I've always liked Crows and Ravens. I don't really know why but I do. Recently I've began to notice more and more Crows in the area, almost always in duos. What strikes me as odd is the fact their population in the area either increased or became more noticeable(believe me when I say that I keep an eye out for these birds) when I began to study the Norse deities, more importantly Odin. I do know that Crows and Ravens come from the same family but they're different enough. While Odin's birds are Ravens rather than Crows, I don't think Ravens would fly so far from their normal homes just to make a connection. Let me just say that I'm not one to go around and saw everything is a sign from this deity or that one. I don't know why but I study the moment and really look at it from every possible angle(yay for being a Libra). Either it was some sort of 'sign' or it was just a very strange coincidence that the crows have shown up in force.
One thing that I suppose I should note is that this isn't the only time that I've had odd occurrences with these birds. Over 12 years ago, I think I was sophomore in high school, I was sitting on the back porch talking to a friend over the phone. I was really expanding my views and capability with Paganism in general about that time, and I was pretty much alone(no friends were 'into it' and I had to do it in secret for the time being). While my friend and I were chatting two large black birds landed in the yard. When I saw large I mean LARGE, like the height of a Bald Eagle. While that species does appear here randomly, these two were juveniles. These two were pitch black rather than brown. I had made a comment to my friend that these two crows were in the yard. While we chatted I watched them. They moved through the yard and towards the house....i.e. me. I was growing more and more nervous as they kept walking and made sounds at each other. When they reached the halfway point in the yard I hurried inside. I never say birds like that again and I still have no explanation on what they could have been. I've recently looked at images of the birds in the area and nothing matches up.
So while part of me just dismisses it, another part likes to think that Odin had attempted contact before and I'm now able to listen.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Friday, October 7, 2011
Turning the Wheel
Grendal was nice enough to get our connection to the internet back in working order, plus cleaning out the machine so it runs a bit faster. With that being done I can talk about that book I've been meaning to. Just let it be known that I haven't written a book review or even a book report in years, so it may be disjointed and full of rambling. :P
I don't remember how, exactly, I stumbled across Wheel of the Year: Living the Magical Life but I found it after Yule of last year and bought it for myself. The book doesn't hide what its going to talk about, telling you right up front that you'll be going through the months of the year and seeing the connections of the seasons. It talks about old and more modern traditions for the various holidays and Sabbats. Each chapter starts out with a description of how the month has effected the world around the authors' farmstead, weaving a beautiful image, before jumping into tradition.
The pages are filled with little crafts to do, as well as some simple spells that connect with that month's over all feel. I just re-read October's entry and found myself overly excited for the weeks to come. Don't go into this book in hopes of finding out the history of each Sabbat. That's not what this book is here to do and there are many others out there do that, which is probably why the authors shied away from doing so.
Over all the one down fall to this book is the fact that it seems to be the epitome of picturesque witchy living. Big farm house, nice fireplace, large garden and orchard, etc. While I do live on a nice piece of land and may be able to mirror a few things garden-wise, most others live in large cities and these things are hard to accomplish. I do suppose that this book follows the rules of many other Wiccan books out there when it comes to spells: these descriptions are guide-lines and inspirational notes that should lead you to do what you are capable of doing. (quick example) While I love the idea of doing ocean magic, I'm way too far from an ocean to do anything but I do have reasonable access to rivers that flow there. With a few modifications I could make it work. The same applies to this book: Modifications may be necessary.
All in all this book has rekindled my love of the seasons and my want to tune myself with the ebb and flow of them. I have found myself watching the happenings of the birds and nature in general, and learning new things that seem to herald the changes. This year I learned from Grendal's father that after the cicadas start their songs it'll be around 3 weeks before it starts to get chilly(this is what he was told, by his mother, when he was a child). Me being curious, I kept 'watch' and sure enough 3 weeks later we had a cold snap. :)
The book is worth a flip through if you can manage to find. I didn't have the opportunity to peruse it before purchasing but I don't regret it. This book sits proudly in my bookcase, alongside the other well read books.
I don't remember how, exactly, I stumbled across Wheel of the Year: Living the Magical Life but I found it after Yule of last year and bought it for myself. The book doesn't hide what its going to talk about, telling you right up front that you'll be going through the months of the year and seeing the connections of the seasons. It talks about old and more modern traditions for the various holidays and Sabbats. Each chapter starts out with a description of how the month has effected the world around the authors' farmstead, weaving a beautiful image, before jumping into tradition.
