.

"Harvesting" my moon flow.

2011-10-01T22:02:00.003-04:00

Hello again blogger peoples! I have been on a long hiatus and will probably get back in the swing of things now. I have just O.K.'d a few comment and there were a few that asked what I meant when I posted that I harvest my 'moon flow' ( menstrual flow ). I spoke of it in my sea sponge review. Now let me say this might all be TMI and if your really not interested then please just read something else I have posted. You have been warned, don't say I didn't give you a heads up :)
Ok here we go.....
I harvest my moon flow ( menstrual flow ). Which means I save my moon flow ( not every month but I do when I feel the need...like when I begin my flow on the full or new moon ). I save it in a jar with a touch of rubbing alcohol added to help preserve it and I store it in a cool dark place. I have used it for many things and it stores well. I add it to water which I feed to my plants when they are sick ( google this, the results are amazing!) , I use it as a ink when I write out certain spells, I use it in some spells where I think I need a little oomph and/or when I want myself more integrated into a spell. I know of some magick that uses 'love juice' and this is along those lines. For me my moon flow is nothing to be ashamed of and I see it just like the wheel of the year ( The circle of life, death and rebirth and all that witchy jazz ;) lol ). I am very spiritually connected to my time of the month. Maybe its the Native American part of myself that has caused me to embrace it like I do. I know there are also many other cultures through out time that have revered women during their moon time. A little research will surprise you...I could go on and on about it here but I wont bore you.
So that's it. Thats the easiest way I could put it.I have no problem answering any questions if anyone has them. Ask away...and hopefully I won't take so long answering them (blush) lol
BB

Celebrity Pagans/Wiccans

2011-04-13T20:03:00.004-04:00

Lately I have been thinking alot about celebrity Pagans. There are many celebrities in the spotlight who are open about their spirituality but I couldn't think of any off hand that were 'out of the broom closet'. There were some I suspected and some that I believed to be Pagan/Wiccan friendly. So I went and did a little searching. I am sad to say I didn't find much that would tell me one way or the other. Here is a list of some celebrities who's names popped up more than once:
~ Sully Erna from Godsmack ( from what I read is open about it) , Patrick Stewart, Fairuza Balk, Deborah Harry, Brigitte Nielsen, Cybil Sheppard, Stevie Nicks, Yoko Ono, Vanessa Carlton, Heather Graham, Olympia Dukakis, William Butler Yeats, Rachel Hunter, Goldie Hawn, Vigo Mortensen, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, Avril Lavigne, George Lucas, Alice Walker, Robin Tunney, Chrissie Hynde, Fred Durst, Virginia Woolf, Roseanne Barr,Somerset Maugham. I came across more names, some I knew some I didn't. I am wondering if any of these people actually identify themselves as one of the many forms of Paganism(well besides the 1st one). I wish there was someone in the limelight who acknowledged that they were on this path. I think it would be wonderful for children who grew up on this path, and for teens who are just exploring the path, to feel more comfortable around their peers and more comfortable within themselves knowing that they aren't alone. I know I feel alone at times and its hard for me as an adult. But thankfully Paganism and Wicca is becoming more familiar to people and the stigmas that once were common are starting to go away. I work with the general public and I proudly were my pentacle to work everyday. It's good sized and its in plain view. I have been asked if I am Jewish and if I were a Satanist. I have always answered it with a smile if not a chuckle. I am never offended by those questions because I see it as a opportunity to educate. I don't go into detail because I don't have the time but I always respond to the questions I get. I like the fact that those people can say that they have met someone who is on this path and that I wasn't scary, I don't ride a broom to work (although I would if I could) and that I'm just like everyone else... well in the general sense of the word :) I just wish there were celebrities who could also help demystify Paganism and Wicca and all the other paths out there. I wish it were more of a household word and less of a catch phrase. To be honest, even thought it's a huge deal to me, I wish it wasn't a big deal to the rest of the world...if that makes sense.

Ok well I have yet to find a spell that makes my dishes do themselves so I'm outta here. If you lovely people know of anyone that wasn't on the list or has anything to add please do so. I would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks :)

Who says Zen can't be funny?

2011-04-10T11:26:00.002-04:00

1. Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me either. Just pretty much leave me the hell alone.

2. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and leaky tire.

3. It's always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.

4. Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.

5. Always remember that you're unique. Just like everyone else.

6. Never test the depth of the water with both feet.

7. If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments.

8. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

9. If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.

10. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.

11. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

12. If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.

13. Some days you're the bug; some days you're the windshield.

14. Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.

15. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket.

16. A closed mouth gathers no foot.

17. Duct tape is like 'The Force'. It has a light side and a dark side, and it holds the universe together.

18. There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.

19. Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are moving.

20. Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

21. Never miss a good chance to shut up.

22. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night

I found this here.

Squirrel Pic of the day

2011-03-14T22:10:00.003-04:00

This pic was sent to me from a good friend who has fed my squirrely needs.So sadly I can not link this pic or give thanks to the maker by name.So they just get a general shout out :)

The Super Moon

2011-03-10T06:59:00.003-05:00

I happen to be super excited about the 'Super Moon'. I have read and heard that some astrologers think it will bring disasters. One astrologer has said that "huge storms, earthquakes, volcanoes and other natural disasters can be expected to wreak havoc on Earth." Now from what I have read I understand the science of their opinion even if I think its overly cryptic. Remember Y2K? Oh wait, no one does. There was a ton of hoopla about that and nothing happened. When it comes to the moon and all that it does that effects the earth I might have a easier time finding something to worry about. One scientist was quoted as saying "When you have a low tide, there's less water, so the pressure on the seafloor is smaller. That pressure is clamping the fault together, so when it's not there, it makes it easier for the fault to slip." Yup I can see how that would be a issue. But Im not sure that the Super Moon is going to do much and become a catastrophic event. I think its Y2K all over again. I happen to be super excited about the Super Moon. It's going to be full and Im hoping we arent cloudy here so I can atleast say I got to view it. AND not to mention that its happening on the 19th, the night before Ostara. I mean I thought it was bad ass that last year we had a lunar eclipse during Winter Solstice. I look forward to the Moons close visit and hope that none of the things scientists are worried about come to pass. I highly doubt that it will. Anyone have any thoughts or feelings on the Super Moon?

Your Ostara traditions

2011-03-08T00:21:00.002-05:00

For some reason Ostara seems to be the only sabbat that I treat like 'that other holiday' I used to celebrate. Only now I call it Ostara and not easter. I never celebrated the religious aspect of easter so I didn't really have much to change. Except for the change within myself where I have a different view on that day and a much greater respect for it. Well that and the fact that now I make bread in the shape of genitalia. It is lip smackin delicious if I do say so myself. Slathered in some homemade honey butter and Im one happy camper.I also go natural when I dye my eggs now.Onion peels,beets and spinach work great.I will try some others this year and see how they work as well.
So basically the only thing thats different for me between Ostara and easter is the way I do those things and the intent in which I do them. Well that and the ritual I do but since Im solitary its short and sweet most often.
I am wondering what others do to praise the day and how their family celebrates it.My children are older and not much fun anymore :( Plus they do not share the same spiritual views that I do really, but they don't look at easter as a religious holiday either. So they are pretty much game for anything, as long as a chocolate bunny is involved at some point. But I want a way to pull my family together and make it a special day for us all.
I would love to hear from others on their family celebrations and traditions for Ostara.
Any input would be great.Thanks!

My alter has gone cold :(

2011-03-02T18:27:00.005-05:00

I have neglected my alter. I have been so busy, I can't tell you the last time I have taken time to just sit in front of it. I haven't used it...not a candle lit on it and my chalice has gone dry. The daily use for my chalice is to represent the element water and so I usually have spring water in it. The whole thing is just dusty. I have been avoiding it because I know it's going to take alot to get some life back into it (so to speak) and to be quite honest I feel guilty about it so I just avoid it. I don't even look at it at this point. I feel like it is looking back at me with sad puppy eyes.
I miss my alter. I miss connecting with it and using it. In 'man talk' its kinda like having a awesome classic car in the garage that you can't drive.
So my dilemma is how do I get it recharged? I know that just a dusting isn't going to do it. Anyone have any tips on what I can do to get things back on track? I have the feeling its going to take alot of work which I am more than willing to do. I just don't know where to start or to be honest what to do to get it back after it has been loved and then sadly neglected.
Any and all suggestions would be welcomed and appreciated.

'Harvesting' moon flow

2011-02-18T07:33:00.006-05:00

I am finally getting to a question in my sea sponge review. What did I mean by harvesting my moon flow?
Let me begin by saying this might be a delicate topic and might bother the squeamish. I'm not sure because there isn't much that causes me to squeam :)
Ok on with the show...
Harvesting moon flow simply means collecting your moon flow ( menstruation ) to save and use. There are many uses that I have heard of and I'm sure many more that I have not yet learned. I have used my moon flow as ink in spells and I have added it to sick house plants, the results were amazing! I posted recently about Witch Bottles and I will be adding my moon flow to mine when I make one. To collect it I have used my sea sponges and now that I have a menstrual cup I have used that to harvest it as well, and with greater ease. I have mine stored in a glass jar with a bit of rubbing alcohol added to it to help preserve it. I keep mine...( might want to stop here if you are one of the squeamish).... in the refrigerator. It is hidden in the very back of one of the crisper drawers that I have saved for myself and all of my 'special' items, like herbs and roots. Nothing in there is used in family cooking. There is nothing in there that anyone in my family ( but me ) would want, so its safe. The jar is sealed tightly and inside a sealed plastic bag ( yuck plastic, ok that makes me squeam a bit). I don't worry about it tainting my food or contaminating anything with it. I don't view my moon flow as dirty. So I am quite comfortable having it in my fridge along with the food we eat. I look at moon flow and a woman's moon time as a very powerful thing. I embrace mine as much as I can, sometimes it's hard to be upbeat at that time of the month but I try.I see a woman's cycle to be just like the wheel of the year. So it has a large spiritual significance to me.
If anyone else has used their moon flow in their magick please share. I would love to hear about it.

Your most valuable book?

2011-02-14T20:19:00.002-05:00

So since I am solitary and have no one to really share their experiences with me I thought I would post this asking all of you lovely people :) What book in your collection, or that you have read, that you have got the most from? What one really spoke to you and which one had the most impact on you? I am going to expand my library and would like opinions on some good reading material.And help would be great and thanks in advance!

Witch Bottles

2011-02-14T00:11:00.003-05:00

I am looking into making a witch bottle and I am reading up on it anyplace I can. So here I am asking if anyone has made one and if so what did you use and how did you put it together? Where did you place it after ? I live in a apt so my options are a bit limited.
Any help would be great!

To cup or not to cup

2011-02-13T06:32:00.002-05:00

I use a menstrual cup.I love it.I would like to know if anyone has any thoughts on it.Have they used them, what brand do they have and so on.Actually any and all info would be great.I am going to do a product review on mine some time soon but to be honest I wanted to buy another one from a different company to see what the differences are.
Any info would be great.

A question about Theives oil

2011-02-11T20:48:00.002-05:00

Ok so who has used it and for what purposes? I was just given a little bit and although I LOVE the scent Im not quite sure what to do with it.Other than diffuse it.I know that they have products to clean with but Im not sure if you can use the regular oil for this purpose.I was wondering if anyone had any first hand knowledge/experience with thieves oil.
Any info would be great.

My Neti Pot experience

2011-02-10T17:42:00.003-05:00

Well its been so long that I have put anything to print on here but Im just going to jump right in.( as a disclosure I wrote this a few weeks ago I just couldnt post it til now)
I have just used my neti pot for the first time.I have a bad head cold which caused a sore throat and I was coughing alot due to post nasal drip.I had completely forgot that I even bought the neti pot but I was laying there thinking that I have to do something other than drink the tea I mix up when I get sick ( although it was helping, just not as fast as my throat and sinuses liked). So !eureka! I remembered that I had my neti stashed away. I read the instructions which were so straight forward that I began to think I was overlooking something and that I was going to screw it up. But the more I read the more I realized that it really might be that simple. I had no distilled water in the house so I nuked mine.( Hey does anyone know how long opened distilled water is good for? Do you have to refrigerate it to keep it fresh? If you know let me know,ok so anyway...) I let it cool till I thought it wouldn't scorch my nostrils and then I added the pouch of solution, gave it a shake and then I set it down. I don't know why I was nervous but I was.I finally picked it up after a minute or two of talking myself into it.
It says to keep your mouth open and just lean forward,stick the spout in your nostral, tilt your head sideways and let it do its thing. Now my nose was so congested that for about 20 seconds nothing happened, my nose just felt like it was now plugged with water instead of boogies. And then I saw a drip, then another and then eventually a little stream and I knew I wasn't going to drown myself. I was a bit let down to be honest. I knew the color of the ick in my nose from blowing it every 5 mins. I, in my sick mind, wanted to see a river of green, brown, and yellow.I wanted to see it work like a firefighters hose and flush it all out. But I decided to just focus on getting it done and see how I felt after. I stood up straight, sniffed a bit of the solution into my sinus passages and then gently blew my nose. Nothing but the solution came out but at least that side was clear for the time being. I did the same to the other nostril and was sad when I ran out of water. I would have stood there all day if I thought it would help. Now on the second side I did end up with a small amount of the solution in my mouth, not sure why, I didn't gag on it and I just kinda let it roll out of my mouth and then spit out what didnt roll out on its own. Nothing about the flush was uncomfortable, I never felt as if I couldnt breath or anything else I was worried about. It was all very gentle and seems to have helped quite a bit even in the hour since I have done it. My post nasal drip is way down ( but in honesty not gone), I havent coughed but a couple of times and I have blown my nose only once. And it was clear. So I think its a keeper and I will continue to use it. If anyone has any question then just let me know. Even the yucky kind. Believe me when I tell you that I had to curb myself when I wrote this so as to not offend or gross people out.

