I'm continuing to push my comfort levels with baby steps. Tonight's call to Redbird was the most formal yet, addressing her by multiple titles. I was able to do this, perhaps ironically, because I've been working with her pretty regularly since I was introduced to her last fall. I can let go of some of the fear that I'm doing it wrong because I trust she knows me and will get my attention if I need to do something differently.
There is something to be said for the power of formality. I can feel the difference when I do it properly. I don't know that it means formality is always better but it's definitely different, and so the difference is worth poking at. If I'm trying to raise energy, formality does seem like the way to go. Considering how much I flinch at formality, that's not something I wanted to figure out, but... eh, it's a tool in the toolbox.
Redbird, firstborn, brightest star Lifegiver, death's lover Desert mirage and warm summer grass Snowblindness and hopeful thaw You burn hot in all things, Magic and sex and simply living, The riddle of contradiction Let me study you; continue to teach me Allow me to be your student and Ensure the enemies of my household Burn themselves down and flame out
Redbird is the sun, and so her day was pretty obvious. She's one of the children of the Dragon and the Firebird. She can be compared to Persephone, to Freyja, and to Saule, depending on how you squint- but really she is unto herself. In desert areas, she is often spoken of with distant respect and fear, while in colder climates she is entreated to visit. When the outsiders came, Redbird was curious. She and Tzymir hit it off, though their relationship is a complex one, especially since he was killed, while she is very much life. She is, loosely, Mara's other parent, though it's not untrue to claim Tzymir is Mara's only parent, either.
The Dark Lady pointed me in Redbird's direction last fall, before my six months with her finished. I have not been working with her consistently - consistency is hard - but I've keep circling out and back.