Tarot Cards

 I ordered a traditional Rider-Waite Tarot deck a few days ago. I mainly got it for my Halloween Costume (A fortune teller)
But, it was so strange, when I got the package, I couldn't wait to open it. I went through the cards right then and there. It was awesome.

 Here's the cards spread over my computer, Death at the front, He's one of my favorite cards/characters.

Her's my most recent fortune, from about 5 minutes ago.
The 8 of swords : Moving on
The Ace of Wands: New energy
The two of Wands: Choices


I love my Tarot cards, I used to dismiss divination, but I really like it now that I have a tangible connection with modern Pagans.
I can't really explain how it feels, but it's nice.
I even read my roommates fortune, she was really cool about it.
~Blessed Be

College

I've been in Utah for about three weeks, now, and I just got through my first week of (real) college. My dorm is a lot nicer than I expected, but the loft bed is so high up, I can be laying down, and put my hands flat, on the ceiling.
My roommates are all Mormon, but they are all super nice and really cool.
Also, this first week, I had my very first date, ever. It was cool.
I've seen about three other pagan students on campus, but I've only talked to one. I kind of want to start a Pagan association or something; because there's Catholic and Mormon associations on campus, but very little for other religions.

I'm taking five classes, and I hope everything works out enough for me to get a GI bill in time for next semester.

Also, pro-tip for life: star crunch + Nutella = The Nectar of the GODS!!!

I've kind of told my roommates that I'm a pagan, and they are super cool with it, but I know that I'm going to have a hard time of practicing any ritual magick. So I think it will have to be mostly thought and 'will' magick.

 Here's a shot of my desk; super messy, I know. And it took me forever to get my Brave poster up behind the desk!

 See how close to the ceiling I am? My bright yellow sheets and my MLP:FIM poster that my brother and I colored together.

 My closet, filled with shoes and laundry.

Mini fridge for college snacks, it has a dry erase surface for notes.
Yummy College Treat: Take a spoon, get a little bit of peanut butter, and a little whipped cream, and top it all off with some chocolate syrup. Eat quickly, because the syrup will drip right off the spoon!

I'm moving to Utah!

So, I'm moving to Utah in a week. It'll be the second time I'm flying by myself, and I'm still super nervous (mostly because my dad watches a lot of shows like 24, and I keep thinking about terrorists taking over the plane! It's very unlikely, it's more likely that I'll miss my flight -knock on wood!)
Anyway, I'm sure the flight will be fine, obnoxiously inconvenient, but fine, overall.
It's really living in a dorm and being so far away from my family for the first time, ever, that freaks me out! I mean, I whine a lot about my family and being the only Pagan in my family, but I do love my family.
I'm going to be at least 2 hours from any family, and it's freaking me out!.

It's so strange not being able to just pop in to your grandma's house for dinner; I don't know how some people live so far from their families.

I'm just nervous I guess; but at least I can wear sweaters again. Hooray.

My biggest deal about moving into a dorm is I can't take my books. This is horrible, I love my books, they give me comfort! I've kind of decided to bring about 5 books, with me, and I'm having trouble choosing which Ouran High School Host club book to bring, if at all. It's killing me, it's like choosing your favorite kid (probably, I'm not sure because I don't have kids, but I assume it's similar?)

Ok...I guess I'm done whining.

Mutant Mosquito Bites?

Ok, the slightly red spot under my second knuckle is one mosquito bite, and the hideous blotchy thing on my leg is another mosquito bite.
Up until three days ago, our swamp cooler was broken, so we kept our door and windows open for a long time into the night; letting in cool air as well as bugs! Ack!
So, I've been eaten up by all of the mosquitoes, seriously, I was bit on my big toe, my pinkie knuckle, and my forefinger-tip! (I couldn't touch anything without extreme pain!)
Anyway, sometimes, I have regular looking bites, and other times they go all crazy and blood-blistery. I worry about mutant bug bites, and West Nile virus, but I'm sure its nothing; also I know that looking up stuff on Web M.D., will just make me super paranoid.

Just a random post, wondering if anyone else gets weird and blotchy after being bit by bugs?