Sidenote: My mother said it was funny they had this sort of thing on the market because she has been snorting salt water when she has a cold for as long as she can remember, without a pot. I remember being little and seeing her pour some salt into her palm, add some warm water, mix it around and sniff it right up. Which I had done as well in the past. But the neti pot makes it much easier. My nose was stuffed, I had a hard time breathing in or out. If I tried to sniff up the water it wouldn't be much and it wouldn't get far. The pot, besides having more fluid in it to work with, worked from the back to flush out instead of in.It did it gently and for a longer period of time then just a sniff. My mother had the right idea then and has since gotten a neti pot of her own to make it easier for her as well.Now all I have to do is work on my daughter, who has horrid allergies, and have her try it.

*I am not getting anything from any company for posting this.Its just my own personal experience that I wanted to share in case someone out there had any misgivings in trying it or wanted to know a bit more about it.

Im baaaaackkkkk!

2011-02-09T21:56:00.002-05:00

Ok so I know I have been a bad blogger and that I have totally neglected this page.As soon as I finish writing this I will go stand in the corner and think about what I have done.But if there is anyone out there who happens upon this poor lonely page rest assured I will be back to dust it off and put it to some use.In just a few days I will be back on track.See ya soon!

I am having technical difficulties :(

2009-10-01T11:18:00.003-04:00

I am hopping on super quick to let you all now I will be offline for a few days.I have also been feeling yucky so I couldnt leave the house to get online.So really quick I would like to let the winner of the giveaway know who they are!!!
♪♫♪♫♪ Drumroll ♪♫♪♫♪
Aelwyn From Hedgewitchhollow!!!! Please email me ( addy is on my profile page) with your address and I will get these right out to you.
CONGRATS!!!
And I see that I won the trade over at Merlin's Magical Mistress!!!! Thank Judith!!! I will email you my info :)
I will be back soon, fingers crossed!!! You all are in my thoughts and I miss you all already.

Oh my!!!!

2009-09-26T22:17:00.002-04:00

Well I haven't been having the best weekend so far so it was nice to get on here and see all who have stopped by and left comments :) And it seems that I have won a couple awards :D !! I will skip on over to pick them up after I make my tea.Since I don't have anything wicked to drink in the house I will have to settle for that :( I could so go for a glass (or 5) of wine right now, a hot bath and a good book *sigh*
Think it would be the almost the same if I put the tea in a wine glass and faked it ? lol What will probably end up happening is I will go bake brownies and eat half a pan 0_0

And just a reminder to anyone who hasn't joined the giveaway hop on over and join now!! Theres only a couple of days left :) I am going to box them up and get them ready to go tomorrow.Also I am getting a trade together so I will be posting that in the next few days.
Ok I need to go find some stress relief, I am so frazzled I cant even meditate :( I tried it twice today.
Maybe a good nights sleep will help.

Squirrel pic of the day

2009-09-23T11:59:00.001-04:00

Are you up for a trade?

2009-09-23T09:21:00.002-04:00

Judith over at Merlin's Magickal Mistress posted last night that she wanted to post a trade instead of a giveaway or a sale, cause it makes it more fun :) What she has up for trade is this beautiful Burl wood Mortar and pestle, a copper colored cauldron and 3 magnets.

All you have to do is email her and let her know what you have that you are willing to trade her for.When she gets a response from someone with items that she digs then she will let you know and its a done deal :) I would LOVE to trade for this but I have no idea what I would offer.I am pulling a brain fart.But I wanted to post this here and hopefully one of you will be the one who gets these items!! I am thinking of doing this myself here so if anyone thinks this is something they would be interested in comment here and let me know!
How freakin cool is this idea?!?

Missing blog followers?? Possible fix

2009-09-22T21:21:00.002-04:00

I had a problem with missing blog followers quite a few times now and it happened again tonight.Something that has worked for me, although not everytime, was to clear my cookies and my cache.It worked tonight.I know some of you are having this issue and I wanted to pass the info on.I hope it works for you all.
GOOD LUCK!!!

Have I missed anyone??

2009-09-22T11:11:00.004-04:00

Ok so just so you all know I am probably the most unprepared unorganized person alive.Seriously.
I am the poster child for "I'll do it later". I have emails that I need to read that I got weeks ago :( I just found a email that I got back on aug 2nd! I don't know how I overlook things but I do.I might have adult ADD, no joking around I think I might.My daughter has ADHD so I know they symptoms and signs.I'm just too lazy to do anything about it.I'll do it later :)

Which leads me to the whole point of this post.I love so many blogs here its insane.I do not get to comment on them all but I still think you all kick the finest of ass. I love trading buttons with you because I want others to find out how awesome you all are as well.BUT I think I may have missed a few button exchanges :( So if anyone has my button and I have not posted theirs in kind please comment here and let me know.Or you can email me and let me know, but you know how I am with my email so its probably best to post here lol To be honest I don't care how you contact me as long as you do!
Also I would LOVE to comment to a few people in the giveaway post but I want to leave the comments to actual entries so I haven't. Just know that I ♥ you all and I want to thank all of those people who have blogged about the giveaway and given me general shout outs on their blogs.You have no idea how much I appreciate it and appreciate the vibe and blog love that I have found here.You all really are some amazing people.Thanks so much for sharing your lives and thoughts.I have learned much from you.
(((HUGS))) to you all!
Love & Light!

Ok so I said I would stay out of it but......

2009-09-21T12:07:00.004-04:00

The Teabagger Socialist-Free Purity Pledge:

I, ________________________________, do solemnly swear to uphold the principles of a socialism-free society and heretofore pledge my word that I shall strictly adhere to the following:

I will complain about the destruction of 1st Amendment Rights in this country, while I am duly being allowed to exercise my 1st Amendment Rights.

I will complain about the destruction of my 2nd Amendment Rights in this country, while I am duly being allowed to exercise my 2nd Amendment rights by legally but brazenly brandishing unconcealed firearms in public.

I will foreswear the time-honored principles of fairness, decency, and respect by screaming unintelligible platitudes regarding tyranny, Nazi-ism, and socialism at public town halls.

Also, I pledge to eliminate all government intervention in my life. I will abstain from the use of and participation in any socialist goods and services including but not limited to the following:
● Social Security
● Medicare/Medicaid
● State Children’s Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP)
● Police, Fire, and Emergency Services
● US Postal Service
● Roads and Highways
● Air Travel (regulated by the socialist FAA)
● The US Railway System
● Public Subways and Metro Systems
● Public Bus and Lightrail Systems
● Rest Areas on Highways
● Sidewalks
● All Government-Funded Local/State Projects (e.g., see Iowa 2009 federal senate
appropriations--http://grassley.senate.gov/issues/upload/Master-Approps-73109.pdf)
● Public Water and Sewer Services (goodbye socialist toilet, shower, dishwasher, kitchen sink, outdoor hose!)
● Public and State Universities and Colleges
● Public Primary and Secondary Schools
● Sesame Street
● Publicly Funded Anti-Drug Use Education for Children
● Public Museums
● Libraries
● Public Parks and Beaches
● State and National Parks
● Public Zoos
● Unemployment Insurance
● Municipal Garbage and Recycling Services
● Treatment at Any Hospital or Clinic That Ever Received Funding From Local, State or Federal Government (pretty much all of them)
● Medical Services and Medications That Were Created or Derived From Any Government Grant or Research Funding (again, pretty much all of them)
● Socialist Byproducts of Government Investment Such as Duct Tape and Velcro (Nazi-NASA Inventions)
● Use of the Internets, email, and networked computers, as the DoD's ARPANET was the basis for subsequent computer networking
● Foodstuffs, Meats, Produce and Crops That Were Grown With, Fed With, Raised With or That Contain Inputs From Crops Grown With Government Subsidies
● Clothing Made from Crops (e.g. cotton) That Were Grown With or That Contain Inputs From Government Subsidies
● If a veteran of the government-run socialist US military, I will forego my VA benefits and insist on paying for my own medical care I will not tour socialist government buildings like the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

I pledge to never take myself, my family, or my children on a tour of the following types of socialist locations, including but not limited to:
● Smithsonian Museums such as the Air and Space Museum or Museum of American History
● The socialist Washington, Lincoln, and Jefferson Monuments
● The government-operated Statue of Liberty
● The Grand Canyon
● The socialist World War II and Vietnam Veterans Memorials
● The government-run socialist-propaganda location known as Arlington National Cemetery
● All other public-funded socialist sites, whether it be in my state or in Washington, DC

I will urge my Member of Congress and Senators to forego their government salary and government-provided healthcare.
I will oppose and condemn the government-funded and therefore socialist military of the United States of America.
I will boycott the products of socialist defense contractors such as GE, Lockheed-Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, Raytheon, Humana, FedEx, General Motors, Honeywell, and hundreds of others that are paid by our socialist government to produce goods for our socialist army.
I will protest socialist security departments such as the Pentagon, FBI, CIA, Department of Homeland Security, TSA, Department of Justice and their socialist employees.
Upon reaching eligible retirement age, I will tear up my socialist Social Security checks.
Upon reaching age 65, I will forego Medicare and pay for my own private health insurance until I die.

SWORN ON A BIBLE AND SIGNED THIS DAY OF ____________ IN THE YEAR
______________.
___________________________ ___________________________
Signed Printed Name/Town and State
Originally found here
I have SO many people I would love to hand this out to, I might just make sure to carry one with me at all times lol

Happy Mabon!!! How do you celebrate?

2009-09-21T09:10:00.004-04:00

Reading LJ's post this morning got me thinking.
What do you do for Mabon? What traditions do you have? What rituals do you perform? Do you have any Mabon recipes that you would like to share? Do you have any links about Mabon that you would like to pass along? Along with the spirit of Mabon I am in much need of gathering info and feasting on it lol Since I have no set traditions or rituals I would love to hear all of yours, maybe even adopt one or two ;) Help a newbie out people! LOL

The Bloggest Loser

2009-09-20T11:09:00.005-04:00

My friend Hyla and another brave woman Kris have started a blog site called "The Bloggest Loser".
It is to be a place of support and encouragement for bloggers who would like to lose weight (If anyone is like me they spend more time in front of their PC then they do taking care of themselves).And to top it all off it is a contest as well!! I think its a fantastic idea to get real support from other bloggers just like you.To know that you are not alone and have the same struggles as others.Also you do it at home, at your own pace and so that minimizes pressure.You set your own goals.
I will admit that my participation in the group will probably be limited, I am a fluffy woman but have no real desire to lose weight.HOWEVER I would like to get into a more healthy lifestyle and if I lose weight along the way then that is a bonus for me.I also am the type of person who lacks every sense of motivation there is.I am hoping this will help keep me in a healthy state of mind(Fingers crossed).
I know that one or two of you have already made it over there ;) For the rest of you check it out !

Im sad today :( --Edited--

2009-09-19T09:58:00.010-04:00

Due to transportation issues I will miss out on 2 ( count them 2!) very important things today.
First off my son has a football game that I will not be able to make.I am so down about that because I LOVE to watch him play.I know all parents say that but seriously...I have goosebumps the whole game and I pace, no sitting down for the mom.I alternate between wringing my hands and screaming.I also swear alot so I have learned to catch myself and cover my mouth and swear into my hands....which means I look like a total moron Im sure :D I swear if people didn't know me they would think I have tourette's syndrome. Yeah my behaviour is that bad.

Ok on to the other thing I am going to miss today.Today in my area it is the Pagan Pride festival.I have never gone since to be honest last year I had no idea something like that even existed, I'm a newbie as you all know.I really wanted to go this year and had planned to months ago when I 1st found out about it.But here I am :(

Edited: My son called me and told me that rapper Eminem was dead from a car crash.I searched for it, read it and then went back and the story was gone.Im guessing its not true.If he weren't on a bus going to a football game I would call him and yell at him lol Its kinda hard to yell at yourself but if I could I would yell at myself for being a gullible lil school girl lol

Giveaway Time!!

2009-09-19T00:01:00.006-04:00

This is my very 1st giveaway.I wanted to start out small so that way if I mess it all up then there will be minimal damage. I am hoping this runs smoothly.
This isnt a big company giveaway or a product endorsement.This is just a way for me to say thank you to all of you for being so fantastic to me and to let you know that I appreciate you.
The giveaway is for 6 small cork topped bottles and one larger screw topped glass bottle.

They are as I got them and have not been washed or cleansed.But they are not dirty.I am leaving them as is so that you can put your own intent in them when you get them.

