Something amazing happened less than an hour ago. I finally took off my bracelet.
That doesn't really sound profound, but it is. I'll explain.
I had bought a Jade bangle over a year ago, and unfortunately it was a tad to small to get on. I wanted to wear it so badly because it was so beautiful and colorful, delicate looking...I thought it was perfect and I had to have it on my wrist.
So one night, in the middle of October, I spent hours trying to force it on my hand. Finally, a miracle in itself at the time, after hours and hours of praying and wishing that it would go on and my hand red and sore, it slipped on effortlessly. At the time that was like a miracle also.
So there I was, happy as heck to have this bracelet I wanted to wear so badly hanging of my wrist and looking so pretty, and then I made a scary discovery. What goes on apparently does not come off. It was stuck on my wrist for over 4 months. Day and night, 24/7. I tried so many times to take it off, but even full of soap the bracelet would just not come off. Nada, not even a budge. Until 10-something pm this evening. Finally, after 4 months, it came off. In fact, it came off almost as effortlessly as it went on in mid-October.
Now I am one of those people that believes in karma and that things happen for a reason. Tonight I feel that my bracelet came off as it did because I was ready for it to come off.
My heart is telling me that this experience was meant to teach me something. Perhaps that is the Buddhist part of me coming out. My first thought was this is a lesson in suffering I had to learn. Not a terrible lesson, but a lesson nonetheless.
I had suffered with the desire to have the bracelet on my hand so much that it had overcome me. I tried every day for two weeks to get it on. After I got it on my hand I was happy for about 30 minutes, and then in horror I nearly cried when nothing would take it off. I had to suffer until I got it on and fulfilled my desire, and then I had to suffer after I realized it was stuck on my hand perhaps for good. A bit of a hard lesson to swallow after the fact.
But I think tonight the powers that be decided had I learned enough, and I was in a better, more accepting place, and for that I am thankful. Something told me it was time to try taking it off again, and I'm glad I listened to my inner feeling. Or, as the famous Charming Pixie Flora would say, my 'inner bell'. It rang loud and clear tonight.
So I have learned my lesson about desire and suffering, and Lord Buddha was right. Desire is the cause of all suffering, and the only way out of suffering is to let go of desire.
I let go of desire, and now I am free. Well, my wrist is.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
My experience with the Tarot
I love Tarot cards. There was always a strong connection between myself and the Tarot, even before I actually understood what it was.
I was first introduced to Tarot at the age of 11 or 12. I walked past a very small display of decks in a toy store that I frequently went to with my family. It was the artwork on the box that first caught my eye, and after a closer examination of their box I wanted them immediately. The first deck I ever saw was the Rider-Waite, and to this day I still have it and use it on a regular basis. I am always very delicate with my cards, keep them wrapped up and in a safe place, so they still look brand new, despite being over 14 years old.
Of course, when I first had my Tarot deck, I had no idea what to do with it. I mostly spent my time looking at the artwork on each card. It was really more of an artifact than a tool at that point in my life. I did read, and re-read numerous times, the little booklet that came with the deck, but I never really used my deck for divination. Every so often, I would take out a random card and the little booklet to see what it meant, but that was the extent of my Tarot deck use. Inwardly, I felt that I was not mature enough to use the Tarot on a regular basis. Like I said, it was more of a sacred item to me, and just having it was special enough. That was in 1995 or '96.
Fast forward to 2002, when I began my first journey into Wicca. It was the first time I seriously took out my Tarot deck with the intent to learn the cards and divine with them. That was the beginning of what has become a regular part of my life and interests.
Aside from the Rider-Waite, I also own the Aquarian Tarot and the Botticelli Tarot decks. I only bought the Botticelli deck out of my admiration of Botticelli's art, so I do not think it will ever be used for more than a few times a year, when I am in the mood for it.
All three decks that I have are very beautiful and resonate well with me, though I sometimes feel that having three decks is a bit of an extravagance. I am very picky about the decks I use, you see, especially when I will be reading for others. I will use only the Rider-Waite if reading for someone other than myself. For myself, I go back and forth between the Aquarian and Rider-Waite. However, if I'm doing a particularly large spread I will use the Rider-Waite, just because I know the cards so well. That way I can gauge a large reading in a few glances, as opposed to spending more time looking that cards whose artwork I am less familiar with.
