Thankful Thursday #26

Photo for today:



Adding to my feather collection. ::smiles::

I am thankful for….
1. A FIVE-DAY WEEKEND! Woohoo bitches! I don’t work Fridays, and I have Monday and Tuesday off for the 4th of July observance. And then next week I only work two days! Woohoo! ::happy dance::
2. Spotting my first hummingbird of the season on Tuesday. And saw another yesterday. I seriously adore those tiny winged jewels.
3. My rosebush is going into a second blooming. She has a handful of blooms just ready to pop open. ::smiles::
4. My Litha altar and ritual turned out beautifully. This was definitely one of my prettiest altars yet.
5. My Railroad Spike protection and blessing ritual is going very well. Ten more days until it’s time to drive the spikes into the boundary points and set it all in motion.
6. My gorgeous feathers from Klaus. I am thinking of having some of them framed and hung in my room. They are just gorgeous and shouldn’t be hanging out in a box in my closet.
7. Having a dozen or so huge, orange dragonflies zipping around me and Josey on our walk today.
8. Finally speaking to Sandy and Ken (bosses at the Tech Job) about Evan being crazy lazy and slow and on his phone all the damn time. Hopefully they’ll take steps to light a fire under his ass because I’m hitting my breaking point.
9. Speaking of the Tech Job, I got a $2 an hour raise this time around. Woohoo!
10. David also has Monday and Tuesday off of work. I’m sure he’ll have a number of projects he’ll want to attend to, which will allow me to focus on my own projects. ::smiles::

Red Rockets and Stamps

written: June 28

Photo for today:



The Red Rocket crepe myrtle is FINALLY blooming! Hurray! Damn, I LOVE these flaming red blossoms with the dark green, almost black, leaves. Just stunning.

Leviathan’s hatch-day cards arrived today. They are friggin’ cute. Not as pretty as her 10th hatch-day cards (from last year), but still cute. I’ll start working on addressing them this weekend, even though I won’t be mailing them for a bit. But it at least want to get the Out-of-the-Country ones addressed and stamped, so I can get them in the mail mid-July. Sending mail overseas can take up to a month or two to arrive, and I would like for them to arrive on or at least close to Leviathan’s hatch-day (Sept 5th).

So I went looking for birthday style stamps on USPS.com and lost a good hour of my life. They have SHARK stamps coming out in late July!!! I definitely want to order a set of those. And they have Disney villain ones too! Seriously, USPS stamp store is DANGEROUS for me. I would gladly spend my entire paycheck on stamps and postcards. ::laughs:: Sucks to have bills to pay instead. Not nearly as much fun.

Feathers

written: June 27th

Photo for today:



Seems the gods were listening when I was bemoaning fucking up a photo of a blue jay feather and an owl feather that I had found yesterday. They were in the same spot I dropped them yesterday! Unusual, as the wind had been pretty gusty earlier. But here are the two feathers I was talking about yesterday, in a much better photo. ::chuckles::

Nothing major to note outside of this. Work is work. Evan, my coworker who is also a campus leader like me at the after school program (just at a different campus), is slow as SHIT. Seriously, I banged out 210 iPads (cleaned, put into iPad cases, and boxed) today. He comes in a hour and a half after me, and SIX hours he’s there….he does friggin 40 iPads. That’s all. He’s on his goddamn phone all the time. It takes him ages to clean an iPad. But seriously, just 40 iPads?? That’s insane. I’m averaging about 26 iPads an hour, and he’s averaging SIX. Talk about making me see red! It sucks so bad because we are both getting paid the same amount of money per hour, and yet he’s doing a FRACTION of the work.

Ok, off that subject and on to happier ones. My feathers from my German friend arrived today. So awesome. I love them. AND he was kind enough to toss in a beautiful owl feather as a surprise. I have inquired what species of owl, because I’m super anal that way, and have to know such things. I’m just waiting to hear back from him on that. Which reminds me, I really need to label my various feathers in my collection soon, so I don’t forget what is what. Because, again, I’m seriously anal about these things. ::chuckles::

Oh and another thing….my rosebush is blooming again! Woohoo!



One blossom is already open, but there’s a good half dozen or so buds in the wings. Just waiting for the right time to bloom. Love it!

Twin Powers

Photo for the day:



I had planned on using a photo I took of a blue jay feather and an owl chest feather I had found on my walk today. Only to realize the photo wasn’t in proper focus. And I didn’t keep the two feathers. ::sighs:: Ah well. Better luck next time. And next time I know to take a handful of photos just in case. ::chuckles::

Instead, enjoy a photo of a lovely polar bear photo for my Canadian Twin, Brandy. John (a dear friend from my journal writing group) introduced us (via internet) because we were so similar. And seriously, it’s almost like looking in a mirror. Except she’s an amazing artist, and I can’t draw too well. ::chuckles:: And yes, this is the same Brandy who created and painted my beloved Big Drum. And boy, does that drum carry power. Love it.

Messy

written: June 25

Photo for today:

Witchcraft is messy business. ::chuckles:: Especially when it involves old, very rusty railroad spikes.

Honestly, I swear this is the most Occult thing I’ve ever created. With the magick circle drawn on blackboard, and special glyphs of my own design drawn on the board and on the spikes themselves. It certainly is not my typical witchcraft, with its scented oils and pretty candles. Yet, even for this one that looks so “dark”, it really isn’t…if you know what you are looking at.

