I woke up at about 6am, got the girls off to school early this morning-a minor miracle-and scouted food prices for my SIL's wedding reception; all before noon! I'm so impressed with myself :). Had lunch with a friend I used to work with. We met at Panda Express....yummy. She was the one who, years ago, told me she was Wiccan. *cue blank stare* I never heard of it and she gave me the PC version because she thought I was "very Christian" and didn't want to alienate me. She shouldn't have worried, it didn't change our relationship at all. Years later, when I asked her if she had any literature about Wicca or the names of any books I could read on the subject, you could have knocked her over with a feather!. We both have busy lives and don't have a chance to get together much these days. She has been coming to the open circles I attend on Sabbats, so I do see her once in a while. I began clearing my bookshelf of books I just don't read like I originally thought. There are a few series that I bought as they came out thinking I'd reread them, it hasn't happened. I've had to use a heavier hand than I'd like 'cause I really don't want to lose them but they're making my shelf (and livingroom) look cluttered. I'll sell them to the half-price book store we have nearby and I'll stash the money in our "vacation" envelope. I really should go thru the books in the attic too. Not ready to stream line my witch books just yet. I'm still finding my way, and I don't want to prematurely give away a book I'll be wanting later. When it comes to books, I'm a pack rat.
I started thinking of decorations for Autumn. To my mind, it begins in September. I thought it'd be nice to fill a medium sized wooden bowl with mini pumpkins, Indian corn and such and flank it with orange candles. I'll do the mantle too, but one thing at a time. I'm on the email list for a wonderful candle store called Illuminations and I just got a notice that their Halloween collection will be coming out soon! Yippee! There was one decoration I loved but didn't get, well, I'm getting it this year! It's a black metal witch with a pumpkin that you place a tea light in. Really cute! It's as good as mine! They have lots of cool stuff there but it can get a little pricey so I usually go to Target to round out my Samhain decor.
Well, I'm off. I bought a great book from Amazon called Hekate: Keys to the Crossroads (hence the above picture). So I'm going to dig into it and watch Fellowship of the Ring. My big plans for the evening. Alan took Lexi to a Diamondbacks (baseball) game, so it's just me and Jenna. Tomorrow, I'll do some weeding and hopefully get the flagstones for my (Northern) altar. When I get my herb/moon garden planted, I'll create a similar one in the West for Hecate. Have a wonderful and magickal evening all!
Well paint me green, the spell was successful. I knew it would work, but , man! it worked like that *snaps*! Let me begin by telling you that Alan is a finish carpenter. That means he installs cabinets, countertops, doors, wainscoating, panneling, nit-picky trim as well as crown and base molding. He's a foreman for his company. Yesterday, Alan's boss gave him three bits of good news. The first was that they were going to utilize his backround and skill to help them in a Las Vegas job they're doing. They want him to come in a few days a week to go over plans with the shop foreman to make sure what's been drawn on the plans will work in reality. There are a lot of kids graduating from school these days who can plan buildings and interiors on a computer all day long, however, what works on a computer, may not work in the real world, you know, the one subject to gravity! He's had lots of experience with that. He's been thinking about being an engeineer in that respect for a while and this would give him the opportunity to see if it's a viable option. Second, They want to make him the lead foreman on a hotel/casino project here in Phoenix on one of the Indian Reservations. The job has been projected at $9 million! The Sheraton job he's on now (and is the lead foreman for) is just under $3 million. The final thing is his vacation. Now, he's a Union carpenter and that means that each pay period, a percentage of his salary is put into an account and he gets a check twice a year to be used any way he wants-either for vacation or other wise. If you don't work, you don't get paid for the day(s) you miss. You just have to make it work that week. Anyway, his boss told him that he'd make sure he was paid for the week we'll be on vacation! That's a big deal. It means that the owners of the company are going to pay him for the days he'll be gone. Highly unusual! They love him and want to make sure they keep him. AZ is a Right-To-Work state, meaning you work at the employer's pleasure. When a job finishes, if your services are no longer required, you go to the union hall and put yourself on the "available"list for jobs and other union contractors will call you. Alan's company has a core crew of guys (and a few women) they keep busy year round so they don't lose them to another contractor. Alan is ALWAYS the last one standing. The company really takes care of their employees.Alan's been with them for about 6 years. I'm thrilled that his company thinks so highly of him. He works hard and takes such pride in his job. It shows and the owners appreciate it both verbally and when bonus time rolls around. Lots of explanation, but, Alan will have a chance to spread his vocational wings, is being put in charge of another major project and the owners are footing the payroll bill for his vacation. Now THAT'S what I call abundance!! This was a group effort and I thank all of you who participated in this wonderful project. I hope abundance comes to you in multiple ways.