That's all I have the stamina to write about at the moment. This is probably going to be a two or three-part post, so stayed tuned. Blessed be.
I was first introduced to Tarot at the age of 11 or 12. I walked past a very small display of decks in a toy store that I frequently went to with my family. It was the artwork on the box that first caught my eye, and after a closer examination of their box I wanted them immediately. The first deck I ever saw was the Rider-Waite, and to this day I still have it and use it on a regular basis. I am always very delicate with my cards, keep them wrapped up and in a safe place, so they still look brand new, despite being over 14 years old.
Of course, when I first had my Tarot deck, I had no idea what to do with it. I mostly spent my time looking at the artwork on each card. It was really more of an artifact than a tool at that point in my life. I did read, and re-read numerous times, the little booklet that came with the deck, but I never really used my deck for divination. Every so often, I would take out a random card and the little booklet to see what it meant, but that was the extent of my Tarot deck use. Inwardly, I felt that I was not mature enough to use the Tarot on a regular basis. Like I said, it was more of a sacred item to me, and just having it was special enough. That was in 1995 or '96.
Fast forward to 2002, when I began my first journey into Wicca. It was the first time I seriously took out my Tarot deck with the intent to learn the cards and divine with them. That was the beginning of what has become a regular part of my life and interests.
Aside from the Rider-Waite, I also own the Aquarian Tarot and the Botticelli Tarot decks. I only bought the Botticelli deck out of my admiration of Botticelli's art, so I do not think it will ever be used for more than a few times a year, when I am in the mood for it.
All three decks that I have are very beautiful and resonate well with me, though I sometimes feel that having three decks is a bit of an extravagance. I am very picky about the decks I use, you see, especially when I will be reading for others. I will use only the Rider-Waite if reading for someone other than myself. For myself, I go back and forth between the Aquarian and Rider-Waite. However, if I'm doing a particularly large spread I will use the Rider-Waite, just because I know the cards so well. That way I can gauge a large reading in a few glances, as opposed to spending more time looking that cards whose artwork I am less familiar with.
That's all I have the stamina to write about at the moment. This is probably going to be a two or three-part post, so stayed tuned. Blessed be.
Interesting Finds
I was in a local Marshall's store yesterday. I woke up with this feeling that I had to go there and take a look. Later in the day I decided to go because I hadn't been shopping there for quite awhile and you never really know what you're going to chance upon in their store. Many times in the past, I just happened to find very interesting things for decorating or to use in my craft, so I like going there every once and a while to see what I can find.
Anyways, I got there in the early afternoon, and while strolling through the housewares isles, I found, tucked away in a corner...a whole bunch of huge bells. Never in a million years did I expect to find bells at a local store. I was ecstatic! Of course I had to buy one.
I had this feeling all day that I should go there and take a look, and my gut feeling was right! How awesome was that? I am so happy that I trusted my intuition, because I had been looking online for a bell to use in ritual for ages now. I actually have a very small one I bought over a year ago, but the sound it makes it too soft and high-pitched, and on occasion the hammer gets stuck. Kills my concentration every time.
The bell I purchased is very big, more than I wanted it to be, but that's okay. The sound it makes it just perfect, not to loud or high pitched, and the sound vibrates after the bell has rung, which is important to me because I would like to use it to create sacred space and call the quarters.
The next time I get a feeling about going to Marshall's I will certainly be heading there. I may find something even better the next time 'round!
Anyways, I got there in the early afternoon, and while strolling through the housewares isles, I found, tucked away in a corner...a whole bunch of huge bells. Never in a million years did I expect to find bells at a local store. I was ecstatic! Of course I had to buy one.
I had this feeling all day that I should go there and take a look, and my gut feeling was right! How awesome was that? I am so happy that I trusted my intuition, because I had been looking online for a bell to use in ritual for ages now. I actually have a very small one I bought over a year ago, but the sound it makes it too soft and high-pitched, and on occasion the hammer gets stuck. Kills my concentration every time.
The bell I purchased is very big, more than I wanted it to be, but that's okay. The sound it makes it just perfect, not to loud or high pitched, and the sound vibrates after the bell has rung, which is important to me because I would like to use it to create sacred space and call the quarters.
The next time I get a feeling about going to Marshall's I will certainly be heading there. I may find something even better the next time 'round!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Who's the BOS?
BOS stands for Book of Shadows. And yes, I now have one in progress.
