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January Joy: New Year; New You?
I want to lend some spiritual advice to all those bombarded with the inevitable January blast of “New Year, New You” thinking. There’s a lot of advertising out there telling you that you need to change. Here’s what I think. You don’t need to go on a diet. Unless a medical professional tells you different, or you genuinely want to for your own reasons, you are fine as you are. You don’t need to buy new sports gear. If you want to, great! But don’t be pressured or guilt tripped into it. You don’t need a crazy new exercise routine. Exercise is amazing. It boosts endorphins, it makes you…
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Spiritual Gaslighting: Part 1
Spiritual Gaslighting: Is this Happening to You? “We sometimes look at leaving as a bad thing or associate it with giving up or quitting, but sometimes leaving is the best thing you can do for yourself. Leaving allows you to change directions, to start over, to rediscover yourself and the world. Leaving sometimes saves you from staying stuck in the wrong place with the wrong people. Leaving opens a new door for change, growth, opportunities and redemption. You’re even allowed to leave the old you behind and reinvent yourself.” -Rania Naim I grew up in a Portuguese family of mostly lapsed Catholics. My paternal grandmother was devout, however.…
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MagickalArts
Creating Sacred Space The Experience of Sacred Space makes possible the “founding of the world”: where the sacred Manifests itself in space, the real unveils itself, and the world comes into existence … Mircea Eliade … What is Sacred Space? Read and re-read the quote above. Take it into your space of meditation. Analyze, dissect and observe it from all angles, perspectives and meaning. Try to feel the weight and breath of its meaning and allow the words to gently wash over you. Digest it and then simply sit with the feeling of satiety its inner essence provides. And, once you have done these things, redo them, one by one.…
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This Month’s Freebie From Artist Chiara Torsi of PaperCatLab on Etsy
Mother Coloring Page From Artist Chiara Torsi of PaperCatLab on Etsy Download Your Free Coloring Page PDF Here: mother free coloring page Chiara Torsi is an italian artist, writer, painter and illustrator. She had the chance to grow up in an artsy family because her father is Maestro Luciano Torsi, a professional painter. She is a doctor in experimental psychology. In April 2017 published an essay book (currently on sale) about artificial intelligence and affective computing (“Emozioni umane e Affective Computing“) but she never stop making art. In the middle of a bad time of her life, she felt the need to share her art with…
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Notes from the Apothecary
Notes from the Apothecary: Cow Parsley Anthriscus Sylvestris or cow parsley is a member of the Apiaceae family, just like the carrot and hemlock. It has tall, hollow stems topped with a flurry of delicate white flowers. In Europe it is a common hedgerow plant, and a familiar sight to walkers and foragers. It’s one of the first flowers to appear by the roadside in spring. With many common names including the grand “Queen Anne’s Lace” and the morbid “Mother Die”, this plant is a piece of living history and an intriguing part of the British countryside. The Kitchen Garden Encouraging cow parsley into the garden would…
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Celebrating The Old Ways in New Times
Celebrating The Old Ways in New Times for January 2020 Bright Blessings and Happy January! By the time you read this, I trust all your holiday celebrations are over, and you are trying to remember to write “2020” instead of “2019” on everything! If you are like me, January is a welcome break from the hubub that started late Fall and lasted until New Years! So, let me say again HAPPY JANUARY. One thing I like a break from is listening to people complain about how something or another holiday related offends them. Now don’t get me wrong, we all complain about something or another, and sometimes, we…
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Retha’s Crystal Reflections
All You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About Quantum Quattro Quantum Quattro is a combination of multiple minerals. Different sources state different combos, but the most prevalent is shattuckite, chrysocolla, dioptase and malachite. “Quantum” means 4 in Italian. It’s also believed to contain silicon dioxide and smoky quartz. And sometimes even ajoite, azurite and cuprite. Quantum Quattro comes from only one deposit on earth, in Namibia, Africa. It comes from an oxidation zone of copper deposits. Whether it includes some or all of the individual minerals previously mentioned, it still encompasses the properties and energies of them all, as they all grow together in the larger matrix that the…
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The Promise
Move slowly and speak not a word And we may catch A glimpse of HIM yet. The night is dark But I have seen the Icy thread of HER cloak. Crystal blue eyes and Hair black as the midnight sky Grace a face of pale beauty Poised on a body that is tall and lithe. She has etched the night sky with Fingers long and fair painting starlight and Holding the breath of new dawn In HER hands’ cupped embrace. SHE has embraced the world In the longest of nights. HER Promise held deep within. The forest is hushed and white with snow. Ice crystals glisten round and all…
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Peeking in the Shadows: Crafting a Book of Shadows and Light
Last month we began the exploration of what a BOS could be. This month I’d like to spend some time on ..Selecting the Perfect Book… (Photo by Plush Design Studio on Unsplash) Let me begin by saying that I have MANY journals that have at one time or another served as my BOS. I have a tendency to begin using one journal that I especially like and multi-purpose it, allowing it to morph into whatever my needs happen to be at the time. When I move on to another focus, of course I also need a different journal/Book for those endeavors, and a new BOS is born. This…
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19-Days of Illuminated Darkness Course Offering
19-Days of Illuminated Darkness Winter Solstice 2019 December 21st @ 11:19p.m. (EST) Join me, once again, as we count down to the Winter Solstice and “19- Days of Illuminated Darkness”. What was begun as the veils of Samhain parted and the Witch’s New Year turned another cycle of the Great Wheel, continues as we welcome the Winter Solstice and the burgeoning of the Solar Light! Topics will include: … The deeper meaning of the Sabbat, consciousness, honoring and fueling the spark of the Divine within and more. And, a few bonus posts with new writings and experiences to enjoy. The countdown begins on Tuesday, December 3rd as the…