Ten Things Thursday: Blogs I love!

I am a little late tonight, I know, but after a hectic week, I took today just do pretty much nothing. It was nice to not have to do much of anything. I deep cleaned yesterday, well, the living room, kitchen, and office area, so there was nothing nagging in the back of my mind to get up and do something. I almost did not blog today, but I did mention on the fan page last night that I would post today, so here we go.

Today I am going to be brief, because the blogs I am going to direct you to will speak for themselves. I love reading other people's blogs, and these are just ten of those. These are in no particular order, and do not feel left out if your blog is not listed here, as I intend to do this list once a month this year. So without further ado, here is the first installment of Blogs I Love! ( Click the title of each blog to be taken to that blog, it will open in a new window! )

1. Aoibheal's Lair

I know I add Vickie to all most every list I make for these types of things, but she is seriously one of my favorite people on this Earth and I love her blog very much, and I would even if we were not good friends. She writes about all kinds of things. Magic, and recipes, and life in general, both the light and the dark side. She and I are very much alike *in my opinion* and I just love her. Go check her out, and you might love her blog too!

2. The Secret Life of the American Working Witch

As I am  sure most people know, this is Kallan Kennedy's blog. She lights a fire in me, to learn, to stand up for what I believe in, for justice, and many other things. Her weekly "Sunday Stew" is something I look forward to all week!  The more I get to know her, the more I love her.

3. Down to Earth

This blog is amazing. It is all about living simply, and having practical skills like cooking, knitting, soap making, gardening, sustainable living, budgeting, the works. It gives the feeling that you are reading your grandmother's blog. ( I mean this in the best way possible! )

4. Airing My Dirty Laundry, One Sock At A Time

I love the way Amber writes. She is hysterically funny, realistic and down to earth, and she is one of my  all time favorite blogs to read. She also has some the most adorable kids I have ever seen.

5. The Oddly Normal Life of a Pagan Mom

This is a new find for me, but it has quickly become one of my favorites. I enjoy the way she writes ( Long and detailed posts, which I love to read and write. The fact that social networking has reduced a lot of people's attention spans to gnats, which results in a lot of two-short-paragraph blog posts irks me. ) When I read  her posts, it feels like I am listening to a dear friend tell me about their day or what is happening in their life. It feels natural. I enjoy it immensely!

6. Merlin's Magical Mistress

This blog has a little bit of everything. Magic, recipes, tips, music, great pictures, and a lot more!

7. Daddy Doin' Work

I guess you would classify this as a "Daddy Blog," but I consider it so much more. He is funny, intelligent, kind and loving, adores his family, and is one of the most upbeat and positive bloggers out there in my opinion. I love this blog!

8. Pray to the Moon

This is also a recent find for me, but I am enamored with this blog already. Magical, with lots of images and various "Moon" related things,  it is a blog that will engage the senses.

9. The Country Cook

Y'all know I had to throw a foodie blog in there at some point, right? Great recipes and gorgeous pictures make this a very yummy blog!

10. Bohemian Valhalla

An art blog of sorts, Bohemian Valhalla is a photo heavy experience in beautiful chaos. Making art from found treasure, there is always something new and wonderful to be seen. I can spend hours there!

There you have it folks! Ten  blogs that I love to read and spend time at. Do you have any favorites that you want to share with me? Leave them in the comments!

This is going to be my year for luuuuuv...

*Crawls out of my cave and looks around, blinking in the bright light*

Howdy guys and gals. I hope you all had a great New Years, and I hope the coming year brings you all that you desire!

New Years Eve Day was weird for me...I bounced back and forth from feeling okay, to really lonely and depressed, all thanks to a Twitter tag lol. The tag was about 10 years ago today or something like that, and it was asking you what were you doing on New Years Eve 1999. After realizing that was a really long time ago, I started thinking about it.

Ten years ago on that day, I was sitting in my house, surrounded by friends, laughing at all the Y2K paranoid people. I was still with my son's father at that time, and my son was a little over a year old. We played games and had a little to drink, laughed and joked and had a really great time.

