Weeds For Health?

I recently discovered that the humongous weeds that grow in my backyard during the summer are not what I thought they were. My first impression was that they were huge stalks of some type of flowering yellow weed, and totally useless. Turns out that these gigantic stalks are actually mullein growing my in backyard naturally. And we thought it was just a huge, useless weed!

Mullein, from my research, is a type of plant that has been used in medicinal herbalism and magickal herbalism for a very long time. Mullein, traditionally, can be used for respiratory ailments (which I myself suffer from), and magickally, it is known to protect against evil spirits. According to witchipedia.com, mullein is ruled by the planet Mercury or Saturn (depending on who's grimoire is being referenced) and is associated with the element of Fire (my element, yay). It is feminine in nature and associated with the God Jupiter. Powdered mullein can also be used in spells and rituals that require the use of graveyard dirt, hence it's other alias, Graveyard Dirt. Interesting, or should I say conflicting, associations, but that's the information I was able to find online.

I'm very impressed that there are many stalks of mullein growing quite healthy in my backyard during the summer months. Harvesting is certainly going to happen this summer. We never spray our lawn with anything, so I think it would be okay to harvest the plants that will be growing outside this summer. I may even try ticturing it, but that's a big maybe. I have just begun getting into herbalism, so if I find any other interesting plants growing outside I will most definitely blog about it!

The Amazing Properties of Coconut Oil

So it's Monday, the day before the beginning of March, and I thought I would blog about something different for a change.

Just like anyone else, I am more than my spiritual path. I love and enjoy doing so many other things; that's why my hobbies are all over the place most of time. However, the one things that stands out among all my hobbies is that I like to make my own natural skincare treatments, like facial cleansers, toners, masks, cleansing oils, facial moisturisers, soaps, shower gel, perfumes...You name it, I've probably tried to make my own natural (or at least more natural) version of it.

In the past year I discovered the amazing moisturising properties of coconut oil. I started off by using it as a deep conditioning treatment for my hair and a cleansing oil. It works pretty well with my hair type (fine, oily, damaged), but after experimenting with olive oil I had better results. I also had better results with olive oil as a cleansing oil for my face. I don't know why, but olive oil just gets the circulation flowing in my face and guck out of my pores like nothing else.
But the one thing coconut oil cannot be beat for: skin moisturising. I use it for my cuticles, hands, elbows, knees, arms, and legs. No body lotion I have ever used comes close to the softening and moisturising capabilities of this oil, and I have used and tried dozens of them over the years. Not to mention the fact that coconut oil absorbs very fast compared to other carrier oils, like sweet almond or olive oil, and feels less greasy on the skin. All pluses in my humble opinion; and I am very opinionated when it comes to the beauty/cosmetic products I use.

If you're going to try coconut oil as a moisturiser, I recommend the cold-pressed virgin variety. Refined versions are okay, but the most benefits come from using non-refined virgin coconut oil. I will say, however, if you're not a fan of the smell of coconut, refined coconut oil may be better. Virgin coconut oil has a very sweet, coconut scent. I think its fantastic and wished the scent lasted longer on my skin, but I know there are some people out there that cannot stand to smell or taste coconut. It just means for virgin coconut oil for me!
*Wink*
I'm just kidding, but I do think that anyone that wants a natural alternative for body or face moisturising should try a small jar. Virgin coconut oil is a bit on the expensive side, but one jar will last you months, if not over a year. Just a small amount of coconut oil will cover quite a bit if skin, so it lasts and lasts. I've been using my current jar for about 5 months and am only about 1/3 way through the jar. Much more economical than a body lotion or cream with tons of unnecessary chemical preservatives and silicones that will only last 2 or 3 months with daily use. Coconut oil naturally has a very long shelf life, and can last ages with proper storage. No preservatives or chemicals needed. And depending on your skin type, coconut oil can even be used as a facial moisturiser. I, myself, have oily, breakout prone skin, and I have used coconut oil as a face moisturiser in a pinch. It absorbs the fastest on just-out-of-the-shower damp skin; just a mist of toner and a tiny dab rubbed in the palm of hands will sink in no problem.

Coconut oil is sold in most grocery stores now, even the cold-pressed kind, so find a jar and try it out. I think most people would not be dissapointed with it as a natural alternative to the body lotions ad creams out there.

Until next time, blessed be, and have a great week.

Spirit Guides

When I first heard the term 'spirit guide' my first thought was to dismiss the idea. This was before I really began to explore my inner-self, as I was plagued with more than enough self-doubt at the time. I felt that even if they did exist in some metaphysical form, there was no way possible that I could have one.
The more I delved into my current practice, the more I wanted to discover my spirit guides. I finally found an excellent video by a wonderful Youtuber named momcalzmesheri (thank you, Cricketsong!), which was a guided meditation designed to help meet one's spirit guide/guides. That meditation finally helped me break through to my guides.