The pages are filled with little crafts to do, as well as some simple spells that connect with that month's over all feel. I just re-read October's entry and found myself overly excited for the weeks to come. Don't go into this book in hopes of finding out the history of each Sabbat. That's not what this book is here to do and there are many others out there do that, which is probably why the authors shied away from doing so.
Over all the one down fall to this book is the fact that it seems to be the epitome of picturesque witchy living. Big farm house, nice fireplace, large garden and orchard, etc. While I do live on a nice piece of land and may be able to mirror a few things garden-wise, most others live in large cities and these things are hard to accomplish. I do suppose that this book follows the rules of many other Wiccan books out there when it comes to spells: these descriptions are guide-lines and inspirational notes that should lead you to do what you are capable of doing. (quick example) While I love the idea of doing ocean magic, I'm way too far from an ocean to do anything but I do have reasonable access to rivers that flow there. With a few modifications I could make it work. The same applies to this book: Modifications may be necessary.
All in all this book has rekindled my love of the seasons and my want to tune myself with the ebb and flow of them. I have found myself watching the happenings of the birds and nature in general, and learning new things that seem to herald the changes. This year I learned from Grendal's father that after the cicadas start their songs it'll be around 3 weeks before it starts to get chilly(this is what he was told, by his mother, when he was a child). Me being curious, I kept 'watch' and sure enough 3 weeks later we had a cold snap. :)
The book is worth a flip through if you can manage to find. I didn't have the opportunity to peruse it before purchasing but I don't regret it. This book sits proudly in my bookcase, alongside the other well read books.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Oh noes! The internets....
Grendal's parents decided to mess around with the router in the house, thus disconnecting our computer from the web while keeping theirs in semi-working order. I was going to post a slight 'review' of a book last night but with a mixture of messed up internet and the fact that I left work an hour and half later messed that up. While the internet is still in the house I either have to blog on the TV in the living, use a dinosaur of a laptop, or just wait it out. The wait might not be too long. Hell, Grendal may have everything fixed by the time I get off of work tonight but I don't know for sure. :\
In other news, I think I may have to search for a new job. I love the people that I work with. Hell, I met a fellow Pagan in my department and we chat whenever we work together but that can't keep me going. The place I work at got bought out by a competitor which is fine and dandy. The not so dandy part is that suddenly the store is implementing seniority. I went from a hard worker with some 34+ hours a week to a hard worker who'll be lucky to get 30 hours a week. Part me understands it but it irks me when four fellow co-workers, all whom live at home with mommy and daddy and don't have any sort of rent or bills to pay, are getting more then their 'allotted' hours. One of them is below part time and is supposed to get anywhere from 16-24 hours a week. This week she's getting 38. :I Annoying to say the least and my Pagan coworker(a 50 some odd year old woman with more than her share of worries) is getting poor hours as well. She told me that I gotta do what I gotta do....besides, she can bother me on facebook.
I've been trying to figure out some way to decorate and celebrate this season. I wore my 'witchy' socks on the 1st and have been going over some books in my collection but so far nothing much. Autumn and Halloween are my favorite times of year and have been since I was a kid. No kids wander on to our 4+ acre of property for candy(it does look like a spooky place at night) and my relationship with my elder sister is still rocky, so handing out candy at her place probably won't happen. I'm going to start planning something out for the 31st in way of honoring the spirits, but I'm not too sure what.
One way or another a 'review' will be posted on a book that I have and I think I'll explain some nifty crafts that I've been trying to get into, and how I found them! :P
In other news, I think I may have to search for a new job. I love the people that I work with. Hell, I met a fellow Pagan in my department and we chat whenever we work together but that can't keep me going. The place I work at got bought out by a competitor which is fine and dandy. The not so dandy part is that suddenly the store is implementing seniority. I went from a hard worker with some 34+ hours a week to a hard worker who'll be lucky to get 30 hours a week. Part me understands it but it irks me when four fellow co-workers, all whom live at home with mommy and daddy and don't have any sort of rent or bills to pay, are getting more then their 'allotted' hours. One of them is below part time and is supposed to get anywhere from 16-24 hours a week. This week she's getting 38. :I Annoying to say the least and my Pagan coworker(a 50 some odd year old woman with more than her share of worries) is getting poor hours as well. She told me that I gotta do what I gotta do....besides, she can bother me on facebook.
