A Moment Of Pause

I invite each of you to take a moment to yourself. Just breathe.

Take a breath in and then release it slowly.

Honor all that you are today - all of your strengths AND your imperfections.

Relax your mind and let your troubles drift away.

Know that you are sacred and that you are loved.

Repeat as often as necessary. This is also a great exercise to help you calm and center yourself when your relatives or those busy shoppers are getting on your nerves this holiday season.

And know that I am thankful for you.

Incense Check In - 4 Days

It has been a few days since I posted anything. Without a topic, I have decided to post about the incense cones that I made. This is meant to be a quick little check in as an update, so I'll try my best to be brief. You all know how I love to use ten words when three would suffice.

The incense cones are still drying. They are hard on the outside but I'm skeptical about them being finished "drying" on the inside. I've even attempted to light one of the cones. It smolders for a few seconds and then goes out. This tells me that they aren't ready yet. I'm thinking of waiting another 7 days before even looking at them because the waiting is driving me bananas.

To cope, I resorted to taking the one incense cone I previously mentioned and placing it upon a charcoal disc. The aroma was sweet and Earthy, perfect for a devotional incense. I have in the past used too much lavender in previous recipes and that become the sole aroma in them, so I'm happy to report that it is no longer the case. The amount of lavender used is just right.

I'm still hoping that further drying will end in a combustible cone. Until then, charcoal discs will have to do.

I'm also looking at making this incense into pellets using honey as a binder. I'll let you know if I go that far.

Devotional Incense Cones

I've been reworking my morning and evening devotional rites and wanted to get some incense that would better set the mood and experience, as well as be able to be used as an offering to the Gods. An incense stick would take too much time to burn for this process while loose incense would require heating a charcoal disc or setting up a Makko trail. What's a guy to do? Make your own!

I opted to make incense cones with a small amount of herbs that I have on hand. I've turned up my heater a few extra degrees in the hope that it will help to shorten the drying time. Since I haven't made this recipe before, I was cautious about going too far by making too much product. Cones seemed like a good option because of their small size and I found the entire process really easy.

I started out by grinding my herbs into a fine powder (I cheated because some of my ingredients were bought in powdered form). Only the rosemary gave me a bit of trouble but I don't think full strands of rosemary will do any harm to the finished product. Once wet with some blessed water specifically for incense making, I set out to knead the dough and them form it into cones. I'm pleased with how they turned out.

I still had a little left over so I opted to try a large and small cylinder shape to help me gauge which size will best work. 

The hardest part in this process is waiting for the drying time, which I estimate to take about two full weeks. If they dry sooner then I'll consider it good luck and get to experimenting. I'll post an update and let you know how they turn out. If they work for my needs and the scent is pleasant then I will share the recipe.

Day 7 – Bringing it All Together

Carnelian	“Creativity and Action”
Take action; make life what we will.
Labradorite	“Illumination”
Incoming message for our highest good.
Rose Quartz	“Love and Healing”
Self-love and healing are needed.
Snowlake Obsidian	“Balance”
Insert balance into your life.
Unakite	“Live in the Present”
Embrace the present to achieve happiness.
Apache Tear	“Hidden/Negative Emotions”
There are emotions you aren’t dealing with; do so.
Aquamarine	“Think Clearly & Carefully”
Gain clarity over emotions.

We touched on emotions a lot through this challenge. We were also reminded about healing and self-love. Looking back at the past 7 days and the cards we drew tell me that the messages were all connected. The meanings were all working together to help bring us to our higher selves, to a state where we are whole and present in our lives.

Life is what we make of it.

Thank you for joining me for my self-imposed Crystal Guidance challenge. It has been enlightening and I have enjoyed connecting with these 7 crystals over the course of the challenge. I encourage you to do a daily draw with a similar oracle deck if you're interested in connecting more with your crystals.

For more information on the Crystal Guidance Oracle Cards that I used, go here.

Day 7 - Aquamarine

Our final day for the challenge brings us to Aquamarine.

Known for calming the emotions and soothing the body, Aquamarine is a powerful crystal that is tied to the element of water. It is also tied to the throat chakra.

The message for this card is one of gaining clarity over emotions. It encourages us to take the time to look at how we are feeling and determine if what we're going through and processing in our lives lines up with the way we feel about the situation(s). This card signals a time for a calm reflection.