My guide was not exactly what I had expected, but intuitively I knew that spirit guides are not always what we want, they can be what we need at that moment in time, and I needed my spirit guide as they appeared to me at that time. I'm not going to say much about my spirit guide, but I will say that it was an older man, and his name was Emanuel. I'm very interested in the meaning of names, and I looked up the meaning of his name after my meditation that night. I discovered that his name meant,"God is with us". I thought that was a very interesting coincidence.

The entire experience of doing the guided meditation was very transformational. I used that meditation many times in the beginning to see if I could find any other spirit guides, but Emanuel was the only one that really came to me. One time doing this meditation, however, Guanyin appeared to me and gave me a message; I needed that message very badly. I guess Guanyin had come to me as a spirit guide for the period of suffering I was going through. Her appearance made sense to me because she is with me all the time as my matron Goddess. I have so many images of Guanyin in my home and my sacred space; she just permeates my life, so it was only a matter of time that she appeared as a spirit guide.

I love both of my spirit guides, and I feel that they are with me for a purpose. That purpose is not really known to me yet, but in the case of Guanyin, she is here on this earthly plane to guide everyone towards enlightment. As one of the special few that feel a deeper connection to her, and I am thankful for all the experiences she has given me since I first encountered her many years ago in Japan.

Until next time, blessed be and Guanyin be with you.

Last You-Pick Wednesday Post, I Promise

Having the You-Pick Wednesday poll was fun, but I think it ran it's course. Don't worry though, it was fun while it lasted.
There is just not enough traffic here to get the votes in, and to be honest, I think it is a bit too much pressure on you readers out there. It's hard enough to just follow a blog, let alone decide what posts should be about once a week. That's my job *wink*.

So I'm taking down the YPW today, but I'll bring it back out for a special occasion. A little Yule present to my blog readers, perhaps? I'll be thinking about it.

Until next post, blessed be!

Oracle Cards

I wanted to get this up for a while now, but certain things got in the way, and by that I mean life and free time had a bit of a conflict. Oh well. On to the Oracle decks!

Only within the last few months have I gotten into Oracle decks, so my experience with them is relatively new.
I own three decks at this point (though I would love to add to the collection), they are the Victorian Flower Oracle by Baba Studio, Healing with Archangel Michael by Doreen Virtue, and the Astrological Oracle deck by Lo Scarabeo. I haven't been using the Astrological Oracle very much since I purchased it. The artwork is in the beautiful Art Nouveau style, which I love to look at, but I am not comfortable using it at the moment because I do not know enough about astrology. I'm looking to learn more about astrology and astrological correspondences, so I will be using this deck at some point in the future.

I do use my other two Oracle decks on a regular basis. I use them both on their own, as an Oracle deck, and also as an add-on to my Tarot readings. I like how Oracle cards can supplement my readings, especially when used as a 'message from higher self' indicator card. Using an extra card can be a supplement to the entire reading, like a summation of what the cards are trying to say. The Victorian Flower Oracle is especially helpful in that respect. I have used that oracle deck in many readings as an overall 'theme' or 'mood' card, and it has been spot on each time.
Healing with Archangel Michael is a bit harder to use that way, but it is okay as a 'message' card. I've only used it for my own readings at this point, but I think it would be helpful for anyones reading since Angel cards are usually accepted as a positive energy.

That's all I have for now. In the future I may revisit this topic because I love cards, and there are many more Oracle decks out there to discover. Blessed be!

You-Pick Wednesday

Excuse the lateness for posting this week's YPW. I've been a busy bee all week! So I will be posting tomorrow the topics.
I say topics because...we had a tie! Whoohoo.

So I will do a post on both Oracle cards and Spirit Guides and have them up for sometime tomorrow.

Stay tuned :)

Myself and Plastic Surgery

Yesterday I had a very interesting experience with plastic surgery. No, I did not get any, nor did the people I was with, which was the funny part. I tagged along as a designated driver for the post-op trip home, but the surgery did not happen because of the person taking an aspirin the night before. Not intentionally, but the surgery was cancelled out of bleeding-related dangers. Which is understandable and expected.

However, being in that situation got me thinking about being on the path I am and how that relates to the subject of plastic surgery. Personally, I would be too scared to get surgery of any kind unless it was absolutely necessary to my survival, so I would opt for these kind of procedures. As a pagan, someone that should be accepting of nature and part of nature in a holistic way, both externally and internally, human, animal, mineral, vegetable...does that mean we are inherently against plastic surgery? I am not sure of my stance on this at the moment, but I'm sure it will come back again as a topic.
Why, just today, funnily enough, a Youtuber named Shazzybpear (check her out, she's awesome) made a vlog on this actual topic, which kind of freaked me out because of her timing, but it was very interesting to listen to.