Ok, so something else really weird happened in my house today. I took both girls to school this morning, came home and cleaned the house and an hour later? The house was STILL clean!!! OMG what's going on here?! It's a good thing the supernatural doesn't worry me *giggle*.
Just finished a batch of mango chutney. Damn, those buggers are hard to cut! My finger was much easier *eye roll*. Well, what can I say? It's not really canning unless you slice something other than the ingredients :D. All that's left is the asperagus pickles, then I'll go pick up the girls. I could get used to this! Have a wonderful day!
This weekend was my first full-fledged ritual. I've done spells before but never in the context of a ritual. I was too afraid of getting it wrong, I guess. I set up the altar, placed candles at the quarters and wore witch regalia. I kept it simple so I could maintain my focus and not stress about the order or words I was saying. I wanted to fully enjoy my time and couldn't have if it had been too involved. To say the least, I'm hooked. Merle used Jodi's term, Witch Crack and I now understand what that is! The spell went swimmingly. I lit nearly all the candles in my living room and with the moon light, it was beautiful. As I recited the spell, I paused after each stanza to picture each one of you and include you both in my circle and surround you with love and abundance. I'm going to light the Fehu candle each day and keep it burning for at least an hour until it's gone. Kind of a slow-release spell of it's own. After I opened the circle and farewelled the quarters, I went to snuff the other candles in the room. I had lit three tall pillar candles on the mantle and when I blew out the last one, my hand faltered and some hot wax spilled on my hand. I smiled because I knew in that moment that Odin had been with me. I hadn't called to Him but He was there. It didn't really surprise me. Anytime the Runes are used or invoked, He's going to be there. I was glad. It was the second sign that all had gone well. As I extinguished the quarter candles, I heard Selene say to me, "Good job. You did well." I was so worried. I know She smiled at my mistakes but appreciated my efforts. Now, I want to do something everyday. I light candles, I have incense burning now and I'm already working on how to work with each Element individually to better connect with them.
Right now, I'm going to the kitchen to start up my canning witchery where I left off yesterday. I still have two chutneys and pickles to make, yummmy! Have a bright and beautiful week everyone. I love all of you and feel blessed and grateful that you're in my life.
I woke up this morning with the urge to get in the kitchen and do some canning. Why is called canning when the results are put in a jar? It should be called jarring. Anyway, I got on my handy-dandy computer and looked for some recipes. I found asparagus pickles, strawberry chutney, mango chutney and peach chutney. I went to the store and bought everything I needed and went to work. I have the strawberry chutney made and now I'm working on the pickles. Ok, so maybe I didn't "wake up" wanting to be kitchenologically productive but when Alan and I were outside this morning, for just a moment, I smelled Autumn! It was breezy and cool, we were talking about where to put the planting beds when I caught the fleeting scent of Autumn. I knew then, that I wanted to honor the coming season with canning--or jarring. It seemed fitting. I had mentioned on an earlier blog that I wanted to start that so I just got a jump on it. I still have to get organized to begin my other projects. Jenna goes to school tomorrow! She's so excited. I'm off to get her school supplies now.
