Today is Saint Patrick's Day, so I wish everyone lots of green, lots of luck whether you are Irish or not, and lots of happy smiles in the spirit of today's joviality (because green beer always puts a smile on my face).
But all joking aside, the official first day of spring is really right around the corner. This year the spring, or vernal, equinox falls on March 20th, which is this Tuesday.
For those of us that are pagan, this is the day of Ostara, a wonderful solar festival celebrating the return of life to the earth and the lengthening of daylight.
Historically on this day, Saint Patrick drove the proverbial "snakes" from Ireland. The "snakes" being the pagans of his time.
I don't quite agree with his choice of actions to cement Christianity in Ireland, but I do feel that this time period before the vernal equinox is a good time for spring cleaning of sorts.
Instead of driving out snakes, you can purge yourself of sone of the negativity or stagnant energy that can get a bit clingy during the stillness of the winter months.
With that in mind, doing a little sympathetic magic to spring clean your spirit before Ostara is a great way to own yourself to receive the fresh, dynamic energy of springtime.
Do some meditations, do a little banishing spell to whisk away the negativity- you could even clean out a few cluttered or dusty areas of your space visualizing that you are clearing out your chakras or aura.
However you choose to do it, do it with mindfulness to the moment and with a spring in your step.
Happy Saint Patrick's Day!
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
The Moon and the Darkness
A few weeks ago I finally finished reading a book that I had felt drawn to for some time.
Its quite popular in our pagan circles, so I've heard, and many have read the book and garnered much healing and self-discovery from it.
"Mysteries of the Dark Moon" by Demetra George was a very profound read for me. Now it was my time to work through my own inner understanding of darkness/death in it's many forms.
Having not explored or worked with the "dark" Goddesses before, I was not fully educated on, nor aware of, the deep-rooted connection our path of spirituality has to the crone/death/end-of-cycle aspects of life and the wheel of the year.
Perhaps it is my tendency of liking the so-called "fluffy" side of Paganism that made me unable to completely appreciate and know my true perspective on the aspect of death and ending.
Throughout my learning of Wicca and witchcraft there has been much emphasis on the "new" and "full" aspects of the cyclic patterns life takes form in.
But when you reach past the beginning stages of learning about Wicca and paganism- when one begins to transition from the neophyte to a true practitioner, then you see the need and benefit of learning from the dark moon.
The dark moon, in my very humble opinion, tends to get overlooked in the practice of Wicca and witchcraft.
Perhaps it is because so many of us fear and loathe the stereotypical labels of "devil worshipper", "black magician" and "wicked witch", that Neo-Pagans unconsciously distance themselves from these "unconventional" aspects of their practice.
Now it was my time to do the same, and work through my own inner understanding of darkness/death in it's many forms.
So in order to learn and further my spiritual progress, I decided to hold an esbat honoring the dark moon.
It was a very, very intense experience, and I have had a few of those to date. This experience, however, just blew me away. The energy was very raw, and very pure, and my mind went on a very interesting journey which I will blog about very soon, but not today.
The least I will say about the entire experience is that in my meditation I met with Hekate and became one of her initiates, and for the record, I did not expect to do that at all.
Hekate, by the way, was awesome.
Its quite popular in our pagan circles, so I've heard, and many have read the book and garnered much healing and self-discovery from it.
"Mysteries of the Dark Moon" by Demetra George was a very profound read for me. Now it was my time to work through my own inner understanding of darkness/death in it's many forms.
Having not explored or worked with the "dark" Goddesses before, I was not fully educated on, nor aware of, the deep-rooted connection our path of spirituality has to the crone/death/end-of-cycle aspects of life and the wheel of the year.
Perhaps it is my tendency of liking the so-called "fluffy" side of Paganism that made me unable to completely appreciate and know my true perspective on the aspect of death and ending.
Throughout my learning of Wicca and witchcraft there has been much emphasis on the "new" and "full" aspects of the cyclic patterns life takes form in.
But when you reach past the beginning stages of learning about Wicca and paganism- when one begins to transition from the neophyte to a true practitioner, then you see the need and benefit of learning from the dark moon.
The dark moon, in my very humble opinion, tends to get overlooked in the practice of Wicca and witchcraft.
