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Sunday, April 29, 2012

Sunday Round Up

From: Witchy Woman


From: Southern Fried Witch


From: The Secret Life of the American Working Witch


From: Pagan Culture


From: The Witch of Howling Creek


Entertainment
Cauldron Born

Brave "Families Legend" Trailer


From: WitchSchool International


From: Outside The Lines


From: About.com Paganism/Wicca
For those South of the Equator- All about Samhain


From: About.com Ancient/ Classical History


From: Patheos


From: Politicususa


From: The Baylor Lariat


Fitness

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Giveaway Update

As of this moment I have 91 likes on my Facebook page!! My giveaway is any day now and I've decided there will be two winners, the first will receive this beauty


A lovely handmade (by me) copper and teal book thong with two teal amazonite stone beads. Amazonite is a stone known for it's protective qualities. The first winner will also win a 20% off coupon to my Etsy Shop. The Second place winner will receive a 10% off coupon to my Etsy Shop.
If you haven't clicked like yet do so now and share it with your friends!


Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Fitness Update

I've lost 4 pounds since I started my mission. I keep going on and off my workout routine and I've got to be more regimented. I really need to be trying to burn a minimum of 500 calories a day. My ultimate goal was to lose 20 pounds by August, and 10 by the middle of May. I've really got to get my but in gear if I want to make that happen.

I've been trying to make healthier choices when we go out to eat but I need to try and make healthier choices at home too. This morning for breakfast I had two egg whites on a pita with a little mayo and Swiss cheese. I have to get more produce into this house. Things will be so much easier once we finally have our own place. I'll have more room and I'll be able to have a little bit more control over what food is in the house. Until then I'll just have to work hard and make the best of the situation.

Any suggestions or tips for me? I could really use some help so if you've got anything I could try let me know.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Women are people too

I was looking through some of my old AllVoices articles and came across one I wanted to share (edited to improve the content). I hope you like it.

~I frequently receive articles from WebMD and I recently came across one that really pissed me off. One of the newsletters I subscribe to deals with sex and relationships, and I received one that was titled "Sex Drive: How do men and women compare?" My first thought was 'this should be interesting', because like any other rational women I expected them to dispel some myths by saying that women are just as interested in sex as men, but I was mistaken. Why do people in medicine keep perpetuating these stereotypes that men and women are from different planets and we need interpreters to figure each other out. We don't, we want the same things, I can have sex with candles, without candles, and in any place me and my husband can fit comfortably, whether that's our bed or our kitchen counter. I know plenty of women of all ages who feel the same way. For ALL people out there (men and women) there is no game, there is no dance, there is no trading off of niceties until you can hop in the sac. We invent the games to amuse ourselves and prolong the excitement.. and we both do it! Women are just as capable of being sexual as men, and we don't just do it to make them happy, or because we want jewelry. If any of you women out there are simple enough to think sex is some type of tool you use to get what you want, you're sorely mistaken. While you're waiting for him to cave (and suffering in the process mind you) he's just going to do something else to satisfy his need, now that doesn't necessarily mean he will cheat on you, but it does mean you're not getting any, why suffer? Get a job, and buy your own jewelry (note: I know this specifically has nothing to do with the article, but the article is just one of the many idiotic attempts to give stereotypes logical credence that really tick me off). Furthermore why is it that people are always trying to psychoanalyze strippers, porn stars, or any other woman that happens to be in the sex industry. If a man has that type of profession everyone says he must feel like the luckiest man on earth, but if it's a woman, she has daddy issues, she's insecure, etc... Perhaps this isn't too popular a theory, but maybe some of these women just enjoy the attention. Maybe some of them just like themselves, and they like that other people like them, and they use it pay some bills. It doesn't have to mean she has some sort of psycho-sexual problem. I bet there are plenty of women out there who wish they felt secure enough in their own skin to do those things, I know I do. If some middle aged woman clumsily wraps herself around a pole in her bedroom she's trying to spice up her marriage, but if an attractive, flexible, open-minded women notices that there may be some profit to be made in that arena it must be because she was sexually abused as a child. Come on people when are you going to get it, women like sex.. a lot. Stop trying to stuff us into a tiny box because you're uncomfortable with the thought of your mothers as sexual beings.~

Saturday, April 21, 2012

One of Those Days

Ever had one of those days where nothing really happens but just all of a sudden life.. just the entirety of life hits you like a ton of bricks. You look around and it dawns on you how badly you need to clean.. but you don't want to clean you feel too depressed to clean, and you know it's not going to get done and it just depresses you more. You're not happy with the way you look and the way you feel but you just don't know where to start. Every option feels like it will take forever and it's almost not worth it and you just feel helpless. You feel so spiritually disconnected that you're just floating, not even happy and there's never any time to center and get to the place you need to be. You know you need a change but you're afraid of that change and you're like a hamster on a wheel, running and running and running and not getting anywhere.