Day 6 - Apache Tear

Today's draw is a form of obsidian. It should be no surprise that it is about bringing negative emotions to the surface so that we can deal with them. The PDF encourages, reminding that "now is not the time to bury emotions; know that it is okay to cry."

This card usually comes up during my severe bouts of depression. It is a wake-up call to signal that there may be things I'm not dealing with; things that are taking their toll on my emotions (setting aside brain chemistry as the primary cause for depression, of course). Alternatively, this card also reminds me that I have to be willing to embrace and allow myself to feel those emotions. If I don't, I'm just doomed to repeat the same cycle which keeps me depressed and unable to function.

Day 5 - Unakite

We've reached day 5 of my self-imposed Crystal Guidance challenge. It's been a fun ride so far and we've had an opportunity to work with four powerful crystals and stones. Some of us have even been lucky enough to experience the direct energies of carnelian, labradorite, rose quartz, and snowflake obsidian. All have greeted us with messages to help us navigate this life.

Today we find ourself heeding unakite's message of letting go of the past and living in the present. We are meant to be aware of what has happened and be aware of the many possibilities to come, but neither is more important than the present experience we are gifted with.

What can you do in this moment to make yourself happier? Embrace what you need to in order to allow yourself to experience a state of full happiness in the present moment. You deserve it.

Day 4 - Snowflake Obsidian

Yesterday's message was health and love. Today's message is about finding/creating balance.

Snowflake Obsidian is a form of volcanic glass that contains excessively heated clear quartz. All forms of obsidian have a tendency to bring up things that we have buried or ignored for our own greater good. After all, we can't work through something if we don't feel the emotions connected to it.

Drawing this card tells me that I need to insert as much balance in my life as possible, whether it be mixing my spirituality with other hobbies, or adding in emotional self-care instead of only focusing on regular care (eating, bathing, sleeping, etc.). There is something below the surface that we need to work through and when we have, we'll find ourselves better for it. 

Since I don't suggest carrying this stone around with you all day, try leaving it in a jacket pocket so that you'll have access but not continuous exposure. A little obsidian will go a long way.

Daily Devotional - A Small Rite

I don't usually light a candle when performing my morning and evening daily devotionals. I occasionally burn incense, though more frequently at night to remove any stray gunk that I have accumulated throughout the day.

I have a confession to make: I missed one of my devotionals yesterday. I felt like I needed a big gesture to get started back up again. It wasn't a requirement from Deity; it was my way of apologizing to God and Goddess for my lapse and returning to the process with renewed vigor. Now complete, I can easily say it was a good decision and that I'm glad I followed through with it.

I added the representations of the Elements this time around since I am beginning to approach them in Anni's Season of the Seeker program. A river rock for Earth, incense for Air, a tealight candle for Fire, and a container of Water - it needn't be more complicated than that. As a result of my adding these bits, the rite felt more complete and what I had previously viewed as a shrine had become a full-fledged altar.

Is it me or does my Lugh statuary seem extra happy today? He is holding a point of natural citrine and tumbled sunstone.

Even Danu seemed interested in the festivities this morning, as I could feel her presence. Here is Danu's statue, which many of you have likely seen on this blog before. Her offering bowl has a clear quartz point and a piece of tumbled moonstone.

If you're interested in starting a daily devotional practice, the easiest way to begin is to go before your altar and speak to Them. Heck, do it from your bed after you first wake up in the morning and prior to falling asleep - where doesn't matter so long as you get something out of the process (not material items but hopefully some form of spiritual growth).

Day 3 - Rose Quartz

I apologize for being a little late uploading this post. As you'll see in the one following this one, my small rite this morning kept me from the Crystal Guidance challenge I imposed on myself. Only Danu and Lugh have kept me away thus far.

Today's draw is rose quartz. Known as "the love crystal," rose quartz has connections to the element of water and the heart chakra. I decided that the wording in the PDF guide is more than adequate so I would like to share with you a direct quote instead of me modifying the passage into my own words.

"You need healing on some level, whether it is emotional, physical, mental, or spiritual. You have not been feeling 100% lately, but a little self-love and healing is exactly what you need to start feeling better. The key to healing is to envelop yourself with positive energy and love in your heart."

I skipped two sentences that were basically telling us what we already knew or could figure out based on the rest of the passage. Grab yourself some rose quartz and get to work; this is one healing crystal that can do a lot for you even in one day's time.

