Dear Reader,
Between the fact that my kids are on break from school and keeping me pretty busy (and they love to photobomb every picture or video I take) and the fact that my apartment sounds like an airport because of all the fans running right now, I'm putting videos on hold until school starts up again in September. Hopefully the weather won't be oppressively hot then and I won't have a ton of background noise making it hard for the microphone to pick up what I'm saying.
I did a test video this morning while the kids were at summer school for the first few hours of the day. It didn't work up well. I was only able to clearly record every other word at best. While I could theoretically go to another room and record the video, it is horridly hot in the rooms where you can't hear the fans and/or the air conditioner running.
Thursday, July 18, 2019
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
Practical Witchery - Organize and Label Your Supplies.
Dear Reader,
If your witchcraft practice includes herbs and plant parts, it's positively vital to keep things organized. On the plant, the berries of nightshade are fairly easily identified. You have the rest of the plant to go by. Off the plant and dried, nightshade looks a like any other dried tiny red berry. This has potentially lethal consequences if you like to make herbal teas and you're including some manner of dried tiny red berry. There's a reason why they call it deadly nightshade, after all.
Not only is it important to organize and label your herbs but how you have your other supplies stored away. Magically charged rock salt is going to be different from uncharged rock salt. Both are completely different from table salt and sea salt. Ideally, it is good to keep all of your magical supplies in one location which makes them easier to access when you want to use them. I highly recommend a cabinet that is relatively cool, in indirect lighting, and secure from little hands. After all, you don't want a curious child to find out about nightshade berries.
If your witchcraft practice includes herbs and plant parts, it's positively vital to keep things organized. On the plant, the berries of nightshade are fairly easily identified. You have the rest of the plant to go by. Off the plant and dried, nightshade looks a like any other dried tiny red berry. This has potentially lethal consequences if you like to make herbal teas and you're including some manner of dried tiny red berry. There's a reason why they call it deadly nightshade, after all.
Not only is it important to organize and label your herbs but how you have your other supplies stored away. Magically charged rock salt is going to be different from uncharged rock salt. Both are completely different from table salt and sea salt. Ideally, it is good to keep all of your magical supplies in one location which makes them easier to access when you want to use them. I highly recommend a cabinet that is relatively cool, in indirect lighting, and secure from little hands. After all, you don't want a curious child to find out about nightshade berries.
Monday, July 15, 2019
July for Loki - Oh yes, he lies.
Dear Reader,
Loki the Lie-Smith. He has a reputation for it. Most people assume that he's bad because he lies. The trick is, often, in many of those lies, is hidden a bit of truth. Has he lied to me? Yes. It's sometimes a blatant and foolish lie for the intent of buffoonery and fun. Loki's deadpan humor is spot on and sometimes it's hard to tell if the tall tale is legit or not. Sometimes it's a selective editing of the truth in an effort to soften something harsh. And sometimes he lies just to see if I'll catch on to it.
More often than not, his lies are designed like clever word problems that if you navigate them successfully, you'll find the truth at the root.
One thing he can't tolerate in my experience is a badly told lie. It's one thing if it is buffoonery. The more egregious and ridiculous the lie, the more points you score. It's like bragging when you're playing that game. But, if you're going to lie in earnest don't expect him to favor you if you can't do it well. As he said to me one time, lying is an art form. An amateur can do it well, if they have skill. A professional had better do it well or they're a failure. The critics don't take well to failure from professionals. And, as Loki has said in the past, he is one of the connoisseurs of falsehood and judges the art form to high standards.
Loki the Lie-Smith. He has a reputation for it. Most people assume that he's bad because he lies. The trick is, often, in many of those lies, is hidden a bit of truth. Has he lied to me? Yes. It's sometimes a blatant and foolish lie for the intent of buffoonery and fun. Loki's deadpan humor is spot on and sometimes it's hard to tell if the tall tale is legit or not. Sometimes it's a selective editing of the truth in an effort to soften something harsh. And sometimes he lies just to see if I'll catch on to it.
More often than not, his lies are designed like clever word problems that if you navigate them successfully, you'll find the truth at the root.