I wish I could share more, but my gut instinct says to keep this one close to the breast. I can speak of the generalities of the overall spell. But the glyphs and the meaning behind them, what each of them contain…that will not be up for public consumption.

Sunset

written: June 24th

Seems my hair is fading from a deep plum purple into a reddish-pink.

I love the sunset look I’ve got going on.

Another quiet Saturday. I picked up some black artist board at Hobby Lobby for the rail spike protection spell. I finalized the glyphs for each spike. Now I just need to get cracking on it. ::smiles::

Litha

Blessed Litha!

Technically Litha (the Summer Solstice) occurred on Wednesday, but I celebrated today. Today, I have the day off of work (I ADORE the three-day weekends the Summer Tech job gives me) and David had to work, so I had the house all to myself as well.

I finally got my sunflowers. I wanted them last year, but the selection was crappy. I ended up going with these awesome red and orange roses instead. But I got them today, and I LOVE them. This will definitely become my Litha tradition.

So Litha is the Summer Solstice, Mid Summer, the longest day of the year, and it celebrates the strength of the sun. With all of that, it’s the perfect day to celebrate and reaffirm my bond to Sekhmet, the lion-headed sun goddess of ancient Egypt. And I figured this would be the perfect time to clean, cleanse, and rededicate the various icons I have of Sekhmet.

And I have to say, holy hell. I am IMPRESSED with how this altar turned out. It’s one of my best, in my not-so-humble opinion! ::laughs::



I mean, look at it! Stunning, no?



So three Sekhmet statues and the Sekhmet painting by Kimberly.
A shit ton of garnets. Seriously, I knew I had a lot, but didn’t realize I had THIS much. ::laughs::
A red tealight for each statue and painting.
The orange candle with the sun charm on it is the Solstice Sun candle I purchased last year from The Briarwood. And it STILL smells amazing.
The bottle of scented oil is the Sekhmet Anointing Oil that was created and blessed at the Sekhmet Temple in Nevada. I seriously want to go back there soon.
All sorts of garnet necklaces, from single strands that are wrapped around the base of each statue, to two woven collar-like necklaces.
Incense is “Kyphi” incense I picked up at the Hearth Wisdom store a while back. Kyphi is an ancient Egyptian incense. But this is not my typical caliber of incense, so it didn’t have the aroma throw that I’m used to. But at least, the incense only cost me a dollar. ::chuckles:: Well, you get what you pay for. So I’ll stick with the more expensive, higher-quality incense.

I elected to wear my red and gold flame robe. I just love it. And I wore one of the garnet collar necklaces as well, instead of my Little Sorceress crystal pendant I purchased from Luna Blue Boutique. I had that pendant on my altar, to soak up the ritual energy all the same.

And damn, I felt POWERFUL. I anointed my forehead with the Sekhmet oil as well, and reaffirmed my dedication to my Path and to Sekhmet.


It was nice to just sit in Circle and talk to Sekhmet.

Post-ritual selfie:



After that, I closed the Circle. I left the red tealights and incense burning, as my offerings to Her. All in all, a truly lovely ritual.

Thankful Thursday #25

written: June 22nd

Photo for today:


A massive white crepe myrtle in the neighborhood that the owners have all sorts of Marti Gras beads in it as well. I really like their style. ::chuckles::

I am thankful…
1. FINALLY catching up on my daily posts and photos. I’ve let go of the expectations I had put on myself and just go with what I feel like writing. I’m not setting out to write anything earth-shattering here. I’m just writing because I enjoy it.
2. My MoonTime is winding down. Man, that first 24 to 30 hours are hell – crazy cramps and bloating…but after that, it all just mellows out. Just have to make it through those first 30 hours or so.
3. Making it more of a point to take walks with Josey in the evenings. I really am enjoying and she definitely benefits from it.
4. Josey cuddling up with me in my room this afternoon and we napped for an hour and a half. She normally isn’t allowed to sleep on my bed, but it made for a pleasant nap.
5. Holly’s crepe myrtle is finally blooming. I’ll need to get photos of that soon. It’s beautiful. Love the brilliant red of the blossoms.
6. All the gorgeous flowers blooming in my neighborhood. I get to enjoy the hard work other people put into growing these flowers, without having to put in the effort myself.
7. That I have tomorrow off. I ADORE the three day weekends. It’s one of the major benefits of the Summer Tech job.
8. Working on Mandalas once again. I’m working hard to release any expectations or criticism. It’s more about the ACT of creating rather than the final product. I’m creating for the sake of creating. I’ve done two. Just 198 more to go! ::chuckles::
9. Air conditioning. Already we have had a week of 103+ degree weather so a/c is a gift from heaven, seeing as how summer is just beginning to gear up.
10. The plants that I do have are doing so well – Holly’s crepe myrtle, the rosebush, and the basil plant. I like caring for them. ::smiles::

Blessed Litha

written: June 21st

Photo for the day:



I seriously love the wide array of flowers that are blooming in my neighborhood.

Blessed Litha, Summer Solstice. Everyone says it’s the “first day of summer”. Um, no. Especially not here in Texas. We’ve already had multiple days of 102+ degree weather. ::chuckles:: Litha is MID-summer. Summer is in full swing. The cicadas are deafening.

