Please Bring Gifts

Change always comes bearing gifts. ~Price Pritchett

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It has been an eventful couple of days. A lot has gone in a little bit of time. Was unexpectedly without internet, phone and cable for a while. This was (another) a big eye-opener. It was the culmination of a direction I had been going in, but did not fully realize it at the time.

I've been keeping a new little journal for observation. It has been very helpful. I asked for help in seeing some things and this was a welcome answer/tool. I've just been being quiet and observing Nature and writing what comes into my heart. I have learned some monumental things about myself. And what I have had the opportunity to learn has tilted my perspective of just what it is I am doing and why. Because of this I have to change the focus of this Shells and Bones, but I think it is a good thing. It's always a good thing when someone gets closer to their heart. Not to be too self-important, but I do have a need to spell things out clearly.

Well, to get down to it, I have decided to temporarily not offer any consultations or services. I plan to still offer botanicals and salts -- singly and packaged for specific uses, but for now, I won't be taking on any work for clients. I do plan to offer other items. I don't quite know what they are yet, but I trust that they will be coming and as they do, I will offer them. Hopefully they will be of use and of interest. I am jumping in the flow and we'll see what happens.

I am following my heart as these new revelations have arisen. They surely have arisen for a reason and I won't fully know the reason until I continue to follow through. The new direction, at it's foundation, is towards Nature and Spirit, and my Love for Them, and whatever materializes from that. So anything to do with sharing Their Beauty (which I believe is mostly everything) will most likely stay the same.

Thank you for reading my blog and I hope that you will continue to visit and find many useful things.

Michele
<: n'ya` ya :>

[Oh and I am adding some of my journaling, so there will be several back dated posts.]

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Under the Weather -- Call the 4 Thieves

For my son's birthday, I promised to go see Hancock with him. I had not been to the movies in over a year. I am not a movie person, but of course I wanted to go with him for this special day. Well, I forgot about my allergy to air conditioning. By the time we got out of the movie theatre, I was already feeling woozy, but not knowing why. I could barely walk later on that evening and woke up the next morning feeling like someone had beat me up with a baseball bat in my sleep! I felt HORRIBLE and it also brought on a relapse of this skin thing I have been battling for about 5 or so years. My throat was swollen beyond belief and my tonsils were huge. Well anyways, besides moaning and whining, I just wanted to write about what I took to get over this thing. All I took was a couple of aspirin every so often and sips of "4 Thieves Vinegar" every time I started feeling woozy. I even got to go out and watch fireworks, from using this combo. I still felt tired, but it was way better than the last time I had this reaction. I was bedridden for weeks and the "skin thing" had me bedridden for months, doctors not knowing what it was.

Okay, so here is the recipe I used in case if anyone might be interested:

http://www.luckymojo.com/spells/recipes.html

[scroll down to the "F's" portion]

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And the movie, I was a little perplexed at the beginning and even told my son, 'okay I am confused... they better have a way to tie all this together and pull it out in the end'... which in my opinion they did! I will definitely go see a sequel if there is one. I heard critics didn't like it. Also heard the reason for the choppiness in the beginning was that they had to cut a lot of scenes to get a PG rating and suffered loss of continuity.

And a side note, I haven't looked but I bet if the "decoders" had a field day with this movie!

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Nightmares Restless Sleep -- Cleansing Waters

For relief from nightmares and uneasy feelings while sleeping, use either 1 Herb Water , the following recipe for Cleansing Waters or a store-bought cleaning solution (some examples given below). Sea Salt also can be of help and can be sprinkled around and in your bed linens.

To make Cleansing Waters... you can pick 2 to 5 herbs, according to how you feel at the time. Choose strong ground up dried plants known for cleansing and protective qualities, such as Lemon Peel, Basil, Chamomile, Rosemary, Pine, etc. Let the plants know what you are requesting of them and ask for their help. Thank them for their sacrifice on your behalf. Add to bowl of hot steaming water, thanking again as you do. Let sit for a while till you smell a good aroma and you know they've released their energy into the water.

Some helpful store-bought solutions include some of your basic household cleaners, such as pine cleaners, a very weak bleach and water solution (maybe 1 tbsp to a quart/estimate - this may not be good for all persons since needs to be used on walls and carpet, although I've used it with no problems... UAYOR - use at your own risk), a basic borax solution, etc.