I'm having one of those days. We NEED to move, that's definitely part of it. I need my space, I feel trapped, and as much as I love my parents.. I really have to get away from them. I spent most of my day looking for apartments on Craigslist. Even though the need to move is a big part of it, it's not all of it. It's me, I need.. something, something to motivate me. I just feel so creatively fucked (if that even makes sense). Everything feels bleak and I just want to bite down on a pillow and scream. I feel like I need to take a step back from everything and prioritize. So that's what I'm doing. I'm putting some of my other projects on hold and I'm just taking a step back until I feel right in my own head again. Right now I feel like that's the only option I have. It seems as if life is just slowly piling up around me and pretty soon I'll be buried by it and I don't know how to get out.

I need to.. meditate, read, spend time outside. I need to have a moment where I do absolutely NOTHING, and have that be okay. I feel like I'm always doing something and nothing gets done, so maybe if I do nothing, something will get done. I don't even know if that makes sense but it feels right. Sometimes while my day is whisking by, I feel like I've lost myself. I need time to be a little crazy, do something I'm not supposed to, and just plain be myself. It's like I have to be this other person, this person I don't even recognize to get through the day and the real me is shrinking and shriveling up inside this unfamiliar shell. It scares me how true those words feel. Something is not right, something is not well, and something is not happy. I need to find out why.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Avatar: The Last Airbender

This picture is property of
http://asuburbanvoterwrites.blogspot.com/2011/11/avatar-last-airbender-hd-wallpapers.html


I LOVE this cartoon. Actually my whole family does. It's one of our favorite family shows. It's a great way to introduce the four elements, the spirit world, meditation, reincarnation, and balance to your child. This along with important values like honor, friendship, goodness, responsibility, and overcoming our differences make it a perfect show for families. It's funny, sweet, and gives you the opportunity to discuss important issues with your kids on a level they can understand.

This Asian inspired story follows Aang, the last Airbender and current Avatar who is destined to save the world by mastering all four elements and taking out the Fire Lord who is bent on taking over the world. He is the last of the Air Nomads, a group of Monks from high up in the Mountains. The show aired on Nickelodeon from 2005 -2008 and has been turned into a movie. The show itself has a sequel coming out soon called The Legend of Korra.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

The Hanged Man



A serene looking man hangs upside down by his left leg, this is The Hanged Man. Perhaps you see this man as Odin hanging from Yggdrasil in living death to gain knowledge of runes. Or maybe you see St. Peter, insisting to be hung upside down because he was not as holy as Christ. Both men sacrificed themselves to a higher purpose as perhaps this man is doing. I see this person as The Fool/ Hermit awaiting yet another transformation. At this point in his journey his life is in suspension waiting for the judgement of his most recent life to be passed.

1 Around his head there is a halo. Halos have long been a sign of an enlightened, and holy person. The halo we see here is no different. He has been enlightened by the experiences of his life past and has readjusted his mindset to accommodate his new knowledge. The expression on his face is calm, this is the respite between important events and he is appropriately apathetic.

2 His clothes tell the tale of change. While his legs are clothed in red, a color of passion, excitement, and fury; his upper body is clothed in blue, a color that is synonymous with calmness and healing. This symbolizes a reversal of the mind and in one's way of life.

3 He is held to the gallows above him by a single rope. His right leg is crossed while his left leg is held out straight and tied up. As the left side is associated with higher consciousness it tells us that he has renounced his previous way of life, and is currently being controlled by his spirit. The right leg is crossing the left. This could mean the submission and repentance of his conscious mind or it could simply be pointing to the fact that he is at a crossroad in his journey.

4 The gallows themselves are in the shape of a Tau Cross. This symbol is associated with two particularly famous religious figureheads involved with death and resurrection, Tammuz and Christ. This symbolizes the upcoming changing of life's forces. He is about to experience a regeneration of sorts as a new soul.

5 The background is white, suggesting a neutral surrounding. Everything that is about to happen will happen within and because of him. His surrounding has no influence over the next stage of his life.

Key Words: Transition. Abandonment. Sacrifice. Awaiting transformation. Life in suspension. Readjustment. Respite between important events. Apathy. Change. Reversal of the mind and in one's way of life. Renunciation. Repentance. Changing of life's forces. Regeneration.

