Tarot Cards, Crystals and Stones

A few weeks ago Brian bought me a beautiful set of Tarot cards. Being somewhat intimidated by them, I chose to take an introductory class offered at a local New Age shop. The class was given by Mari Powers who has had over 30 years of experience with Tarot and Oracle cards. She was a wealth of information and went through the deck explaining the meanings of the cards.

The four Minor Arcana and the Major Arcana.

Major Arcana (Fool's Journey).

I must admit, I'm still a bit intimidated (only because there is so much to learn), but I'm sure as I use the cards and learn more about them that I'll begin to feel more at ease and find them to be a powerful tool.

Swords and Wands.

Chalices and Pentacles.

The other wonderful things Brian and I have started to collect are crystals and stones. Brian has always been fascinated with crystals and stones and already has a small collection of them. My collection is much more recent, and I'm really enjoying learning about them and what each crystal or stone represents and its powers.

The first step in handling a new crystal is to cleanse it. This can be done by soaking the crystal in a salt water bath (if the crystal is able to tolerate salt) made by immersing the crystal in spring water and adding one tablespoon of sea salt and letting it soak for about seven hours. You can also smudge a crystal with sage, sweetgrass or an incense such as Frankincense if the crystal will not tolerate a salt water bath. Karen Ryan has a really great page that explains the processes here.

Once the crystal is cleansed it's time to charge it in the sun, which is where mine are at now . . .

Crystal and Stone Charging.

Brian's newest acquisitions: Lapis Lazuli and Black Jasper.

Brian selected this citrine crystal out of a basket full of them. If you look closely you can see the Goddess inside of it. It's really quite amazing!

This crystal is Tourmaline Citrine Quartz. I saw it on ebay and it just spoke to me so I had to have it. It's gorgeous . . . I love how it's refined into a point, but the bottom is left unrefined. It kind of reminds me of a life journey, starting out all unrefined and new working towards refinement, wisdom and knowledge. I love this crystal.

I purchased this stone at a New Age shop and will use it on my altar.

Brian surprised me with this rose marble incense burner in the shape of a leaf. It will also be used on my altar.

I thought I would leave you today with a picture of my favorite girl 'Bijou'. I caught this picture in one of her rare quiet moments . . . usually she's a whirlwind of activity! I hope you're able to enjoy some of your own quiet moments . . .

Preparing for Mabon

As I was lying in my bed this morning trying to wake up, a trio of Canadian Geese flew past my window. And then looking further into the distance, flock after flock of sea gulls flew by, their feathers catching the morning sun. They looked like little diamonds in the sky. Beautiful . . . just beautiful. Don't you wish every day started out that way?

Anyway, it got me to thinking about making preparations for Mabon.

Mabon, also known as the Autumn Equinox, will be celebrated on September 23rd this year (also a full moon night). It is a celebration of the second harvest and preparations for winter are underway. Mabon is a time of reflection and of giving thanks for the abundance in our lives, whether it be for abundant crops or other blessings. It is also the time when there is an equal balance between light and dark.

Depending on your individual spiritual path, there are many different ways you can celebrate Mabon, but typically the focus is on either the second harvest aspect, or the balance between light and dark. While we celebrate the gifts of the harvest, we also acknowledge that the crops are turning brown and going dormant. The warmth of summer is behind us and the cold of winter lies ahead.

This is also the time to honor the Dark Mother, Demeter, and her daughter Persephone who are strongly connected to the time of the Autumn Equinox. When Hades abducted Persephone, it set in motion a chain of events that eventually led to the earth falling into darkness each winter. This is the time of the Dark Mother, the Crone aspect of the triple goddess. The goddess is bearing this time not a basket of flowers, but a sickle and scythe. She is prepared to reap what has been sown.

This being my first Mabon, I have such an abundance of choices to make in how to celebrate. I'll definitely be putting together an altar to honor Demeter and perform a Mabon ritual. Perhaps I'll make a nice pot roast dinner and celebrate with a nice glass of red wine. And if the day is nice, maybe I can convince Brian to go on a long walk with me through the Pheasant Branch Conservancy and take in the sights and smells of Autumn. Perhaps I can even find some Apple Cider to heat up and enjoy with a cinnamon stick after our walk . . .

Any way you celebrate Mabon, I hope you enjoy the day and reap the many blessings offered to you at this time of the year!

Charge of the Goddess

This is a beautiful version of 'Charge of the Goddess' by Doreen Valiente and read by Gaia Sun . . . enjoy! (You may want to turn the music off at the bottom of the page by clicking the double bars to the left).