So for those of your following this blog, what are your opinions on it? I would love to hear more views on the topic, so don't be shy to comment.

Blessed be.

The Bracelet Miracle

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Shields Up

Yesterday, I was chewed out by one of my family members regarding the fact that I do witchcraft. They went on and on about how I was a weirdo, and that what I believed in made no sense.
Now I respect their opinion about what I do in my life, and I understand their reasons for feeling this way about something they neither understand nor accept. However, just because I am a peaceful, non-confrontational Pagan does not mean that I am going to sit there and allow myself to absorb the negativity they are directing at me, instead of deflecting it away from myself. Yes, what they said did bother me for awhile, but not as much as it would have without my psychic shield. And so this experience got me to thinking about psychic shields and protection,

To me, a psychic shield is not only protection from someone sending out negative energy accidentally, but also for people sending out negative energy around you and towards you. I feel this way because in my life I am constantly surrounded by negative people that happen to clash a lot, most definitely on a daily basis. So being in the middle of this kind of energy all the time not only puts me in a difficult position to go about daily life in, but also makes it very difficult for me to concentrate on meditation, magickal workings, or anything I may be doing, such as writing this blog, for example. Basically, I find it hard to be a spiritual person in everyday life when I am faced with this onslaught of unending negativity all the time. Plus it drains me emotionally to the point where I feel depressed and upset. So I need my psychic shields up and ready at all times.  

Now I haven't actually read any books going in depth on the subject. My knowledge of shields comes from the small sections I've read in 101 books on Wicca or Witchcraft, and from some information I've gleaned off the internet. Therefore my expertise in putting up and using shields has come mostly from my own personal experience than techniques I learned from a book.

At first try, I found that my shield did not work as much as I wanted it to. I think I had set my hopes a bit too high for the first try, not to mention that I hadn't practiced enough visualization before putting my shield into action. I would say it took me about two months before my shield became effective enough to truly feel a difference after a negativity attack. Nowadays I have no problem with visualizing my shield, and I can put it up at a moments notice whenever I need to.

I'm not going to say how I visualize my psychic shield because there are so many ways to visualize a psychic shield. Instead, I urge everyone to experiment and find out what works best for them when they are faced with difficult energies. On that note I would like to say that having my shield as protection from negativity has made my life so much better. I don't think I can go back to not using one now. Negativity, for me, is very harsh energy, and my emotional psyche has become very scarred over the years because of it. A psychic shield has become a permanent fixture in my waking hours, and it has definitely made me a stronger person on the inside and outside.

Negativity will always follow someone on a different path and for those of us that are more sensitive to these energies, shields can be a valuable source of protection and comfort.

Do You Mantra?

I do.

As a long-time admirer of Buddhist prayer beads, I started adding mantras to my life over two years ago, almost three now.
My first experience with mantras did not actually involve mantras at all. Originally I fell head over heels in love with Japanese prayer beads. That is what really started it all.

I first saw them at a Japanese Buddhist temple when I was a child.They were so beautiful. Many were made from Swarovski crystal beads with gorgeous tassels hanging from them, and they glittered in the sun like jewels. All the refined women at the temple would have their beads in hand while they offered prayers at the temple, and I wanted to be like that. Stylish and devout. At the time I thought what could be better than that? So my quest to procure these prayer beads began. I finally bought my first mala (the Japanese call them o-juzu) a few years later while in Nagano, Japan. Sadly, they were lost in a move, and I have missed them ever since.

Nearly a decade later I went to China to study abroad, and it was there that my love of Buddhism was totally renewed, and so I bought another mala at a night market. Not as pretty or flashy as my first mala, but there is a refined elegance in wooden malas that crystal malas just can't compare to. So I had a replacement, and that is when I began using my mala for meditation and doing mantras.

To explain, a mantra is a phrase that, through repetition, can calm, motivate, or inspire specific thoughts or intentions. In Buddhism there are many mantras, and for the most part each mantra is attributed to a specific Buddha, Bodhisattva, or deity.
For example, the most famous mantra is "Om Mani Padme Hum". This is the mantra of Avalokitesvara, or his Chinese female counterpart, Guanyin. It is Sanskrit for, "all hail the jewel in the lotus". The 'jewel in the lotus' being the Buddha himself. Even the syllable "Om", which does not stand for a word, can be repeated as a mantra.
I personally do not stick to one mantra all the time during my meditation or relaxation work. I tend to choose one depending on how I feel at that moment.

You can also create your own mantras to suit your practice or meditation. For example, a few months ago I wrote my own mantra to inspire dreams about my tarot readings. I had amazing dreams each time I repeated the mantra before I fell asleep, and have used this mantra many times since.