Please read the giveaway details carefully and good luck to everyone!!

~~~~~~~~~Giveaway details!~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The giveaway will run from today Saturday, Sept 19th, until Tuesday, Sept 29th at Midnight, as a good bye to Mercury's position up there and all the wackiness it has been causing.
Sadly this giveaway will only be available to those in the US.( Im one broke chic and the shipping costs for outside of the states might be a bit high for me.Im sorry to those who will not be able to enter.)

To Enter:

* Official Entry: Be a follower of this blog and comment here.You must be a follower to enter.

* 2nd Entry: Blog about this giveaway and link to this blog. Leave a comment with your blog address ( its a good way to get people to check you out also).

* 1 extra entry: Tweet this giveaway.

*Leave a separate comment for all of your entries.

* You MUST leave me a way to contact you.

* If winner does not respond to the winning email within 72 hours, a new winner will be chosen.

I have one last stipulation.
(ok not really but I wanted it to sound official lol) If you get these bottles I would LOVE it if you could come back and let me know what you used them for.

What music is in you?

2009-09-18T19:18:00.006-04:00

Ok on a lighter note...I found this on the net and had a blast playing with it.It was fun to make music and it soothed the savage beast in me :) What kind of music is in you??

It took me a little bit to get the hang of the controls but just play around with it, its so much fun.Enjoy!

I usually stay out of politics here but....

2009-09-18T15:09:00.003-04:00

I will still not say much, I will let this say it all for me.

Do you think that a public health insurance option is socialism? Have a issue with that?

Opt out then.

If a public option is offered, just don't use it.

But don't stop there.

If "socialism" scares the bejesus out of you, flee from every government program that hints of socialism.

When it comes time to fill out your tax return, skip that mortgage deduction and notify the county that you'll be relinquishing your homestead exemption. Otherwise non-homeowners will be subsidizing your house.

Write off donations to churches and charities? Don't even think about it. Surely you don't expect the rest of us to help fund, in any way, your religious beliefs.

Pull your kids out of public school. And when they're ready for college, if they choose a state school, pay out-of-state tuition. Skip the applications for any financial aid funded by the government - and say goodbye to Junior's Bright Futures scholarship.

Own a business? Give up any local, state or federal tax breaks, and don't even think about a below-market-rate loan backed by the government.

If you're a working stiff, tell your employer to just say no to those tax breaks and government-back loans because you can't, in good conscience, work for a company that practices socialism.

After you get fired, don't bother applying for unemployment insurance. Or food stamps.

You will cheerfully pay more for food, because you won't want to benefit from farm subsidies. Museums, concerts and sporting events will cost more, too.

Ride the bus? Get a bike.

If you are a veteran, stop going to the VA for medical care. Seniors, just say no to Medicare.

Social Security? When the check arrives, mark the envelope "return to sender" and ship it back.

Stick to your principles.

I guess "socialism" is palatable when it works to our advantage.

If you don't want health insurance reform, debate the merits - talk about the cost, question whether everyone in United States deserves health insurance, focus on government intrusion.

But using "socialism" as just another scare tactic?

I found the original here.

So socialism is good sometimes then?I have been sitting on this for a bit, I wasn't going to post anything political on here because to be quite honest politics piss me off and this is my place of peace.But I felt compelled, so there it is :)

I used the bottles....and I got more!!

2009-09-18T10:27:00.008-04:00

I walked down to my local shit shop yesterday ( I call it that because it has all sorts of shit, no disrespect meant) and I bought out all the bottles they had on hand. So I have added 26 more of those little bottles to my collection!! I also found a hideously beautiful bowl that I will use for offerings and I picked up a small silver spoon that I will probably use for my loose incense. I got such an amazing deal on it all that I was giddy all day :) Plus I saw a gazillion squirrels on my walk. It took me twice as long to get home because I had to stop and talk to them all lol
Ok back to the bottles.I had a previous post here about them and I was looking for ideas for their use. I sincerely want to thank you all for giving me ideas! I haven't had time to get to all of them but I will.

I have a very very small alter that is not even set up yet, its just got stuff tossed on it :( But to be honest it doesn't feel like I should set it up yet. I don't feel ready for whatever reason. So I have been going with my gut and not done it. Anyway the lack of space on there got me thinking of how I could represent the elements and then I got a idea :) I made element bottles.Here they are.

The earth one is dirt I got from under my fav squirrel tree outside.The air one has 3 feathers shed from my mothers bird.The fire one has 3 match sticks and the water one is moon water that I got during July's full moon.
I'm still looking for ideas since I have alot of bottles to use here, so keep the ideas coming.
Also there will be giveaway very soon ;) Keep a eye out!!

Squirrel pic of the day

2009-09-17T21:35:00.002-04:00

Uggh I ate too much at dinner and I am STILL stuffed.So I kinda feel like this chubby fella here.( actually most of the time I feel like him )
I love his lil feet and piggies :)

Does anyone have a toothpaste recipe? Edited

2009-09-16T19:12:00.008-04:00

Im not very satisfied with my own toothpaste recipe anymore, its a bit lacking IMO. I have just found a new recipe but Im nervous to try it :{
I am wondering if anyone has a tried and true homemade toothpaste recipe they would like to share? One with common ingredients also, cause Im broke lol

Edit: Here is the recipe that I use now :
Baking soda
A few drops of peroxide ( I heard it is bad for daily use so I want to cut that out)
Veg. glycerin
And wintergreen EO ( food grade)
Mixed into a paste

What would you do?

2009-09-15T12:20:00.005-04:00

Just to tell you all up front I have a bottle fetish.I don't know what it is but I LOVE bottles, jars and containers in general.They don't even have to be cute,I still love them.But I horde them then I don't really use them.I have found a fantastic deal on some little corked bottles and a I have a few larger ones.I am DYING to do something with them.

But I'm not really sure what to use them for.I have a few ideas but I wanted some ideas from all of you :)

As of right now I have 23 of the little corked bottles and I have 7 or 8 of the other ones.I have it set up to go later this week and buy up a whole bunch more :)
Ok so I'm up for any and all suggestions! What would you use them for?

Ok I made it through the week!

2009-09-14T10:03:00.002-04:00

I had forgotten what mornings were like getting kids ready for school.School only started last tuesday.This morning was the worse so far and I seriously would give anything to have the summer back.I am not a morning person to begin with, the kids are not either so we all want to chew eachothers faces off.I HATE having it be ugly in the mornings and then have them go off to school.It tears me up to know that the last moments we had with eachother were full of dirty looks and growls.Then I sit here and when I have time to calm down and the anger fades I have to deal with feelings of guilt for being cranky and then I start missing them ugggh.I wish we were morning people and I wish we weren't the most unorganized group of people ever, we always run around like mad people in the mornings.Even if I think I have everything set the night before.I'm kinda a free spirit and just go with the flow of things most often and I was never a person who was prepared.Plus I have the worst memory so my house runs on a chaotic level.I never remember appointments even if I write it down 5 places.I cant remember phone numbers or names.I really think I might have a touch of adult ADD.So add all that on top of the fact that the kids are ....well they are kids.

Ok I'm done whining about it lol For some reason things have been all sorts of wonky and chaotic for like the past 2 weeks.And I have noticed that other people I know have been thrown off recently too.

Anyone know if the cosmos are doing anything up there to cause this? I am wondering if bitch is in the house of whine asses and its all on the cusp of insanity.

I tried to be slick...

2009-09-05T11:44:00.009-04:00

And it didn't work.
I tried to change my blog button graphic to a new one by deleting the last button and naming this graphic the exact same, so that your button links would have the same URL.No such luck it seems.Edited: Ok so I try to delete the pic from photobucket,and I can.But when I try to add the new graphic it loads up the old graphic on there....wth is up with that? I have messed with it so much now I'm wondering if your buttons have a broken link 0_0
If they do I apologize for screwing up everyones page.I have my fingers crossed that it will still work, but I'm not very hopeful.I'm sorry everyone.This is what I get for trying to be slick lol
So if anyone gets the urge to go and change their code I have the new one posted up.
Love & Light
Ugh here it is all for anyone who gets the urge to change their blog button to a more halloweenie one.

<a href="http://crazysquirrellady.blogspot.com/"></a>

Tonights full moon : Harvest moon

2009-09-03T18:59:00.005-04:00

September brings us the Harvest Moon, sometimes referred to as the Wine Moon or the Singing Moon. This is the time of year when the last of the crops are being gathered from the fields and stored for the winter. There's a chill in the air, and the earth is slowly beginning its move towards dormancy as the sun pulls away from us.

Correspondences:

Colors: Browns and greens, earth tones
Gemstones: Citrine, chrysolite, peridot, bloodstone
Trees: Bay, larch, hawthorn
Gods: Demeter, Brighid, Freyja, Vesta
Herbs: Wheat, valerian, witch hazel, skullcap
Element: Earth

This is a month of hearth and home. Spend some time preparing your environment for the upcoming chilly months. If you don't already have one, set up a hearth or kitchen alter for those times when you're cooking, baking and canning. Use this time to clear out clutter -- both physical and emotional -- before you have to spend the long winter days inside.

Also Known As: Wine Moon, Singing Moon

Is anyone planning on doing anything special tonight?

I have been out of it the past few days and I didnt have time to write up a post about this months full moon.I found this info here.I might come back and post something else later.

I got taken out of my happy place

2009-09-03T17:10:00.011-04:00

Theres some cussin here just to warn you.
Ok so yesterday I went with my family to the great New York State Fair.I have some amazing video that I will post in the next few days ( If its not too dark that is).The whole day was wonderful except......for this teenage girl.My 67 yr old mother has terminal lung cancer and needs to be in a wheel chair.That place is PACKED everywhere you go so its hard to move, imagine trying to maneuver a wheelchair.( I think there was almost 80 thousand people there yesterday)Well this teenage girl was with her friend and was blocking entrance to a tent I wanted to get into.I said excuse me twice, she looked back at me but didn't move,so I squeezed by her.She called me a bitch and turned around.Now I was with my family so I decided to let it go, plus its not the 1st, and I doubt the last time, I will be called that.But for the next 10 mins she circled around us and gave me dirty looks the whole time.She stared in my direction no matter where she went, I think she was trying to intimidate me :\ I knew I was being drawn out of my happy place but I couldn't help it.I tried to ignore her and her friend but it was getting hard.She decided to walk past us and leaned over to my mother and said "Get the fuck out of my way grandma" I cut her off as she walked by and said "Excuse me, what did you just say?"( There might have been a f bomb there.....ok Im sure there was)At this point I lost it and the city girl in me came busting out with her head rolling on its shoulders,her fists clenched and her mouth in full force.Her mother had to have been close by because she came running and grabbed her daughter and shoved her away from me, Im guessing to protect her.Her daughter continued to swear and shout things to me and she finally said " Oh Im 15, you cant do anything" To which I let her know that her age was not a shield and that if her mother didn't shut her up I would.Her mother shoved her out of the tent and she stayed out there after that, I meant what I said and maybe she realized that.I hate to admit this because I know its not right but honestly if she had come back over there running her mouth it would have gotten very very ugly.But she stayed outside and just continued to yell to the other girl with her.I went to her mother and asked her if she would like to know what happened and I told her everything, she apologized and went out with her kid and I went on about my business.I looked at the women whos shop we were standing in front of and apologized because I felt so bad and she told me "Don't be sorry!!You didn't start it." Then gave me a high 5 and said "Good for you for protecting your mother, you don't mess with a woman's family" :)
I still feel horrid that I let her get to me and I know I should have let it go.I would have but when she leaned over my mother like that I lost it.Thankfully my mothers hearing isn't the best and she was looking at items on a table so she had no idea what was going on till she heard my big ol mouth lol
I hate to admit this but she was EXTREMELY close to getting her ass handed to her, I don't think she has any idea.I think she thought, like most kids, that they can do as they please and nothing bad is going to happen to them.I know 15 is a child, my son is 16, but honestly if my son EVER said anything like that to someone and he got his ass whooped for it then he deserved it.
I just hate that I got to the point of even wanting to hit her.I was very scrappy as a teenager and even up into my early 20's.I wasn't in a emotionally or spiritually healthy place back then.And as a teenager I led a very wild life.So it seems that I can jump back to the mind set very quickly :( I really thought that I had evolved and grew as a person.But there I was, a grown adult arguing with a pissy 15 yr old girl.... who was just like I was.
I honestly hadn't been that angry in a very long time.I still am a bit angry about it and am hoping that typing all of this out will help vent some of it.I hate to admit any of this because I know it sounds terrible on my part, and I wont argue with that. Healthy adults do not argue with mouthy teenagers.Healthy adults see it for what it is and move on.I chose to stand there and argue about it.I chose to stoop to that level and let her take me out of my happy place and I allowed it to fill me with anger.And since Im being honest here,if I saw that girl today I would still want to punch her face out the back of her head.I feel bad for her mother who seemed to be horrified by the whole thing.Im going to guess from her reaction that it was not the 1st time she has had to deal with something like that, its just a hunch.
Ok so there is my tale in all its ugliness.I should probably delete all of this because now Im going to fret about people looking at me in a different light.But I don't know what light you guys looked at me in to even begin with, so Im going to leave it lol It is what it is and its a honest post so Im leaving it.

ZOINKS!!

2009-09-01T15:36:00.004-04:00

Ok just for the heck of it I went and checked out what my background ( yup I'm still talking about it lol) Anyway I went on Internet Explorer to see what my new background looked like using that since I use firefox. It looked like crap there!! Why such the difference? On Internet Explorer its stretched out and half of the graphics are cut off :( I cant believe how different the two are.I know there are other operating systems that people use ( like safari) and I'm wondering if there is a different on those systems also.I just thought it was weird is all and I have had WAYYYY too much coffee today so its making me super chatty.I'm going to put all the energy to good use and clean house. ( that's my way of saying that I wont harass you all with another pointless blog post anytime soon lol you all can breathe a sigh of relief)
Wish me luck, its a jungle in here!

LMAO I love life and how easily it laughs at me and makes me feel dumb :)