Lammas Ritual (With Help from Mrs. B)

Ok, so this was the first time that I could actually celebrate a Sabbat...ever. My mom was going to be out, and I would be alone in the house for a few hours.
I looked a quick solitary ritual for Lammas, http://www.themodernpagan.net/?p=406

 I prepared a lot of the stuff last night and a few days before.
I have my Books of Shadows, a bowl of an apple cut in half, and a hamburger bun. Also a bottle of Bom Dia Coconut Splash Tropical Mango drink, which is strange at first, but it tastes better the more you drink it.
I have a bowl of water and a bowl of salt, two tall candles for the Goddess and God, and around the circle are four small tea lights.
Also I have a glow and the dark jelly fish thingy, a plaster gnome that I painted. A Wand from a tree from the yard of a house where I used to live. There is also a hag stone from La Jolla, and a volcanic crystal, as well as a Pentacle and a tree of life, I made a while ago. And several rocks and crystals.

My foods, salt, gnome, jelly fish, wand and God Candle.

 My Goddess candle, water, rocks/crystal, seeds, cauldron, and a book of shadows with a jingle bell bracelet used instead of a bell.

Shot of the front of my altar.

It's like 100 degrees, so I tried to do it quickly, I was dripping sweat by the time I was through and for about 1/2 and hour afterwards.
Also its kind of windy so my candles wouldn't stay lit.
So despite all of the difficulties, I feel that it went well.
I cast the circle, and asked the Gods to join me, I performed the ritual by Mrs. B.
I threw some seeds around as the grain threshing ritual.
I performed the two friendship spells I posted a week or two ago. And then I thanked the Gods, closed the circle and cleaned up.
I hope everything works out.
I plan on mediating in the moonlight tonight that comes through my bedroom window, in lee of performing an Esbat, as all of my family will be home.

Blessed be and Happy Lammas, y'all.

Witches Ladder

So, since I'm moving to a dorm room in about a week or two; and I wanted to have a Witches ladder.
I used some of the stuff from my Witches Ladder Kit (see this old post)  http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7858384001870050870#editor/target=post;postID=1079211172691258059
I braided silver (Goddess), gold (God) and green(The Earth) threads together.
 The colors of the feathers don't really have any sort of significance to the spell, specifically. But in general the colors could be attributes that I'd like to magnify in myself and my roommates.

 Here's a view of it completed, the feathers should go one way, then the other, but I've never really understood how knots work. (You know over/under left and right, which way it will go.)

I added a key at the end, to symbolize opening the doors to friendship and knowledge.

Wire wrapped bullet charm

So, I found a bullet when I was collecting shells for my casing wind chime. I figured that I would use it in the chime, but it didn't make a good noise because it wasn't hollow. So, I wrapped it in wire, and made it a protection charm to go next to my citrine crystal. (which wards me from depression.)
I've seen some really pretty charms of casings with small shards of crystal poking out.
http://www.etsy.com/search/handmade?q=bullet%20shell%20crystal&view_type=gallery&ship_to=ZZ&min=0&max=0
Those are really cool; and I wanted to make one, but I didn't have small enough crystals to use.)

Bullet shell casing wind chime

 So, I come from a "Wild West" republican family. And we love guns, and shooting things, and sometimes eating those things that we have shot. (Elk is a very salty meat, by the way)

Anyway, my dad, little brother and I go shooting down at an old quarry every now and then, and my dad re-loads the spent shell casings of the bullets-he says each shell can be used about 10 times.

So, we collect the spent casings of a certain calibre, and I noticed that the casings made a lovely tinkling noise. I decided to use the casings

 that my dad doesn't reload - 22 calibre.

The smallest ones are 22's and the bigger ones are made of steel, which my dad doesn't like to use either. So I collected a bunch, cleaned them up and used fishing line to tie them to a wooden dowel.

 It took me about two hours, and then about another 30 minutes after they decided to lose balance and slide off...making have to redo the whole right half. They got all tangled, so I had to cut off and retie 14 shells! Ugh!

 Up-close, but kind of blurry.

 Action shot! Outside! You can't really see the shell casings, but you can see a bit of my apple tree.

A slightly better view? (not really. I'm not a photographer.)

Finding friendship spell

Goal: To gain friends that are kind, loyal and true to me and themselves.
Tools: 1 white candle, 1-2 large bay leaves, 1 felt tip pen, 1 cauldron

On the leaves, write down what you want in your new friends, burn the leaf on the candle, let i burn down on your cauldron, say:

Goddesses and Gods hear my plea
Bring some faithful friends to me
Kind, true and loyal they'll be
As I ask it, so make it be.

Bury the ashes of the leaves, after you've finished your works.