I’m electing to hold off my celebration of Litha until Friday. I’ll have the whole house and the whole day all to myself. ::chuckles:: It’ll give me time to finalize what all I want to do and get that ball rolling. And to be honest, I’ve kind of been hanging out in limbo waiting to hear from Hazel. I don’t know why I was waiting. It’s not like it would replace my own celebration. ::shrugs:: I’m just one of those who likes to have a game plan especially when it comes to interacting with other people. ::chuckles::

Hazel and her family are headed to the coast today, so she’ll be out of town through the weekend. So Litha and the New Moon are all mine. So Friday will be my Summer Solstice and then Saturday is the New Moon.

I need to finalize my plans for the railroad spikes protection spell. And then I need to figure out what I will do for each evening to strengthen that protection. I can also figure out where exactly each spike will be placed in the four corners of our property.

I am really wanting sunflowers for my Litha altar. Hopefully I can find some that look nice and aren’t too expensive. And I was thinking of cooking some fried honey cakes – I used to make those all the time for ritual with my first and second covens. But I haven’t really made it since. At the same time, I also kind of want madeleines. ::chuckles:: I would love to learn to make them at some point, but for now, the ones I get at the store are pretty damn tasty.

Creativity

written: June 20

Photo for the day:



Pretty little blossoms of some sort that I saw on our walk. Thankfully, the weather was kinder today…just low 90s instead of the 105. But all the same, Josey and I were both quite happy to return home to the a/c. ::chuckles::

I am rather pleased by the expressed interest my various buddies have in receiving one of Leviathan’s 11th hatch-day cards. I worried at times that people may not want these cards, but are far too polite to say so. So this has been a very pleasant surprise. I’m currently up to 24 individuals. I need to remember to ask if anyone in my witches’ online group would like one as well. I have asked on FaceBook and on my blog. Luckily Shutterfly has a 50% off coupon good through today. I will probably order 30 to 35 just to be safe (as I need a few for Leviathan’s baby book and various art journals). And if I need to, I can order a few more later on.

I have so many things I want to do – mostly creative things. But I don’t make the time. I’d love to do some more pages in Leviathan’s scrapbook/baby book. I’d love to do more art journaling. I’d love to do some more pages in my Working Grimoire. I’d love to do more photography. Hell, I’d love to be a LOT thinner and be more in shape. But I plant my butt in front of the computer and hours disappear. I honestly need to limit that and put more time and effort into my creative pursuits. There is NO reason I shouldn’t be creating at least THREE creative pages a week. And I’m not even talking three FINISHED pages – note-taking, sketching, painting, some photography, all of that counts. If I’m ever going to get better on this stuff, I have to practice it.

Slow Bloomer

written:  June 19th

Photo for the day:



Hurray! Our crape myrtle is gearing up to bloom. I cannot wait for those rocket red blossoms. Just gorgeous, especially against that natural, deep dark green, almost black foliage. David picked out a very good crape myrtle for Holly’s memory.

This little crape myrtle has been a slow bloomer this year. She was late leafing out…to the point that my husband was worried it didn’t survive the winter. And now, all the other crape myrtles are fully blooming right now…their branches bending under the weight of such blossoms. And ours is just beginning to show signs that she’ll bloom.

And of course, the day I’m wanting no one to pay attention to me, for everyone to just leave me alone….a new guy at work made it a point to come over and say hello to me. ::laughs:: He then hastily said hello to one of the guys I work with, trying to make it look like he didn’t go wayyyy out of his way to say hello to just me. ::chuckles and shakes her head::

Ribs

written: June 18th

Photo of the day:



Mmmmmm, what is left of some damn delicious ribs from Texas Roadhouse. You know, I really am not that much of a meat eater, and am crazy picky on the meat I will eat. But holy hell, I will order ribs every time from Texas Roadhouse. Gimme their rolls, their cinnamon butter, and all the ribs I can eat and I will be one plumb, stuffed SheWolf. ::chuckles::

Saturday Ramblings

written: June 17th

Photo for today:



Yeah, so I did the thing! ::chuckles:: I think this is the first Mandala I’ve drawn since (scampers off to check the last Mandala sketchbook) January 23, 2013. Holy cow. It’s definitely been more than a minute since I’ve drawn a Mandala then. I just didn’t realize it had been THAT long. Wow. And to think, there for a good while, I was drawing a Mandala a DAY. I don’t think I’ll get back to the daily Mandala drawing, but I do want draw more of these.

My Feather Peddler from Germany has popped back up. He spends most of the year in Malaysia and thus is out of contact during that time. But whenever he returns to Germany, he always sends me a nice email inquiring if I’m wanting any feathers. ::laughs:: Like I will ever say no! The hard part is narrowing down which feathers I’m interested in. ::chuckles:: Honestly, I should make a list of birds I want and rank them in order. Then I would have a working list to pull from. And I definitely need to note which ones I’m not interested in, or have inquired about, but didn’t care for the feathers. Saves me from repeating myself. ::chuckles::

I am still plugging away at getting my 10 Year Journal updated. I’ve been keeping notes in the free planner the local teachers’ union gives to all the local schools. It certainly makes it a LOT easier to keep up with something for each day, and I am not worried about scratching things out in the planner. I’d rather make my goof-ups in the planner than in the 10 Year Journal. Thus far, I’m completely up-to-date in the planner, but have only gone through April transferring it over to the Journal. I’m in my 2nd year of doing this, and it’s kind of cool to see the little snippets of life from the previous year.