On a daily basis, saying mantras has become my bedtime ritual. I bring my mala bracelet, or wrist mala, to bed with me and repeat my chosen mantra 108 times (an auspicious number in Buddhism) or until I fall asleep. This nightly practice helps me fall into a deep sleep almost every night, and has also warded off many nights of insomnia.
I have also used mantras during ritual meditations, and as a prayer to certain Buddhist deities.

So I urge everyone, especially those inclined to Buddhist practices, to use mantra in their spiritual practice. It can be greatly beneficial to the mind and the soul of anyone wishing to gain more peace and serenity in their life, or to strengthen their intentions for rituals and spellwork of any kind.

My Tenets

I believe in the Goddess and God, and that they are both equal and opposites halves of the same whole.
I believe that Buddhism can lead to enlightenment.
I believe in reincarnation.
I believe that love really conquers all.
I believe in equal rights for men and women.
I believe that life was meant for living.
I believe that the Buddhas and the Bodhisattvas can lead us to the right path.
I believe in the power of nature and the healing power of plants.
I believe in the Tao.
I believe in magick.

Happy Chinese New Year!

I want to wish everyone a very happy and prosperous Chinese New Year 2011.

This year is the Year of the Metal, or Golden, Rabbit. For all those born on a Rabbit year, I urge you to wear red clothing, red coloured jewelry or stones, or even red underwear, as often as you can this year. To the Chinese, the colour red is a very lucky and auspicious colour, so Rabbits should take full advantage to have the luckiest year possible!

Connecting

Today is Imbolg and sure enough, the heart of winter has come through in full force. An ice storm to top off already too much snow brought my part of the world to a standstill, with no electrical power in my neighbourhood for about four hours or so earlier in the day.  So here there I was, thanking the Gods that my eagerness drove me to make my Imbolg candles in advance, which helped a lot in the greyness of the day while we were without power. I also made a honey cake in advance (thanks Charming Pixie Flora!), so I had something sweet to enjoy whilst waiting for the electricity to come back.

As I sat there burning my Archangel Michael candle and eating my cake, I was thinking about two things: February and connections. The two may not seem to be related at first, but I will explain.
The coming of February has brought me closer to so many things, namely the Goddess Brigid, my Book of Shadows, my journal writing(both online and off), my new Youtube channel, and a deepening comfort in my practice. But February is not just for material connections, it is about connecting to people as well. I want it to be about connecting to people, like the pagan community at large. The Youtube pagan community especially, just because they are all so special to me, and have helped me so much in my practice and in finding my true inner spirit. Connecting with people has definitely been something missing in my life for a few years now, because of my moving around and studying abroad, and I really want that back. To be able to communicate with others about my experiences and feelings and inner most thoughts and opinions is important to me. That is also why I created this blog; to connect and be connected.

So as February moves along, so will I with my connections to others, my path, and the coming spring.

Happy Imbolg!

Hi everyone! I wish you all a very blessed Imbolg , and I hope that the weather wherever you are is better than the weather I've had today!

In Brigid's honor I would like to post this blessing called "The Caim of Bride" from brigitsforge.co.uk :

Be the compassing of Bride around me
Keeping me from ill and evil,
Keeping me from death and doom,
From malice and misfortune.
Be the fiery sword of Bride
Defending me from all black swarms. 

Be the shield of blessed Bride
Protecting me from all sharp edges.
Be the cloak of gentle Bride
Encircling me.

Be the compassing of Bride around me,
Keeping me from hurt and harm,
Keeping me from wound and woe,
From darkness and despair.

Be the compassing of Bride around me
This day and every day,
This night and every night.

Blessed be!

Runes for the Sabbat

Imbolg, symbolically, is a Sabbat that is a crossroads; a half-way mark between the winter solstice and spring equinox. So Imbolg is the perfect time for divination work to be done.

Now divination-wise, I always head for the Tarot. I love all my Tarot decks, and I have been using them for the last 12 years to give me a little extra guidance in my daily life. Other forms of divination have come into my practice by learning more about Paganism and Wicca. Recently, I have also incorporated Oracle cards (another love), some I-Ching, and pendulum work. All that was left were runes.
Runes. Not so enamoured with those. In the past I was never able to connect with them, despite making my own set as a side project whilst in my high school art class. Yet in some strange way I still want to, if that even makes sense.
So I decided last night that my task until Ostara would be to find out more about the runes and how to use them. Perhaps I could try and incorporate them into my tarot readings, which I have seen certain people do. Using runes along with the tarot might make learning about them easier, because I can use them within a medium that I am well-versed in and already comfortable in using

I actually have a few books about runes from my first foray into Wicca many, many years ago, so I will certainly be reading those again.