A Spell for Harmonious Living (Roomate Spell)

So, I'm moving to Utah next month for college, and I keep worrying about how my room mates will be. So I've decided on a preemptive strike. I wrote this spell yesterday, and I plan on doing it next full moon.

Goal: To create harmonious living conditions with room/house mates.
Tools: 1 white candle, 1 quartz crystal to amplify energy (it's not necessary, but I like quartz), peppermint, clove and allspice (a pinch each burned in the cauldron or sprinkled round the circle), Draw on three small pieces of paper in brown or pink crayon or pencil; a hedgehog, an elk, and a snail.

Light the candle and have the drawings near by and say:

I call upon Concordia, to bring harmony between myself and the ones I live with.
I offer an elk (burn the drawing of the elk in the cauldron)
    So that we can observe each others energy and respond in kindness.
I offer a snail (burn drawing of snail)
    So that we can be patient with each other.
I offer a hedgehog (burn drawing of hedgehog)
    So that we can avoid any chaos that night come from anger, fear or misunderstandings.
Grant me this wish of harmony, so that we might live in peace together.
As I ask it, so mote it be.

(Finish your works, open the circle, then bury the ashes of the pictures outside.)

Letting go, and getting rid of

My family has moved to a new place every year or two since I was ten, so I've become an expert at cleaning a house well enough in order to get the deposit back. But, I have yet to learn how to get rid of things I don't need. Eventually, I have to have my mom or sister come into my room and get rid of a lot of things that I would rather keep.
Now, I'm not a hoarder, but it's gotten pretty close a few times. My biggest weakness is my books. I would rather go naked than not have my books! But, all of my books probably weigh a couple hundred pounds!
I also have several things with sentimental value, but no real purpose or use. For example, I have an awesome turtle shaped lamp that my grandma gave me...but I never use it, and it doesn't give off much light, and I'm sure my grandma couldn't care less if I got rid of it (she probably doesn't even remember giving it to me!)
I also have an eight piece music box collection, which is totally worthless to anyone but myself, and I don't even wind them up anymore.
My trouble lies in that I love my stuff. And I hate that I love my stuff. I don't like being attached to things that I probably bought at the dollar store!
Since I'm moving to Utah soon, I have to leave a lot of stuff with my family, which they will have to get rid of or keep when they move. Even worse, I have to leave my pagan stuff with my non-pagan family!
You see my predicament, I either have to get rid of my stuff, or risk exposure to my family.

I think I will have to ask my little brother to be my room cleaner when the time comes for them to move. My brother knows about me, so maybe he won't throw out the wrong things.
Or hopefully, I will learn to let go of THINGS, and just remember the memories and feelings that went with them.

...Sorry for venting, but I feel like I understand stuff better.
(or maybe I'll just keep my books and have my parents sell everything else.)

Blessed Be.

The White Tree of Gondor

 I made this wrist cuff in about 3 hours. I'm not very good at hand sewing, so it looks kind of ragged. I wanted to have a watch that will cover my future wrist tattoo, when I'm around my non-pagan family.

 I've recently watched all of the Lord of The Rings movies in one day! And I saw a cute embroidered hoop of the White Tree of Gondor.

 Buttons to hold it together.

  Watch face on top.

The tree on top of my wrist, with the watch on the bottom.
Tell me what you think. :P

Brave: a review

 

I just came back from seeing "Brave."
I don't know about you guys, but I loved it; and FINALLY a female lead in an animated picture! After all these years!

I love watching and reading movie reviews, so I watched a review by JesuOtaku on Thatguywiththeglasses.com.
I normally love JesuOtaku reviews for anime and manga, but I totally disagree with her Brave review. (She compared it to Brother Bear for goodness sake!? The only good thing about that movie was the two moose brothers.)

While I agree with her that the trailers where a bit misleading, I wasn't expecting a whole "Princess actually fighting the villain" film; the world isn't ready for a completely female awesome action film for kids.

I was upset upon learning that Pixar didn't expect Brave to rake in the cash like Cars and Finding Nemo. Before today, I've heard nothing but hype about this movie, and it delivered everything it promised!

The movie has quite a bit of "low brow" kind of humor, but it's hilarious and it works, considering the  characters are supposed to be the stereotypical Scottish warrior (don't get pissed at me, I'm from Celtic/Viking stock, and I know perfectly well how they acted :P); I was literally slapping my knees and laughing out loud! The humor does not disappoint, and the final scenes are so epic and heart rending, I cried! Tears were falling down my face! It's a lovely ending to a great film and everything works out just like you want it to.

