Valuing the Trusted

Today’s meditation was ten minutes and forty seconds long, and focused on taking time to enjoy life instead of allowing life to push you ever forward in a state of overwhelm.

I think everyone has those times when life is overwhelming and you forget to pay attention to the little joys and small pleasures.  One of my favorite ways to get in touch with those little joys is to take my sister to a toy store.

We never went to toy stores as a kid, and this has become a HUGE fascination for her as an adult.  Take her in a toy store, and he face lights up like Christmas.  She can spend hours (yes, literally hours) going through the aisles playing with all the different toys and chatting about everything she sees.    She never spends a penny, but for her?  It’s like taking her to an amusement park.    And in taking her, she draws me into the silliness and fun that, if I’m honest, I have a difficult time connecting to on my own.

In today’s meditation, it talks about how focusing on those moments of joy and enjoyment are apart of what makes life worth living.   And its true.  Without the shimmer of light to dazzle us now and then, life can begin to feel very plain and drab.  It’s important, when that twinkle appears, that you take a minute to enjoy it and appreciate its presence.

Today’s draw is the Three of Brine (Cups), which is a representation of small gains, harmonious unions, small groups, and communication in the area of the emotions, relationships, intuition, and creativity.  This can come across in many ways such as successful collaborations, friendship and comradery, community celebration… or on the negative side, the “three’s a crowd syndrome”.

When I look at today’s card I see community and friendship.   The three stingray-children that gather together have their heads dipped in a display of the depth of sharing they have with each other.   The one facing forward displays that his heart is exposed, which to me expresses not just that he wears his “heart on his sleeve” but that he feels safe being vulnerable and exposed in this environment and with these people.

This card speaks to me today of remembering who is important and who is ‘safe’ in your life to share those inner most parts of you that, when exposed, leave you vulnerable.  It’s about knowing who to trust, and cherishing those relationships.

Deck Used: Stolen Child Tarot

Rest Before Battle

Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and focused on monitoring your emotions to check in with yourself and how you are  doing throughout the day.  It spoke on how when you don’t keep in touch with your emotions, this is when the emotional upsets and outbursts start to get out of hand.

I’ve never had a problem with checking in with my emotions, primarily because I spent so much time walling them off throughout much of my life.

In order to cage your emotions like that, it requires a constant vigilance. Funny enough, the meditation’s title was “Gatekeeping”, and that’s a very apt name for the kind of constant policing I’ve done with my emotions throughout my life.

I can see how lack of awareness of your emotions and what stirs them up could be a problem, though.

Today’s draw is the Four of Zephyrs (Four of Swords) which traditionally is a representation of stability, rest, recuperation, and ease in the area of the mind, thoughts, communication, and instinct.

This is the exact impression I got of this card when I drew it this morning.  I saw the eggs, untouched and safe in their nest, and the spirits watching over the eggs to ensure they are cared for.

The egg is a time of gestation, which is something that happens naturally when you take some time to yourself to rest and recuperate.  As you turn inward, you grow, just like the embryo inside the shell grows.  And when it is time to break free, our soul stretches in the say way the baby chick stretches out from the shell for the first time.

I didn’t have a lot of opportunity to rest today, but I understand the message that is conveyed in having drawn this card.   With the trip so close upon me, now is not a time for freaking out and expending energy on stress and worry.  It’s a time to rest, restore, and in doing so prepare for what is coming.

Deck Used: Stolen Child Tarot

Making “Florida Water” at Home

Right, so my mother did not call this “florida water”, but I’ve looked at a LOT of Florida Water recipes, and it’s essentially the same thing with a few tweaks.  This version is my mother’s recipe for what she has always called her “Energy Cleanser” or “Energy Spray”.

I thought you might be interested, since you’d asked about spell craft.  This is an example of spell craft, although I will be doing a separate post to go into a better explanation of what that is and how it works later on.

As my mother’s name suggests, this is used for cleansing energy of an area or thing.  It can be used to wipe down furniture or items, to wash your hands, to spray in the air or on items, etc.  My mother uses it on EVERYTHING.   My sister and I are not usually so liberal with it, though, and so we only make enough to fill a 2 liter jar at a time.

FL01

What You Need:

Orange Peel, Rose Hips, Cedar Shavings, Rosemary, Garden Sage, Cinnamon, Lavender, Cloves, Sweet Grass, Star Anise, Ylang Ylang essential oil, and an air-tight jar.  Mason jars work, as will any other type of glass bottle or jar as long as it can create an air-tight seal even when turned upside down or shaken.  Many of these items can be substituted for their essential oils if you don’t want to forage and/or grow what you need.  I simply prefer the growing and foraging method.