Perhaps it is because so many of us fear and loathe the stereotypical labels of "devil worshipper", "black magician" and "wicked witch", that Neo-Pagans unconsciously distance themselves from these "unconventional" aspects of their practice.
Now it was my time to do the same, and work through my own inner understanding of darkness/death in it's many forms.
So in order to learn and further my spiritual progress, I decided to hold an esbat honoring the dark moon.
It was a very, very intense experience, and I have had a few of those to date. This experience, however, just blew me away. The energy was very raw, and very pure, and my mind went on a very interesting journey which I will blog about very soon, but not today.
The least I will say about the entire experience is that in my meditation I met with Hekate and became one of her initiates, and for the record, I did not expect to do that at all.
Hekate, by the way, was awesome.
Friday, February 17, 2012
An Imitation of Life
Today I experienced one of my lousy days. I woke up with a mild migraine that turned severe and nothing helped alleviate the pain, leaving me stuck in bed partially immobilized for a few hours that seemed like forever.
In light of my suffering, I tried to make the best of it by amusing myself on my iTouch (yes, I have one, and no, I'm not a techno geek- not that there's anything wrong with that; I just wish I was one).
I have a few tarot apps downloaded of course, so I did a single card reading with the Goddess Tarot (as a side note, I really should invest in that deck one of these days).
The card I drew was the 4 of Swords.
Being in pain, the meaning of the card didn't register with me at first. Then, all of a sudden, it was like a series of mini-explosions were going off in my mind.
At that moment I realized that this card held everything I was experiencing at that point of time and even right now as I'm writing this post hours later.
The 4 of Swords just summed up my entire existence. My life right now is removed from the world at large due to extreme family circumstances. I'm separated from having normal family life, and just a normal life in general for the time being.
I cannot work, or socialize at my leisure, and despite having busy days filled with interactions I feel more alone and isolated than ever.
Not to mention that at the moment of pulling that card I was lying in bed, drained and depleted from the pain of my migraine.
So now you might be thinking about where I'm going with all this. What is the purpose of me telling you about my migraine, my pain, and my awkward life?
Well, it has to do with proving how accurate a one card reading can be. Scarily accurate if you ask me.
The simple act of pulling out one card can sometimes be more illuminating than a huge, elaborate reading that can leave one more full of questions than when they went in search of an answer.
In another way as well, one card readings can also give an idea of how connected to the cards a reader really is.
When I first began doing readings the minor arcana were the hardest for me to read. Learning and understanding that part of a tarot deck took me many years and many, many readings. To this day there are still one or two cards that l still find a bit of difficulty relating to, but no one can fully comprehend the depth of the entire tarot, at least in my humble opinion.
If I've learnt anything today, it's to not discount the value of a one card reading. A card may seem easy to understand at first, but dive deeper into the layers under the surface and you can find out more than you may have ever expected.
In light of my suffering, I tried to make the best of it by amusing myself on my iTouch (yes, I have one, and no, I'm not a techno geek- not that there's anything wrong with that; I just wish I was one).
I have a few tarot apps downloaded of course, so I did a single card reading with the Goddess Tarot (as a side note, I really should invest in that deck one of these days).
The card I drew was the 4 of Swords.
Being in pain, the meaning of the card didn't register with me at first. Then, all of a sudden, it was like a series of mini-explosions were going off in my mind.
At that moment I realized that this card held everything I was experiencing at that point of time and even right now as I'm writing this post hours later.
The 4 of Swords just summed up my entire existence. My life right now is removed from the world at large due to extreme family circumstances. I'm separated from having normal family life, and just a normal life in general for the time being.
I cannot work, or socialize at my leisure, and despite having busy days filled with interactions I feel more alone and isolated than ever.
Not to mention that at the moment of pulling that card I was lying in bed, drained and depleted from the pain of my migraine.
So now you might be thinking about where I'm going with all this. What is the purpose of me telling you about my migraine, my pain, and my awkward life?
Well, it has to do with proving how accurate a one card reading can be. Scarily accurate if you ask me.
The simple act of pulling out one card can sometimes be more illuminating than a huge, elaborate reading that can leave one more full of questions than when they went in search of an answer.