Use the remedy chosen to wipe down walls, floors, carpets with a cloth dampened in the solution... especially around your bed area, any windows and doorways. Do this right before bed.

Nice list of plant properties here.

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1 Herb Water

This is a variation of a protection remedy I was given by a family member/elder.

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1 Herb Water

-- Pick one strong protective herb. (Ex. Basil, Rosemary, Sage, Black Pepper, etc.) Boil a big pot of tap water. Put your herb in your hand, cup it and tell your herb your problem. Ask for it to help you in anyway that it can. Thank the herb for it's sacrifice to help you. Now add your herb in an increment of a number that means something to you. (Ex. 3, 1, 7, etc.) So if 3 is your number, you add 3 teaspoons to the pot or 3 pinches or 3 leaves... each time thanking the herb again. Now let the water boil as many minutes as your special number used. Try to let steep at least a day. 2 days is better. Just keep the cover on and move off to the side, off the flame. When cooled, can bottle up in an empty 1 gallon water jug and use a small empty sports type water bottle for daily use. Keep the big jug in the fridge for storage. Splash on in the morning and/or whenever you feel the need.

This page has a nice list of herbal properties information (scroll down for properties):
Herbs, Flowers, Trees, Spices

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Quick Tied Play Quilt

[pic -- Photo of the quilt was supposed to go here, but my FDIL left this morning and I forget to get one. I have to ask her to take one when she gets back home.]

I made a quick tied sweatshirt quilt for my grandson the other night. It is real down home, no frills and no batting. I had been wanting to make it for a while now, but procrastination had got the best of those plans. I rescued several sweatshirts my son had set aside for trash and an extra lrg. old disney/winnie the pooh pullover about month ago. They were all navy blue or gray, nice colors to stand up to play times and food spills.

I measured the Winnie the Pooh area for use as one of the top center blocks. It was 9" in height and I added 2" for extra room, so total height of cut block would be 13". I made the width 13" also for ease in work (so a 13" square). I had already cut all the sweatshirts apart at the seams, leaving big blocks of fabric to work with. I cut out the WTP (winnie the pooh) block and used it as a pattern to cut out the rest, taking care not to stretch out the fabrics as I cut, just letting it sit as it normally would. Cut out -12- 13" square blocks in total. Just laid em out side by side, 4 in a column, 3 in row. Pinned right sides facing and sewed the 3 squares across each of the 4 rows first, taking care not to stretch. While I was sewing, I had the whole piece I was working on either laying on something (my little table next to my sewing machine or sometimes I use an ironing board) or what was coming off of my lap, I held up in my hand at sewing machine height and careful not to be hanging down as I sewed. This would help in lessening the distortion of the fabric. (I actually thought working with the sweatshirt fabric was going to be a pain, but it is one of the most forgiving fabrics I have worked with.)

After the rows were sewn, they were sewn together, still taking care not to distort. Laid the whole thing out, eye-balled it for squareness and did a little trimming.

But then I did not have a backing piece in mind yet. I looked around, found an old blue and white striped crib sheet. Keeping my fingers crossed that it would fit, I cut off the elastic, split the seams and laid it out. Did not fit as it was (almost did), but if I cut off the extra end "tabs" created when I split the seams at the corners, I could sew those two pieces together into one long strip and then attach it at the bottom and cut off the excess, as the "tab" piece was a little too long for the width of the sheet. Perfect fit after that alteration.

Sewed together the quilt top and sheet backing fabric right sides facing (making sure no stretching of quilt top fabric again), leaving about 10" unsewn in the bottom area, for a "hole" for easy turning. After sewing, turned to check for accuracy and to eye-ball again. Looked pretty square, so I turned it back inside out, clipped the corners and trimmed the seams. Flipped it back out, hand sewed the hole closed with a blindstitch ( a video - I hide the knot under the fold of one side of the hems and go through the hem folds with my thread to hide stitches). Tied the quilt with natural color cotton yarn at the corners, in the middle of all the sides and in the center.

