New Beginnings

We all know that Winter Solstice is a time for new beginnings, the return of the light. The days grow longer, and we look to the coming of spring. All things seem possible in the new year to come. Yule is a time of celebration and feasting. Just as the Yule celebration was adapted into Christmas, so have most of us adapted to celebrating both Yule and Christmas, as well as the New Year, all of which herald the changing of the year and the coming of the new.

So, in the spirit of new beginnings, I thought we’d look at New Year’s Resolutions and some alternatives to them. Read More

Giving your "All"

I thought for sure I would be writing about death this week since I just lost another close friend, and in a way, I am, but I want to focus on the empaths and on why and how important it is to save enough energy for yourself. I know it’s easy to get so caught up in caring for others and seeing to their needs that you forget to replenish yourself, and you let your root chakra get out of balance. Sometimes this happens when you’re in a situation where your normal path to replenishment is blocked, or you just don't feel you have time.  I do understand all of that, but I’ve also seen what can happen when you give all your energy to other people. 

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a-spell-to-draw-holiday-money | PaganRealms.com

No matter how you celebrate Samhain and Yule, when you throw in Thanksgiving, fall is generally fairly expensive. We have a new moon coming up on the 9^th, so casting a money spell at this time can give you a good start for a prosperous fall. The waxing moon is always good for creating things that grow, and that includes wealth and prosperity. This spell can help you boost your prosperity in the coming year as well if you use it at the beginning of the year. When I do it this time of year, I usually keep it fairly simple, and holiday focused.

a-spell-to-draw-holiday-money | PaganRealms.com

Handfasting

Well, after 5 years, my roommate and I have decided to get married!!!!  I’m excited. He’s a wonderful man, and I don’t know what I’d do without him.  My best friend since junior high school is not only standing up with me, she’s also making my dress. I am truly blessed.

Naturally, this has led me to do some refresher reading about the history of handfasting and the meanings behind it. Handfasting dates to the ancient Celts and involves the wrapping of the intended’s hands with a cord and tying a knot. Sounds simple enough, and overall, it is, but you can choose to use all four hands, right hands, left hands, or one of each, depending on what it means to you.

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Chakras: Why we balance them.

We receive our personal energy from several sources. Our major energy centers connect to major organs that govern other body parts. Each of these main energy centers forms what we call a chakra.

Chakra means wheel or disk in Sanskrit, and you might find it easier to think of the chakras as a disk-shaped spinning vortex within a column of energy that runs along the spine in the center of our spiritual being to balance us.

While our bodies contain several minor chakras that assist in the operation of our bodies and minds; the seven main chakras form the energy centers in our body and help provide energy to the others. These “spinning wheels” can draw-in information through colors, stones, candles or even the auras of others. Through our chakras, we perceive the health of our environment, including the people in our lives.

This begins early and continues throughout our lives. See more:

Seeking your Animal Totem

People often confuse Animal Totems and Familiars, and the best explanation of the difference that I’ve found is that Familiars are assistants and Animal Totems are guides and teachers. Their purpose is to show you something, teach you something, or show you a particular path. Both connections are spiritual in nature, but the type of bond you have with each is different.

Animal totems represent our connection to the energy of the universe. Sometimes they show us skills and talents that we have or that we need. Other times they reflect our own qualities back to us. In almost all cases, they help us solidify and maintain our connection to nature and the universal. Many cultures revere animals as spiritual beings, and Jung’s view of animal totems as a representation of archetypes within the “collective unconscious” explains much of this. They provide the link between us and the energy of the universe.  

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Spell for Personal Power

#FreeSpellFridayonSaturday I know I'm running behind for #FreeSpellFriday, but with the waxing moon and an opportune time for increasing personal power coming up, I wanted to make you had this in time. Enjoy!!

A Spell for Personal Power

Zen Space: The Vision Board

Finally, it’s officially spring, and Beltane is fast approaching. As I finish my vision board, I thought I would share what helps me when I’m doing my vision board, and hopefully my tips will help you as well. As you know, for me, this is part of the whole spring cleaning, rebirth ritual to renew my mind and my office space, so I want all the energy in it to be positive. We’ve discussed set up and making sure your Vision board is where you can easily see it every day.

I view this recreating my space process as my own spring ritual, and while we will probably attend the local Beltane ritual, this is how I connect the creative energy of my workspace with the energy of the universe, and the spirit of fertility and rebirth of Beltane, and we’ll have a small celebration ritual at home on Beltane eve.  Read More

We're all in this Together

It’s been just about a month since the Florida Shooting. Students marched on the Florida House, asking them to ban assault weapons, and were met with refusal when not a single Republican voted to even consider banning assault rifles. 

Of course, all the Democrats voted to consider banning assault rifles. I only mention this comparison as an example of how divided along party lines we’ve become, and I can’t help but feel like I’m watching a three-legged race and the participants are fighting about which way to go.

Somewhere along the way, we’ve lost our connection to each other and to the world. I know this is not really “news,” but we’ve lost so much of our ability to see the big picture that sometimes I think we don’t even realize that we should be connected anymore. We don’t know what it means to feel connected, and unless we fix this, we can’t help fix the rest of what needs fixing in the world.   