2009-09-01T15:05:00.005-04:00

Ok so I swear it was not 45 seconds after I posted my last blog post that I went and saw something hinky that I didn't notice before.I deleted it and that took care of the issue.I have ZERO idea why it was where it was and why I failed to see it the million times I was in that section. But I'm just happy to have gotten rid of it and I feel all sorts of better now.

Ok so this is the background that I tweaked today and its close to what I had last night.I like this one much better though.I'm sure in a day I will hate it and want to change it but hopefully I will not have nearly as many issues as I had today.All of this really makes me wish I had never even wanted to change it.But as my mother has told me a million times I can never leave well enough alone :\

I do feel a bit foolish since I made like 3 blog posts about the background.Its gotten more attention from me that anything else I have posted here lol I'm such a dork.

UGGGGGHHHH!!

2009-09-01T14:50:00.004-04:00

Please tell me there is someone out there with a bit of knowledge on blogger layouts and maybe even a bit of HTML know how!! I can not for the life of me get the layout I have now to take a hike and my new layout to move in.I have tried EVERYTHING! Now if I revert to the classic layout it shows, but I lose all of my widgets AND I cant get into my page elements.I went back and looked at the HTML to remove the code for the background I have now ( I know where I put it, its not there that I can see, its gone ghost on me).I add the code for the new layout where Im supposed to and it doesn't change a thing.Does anyone know what I might be doing wrong or what I need to do to get this to work? Its driving me bat shit crazy.Any help at all would be fantastic.

My eyes are about to pop out

2009-09-01T03:47:00.004-04:00

I have been thinking about Halloween/Samhain alot lately.I want to get started as soon as possible.Halloween has a bit of a special meaning to me and I might share that on another post.Also my friend got married on Halloween which is beyond kickass.Well tonight I was in the spirit and I erroneously thought to myself 'Hey I think I will see if I can make up a blog background/header, it shouldn't take too long'
0_0
ummm I have been at it for hours! The program I use for digital editing is free so its a bit limited.I try to stretch its possibilities as far as I can, but to do the simplest things it takes so much time.I tried Photoshop once and I couldn't figure it out.I think that I will have to unlearn everything I already know about my program and then try to relearn photoshop.I just don't have it in me to do that so I use what I'm familiar with.
So anyway... here I was, it was about 1am, I just got done watching a old episode of American Gladiator ( You have no idea how ashamed I am to admit that) and I thought to myself that it was chilly tonight and it reminded me of fall and then I got Halloween on the brain.So I decided to mess around with a Halloween idea for this here blog.
Now my eyes are rebelling, my back hates me and I feel like a loser for not being able to quite pull off what I wanted to.So Lucky for you all I thought I would come on here and whine about it lol All I know is I could totally use one (or 3) of those candy corn cocktails Mrs.B was talking about.
I will probably end up switching my layout tomorrow sometime.I hate that I put this much time into it so I have to use it.I'm so scared it wont work and I did all that for nothing.

Maybe it wont look so gloomy in the morning, right?? :)

My Poo life

2009-08-30T13:27:00.012-04:00

Being 'poo' free is the shit( what a cheesy play on words huh? lol) But its true.I NEVER have to run to the store to get shampoo or conditioner cause I always have the stuff on hand.I can make the shampoo/conditioner to fit my hair style and personal needs.Its all natural and almost everything I use you can eat.I do not like to put things on my body that I would not put in it.So if I wont eat it chances are I wont use it.BUT the recipes I use for my 'shampoo' and 'conditioner' have essential oils in them.MOST that I use are safe for consumption ( however tea tree and neem oil should not be ingested).But other than that everything I use is right there in the kitchen.What I use to wash my hair I make up everytime I need it.The conditioner I make ahead of time and let sit.I have used the conditioner mix right after mixing and its ok but letting it marinate for a while makes it so you get all the goodness out of the herbs.I like to let mine sit in a cool dark place, for atleast 2 weeks, giving it a good shake everyday.
Hair is not as dirty as people think.Unless your rolling around in the mud ( ohh fun!) or something equally as messy, then you hair isn't all that 'dirty'.From what I have read, heard from others and dealt with personally I can tell you that if your hair is extra oily, then its your hairs way of rebelling against the product you are using on it.It feels the need to kick out oils to protect whats being done with it.Like someone who commented in my last post I used to have unbelievably oily hair at the root but it was dry as a bone on the ends.What I was using was stripping my hair of its all natural oils and so it was producing tons to replace it and I never gave it a chance to right itself.
I shouldn't even say that I wash my hair because that's not very accurate.What I wash is my scalp.My hair gets washed in the process but I don't 'wash' it.And I only 'wash' my hair about 2 times a week, the rest of the time I only use the 'conditioner'.On the off days I just rinse my hair as if there was shampoo in it.Its called water washing it.Its not healthy to cleanse your hair everyday.I was weary of this in the beginning and of my hair not getting clean enough, so if anyone is reading this and sitting there thinking ewwww, just know I was in your shoes before I switched also.I couldnt get my mind to switch from a bottle telling to 'wash, rinse and repeat'... to no bottle, no lather and more rinsing than washing.The lack of lather was what took me the longest to get used to.I used to think lather was what cleaned my hair.I'm glad I know better now.
At the end of this I'm going to post what herbs work best for what hair type and hair issue, so you all can personalize your mixes.Here is what I use and how I use it.Just a heads up I have hair to the middle of my back, you might need more or less mix for yourself.

For my 'shampoo' I mix:

About 4 cups of very warm water ( Not too hot that you burn your scalp)
About 2 TBSP of baking soda
About 1/4 cup of my homemade Orange Oil Cleaner
Sometimes I add a drop or two of Tea tree and Neem oils

That's it.I mix the orange oil and baking soda together ( cause I like to watch it bubble and fizz lol) then I add the water.The baking soda and orange oil cleans the hair like you would not believe! You dont have to use the orange oil cleaner, but its super easy to make and does work better.Baking soda and water will work as well.But I love how the orange oil cleans and plus I love the orange smell :) The white vinegar in the orange oil cleaner practically dissolves dandruff and keeps it at bay.Its amazing! I mix this up, take it to the shower and scrub my scalp while I pour it on.I grab my hair and squish it through my hair like I'm milking it.Then I let it sit for a minute or two and then rinse.Now, for me anyway, when its in my hair my hair feels very matted and I was scared the 1st time I used it.I don't know why this happens but its something I had to get used to.I just wanted to give you a heads up in case it happens to anyone who tries this, don't freak out.It goes away :) Ok so after its sets I rinse, scrubbing while the water runs through it.You have to rinse very thoroughly with this.If you leave any left on you will be able to tell.Next step is to condition.Now this recipe is for MANY conditioning treatments and this is what I let sit for atleast 2 weeks.You can use right away too if you wish.

For my 'conditioner' I mix:

1 bottle of Apple Cider Vinegar
Whatever herb suits your needs, I'll post some of them later.

I add rosemary,sage,chamomile,catnip,lavender and the essential oils Neem and peppermint to mine.I use more of some than of others but its usually a big handful of each per large jug of Apple Cider Vinegar.I really pack them in there.I'll post the properties of the different herbs at the end of this.I have, in a pinch, just used apple cider vinegar alone.
I apply the conditioner by using a old condiment bottle.I strain the vinegar mix into the bottle about 1/4 to 1/2 way up the bottle and then fill the rest with water.I use about 1/4 to 1/2 of the bottle each time I use it.I coat my hair with the mix and scrub it into my scalp same as I do with the shampoo.And I milk it just like the shampoo.Then I let this sit for atleast 3 minutes.Since I have curly hair I pick my hair out with the conditioner in it to help detangle it and make sure it worked its way through.To keep my curls intact I NEVER pick my hair out any other time then that.Not after I get out of the shower or when its dry.I will finger pick it if I need to, but pulling on curls takes the spring out of them.So after the conditioner has sat a few minutes I rinse but this time I don't rinse as thoroughly as I do with the shampoo.I want some of this to stay in.Just to warn you there IS a vinegar smell, I have come to like it and it does not bother me in the least.Don't be scared of this.It goes away completely once your hair is dry.I went to one of my sons track meets last year with my hair still wet.One of the boys on his team asked me if I had been eating Salt and Vinegar chips lol The same day people there were having a terrible time because of gnats or some little bug flying up in their faces.They must not like the smell of my hair cause I didn't have one bother me :)
If anyone has any questions please let me know.I will answer them as best I can and if I dont know the answer I will get it for you.Now there were some people who left comments in my other poo post ( lol that sounds funny ) who were concerned about ethnic hair.When I started out researching this MOST of the info I got was from sites for natural ethnic hair care.My children are multi racial, my sons hair is very thick but my daughters hair is thinner than mine.So my family's hair goes from thick to thin.This works on us all.I have also seen women with bone straight baby fine hair who have a very similar hair care regime.You just need to find out what works for you, and tweak your recipes accordingly.Some might need less baking soda or more to cleanse their hair.You will just know and it wont take long to figure it out.There also was another comment about dandruff.Seriously if you do not wish to go all out and go this natural just use a treatment of white vinegar.Mix 1/2 vinegar with 1/2 water and let it sit in your hair for a few mins, scrub then rinse.You will see the difference right away.I told you in my other post that I tried many recipes in the beginning of my natural hair journey that did not work for me.I was going to post those here but I can see how long this post is getting so Im going to pass for now.If anyone wants to know those just leave me a comment and I will put up a post with those recipes.
Ok here's a list of herbs and their properties.Some research on your own will pull up more but this will start you out.

Burdock: root helps prevent dandruff

Catmint/Catnip: leaves encourage hair growth and soothes scalp irritations

Chamomile: flowers soften and lighten hair

Lavender: antiseptic, antibiotic, stimulates hair growth, and degreases hair loss

Parsley: enriches hair color and gives a nice luster

Rosemary: tonic and conditioner, one of the best herbs to use, gives luster and body, also slightly darkens the hair

Sage: tonic and conditioning, darkens the hair

Stinging Nettle: tonic and conditioning and helps prevent dandruff

There are tons more but this is a good list to start out with.I was going to post pics with this but I think its long enough as it is.I will post one pic at the end because Hyla requested it :) Its the Aloe Vera that we use as our only styling product.Ok that's not true, sometimes I use coconut oil too.But not all that often.If anyone tries this out PLEASE come back and let me know how it worked for you.If you have decided to try this out please realize that it IS a process and like I talked about in the other post, there is a transition you have to go through but it is TOTALLY worth it.Unless your lucky like my daughter and switched over without a hitch, that lucky duck.Alright enough rambling from me, here's your pic Hyla.Just so you know its on the back wall of our walmart before you get to the pet dept.Its on the bottom row.( Hyla and I are neighbors so we go to the same wally world :D )

Merry Mixing!!!

I am Poo free! (almost)

2009-08-29T22:03:00.008-04:00

I am poo free!! Not that kind of poo, I'm still full of it ;)The 'poo' I'm talking about is shampoo. I said almost in the title cause I'm a big fat cheater and I have given in a few times.
I decided to go poo free about 2 yrs ago.I was chicken for almost a year.Then I decided to let my daughter be my guinea pig.My daughter transitioned about a yr ago and her transition went smoother than expected.Well she had ZERO transition actually.My daughter is multi racial and has very fine curly hair.I'm not sure if this is what helped her switch over so easily or not.She co washes...which means washes her hair with conditioner.I have yet to find a homemade conditioner that works for her and she refuses to use the conditioner I use.So I still buy hers,But she is 'poo' free.I am taking baby steps to get her totally off any store bought hair care products, even ones marked natural.But for now I worry less about all those chemicals in the shampoo.Like methylisothiazolinone(eeek).Or any number of these: sodium laureth, sodium lauryl sulfate, diethanolamine, momothanolamine, triethanolamine...I can go on.Check this place out, it breaks it all down for you.And these just name a few.They are tons of little evil chemical compounds in every little drop of shampoo.
Since I have made my own transition I have MUCH healthier hair.I have loose curly hair that loved to frizz up, not a issue anymore.And it grows much faster.My transition was ugly and lasted far longer than it should have because I'm a cheater.You hair goes through a bit of a rebellious stage when you switch over.It did not help that I tried many different home made shampoos that I HATED.If I had used in the beginning what I use now I would not have had so many issues.Ahh live and learn.So since I have switched over, about 7 months ago, I have used a store bought(but all natural) shampoo maybe 4/5 times.Most of those times were in the beginning weeks and I used a homemade shampoo what was horrid for my hair type.I had to fix the damage :\ But I'm getting in the swing of things now and think I'm in the clear.I have a bit of psoriasis and things are MUCH better now that I stopped using shampoo.When I was still using shampoo I would have to switch every few months because I would get flakes, or it would stop working well on my hair or the fragrance would end up making me itch like crazy or my psoriasis would act up.I haven't had to worry about any of those things in the past few months.My hair doesn't stink or smell dirty, it just smells like clean hair.If I want my hair to smell fresh and purty I have a spray bottle with water and essential oils in it and if I want to freshen up I can give it a spritz.I never feel the need to though, ok its cause I'm lazy and never think of it.
I have also cut out all styling products for myself and my daughter.Now her hair is unruly.It takes me 20 mins ( at least) in the morning to just pick it all out.But to style it and keep it in line what we both use is all natural Aloe Vera.It's fantastic!! We use the clear kind, not the green kind with all the extra stuff in it.I buy mine from Walmart.I use it when I braid her hair also and it holds great.If you have curly hair give it a try, I swear you will not be disappointed.But on the up side if you are disappointed you can still use it. Aloe has a million uses.
Tomorrow I am going to post my hair care routine and the recipes I use/have used. Some didn't work for me but they might work for someone else :)
Love & Light

Product review: Jade & Pearl Sea Sponge Tampons

2009-08-26T19:53:00.011-04:00

To start out this review ( just to warn you this is my first) I am going to let you know how I came across this company and their product.This is going to be a bit long I think :) Also there might be TMI moments.I will warn you ahead of time on those.

Ok here we go....