Then I got to thinking about this New Year' Eve...with no friends around, sitting at home alone because I knew Jack would be in bed, after all he had been up since 4 am as he had to work that day. So I got myself in a good pout session and flopped on the couch to wallow in my self imposed misery. I did this for about 3 hours, Jack even made cinnamon rolls to try and cheer me up, but I just chewed in stony silence, watching TV. Eventually he went to bed about 10:30, he just could not stay up anymore, he was nodding off sitting on the couch.

I trudged back over to my computer and heaved myself into the chair with lots of dramatic sighing. For who I have no idea, since there was no one to hear me lol. My best friend had been trying to get my attention online for a good 45 minutes but the screen saver had kicked in and I did not see it until I sat down. We watched the Dick Clark Rockin New Year's Eve program, laughing and having a great time, and I felt way better thanks to her. I was sad when they showed old Dick however...bless his heart. Such a trooper that one is! I have decided however, that Ryan Seacrest will in fact take over the world one day...you just wait, and when it finally happens remember you heard it here first lol...

I got up several times, especially when Robin Thicke was singing ( I am sorry but if he would take the vice grips off his balls, he might be able to actually sing...that falsetto is AWFUL! ) to go outside and look at the moon. I had been afraid the rain and clouds that were here all day would make it to where I could not see her, but the clouds raced away, and it was a beautiful clear sky.

Not long after my best friend went to conduct her ritual for the evening, and I was talking to another friend. That ended up in a conversation I did not want to have, and I went to bed about 3:30 am...

The next day my best friend, who had done a New Years reading for me, shared what she learned with me, and it was centered around love...love with Jack, love with my kids, and self love. I got chills and started crying because of the thoughts I have been having while in my cave the last month or so. I have things I want to accomplish in my home life this year...with my family....and the things she told me perfectly reflected that, and I had not mentioned my thoughts to her previously, or to anyone else for that matter. It is something I have been chewing on for quite some time. My home life is good, but with just a little more effort from me, a little backing down of my supreme stubbornness, and a whole new level of happiness could be mine. I know this, I just have a hard time taking those first steps at times...because I have been burned in the past, and also from Jack himself, so every time I start to open up, I become afraid and shut back down, only giving enough to make sure it does not all fall apart. That is not acceptable anymore. I can not live my life with one foot out the door anymore, because if I do not commit every bit of myself to my relationship, and only go about it half-assed, then there is no point in being in the relationship in the first place. If you can't give your all, then you don't need to be there.

The other part of her message also made me cry..and it was the message about self love. No not THAT kind of self love, lol. The kind of love that means you take care of yourself, in order to be healthy and balanced mentally and emotionally. As so many mothers and women do, I come last. I put myself last. I have been taking care of someone else my whole life, from the time I was old enough to basically run my parents household with the cooking and cleaning, and my Dad was the type where I had to bring EVERYTHING to him. He was not lazy, he worked 18 hours a day, and was always doing something at home, but I was constantly having to fix him food,, bring his drinks, take off his boots for him after work ( when I was younger, once I got about 12 I refused ) go and fetch him whatever he thought he needed at the time, even if it was something near him. Drove me nuts. But because of that, it set a pattern in my life. I waited on whomever I was with hand and foot, and they took advantage of it and I got hurt, a lot. I always put myself last. I still do, although not anywhere near the degree I did when I first left home. I am strong and I power through, but my mental balance is seriously affected at times, especially when it comes to Alex. She is a wonderful child but a very draining one, and I am with her 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. So when months and months go buy and I do not get a brief respite, then I get really cranky and short tempered. Saturdays used to be my day to sleep in and be alone while Jack and Alex went food shopping, but since hunting season is in, that has stopped and I do not see Jack much on the weekends.

So the other part of my message was to take care of myself, to put myself first and make sure I was whole, that way I was better able to live my life with love and happiness. That will probably be the hardest part of all this. I accept myself for what I am, and what I am not, and I am okay with that. I do not care what other people think about me, they can either take me or leave me, I do not really care either way...but when forced to look REALLY deep inside myself, and learn to love myself fully and unconditionally, well, that is a whole different story, and I admit, will take some work. The easy thing for me is to just say " Oh I will do this for me later, or take some time to go do that for myself later..." knowing full well later never comes. Jack is supportive, he tells me all the time to do what makes me happy, go for a walk, or do whatever, but my own sense of guilt kicks in and I end up saying something like " Oh I will later, it's okay."