Guns and school shootings are, of course, major problems, but I’m not sure why everyone seems to see it as either a mental health issue, a parenting issue, or a gun issue. How simplistic can we get? 

Obviously, Guns ARE a problem when in the wrong hands, and obviously, mental health issues ARE a huge factor in these shootings, and obviously, whether or not children are taught to value life, IS a huge issue, but no one wants to work with anyone else to find solutions, to any of it.

The ray of hope in all of this is just beginning to make itself known. The generation about to be of age is tired of this shit. It’s been coming, but this seems to have been the final straw. These kids grew up with science and technology, and they know the tools available to them better than anyone over 35 ever will. They know the power of social media, and they know how to stand up for themselves.

The students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and others like them will be the ones to carry us into a more enlightened age. We started moving in this direction in the sixties, and these kids can carry what started then into the future. They know what needs to happen and are willing to do what it takes to make it happen.

Free Spell Friday will return this week with a group spell for peace that we’ll do on Saturday the 25th. Where ever you are on Saturday at midnight, let’s cast this spell together. It’s a simple set up, and all you really need are candles, but while we will do this as a group, it’s your spell, so you may want to add herbs, oils, or other symbols or tools to your spell.  I will tell you on Friday what I’m adding. The object is simply to send a wave of peace. You can so this spell on your own or in a group.

Zen Space: The Office: Bright and Fresh

Now that I’m done with the clean out, I’m ready for the setup. This requires planning as well. Like I say, my office space is set up in a Ω shape. Once this space is set up to my specifications, I can reach anything I need to work on quickly and easily. Your space will reflect your goals and your personality.

Part of setting up this space comes in the form of a vision board which I’ll talk about next time, but first, I get everything else cleaned and polished, so I can clear my head by clearing the space. That way I can focus on what I want to accomplish this year.

The first thing to do is to make sure all the old clutter is off the desk, and organize the jewelry table in a workable order, which I must confess is much easier said than done when dealing with that many small pieces, and when everything is off the desk, I clean and polish the tables. Then I can begin the new set up. This is the fun part.

Personally, I like to use a blend of Chakra balancing stones and Feng Shui principles to balance my space. You may find that other techniques work for you. The main thing to remember is that your space must reflect you since only then will it help you achieve your goals, but this works for me and will give you a place to start on your own Zen space.

My space is set up so the computer desk is in the command position of Feng Shui, in the space facing the door, so I can see opportunities that might appear, and I have a solid wall directly at my back when I’m at my computer, which to be fair, is where I spend most of my time. Then, a basic Bagua map will show what each area of your desk represents in Feng Shui. I use the map for the whole space, rather than just my desk, but your space will reflect how you interpret it, if you choose to use it. 

Power, Wealth, Abundance, Prosperity Element: Wood Colors: Purple, Green Gold Number: 4	Fame, Future Reputation, Social Life Element: Fire Color: Red Number: 9	Love, Marriage, Relationships Element: Earth Colors: Pink Skin Tones, Earth Tones Number: 2
Family Health, Community Element: Wood Color: Purple, Green Gold Number: 3	Good Fortune, Well Being, Balance Element: Earth Colors: Yellow, Earth Tones Number: 6	Children, Creativity, Entertainment Element: Metal Colors: White, Bright & Pastel Tones Number: 7
Knowledge, Wisdom, Harmony Element: Earth Color: Blue, Green Number: 8	Career, Work, Life Mission Element: Water Color: Dark Blue, Black Number 1	Compassion, Travel, Spiritual Life Element: Metal Color: Gray, Mauve Number: 6

In my set up, I basically sit in the position of the Earth element and have it as the center of my horseshoe, and then on the back wall is where I put my vision board to remind me where I want to go.

The other thing I consider is my Chakras. I like to keep stones in areas that will help the prana/chi/kundalini to flow freely through the setting to help keep the space and my personal chakras in balance.

Chakra Gemstones:

Ø  Root chakra stones: Black Onyx, Black Tourmaline, Bloodstone, Fire Agate, Hematite, Red Garnet, Red Jasper, Smoky Quartz, Tiger’s Eye,

Ø  Sacral chakra stones: Citrine, Carnelian, Coral, Moonstone, Orange Calcite, Tiger’s Eye. Sunstone

Ø  Solar Plexus chakra stones: Calcite, Citrine, Malachite, Topaz, Citrine, Yellow Jasper, Rutilated Quartz, Pyrite.

Ø  Heart chakra stones: Aventurine, Chrysoprase, Green Calcite, Green Tourmaline, Jade, Rhodonite, Rose Quartz,

Ø  Throat chakra stones: Aquamarine, Angelite, Blue Apatite, Lapis Lazuli, Turquoise, Sodalite,

Ø  Third eye chakra stones: Amethyst, Angelite, Black Obsidian, Fluorite, Iolite

Ø  Crown chakra stones: Amethyst, Clear Quartz, Diamond, Moonstone, Selenite,

I choose one for each Chakra and place one or two on each table. This helps me feel more balanced when I’m in my space. I know people who use candles, pyramids, or statuettes to create that same sense of balance. You will create according to your own leanings and space, so I hope this helps you in creating your own space. I know I thoroughly enjoy mine.