Creating Altars

Recently I came across a book that opened my eyes to the power of creating an altar. So with the suggestions in the book I decided to give it a go and create two altars - one for career and one for abundance, which I'll talk about shortly. These altars are separate and different than the altars I have for my practice, and are geared towards a specific intention.

The altars in this book are based on the ancient science of Vastu Shastra which has been in use in India for more than seven thousand years. Robin Mastro took the complexities of Vastu Shastra and simplified them, extracting the most potent aspects of Vastu Shastra, enabling people like you and me to use it effectively in our homes.

So taking the principles I found in the book I created my first altar for abundance, which you saw in an earlier post in my kitchen garden window. Upon reading further into the book I found that the abundance altar should be in the north west section of our home, so I moved it into our living room which faces north. I found objects from around the house and purchased a few and set up my altar. I printed pictures of Lakshmi (the Goddess of Abundance) and Ganesha (the God that removes blockages) and set them up on the altar.

Once I was satisfied with the placement of the items on my altar, I checked my calendar to make sure there wasn't a void moon and proceeded with activating my altar which according to the book should be done on a Wednesday. It was a powerful moment and I know, like I know, like I know that that the universe will manifest abundance.

The second altar I created was for career and recognition. I created this altar to help me with my goal of writing a book. This altar is in my kitchen garden window which faces south. Once I was satisfied with the placement of my items, I again checked my calendar to make sure I wasn't in a void moon and activated my altar. This was done on a Tuesday. Now it's just a matter of letting the universe work it's magic.

Once you have created your altar it's important to spend at least a few minutes each day acknowledging it. This keeps the altar activated and working for you.

If you're interested in creating an altar or are just interested in Vastu Shastra, I highly recommend this book. Besides the wealth of information in it, it has pictures which are beautiful to look at. And one other note - have fun and enjoy the experience of creating your altar. It should be one that resonates with you . . .

Celebrating 20 Years!

It seems like only yesterday that Brian and I said "I do". Today is our 20th Wedding Anniversary and we're still together, still going strong, and more in love today than ever.

Brian is my best friend and soul mate. He loves and supports me no matter what . . . pre-menopausal hormones and all. He's supported my continuing education efforts, even so much as sitting outside for two hours so that I wouldn't have to walk the downtown streets alone. He irons his own shirts and makes dinner. And did I ever mention he makes the best chocolate chip cookies ever?!

Truth be told, I don't know what I would have done without him all these years. I know some people say that, but I REALLY mean it. He's kept my head screwed on tight and has brought be back down to earth when others would have let me fly off into never-never land. He's my rock, my shoulder to cry on, the only one who knows ALL my secrets, and he makes me laugh so hard that on occasion I've almost peed my pants.

So today I celebrate the man I married . . . and here's to the next twenty!

Heartfelt Thanks . . .

I want to extend a great BIG heartfelt thanks to Sharon over at Plumrose Lane. This dear lady designed the beautiful background and header for my Goddess blog and I couldn't be more elated! It's gorgeous and reflects my ideas so beautifully which of course inspires me to spend more time here!

Thank you so much, Sharon, you're a gem of a person and a talented artist!

Dispelling Misconceptions . . .

Knowledge is like the morning sun shining through a window and bringing in light where once there was darkness. Once you know something you will carry that knowledge with you throughout your life. Knowledge is something that money can't buy, but it gives you unlimited potential and empowers you.

I've been doing a lot of reading and studying since deciding to follow my new path, and as I've been making my way through books and the internet I'm finding that my mind and heart are connecting. Just last night as I was studying, I was thinking that maybe I'm spreading myself too thin. I'm a student in the Sisters of the Goddess Tree (Level 1), I'm writing a book, and I've enrolled in Reiki and EMF classes starting in January. Not to mention my roles as wife, caregiver to our three dogs and three parrots, housekeeper, gardener, grocery shopper, daughter, sister and friend. And then the thought hit me . . . I'm not spreading myself too thin - I'm EXPANDING! My heart and mind are expanding out into the universe and as my husband says, I've become a sponge.

So with knowledge comes a responsibility to share with others what one has learned or experienced. And so from time to time I'll share with you what I've learned and how I've experienced what I'm learning. Bear with me . . . it's going to be a bumpy ride at times!