Quick Tied Play Quilt Made. :)

Baby Quilt FAQ at Quilt.com
http://www.quilt.com/FAQS/BabyQuiltFAQ.html

[edited 7/10/08 -- man, I must've been tired, cuz I could hardly understand those directions! hahahahha fixed it tho'... hopefully :) still need to add those pics...]
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The Disclosure Project

I am just getting ready to start watching this series of videos on YouTube. I first heard about The Disclosure Project about 4 years ago or so (I have their link in my side bar). I was sent a link, went to their site, watched the video and got my hair blown back! This is a different video than the one I saw then. If you want to see something about UFO's that has what folks would call "credible witnesses" (military, air traffic controllers, etc.) then this is that.

The UFO Disclosure Project -- Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFJsaK3j4js

Old 1977 UFO Documentary for Australian TV

This documentary was pretty cool to watch. I LOVE seeing old TV programs from the 70's and remembering what TV used to be like when there were only major channels and several local ones. The presenter says it's the last surviving copy of the program and appears a little rough in some areas (showing a lot of Stars Wars and Jaws movie clips, which turn out to be an extra bonus for me anyways). Also there are interviews with a very young (did not recognize him) Steven Spielberg, Allen Hynek, Stanton Friedman, Betty HIll and many others. It was the first time seeing an interview of Betty Hill (at least that I can remember) and what she said freaked me out a little. I was watching the first parts late at night and I had to pause it and save it for day time.

I like the style of the whole thing. It's pretty matter of fact and straight forward, not filled with all the drama and overly emotional music of today's docs. I am on the 6th video and getting ready to watch the others.

Stan Deyo - UFOs are Here! - 1977 Documentary

A large amount of videos at YouTube Channel Freeforyoutohave (page says "Ex-Soldier and War-Veteran (Bosnié-1993)"... "To Boldly Go Where Someone Has Gone Before" - over 600 videos uploaded)

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Good Book

I put some new links up to several free downloads for some great E-Books. I like to look at old books to get a snapshot of what life was like back then so I included some old cookbooks for some fun archeology without disturbing anyone's bones.

The book "What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Southern Cooking" is said to be the first cookbook written by a black woman. On that same site, there are several other cookbooks and a recipe book for cocktails, all firsts by Black authors. I tried to find the links this morning, but didn't have time to look for them. I will post them tomorrow or later on today.

And of course the Black Elk Speaks and Autobiography of Black Hawk books are amazing. I was so happy when I found these as public domain books.

The Dictionary of Biblical Names is pretty interesting. There's probably a lot that could be done with that.

I was taking a Choctaw class last year, but had to drop out. The Choctaw Pentateuch is a book I found at that time.

I will post more as I rummage through my years of bookmarks.

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Little Cotton Crochet Pouch

I like using these little pouches for carrying special herbs or stones. They can be used alone or with a small drawstring muslin pouch for a liner. Especially helpful for when I am going for an evening stroll in the neighborhood and may find some stone or leaves I want to take home. I can also keep my pennies and tobacco in here too (in little 2"x3" ziplock baggies). I made several of these for my nieces as homesickness necklaces. They had just moved away to another state and where having a hard time getting adjusted. Every time they thought of us far away, they would get sad. So they would "squeeze" the pouch to release the scents, remember their old home and feel better. I believe I filled them with a little rose, bay, thyme, chamomile and lightly ground flax seeds.

Here's the pattern for anyone interested... It's free and only for personal use. Please don't sell any items made with this pattern. Click to download PDF pattern here. Hope you enjoy it!

[*note -- I use Foxit Reader for PDF files now after all the mess that was going on with Adobe. Download here if you need a PDF reader. It is very lightweight and fast.]

[edit -- there was a problem with where the PDF was hosted. It should work now.
*** Since this is my first original pattern that I have shared outside of my family and friends, it very may well be a little buggy. If there are any problems with the pattern, please don't hesitate to contact me through the comments section or my email.]

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Ulali - for stress and self-love

Oh my goodness, the music of Ulali (Pura Fé , Soni Moreno, and Jennifer Kriesberg)is so amazing, I am continually entranced. I just had to share the medicine of these women's voices. Their song "Wah Jhi Le Yihm" was in the movie "Smoke Signals" and the song "Mahk Jchi Heartbeat" was sung with the Robbie Robertson Red Road Ensemble. These two songs are on their myspace page with the addition of the amazing "All My Relations", which makes me stop what I am doing every time I hear it and just say a prayer and give thanks for being alive. Just beautiful.