Witchery Things

written: June 16th

Photo for today:



I do believe this is a baby basil plant. We had a huge basil plant last year in this particular pot (it’s part of an abundance spell my Husband does, with great success). We haven’t gotten around to doing the spell for this year, but when I went out to water the crape myrtle, I noticed this little guy in the pot. So I’m watering him as well, just in case he is a basil. ::smiles::

I had forgotten that the incense I purchase from Harvest Moon Haven needs to finish drying to ensure it actually burns fully. She puts so much oil in them, that it takes more than a minute to dry fully. I’m attempting to finish off the incense stick I had for my Esbat ritual (Queen of the Night…I thought it was the perfect selection for a Full Moon ritual). It burns in spurts and then will stop. Just means I get to enjoy it longer. But now I have the Dragon’s Blood Incense fanned out in a coffee mug to let it finish curing, and man, the aroma it gives off, even though it isn’t lit, is just awesome. My entire room smells of Dragon’s Blood and it’s one of my favorite incenses out there.

Heat Advisories are in place for today and tomorrow. The heat index is supposed to be up around 105 degrees or higher. So needless to say, Josey and I did not go for a walk today. Heat stroke isn’t any fun, and I’m sure the sidewalks are very hot for her paws. Besides, she’s a white dog, with very short fur, so sunburn is a very real possibility for her as well. ::shakes her head:: Yay for summers in Texas.

One of the local Pagan shops has updated its class/ritual meetings. I need to get in contact with Hazel and see if she’d be interested in attending any of them. There’s a “fast luck oil” class that I’m interested in…though it’s $20 for the class. But at the end, not only do I learn how to make it, but will have actually made some, so the $20 really is mostly to cover supply costs. The write up they did for the class states: “This oil is for attracting money, better business, good luck, love, and the better things of life, and to remove negativity and clear away obstacles.” I mean, who couldn’t use an oil like that in their lives? ::chuckles::

I also need to talk with Hazel and see what we are doing for Litha as well. I will be making a sun catcher again (I made one a few years ago and still have plenty of supplies). Litha is also the Sabbat that I generally clean, cleanse, and rededicate my Sekhmet statues/icons. Litha is all about celebrating the zenith power of the Sun, which is perfect for Sekhmet (a solar goddess). And now that I have some awesome Sekhmet anointing oil (created and blessed at the Sekhmet Temple in Nevada, none-the-less), I will certainly put that to good use during that ritual as well.

And THEN, the New Moon comes up. I plan to clean, cleanse, and consecrate the four iron railroad spikes that I will be using in my house warding spell/ritual. I’m actually going to do that every day between the New Moon up to the Full Moon, to really get the magick in there. Then the day after the Full Moon, I’ll put the spikes in their designated places. We’ll see if I can do that without arousing too much suspicion from the neighbors. ::chuckles::

I won’t be sharing my modifications to the Iron Spike Protection spell, but you can look at the original spell that WildeWildeWoman shared here. It’s a good basis for a standard home/property protection spell. I just always modify things to make it more ME. And the more you connect with the magick you are creating, the more powerful it will be.

Thankful Thursday #24

written: June 15th

Photo for the day:



I know. I know. I know. I need another journal like a need a hole in the head. ::laughs:: But I picked up one yesterday at Target. ::chuckles::

I am thankful for…
1. Feeling better today than I was yesterday.
2. We began the first (of many, I’m sure) do-overs on the iPads. Which is 100% fine by me. I have to open up all the iPads we’ve already done and update them. This is FAR kinder on my hands than putting them into the damn cases. And quicker as well.
3. Great ritual with Hazel. It’s been about a year since we’ve done ritual together, and damn we came back stronger.
4. My own solo Full Moon ritual went very well.
5. Damn nice paycheck today (last full paycheck from the after school program and its amazing pay rate). ::smiles::
6. That Evan (the other Tech Temp like me) wasn’t at work today. He works so insanely slow that it just drives me up the fucking wall. And of course, he sits in my direct line of sight, so I SEE how slow he is work and how much he is on his fucking phone, and I’m literally seeing red my entire shift. ::chuckles:: I’m trying to coach myself to “keep my eyes on my own paper”, but it just sucks that he’s doing a fraction of the work that I’m doing, but is getting paid the same as me. Though, I am working more hours because he doesn’t roll in until 9:30 am or so……
7. Rediscovering my love for the Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Kind bars….AND figuring out that I can order them sooooo cheap on Amazon. I have two boxes headed my way.
8. Working a/c. The Texas heat is definitely announcing that summer is here and I’m very grateful for a well working a/c to keep that heat tolerable in my home.
9. Tying in with that, I’m also grateful for warm blankets to snuggle down in each evening.
10. Rewatching the Penny Dreadful series. Sometimes you just need some good, dark, supernatural drama.

Shitty-ish Wednesday

written: June 14th

Photos for today (yes TWO photos. Aren’t you lucky?!):





Gorgeous flowers along our walk this evening, just Josey and I.

