Day One of the SITS contest!! Favorite Halloween Memory

My favorite Halloween memory is my last time I "trick or treated", which happens to have been my Senior year in high school! Me and a group of about 15 other seniors went around the rich neighborhood together. Responses to our childishness ranged from quizzical to hesitant to hilarity!

One of my friends was about 4' 11" and dressed up in a child's lion costume, complete with face paint. I was a girl scout (last minute costume). I was walking with my lion friend (and I am only about 2 inches taller than she) and at one of the houses a woman said, "It's so nice to see the older kids take the little ones out." It was quite hilarious, especially since she was older than some of our group.

Some of the houses were more like mansions and gave out king sized candy bars and cans of soda. One house offered us beer, but being the "smart kids" of our school, we tended to follow the laws and declined the tempting beer.

That Halloween still tops the charts as my favorite because it was the last Halloween of my school career, the last one with all of my friends in attendance. There is a picture of us that night that one of my friends posted on Facebook, but my computer is not currently recognizing cookies and I can't upload the picture to my blog :( sorry!

This entry has been inspired by an extreme giveaway being hosted by the SITS girls, where they are giving away a Canon camera, which is the expensive kind and would really be sublime to win. The next two days will be postings for this contest as well!

Check This One Out!!!

Mrs. B is hosting a wonderful giveaway today. I am in love with this goddess beaded necklace, which happens to come with a cute "Halloween" scarf from StarFire Creations. Please check this out, it is very nice!!

I am dying to post pictures but I fear that Blogger has made my computer obsolete, I may never post a picture again!! Ugh, I hate to even think about it.

And The Winner Is...

Sus from "Sips from the Fire Hydrant"!! Congrats Sus! I guess if you enter to win enough contests you will at least win something, I hope you fared well on your other entries! Please email me you address info so that I may send your runes out ASAP, maybe you can have them in time for Samhain for divination when the veils are at there thinnest.

Thank you to all who supported me during my first giveaway! It was a small crowd but I think that may be due to the sporadic nature of my writing, it is tough to have faithful readers when they can never tell when you will post.

I have been reading a great book as of late titled, "Practical Intuition" by Laura Day. It is a step by step guide on how to hone your intuitive perceptions. It is a wonderful book that basically states that everyone has intuition, some more thatn others, but everyone has the ability to notice these intuitions. She has many exercises in the book that help you notice this intuition. So far I have predicted my future for the next year, but I am only a quarter through the book, there is so much more to learn!

This post lacks pictures due to the lameness of either my computer or blogger not recognizing my cookie settings. Ugh, I hate having an outdated computer (6 yrs old). It is a wonderful thing that has never caught a virus or even had a hiccup! It is a mac, a computer my husband bought a few months before we met. I love it, but to buy a new mac will cost a fortune, we are thinking on just buying a cheap laptop that has up to date applications and operating system. Blah Blah Blah, computer lingo.

Samhain Blessings!

Iris's First Giveaway!!

Enter to win this humble set of handmade runes. The runes were made from dried fava beans and silver and gold paint. These runes were charged with their meanings as each one was made. The bag is also something that I made, not perfect but it is these runes' home! It is made from a cotton floral fabric on the outside and the inside is a soft flannel star fabric, which the runes seem to like sleeping on. These runes are special because they are my first, but I feel that someone other than me would benefit from them more, in this season of Divination.

How To Enter:

*Become a follower of this blog 
                     and
*Blog about this giveaway and paste the link of your post in your "comment"

Get an extra entry if you leave another comment about your favorite Past Post from this blog!
(See "Look into the Past" drop-down menu on left sidebar for older postings)

Please have your entry in by 11:59pm EST on Tuesday October 26th, 2010. 

A winner will be drawn on the following morning. 

I would like to thank all of my readers for making my first year blogging a good one!

The Outcome...

It seems that when I pay attention to the signs and feelings that come to me, things start to make sense again. Thank you for all of the helpful energy toward the giveaway, as I ended up winning it! How strange that the only giveaway I enter for this October was the one I won? To top off strange things, I also one a pendant last year that I wanted much in the same way that I want this one. That same feeling of expectation came with it, almost knowing that it would be mine.

I have been reading Judika Illes's Pure Magic, a wonderful book about spell casting. It has been a great refresher and basic course for me. I enjoy the way it covers many ways of creating magic and her theories on such matters as well. I had read something of her words that stuck with me and that was the sighting of Ravens being a good sign. I have been seeing Ravens everywhere I go, and not in a natural sense, they have been blocking the road and staring at me when I am alone in my car. What is this supposed to mean? I have even happened upon one in mid flight carrying food in its beak and one over a pile of carrion. Maybe I am just noticing them more than usual because I have been alerted of them? Kind of like when you get a new car and that seems to be the only other car on the road because you are tuned into it? What ever the case, I really feel that when I pay attention to possible signs that they are there and more full of meaning had I just stumbled upon them out of the blue.