One thing he can't tolerate in my experience is a badly told lie. It's one thing if it is buffoonery. The more egregious and ridiculous the lie, the more points you score. It's like bragging when you're playing that game. But, if you're going to lie in earnest don't expect him to favor you if you can't do it well. As he said to me one time, lying is an art form. An amateur can do it well, if they have skill. A professional had better do it well or they're a failure. The critics don't take well to failure from professionals. And, as Loki has said in the past, he is one of the connoisseurs of falsehood and judges the art form to high standards.
Divination: Tarot, Major Arcana 7 - The Chariot
Dear Reader,
Due to technical issues here on Blogger, I am unable to post the image of this week's card from one of my favorite decks. It is the Chariot from the Deviant Moon Tarot by Patrick Valenza. This card is true to the 'deviant' theme of the deck because it does not feature the standard image of a person struggling with two horses pulling in different directions as they are riding in a chariot. Instead, it features a clockwork monstrosity that is simply glorious.
The Chariot indicates a decision, much like the Lovers. The decision called for by the Chariot is far more challenging and is often between two equally severe options. In an upright (also known as direct) orientation, the Chariot suggests that the decision is not one of great strife. In a downward (also known as reversed) orientation, the Chariot speaks of difficulties with the decision and a possibility of confrontation.
In the Fool's Journey, the charioteer is the Fool wrestling between his desires and needs, struggling to balance them in order to successfully move forward in his journey.
The card is visible on the mirror blog's post for today.
Due to technical issues here on Blogger, I am unable to post the image of this week's card from one of my favorite decks. It is the Chariot from the Deviant Moon Tarot by Patrick Valenza. This card is true to the 'deviant' theme of the deck because it does not feature the standard image of a person struggling with two horses pulling in different directions as they are riding in a chariot. Instead, it features a clockwork monstrosity that is simply glorious.
The Chariot indicates a decision, much like the Lovers. The decision called for by the Chariot is far more challenging and is often between two equally severe options. In an upright (also known as direct) orientation, the Chariot suggests that the decision is not one of great strife. In a downward (also known as reversed) orientation, the Chariot speaks of difficulties with the decision and a possibility of confrontation.
In the Fool's Journey, the charioteer is the Fool wrestling between his desires and needs, struggling to balance them in order to successfully move forward in his journey.
The card is visible on the mirror blog's post for today.
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
July for Loki - Fashionably Late
Dear Reader,
In all the business of family obligations, summer school starting, and trying to catch up on household chores, I had quite forgotten about the July for Loki thing. Fortunately, I know that he's more bemused with this because I am always praying or thinking of him.
Currently, I have hit a block in my devotional writing pretty much entirely across the board. Loki's argument is that I have been repressing myself. It wasn't a pretty conversation between him and I. Loki did what he always does, tells the uncomfortable truth. I didn't enjoy it but the longer I sit with it the more I am forced to say that he is right.
A lot of people who are intimately involved with Loki don't talk about the rough times. It's kinda embarrassing to say that you've been called out on your bad habits and such. Loki is definitely one to do that. It happens a lot more than most will admit. Loki can be gentle, tender, and affectionate. He can also be a completely merciless taskmaster and push you to the limits of your abilities all for the sake of your growth and well being.
My recent argument with him was a fine example of him pushing back when I started to push the limits in the wrong way. Insisting that I'm perfectly fine and that there's nothing wrong is a bad habit of mine. It's deeply ingrained and Loki positively hates it. When I start to engage in it, he will get in my face over it. An angry Loki is as beautiful as a raging fire but equally disturbing. It's especially uncomfortable when he turned that attention full force on you because you were the one who put the bee in his bonnet, again.
It's part of any relationship that you get angry with each other and have arguments. Fortunately, the arguments are not an all the time thing because communication is more varied and he is an excellent communicator. He also tends to laugh when I get angry and just start spluttering which gets me laughing, despite how angry I may be, and that ends most of the arguments. Sometimes it makes me angrier but, anger doesn't last forever. And it's ok to be angry once in a while because emotions happen.
In all the business of family obligations, summer school starting, and trying to catch up on household chores, I had quite forgotten about the July for Loki thing. Fortunately, I know that he's more bemused with this because I am always praying or thinking of him.
Currently, I have hit a block in my devotional writing pretty much entirely across the board. Loki's argument is that I have been repressing myself. It wasn't a pretty conversation between him and I. Loki did what he always does, tells the uncomfortable truth. I didn't enjoy it but the longer I sit with it the more I am forced to say that he is right.
