by Claire du Nord
In the previous article, I mentioned that I love Sound Magick. I would even go so far as to say that music is “in my very blood”. Welcome back, Broom Closet Witches, to the ninth article in our “For Broom Closet Witches” column. Claire du Nord here, a High Priestess in the Temple of Witchcraft tradition.
As the Wheel of the Year turns to Beltane/Beltaine, and we celebrate the Divine Union, I ponder deeply about the unions that brought about my own existence, the factors that were at play at the time, and what kinds of music may have been part of the courting of my ancestors. It isn’t unusual for lovers to have “their song”. However, music – or shall we say, the “Magick of Musick” was probably the biggest factor in bringing my ancestors together in one case in my family tree, and I can say with (almost) complete certainty that I wouldn’t be here without music. Because of that, this is a story that touches me personally in ways that give me an odd sense of realization – almost surreal – and goosebumps when I think about it, and one that I would like to share with you on this occasion of Beltane.
I like to think of the story of my mother’s parents’ meeting as my very own “The Sound of Music” story. I love that movie! Not only did my grandmother’s family come from Bavaria, and she spoke only German until she was in her teens, but her two older sisters were Catholic nuns in the St. Francis of Assisi Order. What is so amazing is that when the story begins, my grandmother was preparing to become a nun herself, like her sisters. The important twist is that she was also studying to become a nurse and played the flute (as well as the organ)!
Over the years, my grandfather, the Norwegian, (mentioned in Articles #6 and #8), played multiple instruments, was a member of multiple bands and orchestras, taught music lessons, and was a college professor of music as well. As it so happened, he had a music studio and had organized a nurse’s orchestra in the very same hospital where my grandmother was a student nurse in training. My grandmother joined the orchestra, and the rest, as they say, “is history”!
The “Magick of Musick” was certainly at work to bring about my grandmother’s decision in 1932 to take the vows that would ultimately lead to my being here instead of vows that would have led her to join her sisters in convent life. She and my grandfather had four children, and he taught them all to play the violin. And four was just enough to form a quartet! My mother was one of the four, of course, and I have a copy of a newspaper article about them with their picture! (I won’t tell you the name of the quartet, or I will certainly “out” myself as a witch.)
So, at Beltane, a simple contemplation exercise that even Broom Closet Witches can do is to think about the factors/synchronicities/magick that brought each of our ancestors together, ultimately resulting in our own existence. This we can do in the privacy of our own minds.
I hope this article has been helpful, and until next time –
Merry Meet, Merry Part, and Merry Meet again.
Beltane Blessings,
Claire du Nord