When Using Reverse Meanings: This person is preoccupied with their ego, they aren't willing to make the personal sacrifice necessary to allow their higher consciousness to take over. Or perhaps they have sacrificed themselves unnecessarily. It could be that they're not ready for this type of change or there was no change that needed to be made. If you sacrifice yourself when it's not necessary you risk losing yourself altogether.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Witchy Stereotypes

Sexy, Dark & Bloody Fiction --

Happy Blogoversary to Pagan Culture! 3 years is pretty impressive, so I'm joining the party and adding my own post. I love the theme she's picked, stereotypes of witches in fiction. I've got a list of grievances on that particular subject longer than this blog will probably allow but I'm gonna give it a shot. I thought about writing a short story but finally settled on a little bit of rant, because really that's what it would end up turning into anyways, and that's what I'm good at.
  • "Warlocks are male witches" One of my biggest pet peeves whether it be in a book, t.v. show, or movie is when they call a male witch a warlock. I don't know why but it really, really gets under my skin. I've always heard the definition of warlock to be traitor or oath breaker and it's quite possible I'm wrong but I really don't see why male and female witches need different titles. At least in Harry Potter they're called wizards.. that's something.
  • "Witches worship, sell their souls to, and are in league with.. Satan" A cliche, but one that is still widely used. The show Supernatural is especially guilty of this one. I get the feeling that either the writers or producers are Christian, and it really pains me that they keep perpetuating this myth because I really like the show.
  • "Halloween is when witches worship the God of the dead named Sam Hain" This one is so painfully stupid that it makes my blood boil. Supernatural is guilty of this one too, but they aren't the only ones.
  • "All witches only worship only a Goddess and are nothing more than hippie, feminist, man haters" To me anyone who honestly believes this is just willfully ignorant. I don't like labeling myself a feminist. I'm an equalist. Of course I think women are amazing, powerful, and full of potential, but so aren't men. No gender has the monopoly on being awesome. Just because witches believe women are as good as men doesn't mean we think they're better or that we hate men.
  • "You are only a witch if you've been initiated by one, or born into a family of witches" This myth is perpetuated by fiction, witches, and non witches alike. It frustrates me that there is this misconception among some that unless you're initiated by another Witch, your not really a Witch. I'm a Witch because I respect the old ways, I honor nature, I feel the change of the seasons and the waxing and waning of the moon in my blood, I respect others rights to feel and believe in whatever way brings them peace, and because I accept the divine feminine and masculine in all of us. Not because someone told me I was.
  • "Good witches wear white and bad witches wear black" Wouldn't it be so easy if we could tell who was good or bad based on the color of their clothing. While this is a milder stereotype it's still fairly annoying. Similar to this one is..
  • Good witches only align them selves with light, life, day time and good and bad witches only align themselves with dark, death, night time and evil" A little convoluted I know, but this is pretty common. They seem to think there's no gray area. Most witches I know accept balance, you know, light and dark. We bathe in the sun and moonlight. The only good or evil that truly exists is in the intention, not what we wear, own, or associate with.
  • "All witches are psychic or have magical powers" Not all witches even believe in psychics, just like not all people that believe in psychics are witches. It's an interest, and just because they're are a lot of witches who are more open to metaphysical interests doesn't mean they all possess special abilities or are experts on them.
This is just a sampling of the stuff that really gets under my skin, I could go on for days but then I wouldn't get anything else done. What are some stereotypes that piss you off? We all love a good rant!

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Why I'm A Solitary Witch

I've followed Paganism in one form or another for most of my life. I've been to open rituals put on by a coven, and I've talked extensively with other pagans exchanging ideas, and sharing knowledge but I've never been in a coven.

I've thought about it from time to time, fantasized about it really. How wonderful it would be to be involved with a group of like minded Pagans, getting together for Rituals, Sabbats, Esbats, Potlucks, and Study Groups. A coven of sisters and brothers I could always rely on. In my current situation having that type of support group is something I dream of. But it would never work out.

I'm happy being Solitary and I probably always will be. I'm not good answering to other people, I like to manage myself. Answering to a High Priest or Priestess would be too confining for my spirit, and we'd probably clash. It's just not something I need. I don't do well having other people in charge, I need to be in control, and I'm not nearly advanced enough to lead my own coven, not to mention my life wouldn't allow for it right now.

I love that if I don't have time for an all out Sabbat Celebration or Full Moon Ritual I don't have to do anything. No one is waiting on me. I recognize the importance of the day quietly and go about my life, a wonderful luxury when raising a preschooler. I don't have anyone telling me what "degree" I am, and what books I need to read, or what I need to believe in in order to be a "real" Witch. I get to do things my way, whatever feels right to me.

Maybe one day down the line I'll start my own, or I'll find one that's the perfect fit for me. For right now though I'm happy with the way I am, and I see no reason for things to change any time soon.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Book 4: Ancestors of Avalon

I'm putting a slight hold on reading The Magician's Guild so I can read my latest library book. A book that I'm very excited to read. Ancestors of Avalon by Diana L. Paxson, and Marion Zimmer Bradley.

