Friday, February 17, 2012

44 Days of Witchery: Air Element
I'm tired of waiting for a god to present himself, so I'll skip that one until he does.





The element of air is ever-changing.  It is communication, intelligence, inspiration and ideas.  Air to me is the whimsical side of most things.  Air is the opposite of Earth, and in being so is a daydreamer.  Air's color is yellow and it's tools are incense and the wand.  The air signs of the zodiac are Gemini (my sign!), Libra and Aquarius.  The air suit in Tarot is the wand.  Something I find interesting is that air is not present in Feng Shui or the Eastern elements.  Air is regarded there as a part of chi, and is thus always around us.



Thursday, February 16, 2012

Loose, Stick, Diffuser: Which Do You Like Best?
Today I'm going to talk about types of incense.  

Now a diffuser doesn't hold incense exactly, but it does use a candle to make essential oils evaporate into the air and give off their lovely scent and beneficial chemicals.  Unfortunately you need quite a bit for it to last a really long time.  But a few drops should last about half an hour to an hour.  In my opinion, a diffuser combines fire in the candle, water in the oil and air in it's dispersion.  I have become quite attached to my diffuser over the past few weeks.  One of my favorite oil combinations is two drops of lilac oil for every one of vanilla.  I would say that the diffuser is a great substitution for normal incense for those who are sensitive to smoke.  Just get the essential oils that collaborate with your magical work and put them in the basin.  Then light the candle underneath and voila!  You may want to test combinations first, to see if it smells good and isn't distracting or overpowering.  

The next form of incense is one I think we're all familiar with.  I know I used stick incense (or cone incense) before I even practiced witchcraft.  Now, call me paranoid (I don't mind... It's kinda true) but I don't like the idea of not knowing exactly what is going into my spell work.  There has to be some sort of binding agent in this incense, and I don't like not knowing what that is.  So I use stick incense for spells only when I don't have the herbs to burn on charcoal (we'll get to that in a minute).  But as always, use what works for you.  Most stick incense doesn't sit right with me, so it would likely mess with my magic.  Whereas for you it may work, so go with whatever feels right.

Loose herbal incense is what I understand to be the normal thing used by witches.  You have an herbal mixture designed for your work, sometimes with oils mixed in, and you burn it on a charcoal block.  You have to have sand underneath the block to absorb the heat.  I do like using this method sometimes, but I think I may move away from it in favor of my diffuser.  Cinnamon smells great on the charcoal block, but other herbal scents tend to get lost in the burning scent.  I'll have to do a test to see which works best for me.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Valentine's Day... Meh
I can't say that I'm a huge fan of the holiday.  Not just because I've never been in a romantic relationship, although people have said that is the reason.  No.  I believe that love should be something we don't need a reminder for.  As well as the fact that I don't need someone to give me flowers or chocolates to know that they love me.  I do believe love should be celebrated, don't get me wrong.  But more so in everyday things and less consumerism, if you please.


That being said, I love you my lovely readers!  Have a happy day!

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Full Snow Moon Dreamboard
Alright.  This is the first one of these I've ever done.  I didn't use a color palette, as I've seen done on some others.  I just went with what came to me, and sometimes used pictures that I thought felt right.  You can find out about dreamboards at Jamie Ridler's blog http://jamieridlerstudios.ca/


Fear the almighty brontosaurus of whimsy!  Agh! The extra large one was too wide and the large one is a tad small.  Curse you technology! *shakes fist*

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Patience is a Virtue and My Sister has a Gift
Is that not the truest quote you have ever read?  Patience has always been a difficult thing for me for whatever reason.  It could be that, per Catholicism, Wrath is my sin and Patience is the opposing virtue. I have no work that needs to be done.  The job interview I posted about before went well (I thought) but I never got a call back T^T.  Now I have to wait for more of my schoolwork to arrive to actually feel productive.  Sure, I should be writing.  But that's not an actual obligation.  


It's sad I think of it that way, as the story is for my sister.  Perhaps a change of attitude is in order?


My room has been given an overhaul.  My sister/Twinny organized it for me.  The outcome?  Order!  Cleanliness (except the carpet which has yet to be cleaned).  It's crazy!  She took my otherwise sad room and transformed it into a place where I can actually use my things!  She should become a superhero fighting against clutter.


Just a little note: Sage and cinnamon make an amazing herbal incense.  Thought I'd pass that along. 

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Imbolc Celebrations
I have a feeling that Imbolc will become a big Sabbat for me.  I've recently discovered Brighid as one of my patron goddesses.  This is due to the fact that she is multifaceted, and the number 19 is important to her story.  19 has been a recurring number in my life so it just made sense.


So!  Imbolc practices!  I made butter this morning.  Yes.  Made it.  All you need is some heavy whipping cream and a mason jar big enough to hold it with a little room at the top.  Then you shake the jar for about 30 minutes or until the cream solidifies.  You will have some fluid left over.  But that's buttermilk!  You can use it in some other recipe.  I added salt to my butter.  You can also add herbs, honey or whatever you want to it.  It's really easy and tasty too!  We're a margarine household here, so it's been awhile since I've had real butter.


To go with the butter, I am making braided bread.  I should probably go braid it now actually.  Ah well.  We shall be having that with our dinner.





Later on my sister will be helping me clean my room.  Well... she'll be organizing and I'll be doing the cleaning.  I mean a deep, carpet-shampooing type clean.  Should be fun! *note sarcasm*