I have collected the twigs for my besom, but I have not had the motivation to begin the task. Is this yet another sign or merely an effect of my severe laziness? I just feel that I can never gather the right materials for the job. I try to gather all from nature; my bristles are never pliable and I can never find a string-like substance and last year I used blue cotton yarn to bind the thing! This year I was going for a step up from last year's mass of broken twigs all over my bedroom floor (which the cats love to eat, so this doesn't help the crumbling factor). Does anyone have any sage wisdom on besom making? 

Trying to regularly write in a blog is a feat when you have young children and an attractive husband, as when the children are up, well they are a bit crazy and writing gets interrupted but when they are asleep my concentration is shortly fixed upong the screen, I would rather eat dessert and go to bed for more! As  I write this my nose is telling me that my efforts in baking beans might just pay off.

Thank you to Mrs. B for hosting the giveaways this October, and thank you also to Lytha Studios for being so generous as to give me a beautiful pendant!

Warm Blessings!

Giveaway at Mrs. B's

I finally found a giveaway that I really wanted, which is dangerous because it really puts pressure on getting this item, but I am really drawn to it. I am also excited that I found a new shop to browse for Pagan jewelry, which can be difficult to find unique pieces. As you may have read a few entries ago, I am always on the lookout for the perfect pentacle for me to wear in public. This is it! It is Goddess oriented and slightly hidden to the naive onlooker, but plain sight for fellow pagans. Go check it out if you like it, or if you want to partake in some other awesome giveaways all this month at Pagan Soccer Mom.  

More later on current happenings!

Minor Day's Updates

I felt like taking a nap all morning, but when I finally got the chance, I pre-prepared dinner for my husband, so it will be ready when I get home. I made lasagna with tofu instead of ricotta cheese, which adds some protein and takes away some of the fat. I still have cheese on top, but I make up for that by omitting the meat and adding in spinach, mushrooms, black olives, green peppers and secret broccoli. What is secret broccoli, you ask? It is broccoli all minced into bits by a food processor and mixed into a meal. My kids are not fond of the texture of broccoli, so this is how we still reap the benefits of such a nice vegetable. I am hoping the kids love this dinner and pick out only half of the vegetables (spinach probably).

There are so many little minor updates that I normally do not post, but all together it makes it feel as if I have one big thing to share. Estella talked to a girl at school yesterday, she said "I like purple and pink". Believe it or not, this is a wonderful accomplishment for my shy little observer (who talks non-stop at home). Sebastian is picking up words left and right, and turned 18 months today! We are paying bills again, and it feels so nice to have the money to do that! I bought 8 mew shirts, a peacoat and three scarves (tags on) at Goodwill for $15. We are enjoying apples that we picked last Sunday at the apple orchard. We are excited to have our first dinner at our new place with our extended family, we will be making a roasted and stuffed chicken with all of the trimmings.

After writing about all of the positives that my family has been receiving, it makes me feel more optimistic about the day. Thank you Goddess, for all of the blessings we have been given.

Following My Intuition

So much has happened in our lives as of late! We have uprooted ourselves and moved back the Maine. We were living with my in-laws for the summer (I don't recommend this) and now we are renting a nice old house in Camden, ME. So nice to have our own place again. I do miss having my coven, that is something that was the most difficult to give up, but I take the opportunities that the Goddess gives me, not knowing where they will truly lead me until I get there.

I have been trusting my intuition more these days. I am trying to get a feel for what it is like when I am right about something before it actually happens. I was on my way to a client's house and I was early. I "hoped" that there would be a nature preserve to park at that was nearby to his house, but not visible. Sure enough, not a minute down the wooded lane there was a preserve with a small parking area! The first thing that I noticed was my future besom, all of the bristles were lying in a heap beside my car and further down fro them was a nice thick and smooth handle. I felt that this was a gift for me, especially since I have been thinking that it was about time to replace my old besom, which had fallen apart earlier in the year. I obviously loaded my future besom into my car and proceeded with my day.

I have noticed an influx of "intuition" as I have started to pay attention and heed it more often. I think that I may have an unhoned psychic gift to share with others and aid me in my journey to succeed in life. I followed my intuition to Maine and immediately found jobs that we had so long been seeking. I just get a feeling sometimes about things, like I am suddenly seeing them from a different perspective. I don't get feelings like others do about things when I hold them, but I get a sight or feeling in my mind when I look at things, letting me know this thing is special and deserves another look.

