel. At this point, I had been living there for three years. Before I moved, I downsized my belongings by 2/3. The majority of my stuff remains packed away because I don't need it now but will when I live on my own again. The next task she set before me was to go through all of it. Every. Single. Item. It was sorted, what I was keeping was repacked/labelled, and what I decided to let go of was donated to a charity garage sale. One glaring example was my collection of 44 candle holders. I paired them down to 18 and donated the rest. The entire process was extremely emotional because there was stuff in there that I honestly didn't want to deal with, but Baba Yaga doesn't have time for avoidance or excuses.

Knock Knock

I don’t know exactly how to put into words what working with Baba Yaga is like. I am not of Slavic descent, nor had I invested any time researching Slavic Paganism. The only connection I can offer is a few years of Ukrainian dance and that was a lifetime ago.

She showed up out of nowhere, in Ireland of all places and while I was elbows deep in a Morrigan pilgrimage. It seems that Baba Yaga likes to catch you off guard, your defenses down and open to whatever energies or deities come forward. Cerridwen and I had a long term relationship, having put things on hold so that I could focus on my work with The Morrigan. I met the Cailleach at Loughcrew and it wasn’t long before I sensed another presence. It definitely wasn’t The Morrigan, I was certain of that. No, this was someone new. Because I was in Ireland, I assumed it was Maeve, but the energy seemed off. So I decided to wait it out and just let things progress because there was no point in doing otherwise.

So she followed me home, Old Bony Legs. She made herself known and also made it clear that there was much Work ahead. She doesn’t need you to be Slavic. She doesn’t need you to be anything but yourself. But I will offer you this bit of advice. She does need you to be honest. Don’t even think about bullshitting her. She won’t hesitate to call you on it and she won’t be gentle when she does.

When the Gods retreat

I was a member of the Sisterhood of Avalon when the Morrigan arrived at my door. Not so much knocking gently but hammering mercilessly, demanding to be heard. My time with the Sisterhood was coming to an end and I made the decision to accept the Morrigan’s invitation. The work before me was beyond challenging. It was frightening and I spent most of my time up to my eyeballs in shit, for lack of a better term.

I knew better than to formally dedicate myself to her because she is notoriously tough and, as I would soon learn, unforgiving. I was tasked with a pretty major project, requiring a great deal of my time and energy. One afternoon, I was grumbling and acting like a child. I tripped and fell, resulting in an immensely painful hairline fracture. The lesson? Acts of service must be done without complaint.

I returned to Ireland and the cave. I was fully prepared to venture down and deepen my relationship with Herself. Much to my dismay, that was not her plan. I was to wait outside, holding space for those who made the journey within. I asked myself why I was deemed unworthy. What did I do wrong? What didn’t I do right? Her answer was that I was doing the Work that she needed. I was indeed worthy or I would not have been asked to hold space and ensure the well-being of those whose own Work lie within the cave.

One day, not long after my return home, the Morrigan told me that I was to clear off my altar. I assumed this was in preparation for more Work and did as I was told. I waited for further instruction as to where we were going from here. Nothing could have prepared me for her answer. Our work together was done.

Even after two decades, I find my practice as a polytheist to be a delicate balancing act. My time with the Sisterhood helped tremendously, as I worked with 5 Welsh Goddesses for a period of three years. Experiencing the ebb and flow of their presence in my life and as a focal point of my practice was enriching and stabilizing for me. But at no point did I consider that any of them would end our relationship. I foolishly believed that I was at the helm. So when the Morrigan left, I experienced a tremendous sense of loss and overwhelming grief. I couldn’t understand why she would abandon me. I see now that was part of the Work I was meant to do with her. To learn that the Gods are not at our disposal. They are not obligated to us in any way and are free to leave at any point, if that is what is needed.

I realized that this entire experience would not have happened at all if I were not open to it and capable of dealing with it, regardless of the pain it caused. I now understand that the reason the Morrigan had to leave was to make way for someone else, who would build on what we started and change my life in ways I could never have imagined.

Breathe

As Witches, many of us were taught not to use our own breath to extinguish a flame. That somehow, the act of exhalation is unclean. That our breath is not sacred enough to touch our Work.

In doing so, we are reinforcing the false belief that we are inherently flawed and not worthy of the tools we have chosen to use to empower ourselves. This false belief will work against us in our quest for Sovereignty. Unless we embrace every inch of ourselves - the physical, emotional, intellectual, artistic, sexual, spiritual, and so on - we cannot hope to integrate all that we have learned and move on. Part of us will remain stuck.

I can’t help but wonder if this is a purposeful act, put in place by those who are deeply afraid of anyone who seeks to empower themselves. Upon reflection, I have noticed a great many “Thou shall not’s” present in neo-Pagan literature. This isn’t to say that there aren’t things you need to be mindful of for your own safety. But using one’s own breath to extinguish a candle is not one of them.

So go ahead. Blow out your damn candle!

October 1887

She calls to you, beckons you forward

Speaking to you in whispers, she shares her secrets

Perhaps a prophecy, things yet to come

connected to things that have been

Some threads need to be pulled

the tapestry will not unravel

You can mend it, stitch together the torn edges

That is part of the work, you see.

Not many people visit

Some don’t even notice me.