Like I said in another post I was looking for natural/eco friendly alternatives to feminine products.I had already used cloth pads but I was looking for something that might be a bit more leak proof, discreet when wearing and a way for me to collect my moon flow.To be honest I am not sure how I 1st came across the Jade & Pearl web site, probably google although I'm not sure what I was looking for.I had no idea what a sea sponge tampon even was, so it was pure luck.And I do indeed feel lucky to have found them.I emailed them and got a reply from them within hours! They were so helpful and open to work with me that I could not believe it.Their customer service is amazing and they are personable and answered any questions I had.
I got the product in the mail within days.The kit I got had 2 sponges and a cloth bag to store them in.I also got a few brochures.Their items are printed on recycled paper using soy ink and packaged in biodegradable cellophane.How sweet is that?!? The brochures were very informative and the directions could not have been any clearer, it was all pretty straight forward stuff.How to clean it, insert and remove ( which I was the most nervous about) and how to store it.I could not wait till my next moon cycle to try it all out! I was able to fight my excitement and wait a few days to open the packaging so I could take pics and all.Now I will admit that at this point I was NERVOUS.I felt the sponges and they were hard.I looked at it and thought there is no way....... But I'm a trooper and I was going to try it out no matter what.But before I get to the review and let you know how it worked for me I will give you some info about sea sponges.

Sea sponges have the ability to regenerate from even the tiniest fragments, and as it is harvested millions of eggs and sperm cells are released into the surrounding water.Making sea sponges a renewable resource that provides a ecologically sound product for menstrual use.Women through out the ages have used rags,sponges, grass,cattail,moss,seaweed and other absorbent materials to collect their menses.
Think of this, the average woman uses nearly 17,000 disposable pads and tampons throughout their menstrual years.In North America alone an estimated 20 BILLION bleached pads and tampons end up in the landfills and sewage systems each year!! And that does not even take into account the applicators and packaging that goes along with these products.
There are many risks with conventional tampons besides the dreaded TSS ( Toxic shock syndrome).One hazard with conventional tampons is Dioxin, a by-product of the tampon fiber bleaching process.Risks associated diseases related to Dioxin exposure and synthetic fibers are endometriosis and pelvic inflammatory disease to name a few.
I have had issues with wearing tampons for many years.I was nervous to try these to be honest because of my past tampon use.So like I said after I opened the package and felt them I was even more apprehensive.But I took a deep breath and got them ready for their first bath.The minute they hit the water they turned so soft I was amazed.I could not believe the change just a bit of moisture made and then I realized that inserting these things would be a breeze and I was almost certain that I would have zero issues with them.I chose the baking soda wash to clean them, since I know that baking soda is a softener.All the other ways to wash them are all natural too which I just love.I rinsed them and squeezed all of the water out and got one ready to insert.(Now you can wear more than one if you have extra heavy flows,they also have a teen size which I thought was nifty.)Ok so I sat there, took a deep breath and popped it in.No resistance, it forms to your own personal shape and curve so it fits where it needs to.I sat there.And I sat there a bit longer.To be honest I was a bit nervous to stand up and have the thing fall out.It was a irrational thought I knew but I was still nervous.Finally I got up, nothing.I wiggled, nothing.I bounced, nothing.I squatted, nothing.
TMI alert.... I was worried about the mess involved with manually inserting the sponge.But with the sponge being moist when you insert it kinda clears a path for you and there was extremely little mess.No more so that with any other product.
I wore it for 3 hours before I took it out.I wore a cloth pad with it since I was nervous of leaks.Again I was nervous for nothing.
I will say this, I felt it inside me.Now I had not worn a tampon in almost 16 yrs.I remember that last time I wore one and it was agony.This was nothing even near that.All that I felt was a slight fullness.Not even what I would call pressure.I just knew it was there.I honestly was amazed at the comfort of it.But like I said it was so very soft when I wet it that I knew it would form to my shape.There is no way tampons could ever do that or come close.
Removal of the sea sponge brought on more unnecessary anxiety.Does anyone know what its like to remove a tampon that's dry? Its horrid.I didn't know how absorbent the sponges would be so I had that in the back of my mind.I was also scared of ripping it.I felt for it, pinched it gently and it slipped right out.I gave it a look over and realized that I could have flowed 3xs the amount I did and still been in the clear.Those little things sure can hold a lot.At this point you could rinse and reinsert.I rinsed it out.....ok I harvest it, if anyone wants to know how that went just ask and I will fill you in.So anyway,after I harvested what I could I rinsed.It rinsed out SUPER fast and easy.I'm used to having to squeeze and flush out my cloth pads but this was much easier.I squeezed it under the water a few times then the water ran clear.That was it.From beginning to end ( if you take out my neurotics) the experience was a smooth, comfortable and earthy experience.I knew the whole time that I had nature/sea sponges in me, at one point I made myself giggle cause in my head I was singing ♪♫♪♫♪'Shes got the whole ocean, in her womb'♪♫♪♫♪ to the tune 'Hes got the whole world in his hands' LOL
I happen to love this product and will use it again.The sponges have to be replaced every few months but the price is ridiculously low so it shouldn't be a issue for anyone.Check out Jade & Pearl, they have moon time kits for girls just starting out, lunar calendars and cyclebeads to chart your cycle,cloth paniliners,and other all natural items.You can tell they take pride in their wares and the have a respect for the environment.Its a quality company.
If anyone has any questions at all please just ask either here or contact me ( from my profile page).Don't be scared to ask a personal question if its something you want to know.I had a hard time not adding tons of TMI here, so believe me when I tell you I have no problem discussing anything.

Ok people, let the Sponge Bob Square Pants jokes begin :P

Natural solutions to your monthly cycle

2009-08-26T11:46:00.003-04:00

I have been using a natural product for my moon cycle (menstrual cycle) for over the past 6 months.I decided to switch over from store bought for many many reasons.I didnt like the chemicals used in either tampons or pads, I didnt like the HUGE waste it produces and I like to save money.I couldnt see buying something that just gets wasted every month and thrown into the waste pile.I havent used tampons for years because after I had my son they were no longer comfortable for me.So I went out on a search for a more eco friendly alternative.I found cloth pads and I LOVE them.I have had no issues with them other than there is more work involved with them since you have to wash them and all.I hand wash mine because I dont want them in the washer with everything else and I want to make sure they are extra clean.I do not mind hand washing them and for me there was no yuck factor.Mine are handmade and I have bought mine from a few women on Etsy.
But then I began to view my moon cycle in a spiritual light.I already blogged about that and I will again, just to warn ya'll. I had read up on uses of menstrual blood and its significance in cultures.Since my moon time came to mean a time of power for me I thought it was wasteful to just throw it away.Some women collect their menstrual blood every month and mix it with water and feed their plants.They claim that they grow faster and fuller,which I believe to be true.Some women collect theirs every month for magickal purposes.I thought of using mine for both.....since its a sustainable resource and all lol I doubt I will run out any time soon.
So in my quest to find ways to collect my moon flow AND be gentle on the earth I came across two products.One you may have heard of but the other thats not so often spoke of.I contacted a few companies and asked them if I could do a product review on their product and 2 said yes.
I will be posting a review of one of the products tomorrow...or later tonight since Im so excited lol I have tons of pics ( of the product, nothing yucky lol) and just to give a warning I will be VERY open in my review.So if your squeamish you may want to use caution.
Does anyone have any natural or alternative solutions to their moon cycle that they would like to share?
Love & Light

UMMM HOLY WEIRDNESS!!

2009-08-25T11:57:00.003-04:00

OK So this might seem really odd (typical for me).And believe me when I tell you that no, I am not a blogger stalker.You all know that I had a issue leaving a comment on LJ's blog, and I felt the need to post about it here. Ok so heres the weird part.(If she ever comes to read this shes probably going to run run as fast as she can lol) Sunday night I had a super vivid dream that I had what the kids call 'cooties'.I shit you not,I woke up all sorts of itchy.I told my kids about the dream and they picked on me a bit saying things like 'hey whats that in your hair?!?' har har har.ANYWAY here comes the weirdness, I went to LJ's blog today and you will not believe what her post is about, posted for the day after my dream mind you.Its about how she was battling lice all weekend.This might seem like either a) bullshit or b) no big deal to some.Believe me when I tell you that its not bullshit.Maybe its not big deal though.Maybe its just a coincidence.But for some reason I have this weird pull in her direction and Im not sure why.I swear Im not a stalker, but it does seem odd right? What do you think it means? Why did I have such a urge to open a line of communication with her, and so much so that I blogged here about my inability to do so? And why am I dreaming of things that are going on in her life? Am I reading into it too much? Does anyone have any thoughts on this type of thing or has anything like this happened to them? Funky right??

LJ at "A Racing Mind"

2009-08-21T23:44:00.003-04:00

Ok well I subscribe to this blog and I LOVE it.I went there and read 2 posts today that for some reason I can not post a comment on.And I cant figure out why :( If anyone else subscribes to her and is having the same issue could you please let me know Im not alone.I looked to see if there was a way to contact her but I didnt find any on her blog ( but I might have just missed it) Is it just me who has this issue?

My new avatar pic

2009-08-21T23:39:00.003-04:00

Ok I just had to show this here cause its super small in my profile....and I ADORE IT! I found it somewhere, I cant seem to remember.It was a site for free wallpapers so Im sure its ok if I use it.Ok well here it is in all its badassness!

What is my culture?

2009-08-18T02:21:00.006-04:00

This was originally written with another blog entry.I kind of went off with this and it didnt really have anything to do with the original post, so I cut it out and am reposting it here.
Ok well here it is:

I am only 1/4 Native Mohawk.My family is very very small and no one ever discusses this.They know nothing of their own culture so I was not passed anything in regard to that.This does not change the fact that I have ALWAYS felt that a HUGE part of myself was lost and still missing.I feel a great connection to that aspect of myself but sadly I feel like it is out of reach to me.I am clueless when it comes to my family line and my native culture.My grandmother was born and grew up on a reservation not very far from my house.However she died when my mother was a very small child.And as a single parent ( my grandfather died of a heart attack) the children, all 9 of them, were sent to different orphanages and separated.So my mother knows VERY VERY little of that side of her family.She has never really felt the urge to try and find out I guess.However when I was a child my mother put me into something called "Indian Class" ( no kidding thats what our school called it) We had a very high population of native children at my school and so every friday for a hour we left regular class and went to a room by the cafeteria and elders from a local tribe would come in and teach us our culture.I LOVED my time with them and still remember a bit of what was taught.I still have a leather bag and a leather beaded book mark that I made in that class.I remember how to count to 19, for some reason I cant remember 20.I used to know how to sing "Old McDonald" but I have lost it along the way.I am registered in Washington DC as a native, my mother had to fill out the paperwork and she seems to have lost whatever paperwork she got back.If anyone out there knows how/who to contact in regards to this I would really appreciate any info at all.
Love & Light!

A womans 'Moon Time'

2009-08-16T16:27:00.019-04:00

Just recently my moon time ( menstrual time) has come to have a very spiritual meaning to me.I have always thought it to be a beautiful time in a womans life (Woman= Womb of Man) and I think its pretty significant that almost 1/4 of every month during our childbearing years is spent dedicated to it.My moon time has become very sacred to me.During your moon time you have both life and death in your body going on at the same time.The death being the releasing of the old uterus lining and the unfertilized egg , the life aspect is the renewal and the fresh lining.And during this time you have those dueling energies occurring so a womans personal energy and power is greatly amplified.In most if not all Native American cultures it was a time of great respect from both men and women.Tribes had 'Moon Lodges' and a woman would go into and stay in the lodge until her moon time has passed.(Other cultures called theirs 'red tents' or many other terms, but all kinda along the same lines) During her time in the moon lodge the elder women would teach her medicine, herbs, ceremonies, rites, prayers and on.Teachings were handed down to her.The women , at this time, were expected to rest and not perform any chores and she was taken care of by the elder women of the tribe.No cooking,cleaning or lifting.This was a time for the woman to learn and nurture herself and to also embrace her womanhood.A womens moon time was never looked down upon, there was no negativity put on it.( There were no jokes about PMS, lucky for them).The men respected and revered her.The men also cooked and took care of the children at this time which was a wonderful time of bonding between a father and their children.Its was a time of love and respect.Women are the ones who nurture life and carry it, and on top of this, women are the only sex that can carry two souls/spirits in her body at the same time, being her own and her unborn child's.( just imagine multiple births, twins and so forth!!)

Now this part might freak some out so if your faint of heart go check out one of my squirrel pics.................Ok dont say I didnt warn you.

Menstrual blood was thought to carry extreme power and many women harvested their own menstrual blood.It was the most natural and powerful element that could be harvested from a person and it was the same as holding life/death itself in your hands.It is still used today, although I believe not to the same extent as it was in times ago.There is also use of the placenta after child birth ( a topic for another day).

Ok you can peek again :)

Getting back on track, the native view of moon time for me is very deep.I have another post to come after this one branching off of this topic and even after that I have 2 ( count them 2!!!) product reviews on their way....again along the same lines as this.Just thought I would give you a heads up.Im not sure who else is interested in this topic but I know I am so if anyone reading this has ANY info at all, or has any views on a womans moon time PLEASE share it with me.I would love to hear it.Also if anyone would like to see a post with more indepth folklore on this topic let me know and I would be happy to post it.
Love and Light!

1000 arms dance

2009-08-05T03:07:00.003-04:00

I sat here ready to eat a fly when I watched this cause my mouth was wide open the whole time! That was amazing!! You know if I got together with all the other personalities I have in my head I bet we could pull off something as cool as this....you wouldnt be able to see it but just take my word for it, we would ROCK!

Ok so I need to blog more

2009-08-03T00:12:00.006-04:00

