spiritual

2019 Yule Altar (So Far)

| marandarussell

I was excited as soon as Thanksgiving was over to put up my Yule altar. I’m not sure if this is the finished version for the season or not, but I liked the way it looked so far and thought I would share a pic:

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My favorite touches this year are the red Reindeer candle holder (from Walmart), and the glittery green pinecone. The silver glittery tree candle holder and the altar cloth are also new (I found both at Goodwill). The little cinnamon broom, jingle bells, and white star are from last year. I also sprinkled an assortment of seasonally colored tiny gemstones and several small healing wands on the table as well.

By the way, for this photo, I loved the way the candles reflected in the darkened window frame, so had to include that in the background!

Freaky Friday – My Mysterious Moving Cat Statue

| marandarussell

Are you interested in hearing a weird personal story? Ok, so for over a year now I’ve had this praying black cat statue on my living room coffee table:

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I picked him up at Michael’s last Halloween. Anyway, I normally have him facing front as pictured, looking to the left (from his perspective). But, multiple times I keep finding him moved about 90 degrees to the right, directly facing my little pagan altar. I just find this so weird, especially since he is a praying statue and he keeps moving to face my little altar.

I know I have never moved him to face that way and my husband swears he has never done so either. The only other possibility would be one of our cats knocking into him, but I never really see any of our 3 cats up on that table, and even if they did get up there, what are the odds they would keep moving him exactly the same amount, in the same direction?

The statue is solid and fairly heavy, so the cats would really have to knock into him to move him too, and if they did that, they would probably knock him over, or off the table, since he is close to the edge on the front and side of the table.

I can’t explain it, but I thought it was kind of weird and interesting. Any thoughts?

Candle Magic Painting Class

| marandarussell

Last night I went to a candle magic painting class. It was a lot of fun, but harder than it looks! The “magic” part of it is that we used some runes/esoteric symbols for inspiration. Here is how my rune/symbolic candle turned out:

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I took some liberty with the symbols and even created a couple of my own. I wanted my candle to have a bit of an Egyptian feel, which I think the black scythe and the black and gold detail does give a bit of that impression.

We also painted a tealight candle, and while mine started out as a symbol for Hades, the candle was NOT easy to paint on and it kind of turned into an abstract expressionistic painting, but I still like it:

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It looks a little like a tormented soul in Hades to me, so that works I suppose ♥

 

Cute Anubis and Bastet Figures

| marandarussell

Aren’t these Anubis and Bastet figures (the two in the back) I got at Indianapolis Children’s Museum adorable? I put together a cute little display featuring them (along with their more traditional figures), a raven/wolf candle made by Tamed Wild, and some feathers and seedpods. I think my next display will be unicorn inspired. I enjoy doing these little seasonal (or just random) decorations.

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Lucid Dream Last Night

| marandarussell

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Every once in a while I have a dream where I realize in the middle of it that I am dreaming and I have the ability to take the dream over and do whatever I want to do. Last night this happened again. I became aware that I was dreaming and that nothing I saw around me was real, but instead of deciding to fly off to some other land or into outer space, I decided to stick around the environment I was already in and see what my sleeping mind had conjured up out of nothing.

It was actually rather fascinating to study the “set” of my dream. I noticed all the little details – the plants (color/shape/flowers), I noticed how a few rocks were randomly scattered over the ground and even counted them, wondering if the number had any significance. I felt the textures around me, including puffy cotton balls growing off to the side, marveling at how real it felt to my touch, even though I knew none of it was real.

I wish I remembered every single detail that I studied, but like most dreams, once I woke up, bits of it started to fade like wisps of smoke. I do remember it was an outdoor setting obviously and there was a small bridge and a stream of water. I would almost say it was a little like a Monet water garden painting.

It always interested me that I’ve heard some experts claim we don’t dream in color, but if that is true, they obviously have never visited my dreams!!! I feel texture, pain, and pleasure in my dreams. I taste. I smell. I hear. When I am there, it is just as real as where I am right this minute.

Video: Goddess Provisions April New Age Subscription Box Review!

| marandarussell

It took all day for this video to upload onto YouTube lol, but I wanted to share in case anyone wanted to see what I got in this particular subscription box this month. It is the first time I’ve gotten this particular new age/spiritual box and I did enjoy it, although their past boxes looked a little better to me overall. Will definitely give it at least one more try though.

January 2019 Magickal Folk Meditation Kit Subscription Box Review

| marandarussell

This month I decided to try a different pagan-themed subscription box through Cratejoy. This is the Magickal Folk Meditation Kit subscription box that is only $7 + S&H. One thing I love about the Magickal Folk series is that they have a wide selection of boxes to choose from at different prices, so if you simply want Ritual Teas, Crystals, Meditation Rituals, or bigger combo boxes, you can get exactly what you want without paying for more.

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The kit I chose is a small kit that comes with a specific meditation and ritual to perform each month, with a few little magickal tools to perform the ritual. This month’s theme was Brigid’s Blessing and came with a winter-themed meditation card, two beautiful tumbled milk quartz stones in a pretty little maroon pouch, a white satin spell ribbon that says “As it is” and “So it will be” at opposite ends, and a large packet of Goddess Blessing Salts made with dandelion root powder & cut leaf, blessed thistle herb, and sea salt.

The ritual suggests you take the ribbon out to a natural place and tie it to a tree, but right now I can’t bring myself to part from it, so I am using it as a decoration on my altar:

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One thing I especially love about the meditation card is that it comes with a few journaling prompts for further reflection. So far I love this subscription box and will stay subscribed. It is a good price for a small monthly reminder to take the time to meditate and celebrate my connection to the earth and nature.