I've been trying to figure out some way to decorate and celebrate this season. I wore my 'witchy' socks on the 1st and have been going over some books in my collection but so far nothing much. Autumn and Halloween are my favorite times of year and have been since I was a kid. No kids wander on to our 4+ acre of property for candy(it does look like a spooky place at night) and my relationship with my elder sister is still rocky, so handing out candy at her place probably won't happen. I'm going to start planning something out for the 31st in way of honoring the spirits, but I'm not too sure what.
One way or another a 'review' will be posted on a book that I have and I think I'll explain some nifty crafts that I've been trying to get into, and how I found them! :P
Monday, October 3, 2011
Quick Recipe of the Season
Besides the colors and the crisp air, another reason why I love autumn is the sudden explosion of pumpkins! Big ones, small ones, all of 'em! My sisters and I would do your traditional pumpkin carvings when we were young, giggling at the gross mess we made with the insides and threatening to chuck it at each other. We'd pick through to get the seeds and my mother would toast them in the oven for us. There is something special about homemade toasted pumpkin seeds that seems to be lacking in the store bought variety.
Looking through my mass of recipes I found a quick one for toasted seeds and thought I'd share.
Looking through my mass of recipes I found a quick one for toasted seeds and thought I'd share.
Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
2 cups pumpkin seeds
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Wash pumpkin seed in a colander under running water. Wipe off excess fibers. On a cookie sheet, combine pumpkin seeds with remaining ingredients. Bake approximately 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until seeds are dry and golden.
As with any recipe, add what you'd like to it! My elder sister does her own spicy variety and I add some cayenne pepper to a portion of mine for Grendal. I haven't tried a 'sweet' variety but I do think it could be done. Enjoy!
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Be Kind to Your Fine Feathered Friends
From what I've been told I was bitten by a swan when I was a child. It must not have been very traumatic because I don't remember it and I adore most birds. My grandfather had a Martin house set up in the backyard before he and my grandmother moved to their current house. He has a pair of binoculars and a bird book right next to the large windows that overlook their backyard. It's a haven for wildlife, as small as the yard may be, and it's thanks to him that I've taken a liking to feeding the birds and squirrels in our own yard.
The whole 'grandparent feeding the small animals' thing isn't just in my family; apparently Grendal's own grandfather feeds them. What struck me as awesome was the fact that the squirrels and chipmunks would actually run up to him and pretty much ask for some peanuts. For the 6+ years Grendal and I have been together I hadn't seen it happen. One chipmunk had attempted to get to him but was frightened off by the crowd of people at the family get together. This past weekend, though, I actually got to witness it. Grendal found it amusing because I reverted back to a child when the chipmunk ran up to me and grabbed my finger, thinking I had something for him. He loved it even more so when his grandfather handed me some peanuts and I began to feed the little guy. The chipmunk would take three peanuts(one in each cheek and on its mouth) and then bounce off to its home, only to come back for more. Grendal's grandmother said they're usually nervous around other people but it seems like it warmed up to me rather quickly.
While I haven't gotten the squirrels or chipmunks to do that around here, Grendal and I have managed to gather a rather large community of birds:
I find myself sitting next to the cat by the window watching the birds, chipmunks, and squirrels eat. We have Goldfinches, Whitebreasted Nuthatches, Mourning Doves, Cardinals, Sparrows, House Finches, and Blue Jays flying around. My favorite are the Nuthatches right now. I just love how they shimmy down the polls, flip on the horizontal poll, and eat 'upside down.' I do love the Cardinals, especially in winter when their colors pop against the snow, but the male we had this past spring was constantly singing. Grendal said he was just expressing his joy, but it eventually rubbed him the wrong way when the bird decided to sing right outside the bedroom window!
I've seen other bloggers joining little blog parties before and it has piqued my interest many times. I've seen what goes on and I've thought about joining. Me being me, though, I've stopped short many times. Why? Because I'm so nervous and shy. Why should I be, though? This is the internet! Anonymity it supposed to give you courage to be yourself! I think it's more of the whole 'am I pagan/witchy enough' feel. My blog isn't dedicated to my witchy lifestyle but that is more of me still flexing those muscles. I am knowledgeable in my own right! I have no need to fear others looking this over and thinking that I'm not what I should be. I have been following this path for over 10 years! So yeah, I joined something: The Real Witches of Halloween. Hopefully I will meet new people, find new blogs, and expand my view even wider!