Damn, I got slammed with a migraine from hell today. I haven’t been laid out like that in a long time. I guess I should start keeping track of that, as they do seem to be gaining in frequency. I’m only getting 4 or 5 a year, which is nothing compared to the once a week ones I was getting my freshman/sophomore years of college. Thanks Pill. Those were so fucking awesome. ::sarcasm galore there::

This migraine eased up around 3: 30 pm (it began in the early morning hours of 2 am). Once I was able to look at a computer screen without it sending daggers into my brain, I was able to post about it. And then came the flood of “helpful suggestions”. I know people mean well. And people who have endured and survived migraines really will try just about ANYTHING to keep the migraines away or to at least lessen the damaging pain it brings. I’ve been dealing with migraines since 2001…trust me, I’ve tried just about everything. For mine, I just need a dim, cold, quiet room with a fuzzy blanket and some orange flavored Gatoraid. Other than that, I just need time. Now I just have to wait out the damn “brain bruise” that comes after a nasty migraine. My brain literally feels bruised. It aches and there is nothing to do for that either. ::sighs:: Just time. But at least I can go to work tomorrow. Apparently I emailed my HEAD boss at the Tech Job and made a very pointed email letting him know I wouldn’t be in today. I’m just glad it made sense and wasn’t rude and didn’t use any cuss words, as I totally do not recall writing that particular email. ::chuckles::

In other news, my iron spikes arrived today. Woohoo! I can only imagine what the mailman thinks of me, with my random packages. Especially this one being so damn heavy. Seriously HEAVY. I hadn’t thought about the weight of what FOUR of these massive railroad spikes would be. ::chuckles:: Now I just need to spend some time cleaning, cleansing, and figuring out exactly how I want this warding spell to go down. I’m excited about the possibilities. I’m thinking of dedicating each spike to a particular direction (North, East, South, and West) and writing specific qualities tied to those directions. Qualities that would be good for the home and the family. And once all of that is done, and the spell is cast, I’ll drive those stakes into the four corners of each our property. The two spikes that go in the front yard are the ones that will be tricky. But what’s a bit of witchery without some risk of having the neighbors scratching their heads? ::chuckles::

Stamps & Dogs

written: June 13th

Photo of the day:



Postcrossing posted this article about the Holocaust Stamp Project. So these are the 62 stamps I’m sending to them for their project. And if any of you have used stamps, please consider mailing them to this school for their project.

I am so OVER people letting their damn dogs running loose. And I worry that if a loose dog runs up on us and Josey attacks/kills that dog, that now Josey could possibly be labeled an “aggressive/dangerous” dog. I will need to talk to animal control officers at some point to doubt check. I will destroy the people who through their negligence may get my dog in massive trouble.

So I was able to lodge an on-line complaint with animal control about the German Shepard that can let himself out and back in his own yard. So nice that his owners let him hang out outside, unsupervised, and have that amazing gate the dog has figured out how to use brilliantly. Honestly, I’m rather glad Josey isn’t that brilliant or motivated. But maybe that’s because we are always outside, supervising her and thus she hasn’t had the motivation to figure out new trouble to get herself into. ::chuckles:: Which just reminds me to always have her under close eye while we are outside, be in our yard or on a walk.

Banished

written: June 12th


Photo for the day:



I was TRYING to get a photo of the way Josey rests her chin on my chair arm rest. It makes her under bite so much more dramatic. ::laughs:: But at the last moment she decided to jump up to greet me. So this is my artistic rendition of “Josey in Motion”.

I forgot to also say that yesterday, while the Husband was at work, I went to TOWN cleansing this house. Seems I’ve had a spook running amuck in my house…making physical contact even. And then I dreamt of her, doing the same things in my dream. But in my dream, she made the mistake of telling me her name in the dream. And names have power. Even the Catholic priests know this and when performing an exorcism, one the critical points is to learn the demon’s name. By knowing the demon’s name, the priest is then able to drive it out. The same with spooks, Fae, and spirits.

So armed with that knowledge, I smudged the house down with Sage first. It drives out the evil, the bane, the negative.

Then I smudged the house down with Sweetgrass. It calls in the good, the positive, the helpful.

Then I cut a sprig of holly for the thorn holly bushes in the front yard, and used that to spritz the war water over every window, every door, every vent, anything that could be visualized as an “entry” point into the house. I even had a nice little chant to go with it, that was used at each entry point. Basically stating over and over that I was sealing my house against unwanted and uninvited spirits. Only those directly invited by name may enter. I ended at the front door, calling loudly into the house, that all bane was banished, specifically <spirit’s name="">’s ass was banished the fuck out of my house and was never welcome again. Then I sealed that door with the war water as well.

Because I don’t care for the pungent smell of sage, and this sage bundle I have gets REALLY smoky, I then lit a stick of sandalwood incense, just to usher in some calm, peaceful energy.

And damn does my house feel AWESOME now.

Which, funny note. Sunday night, the spook was just gearing up for her crap again….to begin with she likes to rattle things in my closet ever so slightly and build up from there. Well, so Sunday night, she starts this shit up, and I hiss at her with all the hatred and malice I could muster (and believe me, I got that shit on tap!), that if she didn’t knock that shit off, instead of simply kicking her out of my house, I’d fucking trap her spirit in a damn bottle and sink in the bottom of the lake and THAT is where she could spend the rest of eternity. I didn’t have any issues that night. ::laughs:: I don’t know the first thing about trapping a spirit in a bottle – honestly, it doesn’t sound overly kind – but if she’d kept that shit up, I would figure out swiftly and promptly sink her little ass to the bottom of the ocean if needs be.