All in all, it was a very symbolic reading, and it really hit home for me. I am so glad and thankful that she did this for me, as it really gave me affirmation that the direction I was going was indeed the right one to be on.

I am having to make a conscious effort to write. I do not normally like to force writing, because then things do not sound the way I intend them, or my writer's block takes on an added level of intensity, but this time it is about breaking old habits and patterns and revamping myself this year. I will not make "resolutions" because I will not keep them, but l am starting a life altering leg of my journey, hopefully one that will dictate the rest of my life and how I live it.

So this cave dwelling is over for now, and I am slowly coming back out from darkness to be in the light...

Balance.

Once in a Blue Moon...

Yeah, I had to drag it out. Everyone else is, so why not? Lol.

Tomorrow is a pretty magical night, Blue Moon, partial lunar eclipse, New Years Eve. Big stuff. However, as it usually happens on all awesome celestial happenings, it will be raining here in "Sunny" Florida..(scoffs) so I have been spending some time outside tonight. The clouds are racing in, covering the moon from time to time, only to race away again and light up my yard as bright as day. It is beautiful, stark, and cold. I love it.

A few minutes ago I was outside, watching Alex run around in the moonlight, chasing the cat around, and staring up at the moon, and a memory from the past filtered into my mind. Of course we have all heard of "The Man in the Moon," but I always saw it as the "Mother In the Moon" because to me, it looks like the face of a gentle and concerned mother, looking down on her children. It brought me comfort. The memory was from back when I was maybe 9 or 10 years old, and I was staying in Tennessee for the summer with my cousin Leeanna, and we were roller skating one night under her concrete carport, and the moon was full. I stopped skating and told her about my Mother in the moon thing, and she laughed and said everyone knew it was the Man in the Moon, but what everyone did NOT know was that if you stared at the full moon for too long, that you would magically be transported somewhere else, far away from your family and home. Now I was pretty sure that was hogwash, but the moon has always had its mysteries, so I gave this a lot of thought.

I started wondering if it were true, and how could you be prepared if such a thing happened. Like, what if I were holding a family members hand when it happened, or what if I had a little suitcase full of things I might need in case of magical teleportation. I mean, this was serious stuff for a 10 year old to ponder! Lol...

For a long time after that, I would not look at the moon for longer than a few seconds at a time. Better safe than sorry you know? But over the years I would remember that night, and how it just added to the magical quality of the moon for me.

So tonight, I look upon her in all her glory..and remember a bit of the magic of my youth...

Have a wonderful New Year my friends. I wish you all love, joy, prosperity, hope, success, and happiness...

Just wanted to say....

I hope everyone has a blessed Samhain, and a great weekend all the way around. It is a busy weekend for me, which is rare, so hopefully I will have lots of stories to share!

Don't forget to check out The Wandering Hearth all this weekend for guest posts from Jupiter Greenmoone, Ryan Sutton, and myself. Jupiter has already written hers and it is awesome. Be sure to check it out!

Have a wonderful holiday weekend everyone, and Happy New Year!!!  *winks*

For all you Esty and Craft Lovers!

I am about to do something I never do, so ya'll know this must mean something to me lol.

A year and some months ago I was fortunate enough to meet a fellow pagan online by the name of Maia. I found out shortly thereafter that she was also a crafter of spiritual treasures. At the time, she made bath salts and oils, perfume oils, soaps, ritual oils, special fabric binder styled book of shadows, and many other things. I bought a few bath oils and salts and perfume oils, and over time we developed a friendship and she sent me other things as gifts.

I have bought many other salts and oils from other pagan crafters, and they were great...but Maia makes each thing with specific intent, she pours her heart and soul into every single thing she makes. When I ordered from her, we were still acquaintances really, and the emotion and love I felt in these things when I simply opened the box was amazing. Using the products was a soul altering experience. I do not say these things lightly. I am a skeptic at heart, and for me to say such things means that they REALLY had a profound effect on me. I am a person who is triggered by smells, and one of the things to get me in a spiritual mood for a ritual or when I am doing a tarot reading or just need to reconnect with the Goddess, her products are what I turn to to help me make the mental shift in consciousness....