The whole 'grandparent feeding the small animals' thing isn't just in my family; apparently Grendal's own grandfather feeds them. What struck me as awesome was the fact that the squirrels and chipmunks would actually run up to him and pretty much ask for some peanuts. For the 6+ years Grendal and I have been together I hadn't seen it happen. One chipmunk had attempted to get to him but was frightened off by the crowd of people at the family get together. This past weekend, though, I actually got to witness it. Grendal found it amusing because I reverted back to a child when the chipmunk ran up to me and grabbed my finger, thinking I had something for him. He loved it even more so when his grandfather handed me some peanuts and I began to feed the little guy. The chipmunk would take three peanuts(one in each cheek and on its mouth) and then bounce off to its home, only to come back for more. Grendal's grandmother said they're usually nervous around other people but it seems like it warmed up to me rather quickly.
While I haven't gotten the squirrels or chipmunks to do that around here, Grendal and I have managed to gather a rather large community of birds:
I find myself sitting next to the cat by the window watching the birds, chipmunks, and squirrels eat. We have Goldfinches, Whitebreasted Nuthatches, Mourning Doves, Cardinals, Sparrows, House Finches, and Blue Jays flying around. My favorite are the Nuthatches right now. I just love how they shimmy down the polls, flip on the horizontal poll, and eat 'upside down.' I do love the Cardinals, especially in winter when their colors pop against the snow, but the male we had this past spring was constantly singing. Grendal said he was just expressing his joy, but it eventually rubbed him the wrong way when the bird decided to sing right outside the bedroom window!
I've seen other bloggers joining little blog parties before and it has piqued my interest many times. I've seen what goes on and I've thought about joining. Me being me, though, I've stopped short many times. Why? Because I'm so nervous and shy. Why should I be, though? This is the internet! Anonymity it supposed to give you courage to be yourself! I think it's more of the whole 'am I pagan/witchy enough' feel. My blog isn't dedicated to my witchy lifestyle but that is more of me still flexing those muscles. I am knowledgeable in my own right! I have no need to fear others looking this over and thinking that I'm not what I should be. I have been following this path for over 10 years! So yeah, I joined something: The Real Witches of Halloween. Hopefully I will meet new people, find new blogs, and expand my view even wider!
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Sad times
Yesterday I was going to post something rather happy, along with a couple pictures, but the day went from wonderful to bad with a simple phone text. Turns out the family sheltie, named Pikala, had to be put down. Out of the current dogs at my parents' house she was the one I looked forward to seeing. I always gave he first greeting. Whenever I sat on the porch while everyone was out she would sit right next me and watch everything as well. She was the only dog that would give me a kiss when I would give her one.
In essence she was like a younger sister to me. Grendal loved her dearly as well and was heartbroken by the news. Pika was young for a sheltie but had medical issues and had to be put down. What hurts the most was that it had been 2 weeks since we saw her, and at that time she appeared to be rather healthy. We never got to say goodbye and it hurts to wonder if she had missed seeing us one last time. All we can do is be happy in knowing there is no more pain and that she has gone to a better place.
In essence she was like a younger sister to me. Grendal loved her dearly as well and was heartbroken by the news. Pika was young for a sheltie but had medical issues and had to be put down. What hurts the most was that it had been 2 weeks since we saw her, and at that time she appeared to be rather healthy. We never got to say goodbye and it hurts to wonder if she had missed seeing us one last time. All we can do is be happy in knowing there is no more pain and that she has gone to a better place.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
It's the most Wonderful Time of the Year
It's already September, which means it's close to my birthday and closer to my favorite season: autumn! I never really experienced the color extravaganza that come with season when I lived in California and Georgia. Sure trees changed but it's nothing like what I've seen here in northern Illinois. The first time I saw such a lovely display was actually in the backyard of my grandparents' house(my father now owns it). I'm not too sure what type of tree it is but every autumn, for a few days, the leaves are a beautiful crimson. After a point, though, they turn brown and fall. :P
One of my favorite places is a stretch of road not too far from a community college. Trees create this nice tunnel effect as they loom over the street, and once autumn hits the place looks similar to this, but with more reds:
When the sun begins to set the whole place seems to glow! It always takes my breath away. I love the place so much that it inspired an area in my novel-in-progress. The forest always has autumn colors, which just makes it a dream place in my head.