Solo Esbat

written June 11th

So I did my solo Full Moon (Esbat) ritual. I’m feeling really good, really pumped up with the double dose of magick on this sigil work I am doing.

I utilized the birthday candles that the same colored flame as the candle is. I mean, look at that flame:



Altar by candle light:



I used my drum that Brandy made. LOVE the tone, so much. It created such awesome energy.
Ritual Selfie:



Altar in the light:

Witchery

Photo for today:



My two goobers. This photo truly captures the personalities of my husband and my doggo. ::chuckles::

I had a wicked powerful dream last night that solidified my belief that the possible “tactile hallucinations” I’ve been having over the past month are not hallucinations but due to supernatural things. I even gained the name of the spirit harassing me. And there is power in knowing the name. Now I know who to specifically banish permanently from my home and my LIFE.

I purchased the four railroad spikes for the warding spell. It’s a spell that I came across from another witch that I plan to tweak to my own purposes. I need to write that one all out, plus my own personal spin I will put on it. Seems I’ve been on a spell writing streak. ::chuckles:: Speaking of which, I need to finish writing out my narrative of yesterday’s ritual with Hazel as well. I’m holding off on purchasing the gray notebook, seeing as how I may be purchasing fabric in the near future and I am REALLY trying hard to reign in my spending habits right now. Besides, I have plenty of half used journals (talking double digits here) that I could easily use for note taking and what not. And then later on, transfer that information over to my Grimoire or a special journal.

So tomorrow, my husband will be at work, so that day is a day dedicated to witchery. I need to smudge the house with sage and then sweetgrass. I will then seal the house with war water. And then I’ll need to do my solo Full Moon ritual and spellwork. Man, tomorrow is going to be a busy, busy day! ::smiles::

Esbat with Hazel

written: June 9th

Photo of the day:



The two ingredients required for a damn tasty fruit dip. I made it for tonight’s Full Moon ritual with Hazel. We figured out that different fruits bring out different flavors – like Strawberries bring out more of the cream cheese flavor and the Apples bring out more of the marshmallow fluff. Delicious. So this full moon is known as the Full Strawberry Moon – which is why I picked up the strawberries. I was originally thinking grapes. But damn, the strawberries were awesome.

I’ve touched based with a few friends with similar mental health issues. I was inquiring about “tactile hallucinations”. And it scared the crap out of me when I was typing “tactile hallucinations” and Google filled in “bipolar” all on its own. Always fun. Thankfully, I have a very good friend, who has been through all of this and could walk me through my fears and I can come up with game plan.
For now, I am going to eliminate the supernatural possibilities – i.e., Fae or Spirit mischief. I haven’t properly warded and sealed my home from such things. I’ve smudged down with Sage (to banish negativity) and with Sweetgrass (to call in the positive), but I haven’t sealed the house from spirit/fae intrusion. Honestly, I haven’t felt the need to. But damn, I do now. So on Sunday, while David is at work, I’m smudging down the house with Sage, the Sweetgrass, and then sealing the house with war water (deep protection and anti-Fae). I am also looking into getting some railroad spikes to ward the four corners of our property.

I headed over to Hazel’s house around 6 pm. Man I have missed that lady! We shot the shit for a while, tested out my fruit dip (it passed with FLYING colors) and then got down to business. It was nice to bring our two flavors/approaches to witchcraft together and blend them. It seemed where my practice is lacking, hers is strong…and vice versa. I need to work on meditation and grounding and centering for sure. And I was able to teach her the use of rattles to raise energy – granted they were her kid’s rattles, but damn, they go the job DONE. So now we’re looking into getting dedicated ritual rattles. And this is reminding me that I need to start practicing with my drums (the Horse hide one from Brandy, and the Elk hide one I made myself).

I had a vision/dream last night of Hazel and I in robes. Hers was this pale fawn brown and looked so incredibly soft. Mine was smoky gray. I’m thinking of contacting Jen K. (the lady that made my red flame ritual robe) and seeing what she would charge to make us each our own robe. I figure if we purchase the cloth ourselves, it will not only allow us to find the perfect fabric that calls to us, make it easier on Jen (so she doesn’t have to try to find the fabric we want), and will hopefully make the cost a bit easier on us both. I brought up the subject with Hazel and she was excited, as this morning, in her meditation with Bast, Bast told her she needed cloths set aside for ritual. I love it when stuff like this syncs up.

All in all, it was a great, powerful, magickal night. Exactly what we both needed. And we kicked it up a notch as well, and I could certainly feel the difference. Hopefully, next time, her child and husband won’t bust in, in the middle of ritual. That kind of popped the ritual bubble for us.