The reason I mention all of this, is because she has decided to begin making crafts again after a hiatus, and I am so damn excited about it I have to share it with you all. She had branched out a bit this time, and is now making handcrafted jewelry...necklaces and bracelets ( two of the bracelets I have on as I type this ) and maybe more in the future, and she is also making wood burned items, trinket boxes, Altar boxes, Altar tiles, jewelry boxes, wall decor, and bath salts and oils. She set up an Esty recently and has quite a bit added to it, and I really wanted to share this very special woman with you all, and the awesome things that she makes. I am one of those that refuse to mention a product unless I have actually tried it and tested it myself, and I tell you, over the many years I have been using oils and such, I have finally found the highest quality items, at prices that even perpetually broke me can afford lol..

SO I am pimping her out, and I would love it if you could check her out and see if there is anything that catches your eye. Be sure to click the "Request Custom Item" link, and check out the amazing Alchemy section to see the myriad of products and scents she offers!

So click on the link below and it will take you to her Esty shop...

 Shekinah Antares Galactic Treasures

Thanks everyone!

P.S. I tried to include pics but Blogger is being a pain in the ass so no pics, sorry!

The Dark Of The Moon

The Dark Of The Moon -- A Natural Time Of Magic And Creation

The Dark of the Moon is considered an especially mysterious, fruitful, and
flexible time of "molding" the creative experiences that will come forth in the
weeks immediately ahead. It is said that wishes made as the last sliver of the
Moon's light fades on the left, and affirmed through the Dark of the Moon period
until the first sliver of new light appears again on the right, have special
support -- special empowerment -- to come true. Affirming them again at the
moment of the New Moon itself gives extra push to their nourishment and
initiative.

The Dark of the Moon is time of legendary power for creation. The Dark of the
Moon is always best used to rest, recuperate, become quiet, invite calm and
serenity into your world, and spend some time in personal reflection looking
back over your life and personal history -- as far as you want to go into the
past -- and playing with new intentions, new desires, new directions. It's a
time to stay "at home" -- both physically and psychologically -- and tend to
your private world and its circumstances.

Create the conditions that will replenish your spirit ... and indulge them
fully, whether this means meditation, reading, contemplation, cleaning, clearing
away emotional and psychological debris that hinders you, listening to music,
writing in your personal journal, talking quietly with intimate, trusted
associates, listening to the whispered words of your deepest intuitions, working
on personal healing therapies and rituals ... or some combination of all these
things.

Play with ideas and think of things you might like to create over the next
several weeks, realizing this is a time to brainstorm, daydream, and fantasize,
not a time to take action. All things begin in mind. Everything in the world
originated in the nebulous intellectual energy of an idea, a dream, a desire. To
work with the especially potent energy available during the Dark of the Moon,
plan for some serious personal down-time every month starting about 2 1/2 days
before each New Moon ... and lasting for 1 - 1 1/2 days after ... and focus your
inner work, thoughts, and attention on the matters I just described.

This automatic "natural" 4 day vacation can help bring fabulous results --
emotionally, psychologically, physically, spiritually and even financially to
your life. It's easy to find information about the New Moon every month ... by
searching online, certainly, but many calendars (and certainly all astrological
calendars!!) have this information clearly marked in the appropriate day / date
box. The Dark of the Moon days that surround the New Moon's arrival each month
are the time to set new intentions and plans into motion in your life ... in the
realm of thought where all creation happens.

You can learn lots more about working with Moon energy on our website ... and
get plenty of Moon energy information and tactics delivered right to your inbox
by joining our Premium Members website. However you choose to do it, learning to
work in flow with the natural progression of energy marked by the phases of the
Moon could be one of the most productive things you do for your life and your
success ... ever!! And one of the easiest to use, too!
----
(c) 2007 Rebecca Brents, All rights reserved.


Will any of you be doing anything for the New Moon?