My friend has pointed out that if I don't blog more often then anyone who comes here ( I think they must be lost to end up here).. but anyone who comes wont come back unless they know this is a active blog.Makes perfect sense.My problem is that I think of things to blog at the WORST times.Two minutes before I fall asleep, when I'm "reading in the quiet room" or when I'm making dinner.And my head floats from one thing to the next, so as fast as the ideas come they are gone and replaced.Usually by a song I haven't heard since 7th grade and that has decided to move my into minds playlist.....stuck on repeat.I thought to myself when I started this lil blog that I would try my hardest to get on here as often as I could and keep it up.I even had a back up plan of posting random squirrel pics just to have something to post.Lame? Sure, but I am CRAZY about squirrels ( surprised? lol) and I like to look at those pics.So it was self serving also.This post it seems is really like a Seinfeld episode and basically a post about nothing.Sorry.I was going to post about Lammas (Lughnasadh) but I am still in the learning stage so I would probably not have much to say about it.Then I thought of making a post about my all natural bug spray that I make ( both for the body and to repel flying insects).But I am going to have to use my cam for those and I'm in a lazy mood and not up to it right now.Plus I will need my kitchen table and it looks like a craft store threw up on it.I'm letting paint dry and I just finished my herb cabinet whoo hoo.I will probably post pics and do a post about that as well because I got it for a steal and I was really excited about it.I just wish I had thought to take before pics so you could have seen the horror.
Ok well now I'm rambling, if its not one extreme its another with me. It adds to my charm :} I have no idea where I am going with this since I am , as I type, thinking of making some loose incense and not sure what kind I want to make with what I have on hand.I honestly think I have a form of ADD.If you made it this far you might have a touch of it yourself lol I will be back tomorrow with a post, promise.AND with visuals of some form depending on how much motivation I have.Till then.......
Love and light!

Squirrel pic of the day, and some words

2009-07-23T13:12:00.003-04:00

This is how I have been feeling a bit lately.I have been busy with a kids birthday ( I feel so old) and with the kids being home for the summer. They are getting restless already.My daughter wants to go back to school now and my son says theres nothing to do in our area and hes bored out of his mind.I remember when I was younger, and that wasn't all the long ago, that I was just happy to hang out with friends.But not my kids, they want a damn itinerary handed out to them.They are moping around and spending more time complaining than anything else.So I guess my whole house is looking like this furry guy here.He just makes it look better than we do.

♪♫♪ Music from a tree ♪♫♪

2009-07-16T11:08:00.002-04:00

Diego Stocco - Music From A Tree from Diego Stocco on Vimeo.

Homemade: Green Tea Facial

2009-07-11T15:31:00.012-04:00

Let me start by saying I am a firm believer that you shouldn't put anything on your body that you wont put in it.The skin absorbs EVERYTHING.All of these recipes are made from things you can eat and are more than likely in your kitchen cupboards.Just think,within minutes you could be treating your skin to a gourmet facial!
Green tea has such beneficial qualities that its a shame to only drink it.It not only works as a detox for your body it can detox your face as well.And if you happen to have any left over in your mug theres no longer need to waste it by pouring it down the drain! Green tea is chock full of antioxidants and many crucial elements that we need, if you sweeten up your tea with sugar or honey all the better.(But more on that later)Green tea is cheap and readily available.If you use a bag to cleanse your face you wont miss it out of the box.It can also be used as a daily toner and as a soother for sunburn.There are many simple recipes that are easy to alter to suit your needs.I have a few basic ones that you can have fun with.
*Please take care to avoid the eye area with all of these recipes.

Basic tea cleaner

1-2 bags of green tea
1/3-3/4 cup boiling water

That's it.This is the base for all the other recipes.Let the tea bags steep in the water for 10-15 mins.Much longer then if you are going to drink it but you want all the goodness extracted from the tea and your skin wont mind the bitterness.Let the tea cool, to speed it up put it in the fridge.Then use it to wash your face.Or instead of cooling it use this as a steam to open and cleanse the pores.
If your looking for a exfoliant try this out.

Green tea Sugar exfoliant

1-2 tbsp of the basic tea cleaner
3 tbsp sugar of your choice ( white, brown or a mix)

With tea at lukewarm temp mix with 2 tbsp sugar.( Don't use hot tea, it will melt the sugar)Add the rest of the sugar till it is at the texture you want.Apply using your fingers to your face and GENTLY massage into the skin for 1-2 mins.Then rinse well with warm water and pat dry.If you notice any redness to your skin after exfoliating this is normal and should subside within minutes.Exfoliating is great for the skin because it removes dead skin cells and opens pores for a thorough cleaning.It helps in circulation of the area and promotes the repair of stressed skin.

Next if you chose to you can apply the green tea as a toner.This will further help detox the skin and sooth it.Simply take some of the left over basic tea cleanser and apply it to your skin and let dry.

There are countless things you can add to the basic cleaner tomake this fit your skins needs
.
Here are a few to start you off:

Honey: Helps sooth sensitive skin and moisturizes.

Lemon: Works as a deep cleaner and is good for oily skin.

Yogurt: Is for sensitive skin and soothes problem skin.

Olive oil: Works great as a deep moisturizer for dry skin.

Green Tea Mask:

1/4 cup of the basic tea cleaner

Add one or many of the following.

Rice or Oatmeal flour:Easy enough to make if you have a food processor.Soother, moisturizes and makes skin super smooth.

Powdered milk:Will moisturize your skin and make it smoother than you have felt in years.

*Herbs: Since there are too many to cover and some people should avoid certain ones due to health issues or pregnancy I wont list any.Do your research.

So give these a try.They are cheap and you have nothing to lose.All of these recipes are safe to use on children (research thoroughly the herbs if you chose to use).So why not pamper yourself and have a fun spa day right there in your kitchen?
Merry Mixing!

Squirrel Pic of the day

2009-07-10T00:45:00.004-04:00

My friend just sent this to me and I have fallen in love with this lil guy.
[link]

What the squirrels and I are listening to

2009-07-09T17:29:00.002-04:00

This is on the top 5 of my all time fav songs.The person who has this video posted has had some issues with youtube taking the video down so this time I hope it stays up.Sorry about the size...but then again its Bob,he can take up as much room as he wants :)

July Full Moon - Blessing Moon

2009-07-06T19:11:00.001-04:00

July's Full Moon falls on Tuesday, July 7th and is known several names - Blessing Moon, Thunder Moon and Meadow Moon, just to name a few.

The July 2009 Full Moon distinguishes itself from other 2009 Full Moons, because it’s the smallest, farthest full moon of the year.

Farthest and closest full moons recur in regular cycles. The closest full moon comes 7 lunar months – full moons – after the farthest full moon. And the farthest full moon comes 7 lunar months – full moons – after the closest full moon.

For the next 7 lunar months, the full moon will come progressively closer to Earth. Seven full moons after tomorrow’s July full moon, the closest full moon of the cycle will fall on January 30, 2010. On that date, the full moon will be closer than 222,000 miles. Then 7 full moons after the January 30, 2010 full moon, it’ll be the farthest full moon again on August 24, 2010!

Correspondences:

* Colors: Green, silver, blue-gray
* Gemstones: Moonstone, white agate, opals or pearls
* Trees: Ash and oak
* Gods: Juno, Venus, Cerridwen, Athena, Nephthys, Lugh
* Herbs: Mugwort, hyssop, lemon balm
* Element: Water

This is a great time to do divination and dreamwork. Find a way to incorporate the watery energy of the Blessing Moon into your spell crafting and ritual.

This article was written and used with permission by Witchy Mama.Check her blog out, it's AMAZING!

Amazing video!

2009-07-05T17:11:00.003-04:00

This is an amazing artist and the history she tells in this story is so moving.It's totally worth the time to watch.

10 Things YOU can do to curb global warming

2009-07-02T22:51:00.002-04:00

1) Replace your incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lights (CFLs). Look closely at labels when buying light bulbs. Those marked as CFLs last 10 times longer and use 66 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs while delivering the same light levels. CFLs also reduce the release of greenhouse gas emissions and are safer because they burn at a lower temperature (160° F or less) than incandescent and halogen lights, which can burn at temperatures up to 500° F.

2) Turn down the thermostat just three degrees in the winter and up three degrees in the summer. You can prevent the emission of nearly 1,100 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.

3) Inflate your car tires. When walking or biking isn't feasible, you can do something to better protect the Earth while driving. Take a step in the right direction by inflating your car tires. Pumping them up can improve your gas mileage by about 3.3 percent -- a savings of about 7 cents per gallon. It's the right thing to do for your wallet and the right thing to do for the Earth.

4) Turn down the hot water heater. Set your water heater to 130° F. While you're at it, turn down your house thermostat during the winter to 55° F when you go to bed or leave home. These simple actions can have enormous positive consequences, preventing the emission of more than 1,100 pounds of carbon dioxide over the course of the year, while cutting your energy bill by more than 10 percent. And that's just from you! Get your friends on board, and the benefits will multiply.

5) Choose your seafood wisely. The world's seafood will be entirely depleted by 2048, according to a report in the journal Science. That means the moment to do something about this is now. By buying and eating certain types of seafood, you can discourage harmful fishing practices and avoid the more depleted or threatened species. Take a look at Seafood Choices Alliance or Seafood Watch to make smart choices.

6) Purchase EnergyStar-labeled appliances. EnergyStar products are among the top 25 percent most efficient and can provide a 30 percent return or better through lower utility bills.

7) Wash and rinse in cold water. If everyone in the United States alone switched to cold water with their washing machines, we could save about 30 million tons of carbon dioxide each year -- and more than $3 billion in energy costs, collectively. And what's more? Cold water cleans your laundry just as well as hot water.

8) Buy locally produced meats and produce. Sounds like a good idea, but you don't know where to start? Just type in your zip code on Local Harvest's website to see a list of farms and farmers' markets close to home, as well as nearby restaurants committed to supporting their neighbors. Buying locally produced food cuts out the middlemen and the vast amounts of energy required to get your products onto store shelves. Most produce in U.S. supermarkets travels an average 1,500 miles before it is sold!

9) Drink more water from reusable glassware. It's great for your bank account, your health, and your planet.Water does the body good. The average American consumed more than 400 beverage bottles and cans in 2006, leaving behind wasted glass, plastic, steel, and aluminum. That adds up to excessive amounts of fossil fuels and hydropower for mining, processing, refining, shaping, shipping, storing, refrigerating, and disposing of those materials. Of course, changing your drinking habits both at home and at work is applicable to just about every other habit, as well. You've heard it before and you'll hear it again: Reduce, reuse, and recycle.

10) Walk, bike, and carpool. In the United States, the car represents one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. You can significantly reduce your emissions by commuting to work. Try combining trips to minimize emissions, which are greatest at the beginning of a journey before the engine has reached optimum temperature and efficiency. When purchasing your next car, make it a fuel-efficient one. Hybrid cars can get twice the fuel efficiency of the average new car, cut greenhouse gas emissions by half or more, and reduce urban air pollutants. Carpooling saves energy, cuts on additional pollution, and allows you to take a turn as a passenger instead of driving everyday. Car-sharing (not pooling) is available in numerous U.S. cities. Car-sharing enables you to rent a car just when you need it. Each car-share vehicle displaces four to eight privately held cars, requiring less parking area and creating less road congestion.(My brother has gotten rid of his car and does this.He LOVES it.) If you live within an hour's bicycle ride to the office (~10 miles), consider biking to work one or more days a week.

One little change can make a great impact.

RIP Michael Jackson

2009-06-28T12:00:00.008-04:00

This is my all time FAV Michael Jackson song.

Makes me feel kinda old lol (For the record Im only 33, I would just like that noted.)

This picture says it all....

2009-06-26T11:48:00.004-04:00

This man was protesting in favor of gay marriage. I ♥ him.
[Link]

25 ways to live a better life

2009-06-25T09:17:00.000-04:00

Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.
Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
Buy a DVR and tape your late night shows and get more sleep.
When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, ‘My purpose is to __________ today.’
Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
Play more games and read more books than you did in 2008.
Make time to practice meditation.It provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.
Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.
Try to make at least three people smile each day.
Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.
Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, OR issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum,they appear and fade away, but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
Smile and laugh more. It will keep the negativity away.
Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
Frame every so-called disaster with these words: ‘In five years, will this matter?’
What other people think of you is none of your business.( This one is my favorite)
However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for _______. Today I accomplished ____.
Breathe.

Water conservation facts and tips

2009-06-24T09:32:00.005-04:00

It may be hard to believe but we are running out of water.Ok yes I know 70% of the earths surface is water.But that doesnt change the fact that water, usable by us, is dwindling( read up on snowpack).And dont even get me started on whats in our drinking water.ANYWAY here are a few facts and tips for saving water.

A running faucet uses as much as 3-5 gallons of water for every minute its on.
You waste 5 or more gallons of water if you leave the tap running while you brush your teeth.
Washing a normal size load of dishes(whats that?) with the tap running can waste as much as 30 gallons of water.
If you wash your car at home the average amount of water that runs through your hose is 115 gallons.Washing it at a self service car wash uses on average 5-10 gallons...a savings of 100 gallons of water!!

But there are a few things you can do!

If you just wet and rinse your toothbrush while brushing you only use 1/2 gallon of water.This can save you up to 9 gallons each and every time you brush!
If you get a stop flow valve on your sink faucet and use it while washing dishes you can save up to 20 gallons of water each and every time you do a load.( a 'normal' sized load that is,unlike my monster loads)
For the ladies: Do not shave you legs in the shower.It takes time and wastes water.Fill up the tub with just enough water to shave in and do it there.Is it a pain in the ass? Sure.But you want to do the right thing dontcha??? lol

If you use a kettle for tea,hot chocolate or instant coffee ONLY put in the amount you intend to use.Fill your mug to the top and pour into the kettle,adjusting for the small amount that will turn to steam.The rest is just waste and will be evaporated, for nothing.

These are such small actions that they shouldn't be to hard to do.Remember that every saved drop helps.

Squirrel pic of the day

2009-06-24T09:11:00.001-04:00

He's a lil chunky thing huh?

One of the cutest things I have ever seen!!!!!

2009-06-23T22:58:00.002-04:00

My personal path to Paganism

2009-06-23T08:34:00.011-04:00