~ The full sweep of the rich history of Avalon -- from the fall of Atlantis to the founding of a new temple on the mist-shrouded isle of Britain -- is finally revealed in this magnificent tale. The priests and priestesses of Atlantis have known for many years that the Sea Kingdoms were doomed. But now the final destruction has arrived they find themselves less prepared than they thought for what lies ahead. Micail and Tiriki, prince and princess of the last island to fall, as well as priest and priestess, are seperated during the final escape. Micail and his cousin, Prince Tjalan, successfully arrive at their planned destination, a trading post in the Hesperides (the British Isles) where Tjalan loses no time in taking charge. He dreams of continuing the traditions of Atlantis and founding a glorious new empire -- whether the local tribes like it or not. Micail and the other priests dedicate themselves to fulfilling an ancient prophesy that they will build a great temple in this new land -- and set about finding a way to shift the huge blocks of granite that will become Stonehenge. Micail's beloved wife Tiriki also arrives in the Hesperides, but, down off-course by a storm, her ship lands on the wrong shore. She and the elderly priest Chedan lead their small group in forming a new community in harmony with the local population at the sacred Tor (Glastonbury). Once the two groups become aware of each other, conflict will become inevitable. A deeply moving and utterly convincing tale of faith in the face of adversity, filled with memorable characters and haunting landscapes. ~  

I read Mysts of Avalon and literally fell in love with the book. I know I'll fall in love with this book too and I can't wait to finish it!!

Monday, April 9, 2012

For the Fans

I'm over half way to 100 likes of Facebook, and I'm amazed and honored that so many people pay attention to what I post every day. So to say thank you I'm doing a giveaway once I reach 100 likes. The winner will receive a lovely teal and copper fairy handmade book thong. The fairy herself dangles below a teal colored stone trapped in a copper cage. Normally I would sell her in my Etsy shop but I wanted to give something back to all of the people who read and respond. So if you haven't yet liked my Facebook page head on over and don't forget to share it with your friends!

The details of the Giveaway itself will be posted once I reach 100 likes.

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Justice

Here we see the card of Justice. A young woman sits on a throne robed in green and scarlet and wearing a crown. In her left hand she holds a set of scales and in her right hand she holds a sword. Perhaps she decides the fate of the Hermit / Fool. Depending on your belief system she may decide which body he is reincarnated into, or perhaps she decides whether he has earned entrance into Heaven or Summerland. In any case she is his judge and whatever she decides will be truly fair.

1 As we have seen in the other cards everything means something, even the color of a person's clothes.The embodiment of Justice is wearing robes of scarlet and green. Scarlet represents power. This could symbolize the high regard with which Justice is held or it could simply denote the weight of her decision. It is final and always correct. Green denotes balance, harmony, and stability. Necessary attributes to have when judging the fate of others. Atop her head is a crown. Again the crown is a symbol of her power and authority. She is supreme arbiter.

2 In her right hand ( the hand symbolizing conscious thought) she holds a sword. Swords (as we'll see in the other cards) are symbols of the element air. Air is the element of reason, intelligence, clear thought, and communication. Also the sword may symbolize cutting through the "fog" so to speak to get to the heart of the matter.

3 In her left hand (the hand symbolizing unconscious thought) she holds a set of scales. The scales which are associated with the zodiacal symbol of Libra represent poise, equity, balance, and equilibrium.

4 In the background we see a set of pillars. The pillars represent structure and again balance. Balance is something we see a lot of in this card. Without proper balance justice cannot be achieved. Behind the woman and between the two pillars we see a purple tapestry. Purple represents nobility and spirituality. Justice is a woman of honor, virtue, and righteousness. As is also symbolized by the golden background behind the tapestry. She is a perfect and impartial being who will ensure that whoever is judged gets their just rewards.

Key Words: Justice. Whatever is decided will be truly fair. Harmony. Reasonableness. Poise. Equity. Equilibrium. Proper balance. Honor. Virtue. Righteousness. Impartiality. Just rewards.Virginity.

When Using Reverse Meanings: This is a judge who cannot be impartial. The questioner may be facing someone who is biased, unfair, and intolerant. Or perhaps the questioner is behaving as such. This could also mean an abuse of power, A judge who is making false accusations to get what they want without considering what is fair for all.



Sunday, April 1, 2012

Sunday Round-Up

Here's a little personal round-up from the last week. Everything I've read, some witchy stuff, some creative writing, and some funnies. Enjoy!

Artist unknown
From one of my favorite blogs
A little creative writing from my Helium page
Author Unknown
Waxing Moon
From About.com Paganism/Wicca - Tuesday 3/27/2012
Congratulations Witch of Howling Creek
Pagan Culture

Margaret Cho
Love her!!
This is the best dieting post ever
Pagan Culture
An article I wrote for Helium

Pagan Edge Magazine
This Week's Tarot Card


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