One of the things I wanted to share with you are the differences between a pentacle and a pentagram because I've discovered that there is no need to fear such a basic and powerful symbol. Now, these symbols have been feared because of their association with Satanic worship, but if you know what you're looking at there is no need to fear it. And that's another thing knowledge does for you, it erases fear of the unknown.

In Paganism or Wicca, the five points on the pentacle/pentagram relate to the Spirit and the elements of the earth (northeast), the air (southeast), water (southwest) and fire (northwest).

When casting a circle (a sacred space for ritual or spell casting), one would call on these elements for protection against outsiders (negativity).

Now here is the difference between a Pagan/Wiccan pentacle or pentagram and a Satanic pentacle or pentagram. The Pagan/Wiccan symbol is pointed with one star up (Spirit). Although, in some traditions the symbol is inverted to identify a second or third degree priestess, Pagans and Wiccans alike are turning away from this tradition because of its negative connotations with Satanism.

This is the same symbol but inverted with two stars pointing up indicating that it is a Satanic pentacle or pentagram. It's unfortunate that they choose this symbol as their own as it causes confusion amongst the masses and causes Pagans and Wiccans to be cast in with this lot. Which, if you know Wicca, isn't the case at all as we don't believe in Satan who is a Christian demon.

Now the difference between a pentacle and a pentagram is open to debate. Some people believe they are the same while others believe that a pentacle is the five pointed star with a circle around it representing the Goddess and God. A pentagram is just the star itself as is often seen on Pagan/Wiccan jewelry.

I hope this has helped dispel some of the fear surrounding this sacred symbol. In any case, now you know . . .

Abundance

I've been slowly and carefully putting together an abundance altar for our home. Not only is it something magical, but it's also filled with power and grace. It sits in my kitchen garden window and as I was looking at it and appreciating its beauty, my attention was taken by all the activity going on outside the window.

I was awestruck at all the birds that were sitting on my bird feeders. There were Chickadees, Gold Finches, House Finches and Sparrows. Each little perch was filled with a bird happily eating the seeds that I offered there. And as I was watching this amazing dance of color and flight, a Hummingbird flew past the feeder and made his way around the Hummingbird feeder I have hanging close to the bird feeders. I love Hummingbirds, they're the magical and evasive fairies of the garden. I was in awe of the glorious activity going on before my eyes. And if all this wasn't enough, a female Cardinal flew in and joined in the reverie along with a couple of morning doves and a chubby cheeked chipmunk gathering seeds on the ground.

I am in a glorious state of GRATITUDE this morning for all of the ABUNDANCE that surrounds me. My heart is overflowing with it. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Magical Housekeeping

My friend Sharon suggested a new book to me entitled 'Magical Housekeeping'. It's a wonderful book and is full of great advice and offers up suggestions on clearing clutter, cleaning, and infusing your home with magic and Feng Shui principles.

I've been feeling a lot of negativity in our home for some time now and I believe it's time to clear it out. So between the New Moon (August 10th) and the next full moon (August 24th) I plan on performing a house blessing . . . that's if I can get the basement cleaned out this weekend! Wish me luck!

Shopping on State Street

It seems that my dear husband, in an effort to get out of cleaning the basement, decided that going to State Street last Saturday was the thing to do. Here where we live, there is a Farmer's Market every Saturday around the Capital building downtown. We like to go there to go up and down the street and check out all the little shops. I found a new one called 'Anthology' where they have an eclectic mix of scrapbooking and collage making supplies. They also provide workshops and for my 50th birthday I plan on getting the girls together for a soiree there.

It was a beautiful day and the most interesting people were out and about. Brian snapped some awesome pictures and I thought I'd share them with you . . .

How cute is this little guy? A little Chihuahua with sunglasses. He had the attitude to go with them!

I was entranced by this booth. The fellow there worked with metal and made the most amazing things. I couldn't get over this one piece with a glass globe at the base of it. It's called Orion's belt and it actually looks like a little universe inside. Brian bought it for me as an anniversary present and it now hangs in my altar room. It's on a motor so it turns adding an element of magic to the room.

The Capital building and boothes surrounding the square . . .

One of my favorite shops on State Street is called 'Mimosa'. It's a new age shop full of interesting and magical things. I spotted these muse dolls and absolutely fell in love with them. I didn't buy one though. I'm inspired to create my own muse!

We really enjoyed our afternoon and finished it off with a trip to the library. I found some awesome books and will be checking them out from the library closer to home. We had a great day and I'm already looking forward to our next outing to State Street leaving me wondering if we'll ever get that basement cleaned out . . .