A lot of people who are intimately involved with Loki don't talk about the rough times. It's kinda embarrassing to say that you've been called out on your bad habits and such. Loki is definitely one to do that. It happens a lot more than most will admit. Loki can be gentle, tender, and affectionate. He can also be a completely merciless taskmaster and push you to the limits of your abilities all for the sake of your growth and well being.
My recent argument with him was a fine example of him pushing back when I started to push the limits in the wrong way. Insisting that I'm perfectly fine and that there's nothing wrong is a bad habit of mine. It's deeply ingrained and Loki positively hates it. When I start to engage in it, he will get in my face over it. An angry Loki is as beautiful as a raging fire but equally disturbing. It's especially uncomfortable when he turned that attention full force on you because you were the one who put the bee in his bonnet, again.
It's part of any relationship that you get angry with each other and have arguments. Fortunately, the arguments are not an all the time thing because communication is more varied and he is an excellent communicator. He also tends to laugh when I get angry and just start spluttering which gets me laughing, despite how angry I may be, and that ends most of the arguments. Sometimes it makes me angrier but, anger doesn't last forever. And it's ok to be angry once in a while because emotions happen.
Divination: Major Arcana 6 - the Lovers
This week's card is the Lovers. It comes from the Old English Tarot. The artist is Maggie Kneen. The iconography of the card falls along the industry standard decks. The Lovers is one of the most sought cards in a reading about relationships because it is the penultimate card of love and relationships. In the direct orientation, the Lovers speaks of a relationship that is secure and filled with mutual affection. In the reversed orientation, the Lovers warns of conflict in matters of love and problems with jealousy.In the Fool's Journey, the Lovers represents where the Fool makes the first of their decisions. The choice here is between two equally lovely paths involving equally fascinating and lovely individuals. The Fool's intuition as represented by the angel above encourages them to follow one path despite the call of the second.
To learn more about this card and the rest of a standard tarot deck, consider purchasing my book, The Veiled Witch's Handbook for Psychics: A Practical Guide to Divination and the Psychic Arts.
Tuesday, July 9, 2019
Happy Summer to all!
Dear Reader,
I have been very busy off-line with my boys being on summer break. Add in the familial obligations to extended family and it's been hard to get time to plan blog posts let alone type them up. Summer school has just started session. Both boys are excited about it and so am I. This means I get a couple hours in the morning that I can use for blogging and other writing business.
I have found my big box of tarot cards. I'm going to post up the next installment of the Tarot Tour tomorrow. I haven't a picture of the latest crop of preemie hats because I had just recently dropped them off with the person collecting them. The total donated is close to twenty five so far. My scarf knitting is proceeding much slower. Again, no pictures this time because I had dropped all three of them off. I really need to figure out how to knit faster if I am going to crank out more scarves for charity.
I look forward to sharing with you the weird and wonderful things going on around here this summer. I also look forward to the coming of autumn and less heat and humidity. I'm trying to enjoy the flowers that are abundantly blooming but it is a bit hard with how the air feels like I'm breathing soup of late. Hopefully, those of you who are also in the northern hemisphere are finding that summer is treating you well. And my readers who are in the southern hemisphere are finding that winter is not as harsh as usual.
Blessings to you and yours, I'll see you tomorrow!
I have been very busy off-line with my boys being on summer break. Add in the familial obligations to extended family and it's been hard to get time to plan blog posts let alone type them up. Summer school has just started session. Both boys are excited about it and so am I. This means I get a couple hours in the morning that I can use for blogging and other writing business.
I have found my big box of tarot cards. I'm going to post up the next installment of the Tarot Tour tomorrow. I haven't a picture of the latest crop of preemie hats because I had just recently dropped them off with the person collecting them. The total donated is close to twenty five so far. My scarf knitting is proceeding much slower. Again, no pictures this time because I had dropped all three of them off. I really need to figure out how to knit faster if I am going to crank out more scarves for charity.
I look forward to sharing with you the weird and wonderful things going on around here this summer. I also look forward to the coming of autumn and less heat and humidity. I'm trying to enjoy the flowers that are abundantly blooming but it is a bit hard with how the air feels like I'm breathing soup of late. Hopefully, those of you who are also in the northern hemisphere are finding that summer is treating you well. And my readers who are in the southern hemisphere are finding that winter is not as harsh as usual.
Blessings to you and yours, I'll see you tomorrow!
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