You will also need a CLEAR alcohol of at least 80-proof.  I have used rubbing alcohol, everclear, and vodka in the past.   This batch is made with vodka, as it’s what I had on hand at the moment.

You’ll notice in my ingredients pictured above, I’m missing Star Anise.  That is because they were OUT where I normally source the magickal herbs that I’m not either ethically sourcing through nature or growing myself.  Thus, I will be adding it to the jar a bit later.

Once you have all that you need, clean your jar well  inside and out, then dry thoroughly.  Once dry, add all of the ingredients to the jar except the alcohol. I usually add the loose smaller ingredients first, but you can do this in any order that works for you.   As you add them to the jar, introduce them to your intention in using them and, while doing so, set your intentions energetically with each ingredient.

Each of my ingredients are introduced with the following intentions….

  • Lavender – energy purification, peace, and protection
  • Clove – repel negative influences, psychic protection, raising positive energy, and silencing gossip
  • Sweet Grass – energy purification, healing, attracting positive energy, and good fortune
  • Garden Sage – energy purification, wish fulfillment, and creating sacred space
  • Rosemary – energy purification, and warding off negative energy
  • Cedar Chips – banishing and warding of negative energy, creating sacred space
  • Cinnamon – grounding, protection, and success
  • Rosehips – attracting good health, attracting abundance, and promoting peace and harmony
  • Orange Peel – fostering positive energy, protection, hex breaking, and abundance
  • Star Anise (to come) – good luck, protection, calming energies, and increasing intuition
  • Ylang Ylang – clearing of and protection from negative energy, inviting in soothing energies, and nurturing the inner spirit

As you can see from the list above, each of the ingredients has its own purposes, but also works together with others in the jar to create a blend of primarily protective and cleansing properties.

Florida WaterOnce everything has been added to the jar, the alcohol you’ve chosen to use is then added and the container is filled up to its rim then sealed.   After sealing, this is a good time to give it a good vigorous shake to make sure your jar is air tight, as well as to get everything inside the jar mixed together.

Place the jar in a cool, dark place to set for three months.  It is usually a good idea to use a sharpie marker and write on the jar when the mixture was made and how long it needs to sit for, that way you do not forget. I prefer to do this making during the full moon as a part of my full moon ritual, so that I can include that burst of energy into the making.  I have made this mixture during this last full moon so that it will be ready to be opened for the new year, which is a tradition in our family.

It needs to be stored in a cool, dark place in order to protect the contents from degrading due to light.  But, be sure to pull it out each month at the full moon to set out in the moonlight after dark, but also be sure that you put it back in a cool, dark place before daylight.

Once opened, you want to strain the liquid inside through a fine mesh (or cotton cloth) to remove all the little bits of debris inside.  You can then tie up the contents in a biodegradable bit of cheesecloth and bury them to return them to degrade in the earth.   Strain the liquid a second time to ensure it is well cleaned, then transfer to a clean jar.

For use, you add 1 part mixture to (at least) 4 parts distilled water.   DO NOT use this mixture without diluting it by at least a 1:4 ratio or more.  It is very strong and needs dilution to be safe for your skin, pets, etc.   I personally use a 1:10 ratio just to be sure it is safe for Miss Luna to be around.  In my case, I fill a glass spray bottle with the diluted mixture and use it to clean surfaces before spell crafting, as well as to spray on my hands prior to tarot readings.

The remaining undiluted mixture can be stored in a cool, dark place until it’s needed.  As long as it is undiluted and sealed in an air-tight glass container, it will have an indefinite shelf life.

One Plus One Equals One

Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and focused on the subjectivity of time.  That is to say, how in some situations time feels like it moves at a crawl or even stands still, while at other times it flies by in a blink.

It specifically dealt with times when these slows or accelerations in time are stressful or uncomfortable, and how we can help take ourselves out of that space by stepping back for a moment and focusing on the now.  This includes a moment of mindfulness, taking a few deep breaths, and centering yourself in the moment.

I have a habit of doing this thing throughout the day, but it was a good reminder, because there are times when I am feeling flustered or overwhelmed that I forget the practice is available to me.

Today’s draw is the Nine of Brine, with a jumper card of the Knight of Oak.  (That would be the Nine of Cups, and the Knight of Pentacles, in tarot-speak.)