In another way as well, one card readings can also give an idea of how connected to the cards a reader really is.
When I first began doing readings the minor arcana were the hardest for me to read. Learning and understanding that part of a tarot deck took me many years and many, many readings. To this day there are still one or two cards that l still find a bit of difficulty relating to, but no one can fully comprehend the depth of the entire tarot, at least in my humble opinion.
If I've learnt anything today, it's to not discount the value of a one card reading. A card may seem easy to understand at first, but dive deeper into the layers under the surface and you can find out more than you may have ever expected.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Facing Ostara
Happy Ostara everyone!
This Ostara marks the beginning of my third year as a Witch and Pagan. It's amazing how the Wheel of the Year has turned once again, and so soon.
My first ever Ostara was not really celebrated in the ritual sense due to just beginning to learn about Wicca and Paganism.
My second Ostara was a celebration of my official year and a day, and I went all out with bunnies and eggs and tons of decorations, which were nice, but in retrospect wholly unnecessary.
This year's Ostara had none of the bells and whistles I like. No ornaments or incense or candles. Just lots and lots of energy. The amount of energy I felt radiating from the warmth of the and unseasonably warm weather was astounding.
I just wanted to put on a pair of shorts and go gardening, which I don't even know how to do!
So things are looking up this Ostara, and I'm in love with spring once again.
This Ostara marks the beginning of my third year as a Witch and Pagan. It's amazing how the Wheel of the Year has turned once again, and so soon.
My first ever Ostara was not really celebrated in the ritual sense due to just beginning to learn about Wicca and Paganism.
My second Ostara was a celebration of my official year and a day, and I went all out with bunnies and eggs and tons of decorations, which were nice, but in retrospect wholly unnecessary.
This year's Ostara had none of the bells and whistles I like. No ornaments or incense or candles. Just lots and lots of energy. The amount of energy I felt radiating from the warmth of the and unseasonably warm weather was astounding.
I just wanted to put on a pair of shorts and go gardening, which I don't even know how to do!
So things are looking up this Ostara, and I'm in love with spring once again.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Its In The Cards
As a lover of tarot, it's high time I returned to doing readings on a regular basis.
I went through a dry-spell while mourning for my grandmother as I did not feel that the time was right for me to be doing readings; emotions running high and stress levels through the roof.
Now I have found myself called to read the cards once again, and I want to bring myself to provide my skills to others in the world.
With that in mind, I will be using my Etsy shop as a medium (no pun intended) for bringing myself into service and giving to others.
Intuitive readings have helped me more than a few times in my life when I really needed some guidance, and when has life not thrown a few curveballs that leave even the wisest of the wise needing a bit of support and direction?
My Etsy shop is being put together as I write this at the moment, and I am more than hopeful that I will be giving great readings very soon.
What could be in the cards for you?
I went through a dry-spell while mourning for my grandmother as I did not feel that the time was right for me to be doing readings; emotions running high and stress levels through the roof.
Now I have found myself called to read the cards once again, and I want to bring myself to provide my skills to others in the world.
With that in mind, I will be using my Etsy shop as a medium (no pun intended) for bringing myself into service and giving to others.
Intuitive readings have helped me more than a few times in my life when I really needed some guidance, and when has life not thrown a few curveballs that leave even the wisest of the wise needing a bit of support and direction?
My Etsy shop is being put together as I write this at the moment, and I am more than hopeful that I will be giving great readings very soon.
What could be in the cards for you?
Saturday, December 17, 2011
King Tapioca
I love tapioca. For those in the know about bubble tea, the best part of that entire beverage are the deliciously chewy pieces of tapioca at the bottom.
Recently I had my birthday lunch at a local Vietnamese restaurant and, of course, had to try the desserts they offered. One of the desserts was a coconut tapioca pudding, with a super-coconutty flavour.
I was instantly impressed and obsessed, so I attempted to make my own.
The result was this:
Recently I had my birthday lunch at a local Vietnamese restaurant and, of course, had to try the desserts they offered. One of the desserts was a coconut tapioca pudding, with a super-coconutty flavour.
I was instantly impressed and obsessed, so I attempted to make my own.
The result was this:
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