10.31.2009

Direction for the Celtic New Year

Samhain, or Halloween as most call it, has been considered for centuries one of the most magical nights of the year. A night of power, when the veil that separates our world from the otherworld, the realm of the dead and the home of Deities, is at its thinnest. A time in the year when the spiritual and material worlds touched for a moment, and a greater potential exists for magical creation and divination.

In light of this and because it is also regarded as the Celtic new year, I pulled out my deck of Herbal Tarot cards. I infused them with energy, asking for direction in the year to follow. I was drawn to a card that is just perfect:

Two of Pentacles- Letting go internally of things no longer needed allows for the rebuilding of genuine strength.

Letting go can definitely be difficult at times. There are some things I need to let go of. I plan to keep this card in mind this coming year.

2.19.2009

Awesome inspiring video

There are times in my life that I go through down times. Times where I question if I am really doing what I should be in my short little life. Times where I feel like nothing I do really matters. Times where I question my priorities. Mid-January to mid-March seem to usually be the worst. It has been extra hard for me this year with my design work. I have been this >< close many times in the last month to leaving it all behind. I have worked hard the last 4 years building it up and it has felt like I have hit a wall, like there's no where else to go, like I just keep doing the same things over and over. To really be honest though, it hasn't just been my design work that has caused all this... weirdness. I have so many questions whirling around in my mind. Where do I go from here? What do I take as truth? Am I spending my time wisely? What should I do with Sunshine for school next year? And on and on.

Well I was directed to this video today and it is quite inspiring. Zack Arias is a photographer so the movie is in that context but it is so applicable to any profession or really anything in life. "Just be patient, keep on going. Transformation takes time and from what I've seen in my life it really is worth the wait."

1.28.2009

Project 365- week 4

Jan 22: J tiling on our shower floor. He is so talented and handy!

Jan 23: Colored pencils! I love art supplies!

Jan 24: Every Saturday we have cooked rice and quinoa with butter and brewer's yeast on it for breakfast. Yummy!

Jan 25: This is our wood stove. It keep us all toasty and warm in the winter. J actually made it from scratch too. See what I mean about being talented and handy!

Jan 26: My adorable cuties having a tea party with all their animals and babies.

Jan 27: Sunshine was very proud of the animal she cut out. She didn't follow any lines- it was free form cutting!

Jan 28: Some of my beautiful gemstone beads. They are so fun to work with!

Elephants!

I ran across this video. It is so heartwarming. At the end it says "Look America. Look world. If they can do it, what's our excuse?" I think we can learn so much from animals!



Everywhere I look lately I have been seeing elephants. I just love love love them- they're adorable! I'm thinking maybe that is my power animal or animal totem. The descriptions I have read seems to fit. Here is one description:

"Throughout history elephants have been prized for their power and strength. They are extremely intelligence and honored by many cultures. Elephants are the largest land animals and among the longest lived, with life spans of 60 years or more. According to Buddhist tradition, the Buddha chose the form of a white elephant as one of his many incarnations and the rare appearance of a white elephant is still heralded as a manifestation of the gods. The Hindu god Ganesh, the remover of obstacles, is depicted with the head of an elephant.

Despite their great weight elephants walk almost noiselessly. Their stride is exceptionally graceful and rhythmic. Their hearing, smell, taste and touch is acute. This compensates for their poor eyesight. Their eyes are small in relation to the enormous head, which can only turn slightly from side to side. This limited movement results in restricted side vision. Those with this medicine feel things deeply and respond to those feelings from a place of inner knowing. Because their peripheral vision is limited they have a tendency to look straight ahead and not always see what is around them. Learning to shift ones focus to encompass the whole is helpful.

Loyal and affectionate elephants are willing to risk their life for the sake of others in a family group. Wild elephants have been known to grieve and even shed tears over the death of a family member. They have excellent memories and when mistreated they often seek revenge.

Elephants have a total of four teeth, all molars. The first pair of molars is located toward the front of the mouth. When they wear down, they drop out and the two molars in the back shift forward. Two new molars emerge in the back of the mouth to replace those that have moved forward. Elephants replace back molars six times throughout their life. When the last set wear out, they are unable to chew and die of starvation. Teeth have great symbolism. They are considered receivers and transmitters of energy linked by connecting paths throughout the astral body. Because the elephant is highly intelligent those with this totem make excellent researchers and alternative scientists. The complex study of numbers, energy meridians and the tie in between the physical brain, the teeth locations, and the major and minor head chakras is fascinating as well as beneficial.

Elephant tusks point backwards and are used as weapons and for digging edible roots. From a spiritual point of view this suggests an ability to uncover the secrets left behind you and bring them to the consciousness for evaluation and healing.

This beautiful creature hold the teachings of compassion, loyalty, strength, intelligence, discernment and power to name a few. If this is your medicine these virtues are a part of your natural character. By applying these gifts in your life soul evolution is achieved."

Do you see an animal come up often in your day to day life? Maybe it is your power animal or animal totem. Check out this site for great descriptions!

1.21.2009

Project 365- week 3

Jan 15: I *heart* Amazon MP3 center!