I have just recently started to consider myself a pagan.I have had the same basic views throughout my whole life, I just didn't put a title to it.I have gone through phases in my life where I strongly searched out meaning and answers to my own spiritual questions, but they never really went anywhere.My family never discussed religion, ever.We never went to church.My mother is either agnostic or atheist, depending on the day you ask.She just doesn't care one way or the other.So I was all alone seeking out my own spiritual path.Around the age of 22 I read the entire bible, both the King James version and the N.I.V.It took me about a year and I must admit some of the King James version I just didn't get. I skipped over much of The Chronicles since it read like the phone book to me, and I would never remember 1/100 of the names there.But I understood the bulk of the bible, it just didn't mean anything to me.The stories were nice ( sometimes ) and I got what they were getting at.And I will even admit for a short time I thought I could get personal meaning out of it.I just had alot of spiritual energy at the time and no real outlet for it, so I applied it there.That lasted almost 2 yrs.I was pretty happy at the time so I understand the 'jesus high' people get off of Christianity a little bit.But to me it was blind irrational joy.I didnt have to worry about anything because I had god.If I did something wrong it was ok if no one else forgave me, because god did.Looking back I realize that I never believed any of it, I just went with it because I thought I was supposed to.It just didnt add up to me, but I wanted to believe in something.Anything.Even if I didnt feel it.I never went to church much and have gone maybe a handful or two of times .So even back then I was solitary in my spiritual beliefs.But as far back as I can remember I have always been drawn to and done things that would be considered paganistic. Even as young as 11 or 12.I remember wanting to stop someone from 'being mean' to me,or something along those lines, and so I drew a picture of them and folded it up a certain number of times , wrapped it with string, put it in a bowl of water and then I said something that Im sure included 'hocus pocus' and watched as the marker bled out of the picture and into the water.I threw the water outside but I don't remember what I did with the picture.I have always read alot, so I'm sure I must have gotten the notion to do that from my own childish understanding of some book I read.I read alot of stuff back then that was NOT on the children's list.I got my set of tarot cards when I was still a young teen and I also did my own astrological chart around the same age.But soon I became a young mother so everything got forgotten that didn't include being a mommy.Then I had another child and I didn't put much, if any, thought to my spirituality.However over the last year or two I have been slowly creeping up to the path I am on now.I am being patient this time around but I am still soaking up as much info as I can.I still spend alot of time at the library and since I live in a very small town I have to order books from other libraries.I get some odd looks from the librarians which amuses me.For this being such a small town I have 4 churches within walking distance of me, so I'm sure you can imagine the mind set of most folks around here. I have kept to myself alot since I have moved to this town.So I'm pretty much a solitary pagan, but I would love to find other like minded people to talk to and learn from.I know I will meet others when and if I'm supposed to.I'm just happy that I found my own path and I'm enjoying the view along the way.

Practice PREcycling

2009-06-22T22:39:00.002-04:00

I know that everyone is onto the Recycle,Reduce,Reuse part (well I hope you all are) but what about precycling? Precycling is as simple as reducing waste before you buy.By making the right choices when shopping , by precycling, you can prevent excessive waste and the need to recycle.Although recycling is wonderful it does require energy to recycle those products and therefor uses up large amounts of energy at recycling centers and puts a significant amount of pollution back out into the air.Which is counterproductive.

* Each American uses about 205 lbs of plastic per year,about 65 lbs of that if for the packaging of the items we buy and is thrown away as soon as the package is open.
* About 30% of ALL plastic is used for packaging.
* Americans go through almost 3 million plastic bottles every hour!!!
* Packaging waste accounts for almost 1/3 of all garbage American send to landfills.
* Buyer packaging amounts to roughly 5 million tons of waste a year.

So I know you are wondering what you can do right?? Be aware of what you are buying.Everything you purchase has a effect on the environment.Try to make it a positive effect.Here are a few simple things you can do:

* Bring your own reusable bags to the store so you will never have to answer "Paper or plastic?" again.
* Buy eggs in cardboard cartons and NEVER in styrofoam. Or if possible go to a local farm and buy them there.
* Look for the recycled logo on all boxed items you purchase.
* Buy in bulk.It's cheaper and uses minimal packaging.
* Buy veggies loose and not in plastic bags.The best way to do this is to buy locally from a farm or farmers market.Or even better yet grow your own.
* Avoid squeezable plastic containers, which are made of different types of plastic in several layers, and are non-recyclable.

If only 10% of Americans purchased products with less plastic packaging just 10% of the time, we could eliminate about 144 million pounds of plastic from our landfills,reduce industrial pollution, and send a message to manufacturers that we are serious about alternatives.Maybe if YOU rethink how you buy items then THEY will rethink how they send them.
Refuse what you don't need
Reduce what you do need
Reuse what you can't reduce
Recycle what you can't reuse
Rebuy (buy recycled) whenever possible.

Squirrel pic of the day

2009-06-22T11:54:00.002-04:00

What have I become?

2009-06-22T08:05:00.002-04:00

I'll tell you exactly what I have become.A hugger. Now let me just tell you that I am not the cuddly type at all.I never have been.But I am going through some strange emotional change lately.It causes me to cry daily, and that isn't that bad unless I'm in public.And that happened last week.But they are always joyful tears and not really tears of sadness.I am a mushy ball of girly emotions these days.Which leads me to my new behavior, hugging.Now I always hugged my loved ones and not so loved ones, but this has ventured out to strangers.A few weeks ago I got teary and hugged a women in the checkout at a pet store.I wont go into the story cause I'm sure it will bore you to death but this women and I had a moment.Ok maybe it was just me who had a moment and maybe she was scared of this crazy women in front of her who may or may not be crying.Maybe it wasn't as meaningful for her but I will not dwell on that.Anyway, in the end I asked her if I could hug her.She said yes and I hugged her.A real, honest and pure hug.Not one of those crappy ones where the human contact is at a minimal and you do the double hand pat on the back thing.Not good enough for me.I curl into these people ( there have been many lately) and HUG them.I don't invade their comfort zone I don't think.But I think the whole thing might freak them out a bit.They never turn and run and I can read people pretty well and I don't notice them looking for the exit door.I just think they stand there thinking to themselves....did this chunky stranger just wrap her arms around me?? lol Believe me when I tell you it is spontaneous, I don't set out to hug strangers.It just happens.But it's what feels right for me so I'm going to stick with it.I'm not sure I could stop even if I wanted to.

I wrote this a while ago and had it posted on a previous blog of mine.I decided to give it a new home and post it again here.

Severn Suzuki speaking at UN Earth Summit 1992

2009-06-21T10:48:00.002-04:00

This young woman has so much wisdom for a 12 year old.She is an amazing human being.And to think this speech was in 1992, before the masses thought about the environment.Long before I myself ever put any thought to it.And here was this beautiful 12 year old talking to the UN about the environment and how to save our planet.She is my hero.I never get tired watching this and it still chokes me up every time :)
"If you don't know how to fix it, please stop breaking it."

Homemade: All purpose orange oil cleaner

2009-06-20T14:07:00.004-04:00

I have switched most of my household cleaners to homemade ones.This one is fantastic(no cleaning pun intended).Orange oil cuts through grease amazingly and almost everyone I know uses a cleaning product that has orange oil in it.It has been over a year since I started making this and I LOVE how well it cleans and I also love the scent.It makes me want to drink it, and I could since there are no chemicals in it.My daughter has (had) terrible asthma but since I have taken most chemicals out of my house it has cut down dramatically. She was on a rescue inhaler and a preventive one.Both of which she used everyday.She no longer is on the preventive one and hardly uses the rescue one.Changing over is one of the best choices I have made.Not to mention the fact that this stuff is super cheap to make....which Im all for. It does take time, but it isnt time consuming.The worst part of the process is waiting since this isnt something you can whip up and use on the spot.(I have another cleaner like that if anyone wants me to post it, let me know)This is made with items you probably have on hand and if not you will find in the grocery store.The vinegar used in this is a great disinfectant and deodorizer.And the oranges cut through grease better than anything else I have tried and they are yummy too!

Heres what you will need:

Orange peels ~ I use organic so it's not coated with chemicals
Vinegar
Spray bottle

That's all it takes. Seriously. Well that and time.Save all of your orange peels when you eat them, it can be one at a time.You dont have to eat them all at once lol Then add them to your bottle of vinegar.Store the vinegar in a cool dark place.Mine is under the kitchen sink.Every day or so take the bottle out and give it a few hard shakes.I let mine sit for about 4 weeks before I use it to clean with.Fill up your spray bottle anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 full of the orange/vinegar mix and the rest with water.Then clean away.When the bottle gets low get a new bottle ready to go.I save some of the orange/vinegar mix and add it to my new batch to get things started.When I start a new batch I take the peels from the old bottle and wring them out to get all their goodness and that helps the start of the new batch also.I have other uses for the cleaner also but I will save that for another post.If you have any questions about this please click on the contact button and I will get back to you as soon as I can.Merry mixing!

The ease and benefits of farming ☺

2009-06-19T22:49:00.003-04:00

Warning:If you have kids around you might want to watch this later due to strong language.

Homemade : All natural deodorant

2009-06-19T09:00:00.009-04:00

If you haven't heard of the evils of store bought deodorant and the chemical poisons that are used in it you might want to look into it ASAP.Run to google and you will find tons of sites with lots of info.Go on now.Scoot!( I could spend hours telling you but I just want to get to the recipe lol)

Ok,Back? Did you see what I was talking about? Ready for a all natural substitute you can make at home with items you likely have on hand? One that has a handful of ingredients and is organic? Did I mention it takes less than 5 mins to make? Seriously, what could be more appealing than a item that stops you from stinkin up the place, is all natural, handmade by you in minutes, and is CHEAP?? And let me say this right now.I can sweat!I used to buy the clinical strength commercial deodorants and I still had issues with sweat and smell.But this stuff is AMAZING!

Here's what it takes:

~Coconut oil
~Baking Soda
~Corn Starch
~Tea Tree Oil
~Lavender Oil

That's it.You can also add other essential oils of your choice but this is all I use.The tea tree oil and the lavender oil are used for their antibacterial properties.That is what kills the funky smell.The baking soda works as the same but it also keeps you dry along with the corn starch.The coconut oil holds it all together and makes your skin smooth.
In a bowl mix 1/4 cup baking soda and 1/4 cup corn starch.Mix well.Melt 1/4 cup of coconut oil and add a couple TBSP at a time till you get a texture mud.You want it to end up thick like a paste BUT this stuff thickens as it sits.What you have in the beginning is not what you will have in about 24 hrs.So make it about 1/2 as thin as you want it to be in the end.My 1st batch came out THICK( I don't know if you can tell in the pic below).Whats great about this is that it still works no matter what the consistency is.It just makes it easier to work with if its on the creamier side.And if it doesn't get to the texture you want tweaking it is easy.Just add a bit of what you need till its where you want it.( Too thin add Baking soda/corn starch and too thick add coconut oil) I am also thinking about coming up with a liquid deodorant that I can put in a little spritz bottle.

Anyway here it is:

My container is the glass one on the right.I have had it for about 2 months and that's what is missing.Granted I don't use it everyday, but almost.I just scoop a little bit (very little) out and spread it on.A little goes a long way with this stuff.I don't have to reapply it either.This stuff is that good.I will NEVER go back to store bought.The plastic container on the left is my sisters that I just made.If you can see it the consistency is goopy like mud.In a few hours it should thicken up quite a bit and be creamy but firm.Go ahead and try it out! It works great, costs pennies and you wont have to run to the store and buy poison in a stick.Plus the containers you put this stuff in can be found in the kitchen OR you can even reused your old deodorant stick( save them from the landfill).Just fill them up,let them sit overnight to thicken, then use. If anyone tries it out please let me know what you thought.Merry Mixing!

Litha-The Summer Solstice ☼

2009-06-18T11:37:00.010-04:00

This Sunday, the 21st ,it will be Litha.Also known as Summer Solstice,Midsummer Night, Midsummer Night's Eve, Gathering Day and on.It is the longest day of the year and also has the shortest night.It is a time to celebrate the beginning of summer, when the sun is at its most powerful position in the sky.The earth is flourishing beneath it and crops are being nurtured by its warm glow.They are starting to show promise of a full harvest.It is also believed that this is the time when fearies are in a most playful mood ( Even Shakespeare celebrated this in " A midsummer night's dream").It's been said that if you soak thyme in olive oil and then lightly anoint you eyelids with it you will be able to see the faerie folk at night!! So however you plan to celebrate the day please take the time to get outside, appreciate the sun and the green world around you.I plan on waking up before the sun that day to greet her and thank her.Im not really sure what else I will do since quite honestly I did not even know what Litha was just 6 months ago lol I am a single ( and sole) parent so Father's Day is not celebrated in my house.This will make a nice edition to what we celebrate already.I hope you all enjoy Litha and don't forget to say hello to the sun !!☼

Squirrel Pic of the Day

2009-06-12T10:27:00.002-04:00

How to properly recycle everyday items

2009-06-11T09:53:00.008-04:00

So everyone recycles their bottles, cans and cardboard/paper right? Right?! Well what about items that people may not know how to recycle? I know how busy life is and I know people don't have the time to go out and find where to recycle the items we use daily but that dont fit in the bottle/can/paper categories.( Insert Might Mouse music....."Here I come to save the dayyyyy!") You may have to make a phone call or click the mouse but I will give you a starting point to work with.Get your pen and paper ready.

Batteries : My local Staples store accepts them, free of charge, as do some other retail stores in my area.Also check out ehso.com.They will show you places in your area where you can drop off batteries.
Foam peanuts : Some peanuts are now made from vegetable starches! To see if yours are place them under running water and see if the melt.If they do then you have biodegradable and non toxic peanuts and the company that sent them too you kick ass! If not then you have the old evil kind.Call 'The peanut hotline' toll free at 1-800-828-2214 and they will let you know what businesses in your area accept them and reuse them.