Day 2 - Labradorite

Labradorite is one of those stones that I love looking at but haven't used very much in my personal practice. This challenge is going to give me the opportunity to connect to those that I have in my collection, and I encourage you to work with labradorite for the entire day as well (the easiest way to do this is to carry a piece in your pocket as you go about your routine).

The message of labradorite is illumination. A message or news is heading to us and whether it is something we want to hear or not is irrelevant because it is for our highest good. It may or not be related to yesterday's draw so keep your eyes peeled for any possible connection. 

Check back tomorrow for day 3 of this challenge!

Day 1 - Carnelian

Today is the big day and we're starting off with an excellent crystal.

I really love carnelian and have used it for many different things. I typically use the middle piece at the bottom of the photo to realign my sacral chakra. I have also called upon its energizing qualities a time or two. As you can see from the photo, carnelian is associated with the element of fire.

The PDF that comes with the card echoes "creativity and action" in the message. Drawing this card alerts us to the fact that we have the potential to make our life what we will and that now is the time for action, of change. We have to put in the work and do.

This card is telling us to get moving and start working; we are being guided to create that life now as opposed to later. If you have a piece of carnelian in your collection, today is a great time to use it. If you're unsure how to connect with your crystals then I suggest YouTube as a resource - there are dozens of videos to get you started.

Check back tomorrow for day 2!

The Need To Be Better Than

I've been seeing a lot more Pagan/Wiccan videos on YouTube. Normally that is a good thing, but with the influx comes the haters, "video dislikers," and a whole lot of opinions on the right and wrong way to practice. 

Can we just give all that a rest?

Let us not criticize how others practice and hold them to our own set of standards. Let us instead embrace them for their differences, accepting that there are things in their life which may distract them from their path from time to time. Not all Pagans practice alike. Judging someone for not celebrating "X, Y, and Z" is not acceptable in my eyes, folks. Live and let live.

Just because we have an opinion doesn't mean we get to apply it to everyone else. Our doing something a certain way doesn't give us the right to expect that from everyone that calls themselves the same thing that we call ourselves. It is alright. The world won't stop spinning because someone missed a daily devotional. Stop judging. Stop criticizing.

And if you're in doubt, just mind your own business.

Crystal Guidance Oracle Challenge

Hello everyone.

I've been working on tuning to my intuition lately and today it has been telling me that it is time for me to return to an oracle challenge. After looking through my decks, I decided on the Crystal Guidance Oracle that I purchased from dragonfaecreations on Etsy (link below).

This deck is one of my favorites, especially because the 45-card deck contains a card for ametrine, which happens to be my favorite crystal. It goes beyond that though - the photography of each card really helps to connect to that crystal's energies. Elemental and chakra symbols are directly on the card to help with quick interpretation of the message, and there are even a few keywords on each card. 

The challenge will begin tomorrow so be sure to check back to see what the daily message is. And I encourage you to work with the crystal if you have it in your collection, which is what I will be doing. Even just spending five minutes with the crystal and allowing it to give you some of its energy will do the trick so those constrained by time need not set aside an hour to work on this. 

See ya tomorrow, folks.

Crystal Guidance Oracle Cards: http://www.crystalguidance.com/oraclecards.html

A Daily Draw Brings Insight

I was up early this morning and had an opportunity to get an early start on my morning routine. Instead of just drawing one card from one of the decks I own, I opted to draw two. The first card is from The Enchanted Map Oracle by Colette Baron-Reid. The second card is from Jen Faeline's Crystal Guidance Oracle Deck.

I knew I was going to need some crystal energy to help me with the message before I even drew the first card. Not surprisingly, the two cards have a similar message as if by coincidence or synchronicity. I know better (and my instincts told me just that) so who am I are argue?

The "Gentle Gardener" card's message is that of creating abundance by putting in the work of cultivating every aspect of the life you want. Our thoughts about ourselves and our reality directly influence the quality of life we are given and the gifts we receive from the Universe. 

The "Aventurine" card's message is that of growth and prosperity. The elemental association is that of Earth but of more notice is that the aligned chakra is actually that of the heart, long thought to be our emotional center. Green Aventurine is known as a stone of "personal growth." 

Do you see what I see?

It is easy to see the associations between a garden and growth, but what is not so easily seen is the relationship between the heart chakra and abundance - unless what we feel has a direct impact in manifesting what we need in our lives over what it is that we want.

Just some food for thought.