It's a fun movie, with a good message about familial communication and connection.

Plus, one of the best soundtracks I've heard in a few years.
And even if you don't like the whole film, it's very pretty to look at and it has one of the best soundtracks I've heard in years.
5/5 gold stars from me.


*****Beware, here there be spoilers!!!!*****




The movie starts out as the tried and true, Princess doesn't want to get married (which I'll admit  has become a movie staple.)So, Princess Merida pretty much says "No." to all of her suitors (which isn't the least surprising), and this pisses off her mom, Queen Elinor. After a fight, Princess Merida runs away into the woods and gets a spell from an old witch, that turns her mother into a bear. In order to turn her mother back, they have to be able to forgive and understand each other.

Another Book Of Shadows

 I decided to do another BOS, mainly re-writing information from my first Book, into this one, because I have a lot of taped in pages; and I don't like how it looks.
I had an unused art journal, so I glued on a piece of paper that looked old, and I glued those little gem things on the page.
I painted little swirls of hot glue, I think it looks fancy. The strap holding it closed is a Velcro strap from a fleece blanket.



A close up. I titled this one, "To Know." One of the Four Powers of The Magus.
To Know: Audacity is no use, without the knowledge and will to see magick done. I glued on a little key, to symbolize the Unlocking of hidden knowledge.

Brave, polymer clay

 I am super hyped for the new Pixar film Brave. And, so I used my skills with clay to make this (in my opinion) AWESOME figurine of Princess Merida.

 A small quiver of arrows.

Her hair took the longest time to do.

A shot of her bow. Made of clay and threaded with silver string.

Witchcraft is my religion, not my phenotype

Read this first: http://heathenbydesign.blogspot.com/2010/12/flakes-faeries-and-dabblers.html

I love a good costume as much as the next girl, but Heathen By Design is right. There is a time and a place for Witchy/faerie/what are you? costumes, and if it's not Halloween, you should leave it at home.
People think witches are very much, the insane, green skinned, warty old woman. I am not going to satisfy the Christian idea of a witch. So I wear jeans and tee shirts, because even though I practice Witchcraft, it is not my phenotype.
Genetically, I am Homo Sapien sapien, pheno-typically, I am a white girl with brunette hair, and a strange set of eye-brows.
Being a witch does not mean you are so different. We are all the same.

Prayer/Chant Beads

 Hey, finally a post! I haven't made much these past few weeks and I'd like to try to make more as I get used to my new schedule.

Anyway, I made these prayer beads for three reasons.
1) I've always like prayer beads, and wanted some that weren't filled with energy from another religion.
2) The long bead kind of looks like a Goddess figure, and I haven't been able to use it for anything else.
3) I saw these, and I just wanted to make my own.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/67925690/bramblevine-witches-ladder-prayer-beads 

Oh, and I finally have a "real" pentacle, that I can wear everyday, and my parents won't freak. And I think it looks like a fun piece of jewelery, so no one would know.
I say "real" because I don't think it was specifically made as a pentacle, it just looks like one; but I really like it.
Also, I added the tigers eye and leaf thing because it was only a little gold bead before, and I thought that it looked ugly.

Thanks for looking, Blessed Be.

2012 and many mazes

Hey, I didn't do much of anything the last month of last year; unless you include trying not to cry because my older sister kept hurting my feelings. (golly, I'm a whiner :P)
Anyway, I spent Christmas with my family, so I couldn't do anything Wicca related, so I spent the month reading "Looking For Alaska" and "Paper Towns" and "The Fault in Our Stars" all three books by John Green of the youtube duo: The Vlogbrothers (see also, Nerdfighters.com) . (Read them, you will not regret it, also "An Abundance of Katherines" is really good - same author. But I don't reccomend Will Grayson Will Grayson)

Anyway, another thing I have been doing, while I wait for my pell grant to come in so I can buy my school books, is making graph paper mazes.

It's relaxing and fun and it makes me feel like I'm doing something educational for my brain-parts. It's actually a little harder than you think, because you have to keep from boxing yourself in, but you still try and make cool designs. The maze in the upper right hand corner was the hardest, as I could only make diagonal marks. It's fun, if you have a little time and some graph paper, I highly reccomend it as a quick brain challenge.