To be brutally honest, deciding to create a Book of Shadows was one of the hardest decisions I had to make. Even as a young child I loved the idea of keeping a journal to record my thoughts and daily experiences, but it never really happened until now, at the ripe old age of 26. If you knew how many journal-type books I bought, wrote my name on the inside cover, and then never used again you might be surprised, or not. Apparently I am not the only one that has experienced this. But that was my entire journal-writing experience up until about 7 or 8 months ago, to be conservative. More like 6 months really, if you take being serious about it into consideration.
The idea of writing down everything by hand into a beautiful bound book made for nice day dreams, but I had to be realistic about it. For starters, I will be the first to admit that my hand writing is atrocious, and I'm not even joking. Fast-paced note-taking is a nightmare for me; I can't even read my notes afterwards. Talk about self-defeating. Secondly, I am all about reference, so I must have my pages grouped together in a certain order, or else I wouldn't even use my BOS. Therefore the notion of a romantic, handwritten account of my journey, spells, rituals, correspondences, herbs, what have you...was completely out of the question. Here steps in the wonderfully practical, and utilitarian, three-ring binder with about 100 clear sheet protectors. Now we're talking business.
I know the idea of word processing a BOS does not appeal to everyone, and some would even say that it takes away from the personal power put into the book by handwriting all your entries. Yet, I think there is merit in having your BOS word processed and backed up, just in case a rogue candle sets your book on fire during ritual, or that odd leaky ballpoint decides to finally let go of its last few drops of ink all over your pages.
So for those of you out there that feel you can't have a Book of Shadow because the connection isn't there, or you don't have the stamina to get out that pencil or pen and write, it's okay. Take your time. The moment will come when it is meant to. Perhaps it hasn't come because you were not meant to have a BOS, which some practitioners don't. There is nothing wrong with not having a BOS. And if you are meant to have one, you will come to find out the best method of putting it together. Bound and handwritten, or binder-full of sheet protectors, or any other method that strikes you as correct , are all equally as beautiful and poignantly done as the rest. Your BOS is your own book, and as they say, follow your truth and do what is right for you.
Blessed be, and may your shadows fill books to the brim.
To be brutally honest, deciding to create a Book of Shadows was one of the hardest decisions I had to make. Even as a young child I loved the idea of keeping a journal to record my thoughts and daily experiences, but it never really happened until now, at the ripe old age of 26. If you knew how many journal-type books I bought, wrote my name on the inside cover, and then never used again you might be surprised, or not. Apparently I am not the only one that has experienced this. But that was my entire journal-writing experience up until about 7 or 8 months ago, to be conservative. More like 6 months really, if you take being serious about it into consideration.
The idea of writing down everything by hand into a beautiful bound book made for nice day dreams, but I had to be realistic about it. For starters, I will be the first to admit that my hand writing is atrocious, and I'm not even joking. Fast-paced note-taking is a nightmare for me; I can't even read my notes afterwards. Talk about self-defeating. Secondly, I am all about reference, so I must have my pages grouped together in a certain order, or else I wouldn't even use my BOS. Therefore the notion of a romantic, handwritten account of my journey, spells, rituals, correspondences, herbs, what have you...was completely out of the question. Here steps in the wonderfully practical, and utilitarian, three-ring binder with about 100 clear sheet protectors. Now we're talking business.
I know the idea of word processing a BOS does not appeal to everyone, and some would even say that it takes away from the personal power put into the book by handwriting all your entries. Yet, I think there is merit in having your BOS word processed and backed up, just in case a rogue candle sets your book on fire during ritual, or that odd leaky ballpoint decides to finally let go of its last few drops of ink all over your pages.
So for those of you out there that feel you can't have a Book of Shadow because the connection isn't there, or you don't have the stamina to get out that pencil or pen and write, it's okay. Take your time. The moment will come when it is meant to. Perhaps it hasn't come because you were not meant to have a BOS, which some practitioners don't. There is nothing wrong with not having a BOS. And if you are meant to have one, you will come to find out the best method of putting it together. Bound and handwritten, or binder-full of sheet protectors, or any other method that strikes you as correct , are all equally as beautiful and poignantly done as the rest. Your BOS is your own book, and as they say, follow your truth and do what is right for you.
Blessed be, and may your shadows fill books to the brim.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Ostara Haul!