The Nine of Brine is traditionally a culmination card in the area of emotions, creativity, and relationships.   But, what I see here in this card is not so much culmination as support through times of difficulty.   I see the young elephant and the young human giving each other comfort and support as they are surrounded by the remnants of the dead.   The water they wade in is a reinforcement of the emotional connection blended into the support between the two.   They are washed clean together, they emerge together, supportive of each other.

The Knight of Oak (pentacles), is a card of action within the tarot, which deals with themes to do with hard work and productivity.  Again, in this card I see something that lightly touches on that theme, but that again speaks of a coming together and supportive relationship.  The moose and the boy work together to gather what they need.  Yes, the key word here is that they are working, but what I see in this card is far more than that and speaks to me of a joining of spirit and interconnected relationship.  Support between two spirits that are very different, and yet the same.

Bringing the impressions I am pulling from both cards together, what I see is an encouragement to take stock of and appreciate those connections I have that serve to support myself and the other individual in the relationship.  These are my close relationships, like you, my sister, and J.  In each instance, there is support given and received on both sides, and together in these relationships everyone is different, but together create something far stronger and more useful than as individuals.

These cards also speak to me of the work involved in preserving and fostering these relationships being worth it.  Sometimes, these relationships are work, and that’s okay.  That you’re willing to put in the work is a part of knowing how much you value what you have.

Deck Used: Stolen Child Tarot

Fostering New Ideas

Today’s meditation was not particularly successful, primarily because I had the helper coming and so I was trying to fit it in before she arrived.   I did… but the effort caused me to be distracted.   I’m going to try again before bed, I think.   Nothing wrong with two sessions in a day if needed.

Today’s draw is the Three of Zephyrs (Three of Swords), which has a variety of meanings depending on which system you use.  In reading with numerology, the the meaning of the Three of Air has to do with small gains and growth, groups and cooperation, communication, and the potential for “third wheel syndrome” in the area of the mind, logic, instinct, and intellect.

In the RWS system, this card is a representation of heartache and difficult times, sorrow and grief.  I’ve never really understood -why- the Three of Swords would be an emotion card in RWS, though.  It just always seemed odd to me.   It can also represent negative self talk and forgiveness, though, which I do see as of the mind.   Still…. heartache?  Grief?   As I see the Sword cards as Air, it seems like those themes would be better suited to the cups.  Just my opinion.

SO…. my take on today’s card isn’t about either traditional definition, but is about the imagery of the card itself.  What I see when I look at this card is a community working together to protect what they hold dear.  They protect the children.  They protect that new start, that new spark of life, the idea of something new and different that needs fostering and care.   The birds protect the vulnerable while still allowing for that sense of community.

This message correlates with some of what my Self Care Saturday spread I’d posted earlier today is about this weekend.  It’s about the budding of new ideas, and the protection of them.   As you mentioned in your comments, the impression I got was that in sharing these new ideas before they are fully implemented, I can run the risk of them being stolen, dashed, or killed off. (And, there‘s the heartbreak.)

That is to say, sometimes you need to give new ideas time to reside within and be sheltered, and allow them time to grow, before you share them with the world.

Deck Used: Stolen Child Tarot

Self Care Saturday (on Sunday)

SCS

As I’ve mentioned before, these readings are (not usually) bearing in on any one thing or event in my life, as the question used is asking for a more general outlook. This is a self care exercise, and are not meant as a predictive reading.

The question is… What do I need to focus on in the week ahead?

Earth – Ace of Pentacles – New opportunities in manifestation and abundance for 2nd week in a row. The little girl happily swinging, shining bright in her glass bubble is an indication of inspiration and enjoyment in exploring these new opportunities from a secure place.

Air – King of Cups – Seek out Gideon when my mind becomes too chaotic and anxieties threaten to take over. Remember he is a safe place to take refuge and a breather.

Water – Ten of Swords – If I don’t work on finding balance instead of bulking up my defenses, things are going to run the risk of going catastrophically wrong emotionally.

Fire – Queen of Swords – I often view the Queen of Swords as cold and restrained.  The clarification card expands on this theme for a message concerning caution and restraint in sharing inspiration with others in order to protect your interests.

Moving Away From – The Staff & Beauty Way – These cards in the “moving away from” position indicate that finding balance, positivity, and optimism will be a bit of a challenge over the next week.

Heading Toward (and Moral of the Story) – Middle World – Now is a good time for new endeavors, as the world and its energies support you. But, take caution to not be reckless or careless with your resources or confidences.

Decks Used: Crow Tarot, Dixit Pack #6 Memories, Mystical Shaman Oracle