Bringing Autumn Magic In

'Bringing Autumn Magic In'

~adapted from Witch in the Kitchen,

By Cait Johnson (Inner Traditions, 2001).

There's nothing more luscious than inviting nature indoors in the Fall: the brilliant colors of Autumn make our homes feel deliciously

warm and cozy as the weather turns cooler. Changing leaves, swags of grapevine, and vibrantly-colored apples and squashes make gorgeous, inexpensive decorations.

Find out how to connect with the abundant bounty and beauty of this harvest season with these fun, easy tips for decorating with nature:

1. Preserve some colorful leaves. You can iron them between sheets of waxed paper, microwave them for a few seconds, put them in a solution of glycerin, or press them between the pages of a heavy book. Then you can apply them to backsplashes, place them artfully in a vase, mound them around a pile of gourds or squashes, or even use them as coasters for your favorite beverages.

2. Food is art. Find a local Farmer's Market or roadside stand and load up on apples, pears, pumpkins, decorative squashes, nuts, gourds, and Native American corn. A simple wooden bowl loaded with these treasures makes an abundant centerpiece. You can parade them in

a line on a mantel-piece or pile them in a basket. What you don't eat, you can enjoy looking at.

3. Other treasures. Bring in grapevines to twine along the countertops, or make wreaths for doors or cabinets. If you live in an area where bittersweet is not a protected plant, harvest some to put in an earthen vase. Corn shocks are traditional to stand beside a door, but broom corn makes a beautiful and less usual alternative with it's graceful russet fronds.

4. Beeswax candles. The amber color and honey-sweet aroma of these safe, all-natural candles just evoke the golden glow of autumn. As the days get shorter, it can be a soothing ritual to burn a beeswax candle at dusk.

5. Echo Fall colors. Bring in the Autumn hues of russet-red, vibrant shades of orange, deep greens, mellow golds, wine-reds, and vivid

scarlet with cushions, towels, scatter-rugs, or other decorative accents. My family has a brightly-colored autumn leaf potholder and a

set of pumpkin-shaped mugs that we use with pleasure year after year. Find the simple treasures your family will enjoy.

6. Try this creative and relaxing Leaf Meditation. Find a perfect autumn leaf and spend some time really looking at it, noticing the variations in color and shape. Trace its outline on a piece of paper, then try your hand at coloring it in with colored pencils, markers,

or paints. Slowing down and taking time to savor the beauty of something as simple and commonplace as a leaf opens our eyes and

hearts to nature's magical variety. You may want to cut your colored leaf out and glue it on the cover of a journal to keep you company

throughout the autumn months. Or do several leaves to decorate your cabinets or walls!

7. Think water. Western European traditions often associate Autumn with the element of water, since it is a time of deep feeling and

flowing away: birds migrate, trees shed their leaves. Honor this ancient idea with a bowl of water in a special place. Notice how water evaporates. As you refill your bowl throughout the autumn months, give a little thought to your own feelings, and the things that you are in the process of releasing from your life.

Coffee+Cinnamon= Money Spell!!

Times are tough all over these days. The economy is in shambles, the Holidays are fast approaching, and I thought we could all use a little money magic spell, courtesy of Kristin Madden.

Cinnamon Coffee Money Spell

Brew a special blend this morning and attract abundant money to you all day long. In an electric coffee maker, fill the filter with your usual amount of favorite ground coffee. Then add a touch of cinnamon, about a quarter teaspoon per cup. Smell deeply of the mix and allow the delicious aroma to fill your senses. Now whisper this charm over your brew as it percolates:

Coffee dark and Coffee rich,
Bless this humble Kitchen Witch.
Cinnamon, sweet wood from across the sea,
Bring free and abundant money to me.

Turn on the coffee maker and get ready for your day. As the heat releases the flavors, it fills the water with your intent. The steam carries this energy to the God and Goddess and, as you drink, your energy field attunes to the manifestation of this spell.

By Kristin Madden
2007 Spell-A-Day
2007-07-26

 

 

 

*Music of the Moment: Fuel by Metallica*

Ok Universe, I get it.....