Like many others on the Pagan/Wiccan path, I do love my altars, and decorating them is often times more fun than displaying them.
Last year I did not have an Ostara altar because I just did not have the space or time, so this year I wanted to go all out and make the prettiest altar I could. Partly because I love the spring/Easter season, and partly because I cannot wait for spring to come again. Despite being hit by quite a harsh winter, the snow where I am is melting slowly but surely, the sun is getting stronger and longer by the day, and there is a definite scent of spring in the air. So off to Michael's craft store I went, and I have to agree with a certain fellow blogger and vlogger that Michael's is more than deserving of the title "un-official witchy store". I could honestly go mad looking at all the craft supplies in that store and have an imagination meltdown thinking of all the lovely things I could make. And no, I am not in any way, shape, or form affiliated with them. I do, however, spend an unholy amount of money each time I go there, but that is neither here nor there.
Anyways, aside from the craft items they do carry seasonal items. All the Easter items were out, making things incredibly difficult to choose from, but I finally picked out a cute little mercury-glass votive candle holder with little birds on it, and a super adorable egg/candy holder dish with the sweetest little rabbit in the middle. I loved that it had five spaces on the dish, that way I can use it in place of a pentacle on the Sabbat. Hurray for me! I also found these fuzzy fabric eggs with a string to hang up, so I may place those on the fake flowers in my altar vase, like an Ostara tree if you will.
Not a big haul, but I have plenty of time to find other things to add to my altar. If I find wooden eggs I will certainly paint and lacquer them! That way I have Ostara egg decorations for many years to come. That would be very nice indeed.
Last year I did not have an Ostara altar because I just did not have the space or time, so this year I wanted to go all out and make the prettiest altar I could. Partly because I love the spring/Easter season, and partly because I cannot wait for spring to come again. Despite being hit by quite a harsh winter, the snow where I am is melting slowly but surely, the sun is getting stronger and longer by the day, and there is a definite scent of spring in the air. So off to Michael's craft store I went, and I have to agree with a certain fellow blogger and vlogger that Michael's is more than deserving of the title "un-official witchy store". I could honestly go mad looking at all the craft supplies in that store and have an imagination meltdown thinking of all the lovely things I could make. And no, I am not in any way, shape, or form affiliated with them. I do, however, spend an unholy amount of money each time I go there, but that is neither here nor there.
Anyways, aside from the craft items they do carry seasonal items. All the Easter items were out, making things incredibly difficult to choose from, but I finally picked out a cute little mercury-glass votive candle holder with little birds on it, and a super adorable egg/candy holder dish with the sweetest little rabbit in the middle. I loved that it had five spaces on the dish, that way I can use it in place of a pentacle on the Sabbat. Hurray for me! I also found these fuzzy fabric eggs with a string to hang up, so I may place those on the fake flowers in my altar vase, like an Ostara tree if you will.
Not a big haul, but I have plenty of time to find other things to add to my altar. If I find wooden eggs I will certainly paint and lacquer them! That way I have Ostara egg decorations for many years to come. That would be very nice indeed.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
My Altar
For most pagans, the altar is the center of our practice and a symbolic representation of our individual spiritual path. No altars look alike, just as no pagan path is exactly the same. Even within a coven, no one person will have the same experience as any of the other people within the circle. So the altar holds its place as both a spiritual sanctuary and a direct link to magick and our deities.
My altar has always been a special place for me to go because it gives me comfort and peace in my everyday life. A little nook of my own, to relax and soothe away the inner and outer disturbances that come with existing in this world. Not to mention, I like a good decorating gig when I see one. And so my altar is born, and reborn, throughout the Sabbats and Esbats that pass through the year.
With the exception of the Sabbats, I always have two small statues on my altar, Guanyin and Amitabha. For me they represent both the male and female sides of deity, on earth and above it. Guanyin represents the deity that exists on earth to help show us the way to enlightenment, and the energy of loving compassion. Amitabha is a representation of full enlightment and peaceful energy. They do not necessarily represent the God and the Goddess, but sometimes they do. It just depends on what I'm doing on my altar at the time. For the most part, the God and Goddess are represented by two candles on my altar, because I feel that Guanyin and Amitabha are separate entities from the God and Goddess. They are Buddha and Bodhisattva, which is different from God and Goddess.