Grendal's father had gone around the yard last month looking at the oak trees in the yard and decided to figure out what kind we have. From what I've been told we have three different kinds, which makes the whole lot of us happy. I've also taken notice that they're producing a nice amount of acorns and have decided that I'm going to try and harvest some! While it seems too early for me to start feasting on nuts, I can't help but want to harvest them. Acorns, walnuts, chestnuts, and almonds, all in their shells, was something my mother bought me every winter when I was kid. We had a nutcracker that I was able to use to crack 'em open, though I stopped using the poor guy when I noticed his jaw was loose(I also liked watched The Nutcracker, so I I thought mine came to life at night and wouldn't appreciate a wiggly jaw). When we moved up here to Illinois my little winter tradition stopped mainly because I couldn't find that array of nuts together and for a reasonable price. So I'll be keeping an eye out for the right harvesting time and the grocery store whenever they get their own nut harvest.
On the mead front, its drinkable and yummy!! Grendal and I are happy that our first batch came out so well and we plan on not only making another small batch but saving up money so it can be our drink of choice at our joining/handfasting/wedding thing. I think we had agreed on two 15 gallon jugs. The big thing is figuring out flavor. We've thought about spiced mead and even a berry kind but nothing is set in stone yet. I think I'll nab a book on mead making before all of that gets underway.
Other than that not much has happened in my corner of the world. I'm trying desperately to save money but it seems to be harder than I thought, mainly because I've had to empty my account twice to help pay the electric bill. This coming Friday, though, I will be getting that money back since the electric bill isn't really what was agreed upon when it came to me paying for stuff. It also helps that Grendal's father has gotten a job, so there will be a little more money coming into the house! Grendal is still trying to focus on the home business but it doesn't seem to be going anywhere, which frustrates everyone. Grendal has mentioned that there needs to advertisement and his mother shunted that responsibility to him, which probably wasn't the best of things. He's at a loss on what to do and that seems something like his mother would be a bit better at accomplishing.....to some degree. All that really needs to be done is create a flyer with the phone number and the etsy site url, along with a brief description of what they do! Put it up around town and business bulletin boards and there you go. Online advertising, though, might be a little harder.
That's it for now. I'll be back whenever something exciting happens! ;)
One of my favorite places is a stretch of road not too far from a community college. Trees create this nice tunnel effect as they loom over the street, and once autumn hits the place looks similar to this, but with more reds:
Grendal's father had gone around the yard last month looking at the oak trees in the yard and decided to figure out what kind we have. From what I've been told we have three different kinds, which makes the whole lot of us happy. I've also taken notice that they're producing a nice amount of acorns and have decided that I'm going to try and harvest some! While it seems too early for me to start feasting on nuts, I can't help but want to harvest them. Acorns, walnuts, chestnuts, and almonds, all in their shells, was something my mother bought me every winter when I was kid. We had a nutcracker that I was able to use to crack 'em open, though I stopped using the poor guy when I noticed his jaw was loose(I also liked watched The Nutcracker, so I I thought mine came to life at night and wouldn't appreciate a wiggly jaw). When we moved up here to Illinois my little winter tradition stopped mainly because I couldn't find that array of nuts together and for a reasonable price. So I'll be keeping an eye out for the right harvesting time and the grocery store whenever they get their own nut harvest.
On the mead front, its drinkable and yummy!! Grendal and I are happy that our first batch came out so well and we plan on not only making another small batch but saving up money so it can be our drink of choice at our joining/handfasting/wedding thing. I think we had agreed on two 15 gallon jugs. The big thing is figuring out flavor. We've thought about spiced mead and even a berry kind but nothing is set in stone yet. I think I'll nab a book on mead making before all of that gets underway.
Other than that not much has happened in my corner of the world. I'm trying desperately to save money but it seems to be harder than I thought, mainly because I've had to empty my account twice to help pay the electric bill. This coming Friday, though, I will be getting that money back since the electric bill isn't really what was agreed upon when it came to me paying for stuff. It also helps that Grendal's father has gotten a job, so there will be a little more money coming into the house! Grendal is still trying to focus on the home business but it doesn't seem to be going anywhere, which frustrates everyone. Grendal has mentioned that there needs to advertisement and his mother shunted that responsibility to him, which probably wasn't the best of things. He's at a loss on what to do and that seems something like his mother would be a bit better at accomplishing.....to some degree. All that really needs to be done is create a flyer with the phone number and the etsy site url, along with a brief description of what they do! Put it up around town and business bulletin boards and there you go. Online advertising, though, might be a little harder.
That's it for now. I'll be back whenever something exciting happens! ;)
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