Hello guys and gals. I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend. It has been a very very rainy one for me, but that is ok, we needed it and it kept things cool today. It also gave me a lot of time to reflect upon some very obvious signs the Universe has been hitting me over the head with.


For the last few weeks I have been trying to mentally and emotionally heal from the passing of 2 family members, being sick, quitting smoking, and some parental strife (between my parents, not Jack and myself lol). I have been longing for Fall so much it almost hurts. Fall and Winter are when I come alive. The colder it is, the happier I am, the more energy I am filled with...this Summer....hell, this whole YEAR... has been a tough one...and I am over it...ready for the next phase.

Many people "Spring Clean" every year. I "Fall Clean" instead. As the temps tease me by getting into the mid to low 60's a couple of nights a week, my thoughts have turned inward again, as they do this time of year, when I start planning my mental lists of things I want to get done. A huge part of that every year is trying to de-clutter my house. I see articles about it everywhere, I see things that remind me of the projects I want to get done, and then I find this post over at The Domestic Witch, and it really made me stop and think.

This year I have so much more to get rid of than the usual accumulation of crap hanging around. I have a lot of mental, emotional, physical and spiritual clutter to get rid of. A lot has happened over the last year, some good, and a lot of it bad, but all of it has left me cluttered up inside. Things happened so fast I had no time to process one thing before the next one happened. So instead of trying to work through it at all, I just kept pushing it down deeper and deeper inside of me, adding more and more on top of it month by month, until finally I felt like I was literally up to my eyebrows with internal garbage. I tried to finally start working through everything, and I found that I was unable to. I was numb. Totally devoid of emotions other than apathy. I could not seem to care about anything. I did not want to talk to anyone, email anyone, chat with anyone. It took Herculean effort to answer even the shortest of emails. I started avoiding everyone, I just could not deal with one more thing, no more drama, from my side or from anyone else either.I was/am tired of hearing it. I had nothing left to give.

The same day that I read that post from The Domestic Witch ( Not to be confused with Domestic Witch lol ) both my husband and my best friend asked me when they could have the old me back. This really shook me up, and I ended up spilling my guts to my best friend and bawled my eyes out. I felt a little better afterwords, and it gave me enough release so I could think about what was wrong and how could I fix it.

The answer is, as the one woman said during the banishing scene in Practical Magic: "Let's clean house!"

Not just my physical house, although it needs it too, ( and I was working on that at 2 a.m. this morning lol ) but my mind, heart, and spirit. I have felt so lifeless and apathetic about everything in my life, moving  through my day in a fog, not really focusing on anything. I have not felt like anything was magical in my life, or took steps to create magic in my life, in SO long. I do not like the person I had become, and as the energy I feel this time of year starts to slowly ( achingly slow!) fill me up, it is time to let go of all that has been building up inside of me, choking me of life.

I took steps to start that process over the last 24 hours. I spent time last night after everyone was in bed cleaning. Dusting, running the vac, sweeping and mopping, dishes, deep cleaning the stove, cleaning the glass and  bric-a-brac  we have, and I cleaned and refreshed my living room altar for the first time in ages.

Today was my 11 year old son's birthday party, which was nice, and all the kids stayed at Mom's so Jack and I got a very rare chance to be alone. We left there and went to the flea market (We got some squash and zucchini, 4 books, and I replenished my Nag Champa and Egyptian Musk incense) and then we went grocery shopping together (which hardly EVER happens) and really got a chance to reconnect with each other. Later as we were watching the race, he even got up in the middle and whipped up some fresh egg salad and we ate it on crackers lol. It was a nice evening, and long over due.

So in conclusion, I am about to start the de-cluttering of my life phase, and it might be a little rough at times. There is some pretty heavy stuff I need to let go of, and part of me is very afraid to do so, because once I let it go, I am scared that I will forget...and that a part of me will somehow be missing. I know that is not actually the case, but it is still a formidable thing to face...

Skeletons in the closet, Demons of the soul, Monsters under the bed...joy, love, hope, pain, agony, defeat, anger....all being reflected through my eyes back to me as I stare in the mirror....

Have you looked at what lies in the space behind your eyes today?


*Music of the Moment: Southern Cross ( Jimmy Buffet version)*