Thankful Thursday #23

written: June 8th

The photo for today:



I am thankful for…
1. Took Josey for a walk at 8 pm. It was a LOT cooler at that time and still light out, so I think that’s when we’ll be doing our daily walks from here on out…at least until it’s 100+ degrees even at 8 pm.
2. Because we were out walking at 8 pm, we got to see the nearly Full Moon rise. I love our little neighborhood.
3. Hashing out my thoughts on my sigil work with Hazel allowed me to crystallize my thought process on that spell. It was a BREEZE writing and incorporating as much symbolism as possible. I’ve written it all down (in note form – hello scribbles!). All that is left at this point is to cast it and start using it.
4. Full Moon ritual tomorrow with Hazel! I’m so excited. Last ritual we did before she went into full “hibernation” mode was right around this time LAST YEAR. So yeah, I’m ready to get my Witch on!
5. My hands don’t ache NEARLY as bad as they did on Tuesday. They still ache, but it’s tolerable now. Hopefully having the next three days off of work will give them a chance to rest and recoup.
6. Three day weekend! It’s one of the major perks of the Technology Job. ::chuckles::
7. That today they had a huge luncheon for the various departments that use the warehouse. So from 11 am until 1:15 pm….I was the ONLY person in the entire building. I could have gone to the luncheon if I wanted, but damn, the quiet was AMAZING. And I had to take care of Josey as well, which I would much rather do than go hang out with a bunch of people I don’t know.
8. A plethora of postcards, pen pals, journals, and fountain pens. I haven’t been very creative lately, but at least I have the supplies on hand for when the creativity DOES strike. ::chuckles::
9. That Ronnie (at the Tech Job – honestly she’s my favorite coworker there) really hounded me about going to the luncheon with her today. It definitely gave me the warm and fuzzies, and I was only able to stand my ground by reminding her that I have a pup depending on me to come home on my lunch break. ::chuckles::
10. Hit the $4k in savings mark this week! I have $250 in the Polar Bear Box, so I’m just $750 short of my $5k goal (by my birthday – November). I should be able to hit that mark and maybe even go a little bit beyond it in that time!

Dude Bros & Witches

Photo for today:



A little cicada shell (Texans tend to call these creatures “locusts”) on the house next to my outside chair. My outside chair is ugly as hell, but it is also as comfortable as it is ugly. And it’s surprising, because it doesn’t really even LOOK all that comfortable. I should get a photo of said Ugly-but-oh-so-comfortable Chair at some point. Sadly, I don’t get to enjoy it too much because the mosquitoes are HORRIBLE here. Even bathing in OFF doesn’t dissuade all of them to leave you alone. There are always four or five fucking Dude-Bro Mosquitoes that their pals manage persuade that they should go feed off that human reeking of OFF. Fucking Dude-Bro asshole Mosquitoes.

Hazel has popped back in, inquiring about getting together this Friday for Full Moon. I’m stupid excited. ::laughs:: I’m making a fruit dip (calm your horses, it’s just two damn ingredients mixed together that you then dip fruit into – but it’s fucking amazing and I’ve been wanting an excuse to make it, so there we go!) and bringing some of my Pagan chant CDs. She mentioned wanted to put more INTO our rituals, and I think chants would be an easy and effective way to begin. I’m really excited to share those with her and get our Magick Groove on!

I will probably still do my own solo ritual. Not sure when, but it’ll work itself out. ::chuckles:: Probably the day before or the day after…as that seems to be how I roll.

Now I have the keen desire to go pick up this awesome gray notebook I have seen at Staples. I’ve been eying it for a while, but just haven’t picked it up. But now I want it, to make it like a book of shadows for our lil group. Though, can you call it a “group” if it’s just two witches? ::shrugs:: Who knows, maybe we’ll find a few more to add in? And even if we don’t, we’re a pretty potent duo.

IcyHot & Lust Don't Mix

written: June 6th

Photo of the day:



One of TWO poor, abused, and almost broken hands. Holy hell, I had forgotten how BRUTAL working for the Technology Department is on the body. I cleaned, cased, and loaded up 140 individual iPads. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but my hands have never hurt this bad, ever. Even breaking my pinkie didn’t hurt this bad. I have been SLATHERING on the Deep Blue Rub by doTerra (think IcyHot, just less synthetic).

But the eye candy at work? So fucking worth it.

I’ve been wanting people to pay attention to me, to notice my purple rebel hair and comment on it. But I guess I wasn’t specific enough on that. Instead, I’ve just been getting a shit ton of attention. Which thrills me but also terrifies me, as I’m not one to enjoy being in the lime light. ::chuckles::

First off, there is a new Security guy. He definitely looks ex-military of some sort. Dark hair, close cropped, and ICE BLUE EYES. ::swoon:: Shit, that’s like my biggest lust button. Fit, dark hair, pale icy blue eyes? ::fans herself:: Woo. I LIVE for the times he walks by. ::laughs:: And he has to walk by me to head to the bathroom. Woohooo!!!! ::cackles::

Secondly, there is a mail delivery guy. Younger than me – I’d put him early 20s – dark, curly hair. Softer than the Security guy…less lean. Brown eyes and a ghost of facial hair. He reminds me of someone. I can’t place it. ::shrugs:: But he’s fun to make eye contact with. He’s less sure of himself than the Security guy, so I relish making him smile. Now, if I can just get the Security guy to smile…..no, that would probably be incredibly dangerous.

Fuck, I need to get LAID. ASAP. All this pent up sexual frustration, and I have Deep Blue on my hands! ::grumbles:: There will be no self-satisfaction tonight. ::grumbles some more:: And I’m too sore over all to even think of pouncing my husband. But I do need to do that soon.