VHS tapes: Most people now buy DVD's and and moving on to blu-rays.To help keep VHS tapes out of the landfills send them to a business called Alternative Community Training.They are a nonprofit company that provides jobs for people with disabilities.They either erase the tapes, resell the ones in good condition or recycle the plastic from the rest.They have recycled more then 1 million tapes so far! Simply mail the tapes to them ( using USPS media mail makes it pretty cheap)

ACT 2200 Burlington Columbia, MO 65202

Paint: Donate!! There are tons of places in your area that will take your paint.Habitat for Humanity is always in need of..well anything you can donate.Check out habitat.org to find a habitat in your area.Or you can go to earth911.com and find out where to recycle it in your zip code.

CD's and DVD's: You can mail discs to 'Back thru the future' a woman-owned ( whoo hoo) electronics recycling and data destruction company.They also let you know about recycling your hard drives.

I am going to look into this some more and if I come up with any others I will share them.If you have something that you want to recycle, but dont know how to, leave me a comment and I will do the hunt for you.Don't forget about precycling and save yourself some of the hassle of figuring out where to send items when your done.

Squirrel Pic of the Day

2009-06-04T08:58:00.004-04:00

Pic found here

Strong Sun Moon - June 7th

2009-06-03T08:43:00.008-04:00

On June 7th the Strong Sun Moon, also known as ' The lovers moon', will shine.It signifies the time where the sun has made its bold appearance and is shining down on the earth.Flowers are in bloom,crops are starting to show promise and people are seeing the fruits of their early spring labor.With the sun so strong the days are getting longer and longer.( I put my daughter to bed last night at 9:15pm and there was still a bit of light left in the sky) With the days getting longer this is the perfect time for connecting with others as well as nature.More daylight hours mean you have more time to spend on your relationships and gardens.This is a time to bond, nurture and cultivate your connections with others as well as the natural world around you.Enjoy what you have, take this time to make improvements on all the good things planted in your life.This is a time for us to bloom!

Pagan and Wiccan Rituals

2009-06-01T13:46:00.010-04:00

The modern usage of the word Paganism is an umbrella term that can include everything from Asatru (worship of Norse gods) to Hellenic (worship of Greek gods) traditions. The word pagan usually refers to a person who has a polytheistic religion; that is, a religion that includes more than one god or goddess. In older times, the word pagan was used to mean a godless person who was only interested in sensual pursuits, which, frankly, doesn't sound like much of an insult to me! The word also had the connotation of unsophisticated, or country dweller, much like our modern words hick or redneck.

I think of modern pagans as being polytheistic, frequently nature based magical practitioners who are not bound by the Wiccan Rede and practice a religion that is not Christianity, Judaism, or Islam. Each group of gods and goddesses has different rules, after all.

Wicca, by contrast, is a new religion, originating only fifty or sixty years ago. It is partly based on what earlier generations may have practiced, but many Wiccan traditions step away from history entirely.

Wiccans generally celebrate Sabbats and Esbats, holidays based on seasonal changes. These celebrations as a whole are commonly referred to as the Wheel of the Year. Other terms that differentiate Wicca from Paganism are the Rede and the Rule of Three. The most important part of the Rede is the oft-quoted an it harm none, do what thou wilt, while the Rule of Three is a karmic law that states that all actions of the witch will reflect on him or her with three fold consequences, whether positive or negative.

While Wicca can be included under the umbrella of paganism, there are often differences in the rituals each subset practices. One of the major differences between Wicca and pagans is that a certain group within Paganism devotes much time and energy to reconstruction. This is the study of how ancestral peoples practiced those religions that have survived in one form or another into the modern age, with the goal of keeping modern practice as true to original traditions as possible. Therefore, Hellenic, Celtic, Khemtic and other traditions based on location can have very different rituals from Wiccan, or indeed other pagans.

Just keep in mind that wherever you go to practice, the rituals will vary greatly (sometimes by enormous degrees). It's important to embrace only the practices that you feel comfortable with in any pagan ritual. Because there are so many different forms of practice, you really need to understand what you are getting into before embarking on a journey in any new group of practicing people. It's not surprising that the retention rates of most new people to a group or coven is extremely low. I know that it took me a long time to find people I was comfortable with.

I want to thank Willow at The Sacred Oak News Letter for writing this great article and allowing me share it with you.

I loved this article when I read it and I have read it a few times since.My own path is being built one stone at a time.Although the Pagan path rings more true to me than the Wiccan path I am letting the stones fall where they may.I look forward to learning each step of the way.

What a wonderful world indeed

2009-06-01T13:09:00.004-04:00

My eyes got misty watching this :}

Your personal Bill of Rights

2009-05-15T17:03:00.014-04:00

I have the right to make my own choices.

I have the right to follow my own values and standards,
as long as I do not push them others.

I have a right to dignity and respect.

I have a right to all of my feelings.

I have a right to express myself as long as
I am not abusive toward others.

I have a right to determine and honor my own priorities.

I have a right to recognize and accept my own value system as appropriate.

I have a right to have my needs and wants respected by others.

I have the right to say 'no' when I feel I am not ready, unsafe,
or that it violates my values.

I have the right to make mistakes and not be perfect.

I have the right not to be responsible for others behavior,
actions, feelings or problems.

I have the right to make decisions based on my
feelings and judgment for any reason.

I have the right to change my mind at any time.

I have the right to my personal space and time needs.

I have the right to be in a safe, non-abusive environment.

I have the right to forgive others and forgive myself.

I have the right to give and receive unconditional love.

I have the right to enjoy being sexual and celebrate my sexuality.

I have the right to my own spiritual beliefs and to celebrate them.

I have the right to joyfully receive without feeling guilty.

I have a right to healthy relationships of my choice.

I have the right to be angry with someone I love.

I can take care of myself, no matter what.

I have the right to be healthier than those around me.

I have the right to trust others who earn my trust.

I have a right to expect honesty from others.

I have the right to change and grow.

I have the right to follow my own path.

I have the right to be happy.

Author unknown

Out of place rant :Kathie Lee Gifford

2009-05-14T00:26:00.010-04:00

Ok so I may rant from time to time on here.This is childish and a bit over the top but who cares.Here we go.......I hate Kathie Lee Gifford.Not HATE hate, but hate in the everyday sense of the word.I really can not stand her at all.Her personality is beyond annoying.She was a walking version of Twitter before it was even thought of.I don't care what Frank is doing, I could care less what Cody is doing and you wouldn't know she has another kid, since she never really says a peep about them, but she has a kid named Cassidy.I couldn't tell you if its a boy or a girl but either way I'm sure I could give two shits about what he/she is doing either.But she feels the need to tell everyone ALL about it.Shes a deplorable person in my opinion and her personality ...well it 'sucks'.I can't come up with a word to fit there so play Madlibs with me and add your own.Shes rude, has a HUGE ego and I cant stand her singing.I watch the Today show every morning and although I love Hoda Kotb I just cant bring myself to watch their segment.Kathie Lee is beyond rude to her and I have no idea what Hoda has done in a past life to deserve it, but shes stuck with her it seems.She is so condescending it's ridiculous.And all she does is talk over people, I guess she thinks what she has to say is more important than what anyone else has to say.I have alot of time on my hands so I wrote to the Today show and told them this.Apparently they don't think they need to listen to me (gasp!) because Kathie Lee is still there.( I wasn't going to admit that I wrote the Today show but WTH) Annnnnnyway... I hate her voice, the way she walks, how she moves her head, the way she talks down to people and how she makes jokes she thinks are 'edgy'.I don't know why she bothers me so much but she does.You think this is some mental illness I have manifesting itself somehow?? It might be, I should probably delete all of this but since no one really reads this I feel safe getting it off my chest.

Watch out for her though.....I don't trust her.

My Totem (power) animal

2009-05-11T22:30:00.014-04:00

Recently I went to a class on animal totems and how to get in touch with your power animal( the 'top dog' so to speak). I am 1/4 native Mohawk and have always felt a closeness to that part of myself, although I dont' look like I even have a drop in me :( So to have animals be part of my spiritual life feels natural. I have always felt a closeness to animals, more so then I have with people. And I have always loved squirrels (could you guess from my name here?). I mean, I really love them. I feed them and I name them. I have many who come on my back porch. They all have distinct personalities and I can tell who's who by just a glance. The seem to like me in return and I refuse to think it has anything to do with the fact that I have become the soup kitchen for the wayward squirrels of the neighborhood. I have my favorites. Like this handsome devil named Tyson. He got his name because he was in some kind of fight and part of his ear is now missing.
But there is Sugar Sweets too. I will have to look for her pics in my pc, I have TONS.I will post all about her on here sometime I'm sure.She was my 1st squirrel friend. They are all my friends. Yes that sounds cheesy and I don't care. I know how it makes me sound and I'm ok with that. I have a bond with them. So when I took the course on animal totems I knew already that my main animal totem was the squirrel. I never really put any thought as to why and what they meant to me. I just knew they had a special place. We all have our favorites. It's believed that the reason is much deeper than most people believe. There are many things that draw people to their power animal. The characteristics that are associated with squirrels in animal totem work are :

Gathering, Activity, Preparedness

The gathering power of Squirrel is a great gift.
It teaches us balance within the circle of gathering and giving out.
They remind us that in our quest for our goals,
it is vital to make time for play and socializing.

Squirrel teaches us to conserve our energy for times of need.
If your totem is Squirrel or Squirrel has recently entered your life,
lighten your load of things that are unnecessary –
things that you have gathered in the past and may be cluttering your life –
thoughts, worries, and stresses.

Squirrel is also the totem of action.
Ask yourself are you too active, not active enough, afraid of enough,
hung up on accumulating and collecting.
Squirrel people tend to be a little erratic – trying to do many things at once.
Take the time to stop and listen to your inner self – and don’t forget to play!

So for me its alot of what I am and what I need to be. I need to be more squirrel like in many ways and learn to let my inner squirrel out. This fits me more than you know. I'm a pack rat and have little ( or big ) piles of things everywhere. But I know where everything is. I save everything in case I ever need it. As easily as I hold onto things I hold on to emotions too and I have been known to hold a grudge. I have a hard time letting things go. Im skittish and spazzy in my thoughts and in my younger years I was a bit squirrely and a bit aggressive. Ever see squirrels fight?? And inspite of my holding on to everything I am NEVER prepared for anything. I could go on but I'm sure you get the point. So my power animal, my main totem animal, is the squirrel. I would like to have a kick ass one like a wolf or a horse or something else considered more powerful and majestic to tell you about. But it is what it is and I'm more than happy with my squirrels. On the flip side of animal totems there are shadow totems as well. More on that another time if anyone is interested.
I think you can learn alot about yourself by finding your power animal. Is there a animal you are drawn to? One that you feel a strong connection to? If so look into it, see what you find out about yourself. Here are a few links to get you started.

http://www.linsdomain.com/totems.htm If you go to the bottom of the page there are tons of animals to choose from.( Also its where I got the info about squirrels I posted above)
http://www.sayahda.com/cyc4.html TONS of info here!
http://www.whats-your-sign.com/animal-totems.html If you check out only one page let it be this one!
http://www.spiritofangels.com/poweranimals.html

If you are interested in more info and don't know where to look just let me know and I will find out everything I can and fill you in.

Now go find your inner animal!

A fresh start

2009-05-09T01:44:00.001-04:00

Ok so I get it that no one even knows this little spot on the net even exists.Im ok with that.I forgot it was here for the longest myself.Then I was reminded that I even had one and when I came to take a peek at what was here I cringed.It pretty much sucked and Im ok with that too.Im not a professional and since I have been browsing the web I have come to realize that Im not all that interesting either.There are many people who have blogs that make me feel super uncool.This is my place for me to waste some time and purge whats in my head.If anyone comes here and finds something worth reading that would be awesome.So Im off to try and remember how to work this whole blog thing......

Under construction

2009-05-08T00:32:00.000-04:00

This blog is under construction.I may call the demolition crew or decide to start from scratch.Either way its naked for now.

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"Harvesting" my moon flow.

Celebrity Pagans/Wiccans

Who says Zen can't be funny?

Squirrel Pic of the day

The Super Moon

Your Ostara traditions

My alter has gone cold :(

'Harvesting' moon flow

Your most valuable book?

Witch Bottles

To cup or not to cup

A question about Theives oil

My Neti Pot experience

Im baaaaackkkkk!

I am having technical difficulties :(

Oh my!!!!

Squirrel pic of the day

Are you up for a trade?

Missing blog followers?? Possible fix

Have I missed anyone??

Ok so I said I would stay out of it but......

Happy Mabon!!! How do you celebrate?

The Bloggest Loser

Im sad today :( --Edited--

Giveaway Time!!

What music is in you?

I usually stay out of politics here but....

I used the bottles....and I got more!!

Squirrel pic of the day

Does anyone have a toothpaste recipe? Edited

What would you do?

Ok I made it through the week!

I tried to be slick...

Tonights full moon : Harvest moon

I got taken out of my happy place

ZOINKS!!

LMAO I love life and how easily it laughs at me and makes me feel dumb :)

UGGGGGHHHH!!

My eyes are about to pop out

My Poo life

I am Poo free! (almost)

Product review: Jade & Pearl Sea Sponge Tampons

Natural solutions to your monthly cycle

UMMM HOLY WEIRDNESS!!

Recommended reading?

LJ at "A Racing Mind"

My new avatar pic

What is my culture?

A womans 'Moon Time'

1000 arms dance

Ok so I need to blog more

Squirrel pic of the day, and some words

♪♫♪ Music from a tree ♪♫♪

Homemade: Green Tea Facial

Squirrel Pic of the day

What the squirrels and I are listening to

July Full Moon - Blessing Moon

Amazing video!

10 Things YOU can do to curb global warming

RIP Michael Jackson

This picture says it all....

25 ways to live a better life

Water conservation facts and tips

Squirrel pic of the day

One of the cutest things I have ever seen!!!!!

My personal path to Paganism

Practice PREcycling

Squirrel pic of the day

What have I become?

Severn Suzuki speaking at UN Earth Summit 1992

Homemade: All purpose orange oil cleaner

The ease and benefits of farming ☺

Homemade : All natural deodorant

Litha-The Summer Solstice ☼

Squirrel Pic of the Day

How to properly recycle everyday items

Squirrel Pic of the Day

Strong Sun Moon - June 7th

Pagan and Wiccan Rituals