I also like to keep a vase of (fake) flowers on my altar, incense, a red votive candle, and two small dishes of crystals/stones and water. These not only act as offerings to my deities, but also as representations of the elements earth, air, fire, and water.
Outside Sabbats and Esbats I like to keep the items on my altar to a minimum. I only have a small end-table to work with, so space is a bit precious. As for crystals, I personally love any kind of quartz, so I keep a good-sized quartz point and rose quartz puffy heart on my altar. Clear quartz amplifies energy, so I feel that having a rose quartz and clear quartz together brings more love and calmness into my space. It's also part of my personal fengshui as well.
I love my altar, and I'm lucky to be able to display it freely in my space. I know there are many pagans and Wiccans that do not have the luxury of having their altar out all the time, and I am very thankful that I am in a position to do so.
I did take photos, but they will be up later in the week. For now, blessed be and namaste.
My altar has always been a special place for me to go because it gives me comfort and peace in my everyday life. A little nook of my own, to relax and soothe away the inner and outer disturbances that come with existing in this world. Not to mention, I like a good decorating gig when I see one. And so my altar is born, and reborn, throughout the Sabbats and Esbats that pass through the year.
With the exception of the Sabbats, I always have two small statues on my altar, Guanyin and Amitabha. For me they represent both the male and female sides of deity, on earth and above it. Guanyin represents the deity that exists on earth to help show us the way to enlightenment, and the energy of loving compassion. Amitabha is a representation of full enlightment and peaceful energy. They do not necessarily represent the God and the Goddess, but sometimes they do. It just depends on what I'm doing on my altar at the time. For the most part, the God and Goddess are represented by two candles on my altar, because I feel that Guanyin and Amitabha are separate entities from the God and Goddess. They are Buddha and Bodhisattva, which is different from God and Goddess.
I also like to keep a vase of (fake) flowers on my altar, incense, a red votive candle, and two small dishes of crystals/stones and water. These not only act as offerings to my deities, but also as representations of the elements earth, air, fire, and water.
Outside Sabbats and Esbats I like to keep the items on my altar to a minimum. I only have a small end-table to work with, so space is a bit precious. As for crystals, I personally love any kind of quartz, so I keep a good-sized quartz point and rose quartz puffy heart on my altar. Clear quartz amplifies energy, so I feel that having a rose quartz and clear quartz together brings more love and calmness into my space. It's also part of my personal fengshui as well.
I love my altar, and I'm lucky to be able to display it freely in my space. I know there are many pagans and Wiccans that do not have the luxury of having their altar out all the time, and I am very thankful that I am in a position to do so.
I did take photos, but they will be up later in the week. For now, blessed be and namaste.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
You-Pick Wednesday
I have decided to make my polls an ongoing thing. The way it works is the most voted-for blog topic will be posted each Wednesday as my blog topic for that day. I've decided to call this "You-Pick Wednesday", because I think it is nice to have my readers involved with what I'm blogging about, because they are the reason why I blog. I will have a poll on my blog page with different topics to choose from, and within those broad topics I will choose something specific to blog about. For example, if next week's chosen topic is 'Herbs', I will pick a specific herb to blog about, such as Mugwort. If the topic is "Kitchen Gods", I will pick a kitchen or hearth-related Goddess or God to blog about, such as Hestia or Zao Shen.
The poll from last week has closed, and the majority of the votes were for blogging about my current altar, so sometime this week I will have a blog post about my altar and I will be showing pictures of it for everyone to see. I'm going to try to post for Wednesday, February 9th, but that may or may not happen. I'm hopeful I will get the blog post up in time, but the pictures might only appear later in the week. Depending on how well it goes with my digital camera, I may even upload a video of my altar on my Youtube channel as well. We'll see what happens.
Many blessings and thanks to everyone that voted last week, and I will be putting up another poll for next week's "You-Pick Wednesday" soon.
The poll from last week has closed, and the majority of the votes were for blogging about my current altar, so sometime this week I will have a blog post about my altar and I will be showing pictures of it for everyone to see. I'm going to try to post for Wednesday, February 9th, but that may or may not happen. I'm hopeful I will get the blog post up in time, but the pictures might only appear later in the week. Depending on how well it goes with my digital camera, I may even upload a video of my altar on my Youtube channel as well. We'll see what happens.
Many blessings and thanks to everyone that voted last week, and I will be putting up another poll for next week's "You-Pick Wednesday" soon.
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