Things are suddenly coming together in strange ways for my family. I know how to look for the signs that shows it as a blessing form the divine, like the overgrown bush of mint in our new yard, where as the old house mint died very early in the year. Mint is always where we live, that is just how it happens.

How do things make an impression on you? How does your intuition hit you?

When the Goddess Welcomes You...

This is a picture of the Avena Botanical Garden in Rockport, ME

It has been so long since I have posted! In the mean time we have been trying to sell our house and move to a new state. We are currently living in my in-laws house, all four of us in some dingy back room. It is not pretty. Needless to say, I have been quite preoccupied. Moving to a new state and leaving my witchy sisters has been a little difficult for my spiritual development. I have been comforted by finding little hints that other pagans are living amongst everyone else. There is an herbal apothecary in our town, where there is a large and beautiful herbal garden. There is a "farm stand" which specializes in selling alternative foods, that sells all manners of loose herbs and essential oils. At the farmers' market yesterday, a painter was selling her wares and among them were Samhain cards and triple goddess pictures. When I asked this woman about local witches she commented that their were many, but mostly solitary witches.

I take all of these things as signs that I am welcome here, that it is a good place to continue my spiritual awakening. I miss having my mentors to speak with, but maybe there is something special to be learned when relying on your own teachings and experiences. I feel more in tune to the energies of nature here, the goddess speaks to me everyday in small blessings. It is better than living in the city. I even live within walking distance to the coast.

After writing all of that, I realize how much happier I am here in Maine, so close to nature and my own roots. It really is what I want for my children, to grow up in the woods, near the coast, witnessing and respecting nature everyday. I still have a long way to go with my spiritual education and awakening, but that takes a lifetime anyway doesn't it? I hope that all who read this think about their lives and eliminate all things that make you unhappy, even if it means moving to a new state to be closer to family. Every moment in life is precious, don't waste any of it.

Pagan Proud

I have been very "pagan minded" lately. It has become more of a concentration of mine lately. I am still in the fruitless search for decent pagan music. I like Emerald Rose for who they are, but I can't like a million other bands with the same Celtic sound. Anything that could be good is dated (80s). I just want something of radio quality with a pagan tone. Not ritual music or Celtic. Not heavy metal either. Oh, and it has to be common enough to be at the library so I can listen for free. Tall order, huh? I have taken to researching bands on the radio already, with pagan members. Godsmack is a good example. I would have loved it when I was 16. but in my old age (nearly 26) I have moved away from heavy rock. I like the lyrics because it only alludes to pagan principles, not singing only of pagan issues and such. Do you know any more of these more popular bands?

Yesterday I saw a man, at the gym I work in, who had a pentacle tattoo. He was on his way out and I wanted to yell, "Nice tattoo! I am pagan too!" It just felt so wonderful to see "one of my kind" out in the open. Sheesh, it is not like I am a vampire or something, but you have to admit it can be difficult to spot a witch in normal situations, unless she wears her pentacle out in the open. The only other time I saw witches proud of who they are was in Salem, MA, where nearly everyone is Pagan. Although that town can be a bit of a circus, it does feel welcoming. Maybe this could be true of other groups, like gays and lesbians. Here is a personal story:

When I was in college I dated my first girl. I know, "Gasp, but you are married to a man!" Yes I am bisexual, it is pretty well known within my friends. But anyway, when I first decided to experience these yearnings I found myself easily falling into the rhythms of public affection and such. My girlfriend at the time was a little more aware, not that she minded, but she made me think about how others (straight people) may view us. I found a could care less, but now when I think about it I can imagine what a relief it may be to live somewhere more liberal like San Francisco. I was so excited to see one pagan man walk by me, he wasn't even cute. Hey, maybe his pentacle doesn't mean what I think it does. Maybe he got the tat when he was really drunk and it holds no meaning to him accept not to drink heavily again.

I am really feeling the pull of being openly Pagan. Not that I feel the urge to announce this form rafters or any such nonsense, but I have been searching for a perfect pentacle. I think I have found a design that I like, but I can't bring myself to buy something online. I am the estranged daughter of a jeweler, I have standards. I want something pure and unique. Sometimes I wish I was still in contact with my father, who was a master goldsmith, specializing in custom made jewelry. Although I probably wouldn't trust him enough to make me a Pagan necklace. Oh well. My birthday list is getting longer...




This one is my favorite so far.

How many of you wear a sign of paganism out in the open? Is it the same as wearing a cross? Why or why not?