Sleep Continues

written: June 5th

Photo of the day:



French fries with cheese has been my major craving for over a MONTH now. And now I have it! Arby’s Curly Fries (frozen, from Wal-Mart) and Velvetta cheese sauce on top (did you know they sell the cheese sauces now??). And it was everything I had hoped and dreamed for.

I didn’t go to work today – I know. Shitty employee that I am, missing the first day of work! But the nausea hadn’t let up, so there really wasn’t any reason to go in if I couldn’t work. So much sleep was had today.

But to work I must go tomorrow. I need to make that dough! ::laughs::

Yay! And More Sleep

written: June 4th

Photo of the day:



A note from Jasmine, our favorite barista. She put in the one pump of vanilla that I like, but refuse to pay full price for. ::chuckles::

We did lunch with Sam at Bacci’s. I’ve seriously missed Sam so much. And it seems she’s missed us as well. We really do need to make it a point to hang out with her more often.

But damn, my nausea flared up. It stayed at a low, but steady level for the entire day. David finished this last season of House of Cards. It just got absurd. It stretched on for-fucking-EVER and all the characters were some of the shadiest characters ever. So we have no love for any of them. Thankfully David watched the last two episodes while I dozed. Now we get to start Season 4 of The 100!

Care Package

Photo for today:



My mom sends the BEST care packages.
Feathers from her bird feeder and a bath that is supposed to help with allergies.

Today was another day of rain. I hope that doesn’t sound like bitching because it ain’t. I love the rain. I love the rain even more when I don’t have to be out in it. ::chuckles::

I mailed out the Pen Pal Journal today, along with two postcards.

We are doing lunch tomorrow with Sam! We haven’t seen her in ages. Sadly, David’s work place let her go awhile back. And once that happened, Sam kind of dropped off the face of the planet for a while. But I’m thrilled to be seeing her again. Besides, it’s lunch at Baccis as well, which is damn good pizza.

And on Monday, the summer tech job begins….bright and early at 7:30 am. I am SO not looking forward to that. ::chuckles:: But being done by 4:30 pm sounds really nice. And not working with students….or on Fridays sounds REALLY good. ::chuckles:: Fuck, having a year round job that I don’t have to swap around my schedule like this sounds even better!

Hibernation

written: June 2nd

Photo for today:



Tons and tons of rain today, so I am having to find ways to entertain Josey indoors. So yes, lots of boxes were destroyed over the course of the day. ::chuckles::

And holy slumber, Bat Man. I’ve taken two naps today, and combined with the sleep I got last night, I’ve slept over 12 hours today. I had so many things planned on accomplishing today, but instead, I slept so much. But damn, I feel WORLDS better. I desperately needed it.

I did at least finish up working in the Pen Pal journal and got it all packaged up and ready to mail out. Hopefully, I will get it mailed out tomorrow. I also need to get some postcards sent out for Postcrossing as well. A whole bunch arrived at their destinations over the past few days, but I just haven’t had the time to sit down and write a handful of postcards.

Yeah, that last week of school is just brutal. There’s all the awards and class parties and crap to deal with. And then we have OUR end of the year party for the staff and students. And then it’s the early release day (which means an EXTRA long, EXTRA insane day), which is when I have to gather up all the paperwork for the entire school year and get it sorted and what not to be dropped off at the afterschool main office once the last student leaves. Thankfully this year, the students left fairly early and I was completely done at 6:32 pm.

I was a bit disappointed that Gail didn’t say anything about my purple hair. ::chuckles:: But honestly, we seem to have finally found our groove and can be quite civil with each other now. Soooo I guess that means I need to stop looking for ways to poke her. ::chuckles:: It’s just really hard for me to let go of my first impressions, and my first impressions of her is of her threatening to fire me based on some lies that a KNOWN pot-stirred drummed up over me. I’m going to have a hard time letting that go. But baby steps, right? I can do this. ::deep breaths:: I have to at least for another year, possibly two.

Thankful Thursday #22

written: June 1st

Photo for today:



Me and Josey….after a long ass day.

I am thankful for….
1. Surviving the final day of the school year…..with Carli bitching out and not being there, and Ricky having to leave a good 4 hours before the end of the shift. But we survived and are done for the summer!
2. Jess – being a such a loyal and dependable aide. I am deeply grateful for all that she does for my campus.
3. Rocking the awesome purple hair. I wish I could dye all of my hair this purple. Even if parts of it are more pink than I initially wanted, but even that, I’m digging it right now.
4. Nice little gifts from some of the parents, thanking me for the year (or more) that I’ve taken care of their children. It’s always nice to be appreciated.
5. The truly touching card with personal notes from Chris and Lorena thanking me for taking care of both of their children (Jett is in middle school now, but I get Alex for another year!). They are some of my absolute favorites.
6. That I did some work/writing in the Pen Pal journal and once I mail it back this Saturday, I’m 100% done. I’m bowing out from future rounds. It was fun while it lasted, but I’m done now.
7. Rain in the forecast. I hope it’s a good show with plenty of thunder and lightning, but no actual damage.
8. That I don’t have to work tomorrow. The summer tech job begins on Monday instead.
9. I am halfway through my Master’s degree at this point, and am maintaining my overall GPA at a 3.5. While I do wish it was a 4.0, I am still pleased with it being as high as it currently is.
10. Vudu, which allows us to binge watch a ton of newly released movies from the comfort of our own home.

And two more selfies from today.



They really show off that fabulous purple!