Jan 16: I buy these yummy little gold fish "for the girls" but they are mostly for me! lol

Jan 17: My cuties playing with their over abundance of Little People.
Jan 18: J and I went to see a movie today. We saw Gran Torino- it was good but sad too- not fully what I was expecting.

Jan 19: I came down with a bad cold- worse than I have had in a long time!
Jan 20: J is making some granola!
Jan 21: My silly girls! When the heater comes on, they run to get a "paper ball" and watch it fly up in the air.

1.14.2009

Project 365- week 2

Yay! I've kept going through week 2! lol Its fun trying to figure out what to capture each day! Here they are:

Jan8: Home from the grocery store. Love my re-usable bags! Thankfully the girls like helping put stuff away!

Jan9: The girls playing with their new life-like baby dolls.

Jan10: I made Lentil Stew for Saturday lunch with the family. Lentil Stew has always been a favorite- it was often sent for lunch anytime we went skiing...ah memories.

Jan11: I know this is a bad photo but I wanted one of the moon. It is the closest to the earth that the full moon will be for the year 2009.

Jan12: We had some Clover-mommy time today. Sunshine was spending the night at Gram's house.

Jan13: Homemade pizza! I used a no-yeast crust recipe and it turned out surprisingly well!

Jan14: These may look like ordinary clothes but they aren't. These are superhero clothes! Not sure how black long-underware and maroon fuzzy jackets started being called superhero clothes, but that's what they are!

1.08.2009

Thoughts and beliefs

The following is a bit of a continuation of the very first post on this blog. (I have been set free) I have that blog posted in another place. Some good friends were concerned about me and wanted some more info. Since it shows where I am right now, I wanted to post it here too. Here it is:


I truly appreciate the concern expressed for me! I really do. It shows that I am cared about and that is special to me. Although I feel concern doesn't need to be placed on me. :)

I, for once in my life, am finally on the right path for ME. Everyone has their own path. My path is not right for you, your path is not right for me. I am finally at complete peace with where I am in my life. My marriage is much happier, things in other areas of my life are smoother, and everything is just finally... right!

I strongly feel that I will never go back to Christianity. I firmly believe that much of it (and some other religions) is here for one reason. And that is to control. Get a large portion of the human race to blindly accept what their church tells them and you have control over them. I do think there is a place for it, as there is a place for any religion. But I really do think we all would be at a much freer, more peaceful, love filled place if everyone dropped their boxed in religion. :) But if that is where you are most comfortable, so be it! :)

It is so important to challenge everything you read, everything you learn, everything you are told. Everything. Don't just compare it to your church, or even dare I say it, the Bible, to see if it is something you should keep as truth. Challenge it. Think on it. Hold it in the depths of your soul for a just a moment before you decide if it is something you should keep. Do this with everything.

I do believe that the Bible contains history and some very good things to live by. But same goes with many books out there. I saw a very interesting quote a while back. It is from the Essene Gospel of Peace, one of those books that didn't quite make it to the Bible for some strange reason. It is a quote from Jesus (which I believe was a MAN that did a great amount of good on Earth but is definitely not God.) Here's the quote: "After my departure there will arise the ignorant and the crafty, and many things will they ascribe unto me that I never spake, and many things which I did speak will they withhold, but the day will come when the fog shall be rolled away..." Interesting indeed!

There is one thing that I live by: The Ethics of Reciprocity or The Golden Rule. This site has different versions of this from many religions.

My favorites are:

*"...a state that is not pleasing or delightful to me, how could I inflict that upon another?" (Buddhism)

*"Respect for all life is the foundation." (Native American Spirituality)

*And my most fave- "An it harm no one, do what thou wilt" (i.e. do what ever you will, as long as it harms nobody, including yourself). (Wicca)

Love, respect, and tolerance for all. Ok, so I do squish the occasional spider so I haven't gone that far. ;) lol As for other beliefs, its is a work in process.

I can say that I do not believe there is a devil or hell. Evil energy in the world, yes. But not a being that goes around stirring things up and tempting people. So since I don't believe in hell, I know I won't be going there. :)

The nature of God/Goddess/gods/etc- I'm not completely sure on that yet... I have some ideas but this all is still quite new to me so I am still processing. I do know without a doubt there is something out there that leads us, cares for us, and protects us. I have experienced this first hand!

I strongly believe there are no coincidences. Things happen for a reason! I am constantly seeing little things everywhere that confirm for me that I am on the right path. The right path for me. :)

1.07.2009

Project 365- week 1

I have decided to do Project 365 this year-taking a photo a day. I think it will really be fun to look back on in the future. The plan is to take the photos each day and on Wednesdays, transfer from camera to computer, doing photo enhancement and upload here. Sometimes I am not real good with following through with things but I am going to try hard with this one! Here's my first week:

Jan1- Astrology... a great way to get to know yourself better. Which is something I will be focusing on this year.


Jan2- The girls love dressing up with their fairy wings and wand.


Jan3- Some snuggle time with daddy.


Jan4- Clover and J getting ready to go for a 4-wheeler ride.


Jan5- Manicure time, complete with multicolors and flower stickers!


Jan6- Play-Doh! What great messy fun!


Jan7- Learning how to play Hi Ho Cherry Oh!