You Tube video for "Mother"

Lyrics to Mahk Jchi Heartbeat --

Mahk Jchi

Mahk jchi tahm buooi yahmpi gidi
Mahk jchi taum buooi kan spewa ebi
Mahk jchi tahm buooi yahmpi gidi
Mahk jchi taum buooi kan spewa ebi

Mahmpi wah hoka yee monk
Tahond tani kiyee tiyee
Gee we-me eetiyee
Nanka yaht yamoonieah wajitse
Nanka yaht yamoonieah wajitse

Hey yah eh yah eh yah
Hey yah oh way-hee-tah-ah
Hey yah hey yah hey yah
Oh way-ee oh way-ee oh way-ee yah-ah

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Sacred Object -- Boli

This sacred power object is a Boli from the Bamana Nation of Mali. I know almost next to nothing about these objects and what I do know is from several webpages that I just happened across last night. They are amazing. The idea of these to me is mind blowing. If I am understanding correctly, they are a constant sacred power work in progress, containing the intentions of all who have ever participated in any type of ritual with them. Amazing. Here is an excerpt from one of the pages above (I can't seem to find the other ones) that has some info about them:

"The primary function of a boli is to accumulate and control the naturally occurring life force called nyama for the spiritual benefit
of the community. Used as altars or carried during dance performances, they are complex creations created from esoteric
recipes, or daliluw. Animal bones, vegetable matter, honey, and metal are packed around an interior armature of bamboo
wrapped in white cotton cloth. They are covered with layers of mud and clay, and their surfaces accumulate sacrificial materials
over time, including chicken and goat blood, chewed kola nuts, alcohol, and millet porridge. Each added layer of material lends
the structure greater spiritual power."

The Dogon also call the life force called "nyama" and if I recall correctly, they live in the same area as this ancient empire.

[*** note -- okay I had not scrolled down on the page... I thought the top part was all there was as a matter of fact... but I scrolled down right now and see that these objects are for sale??? (huh???) I thought this was a museum or something. And they have a picture of one in someone's house next to a TV??? Okay, I am not going to say anything else... just fill in the blanks rant rant rant !!! ]

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African Ritual Objects Photos

As I was web wandering this evening, I came across this nice collection of photos of ritual objects and ceremonial dress from different parts of Africa. Included are photos from the (DR)Kongo, the Wodaabe of Niger, Bamana of Mali (with photo of a Boli -- which I am becoming extremely interested in these sacred objects), the Asante of Ghana, Yoruba of Nigeria and more. I was really happy to see the photos of the Nkisi and the ceremonial dress of the Wodaabe women. The bead work of the women was beautiful.

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The Underverse

Checking news stories yesterday and came across this article at Wired. It pointed to Trevor Paglen's website where he has done various art projects documenting government secret projects. He has several, but the most interesting to me was the collection of uniform patches from 75 top-secret military programs, some he obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.

Here are some more links related:

http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1033/1
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/01/science/
01patc.html?pagewanted=2
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/03/31/
science/0401-PATCH_index.html
http://bellwethergallery.com/current_01.cfm?fid=305

Peppermint and Rashes

When my MFDIL came to visit last week, she brought me 2 peppermint plants from her backyard, at my sons urging. Sadly, by the time she got here driving through the scorching desert, they did not survive to be re-planted. But I was still able to make one of the plants into a tincture with the leftovers of bottle of rum I had sitting on my work table. I've had peppermint on the brain lately, but had no specific outlined need for it. I've just been wanting to purchase some, but for one reason or another had not done so.

I've suffered from eczema since birth with it sometimes clearing up for years at a time. But about 3 or 4 years ago, my eczema came back in a way I have never seen it. It was horrible. I was not able to easily get rid of it, visiting doctors who had no idea of how to help me. I only received relief after visiting a botanica where I was given a medicine, which cleared it up within 3 days. About 8 months ago, I had a recurrence of this same rash and again doctors were not able to help, only a "doctor" at a botanica here in town was able to pass along the medicine I needed. Two nights ago I was sitting on the computer typing and a patch flared back up on one of my knuckles, itching like crazy. My peppermint tincture was sitting in front of me and it dawned on me, duh, put some on my rash. And after the initial burn, which actually felt good, it cleared right up within several hours. Right now, I can only see a small light discoloration left behind. I have also applied some to other areas that would flare up occassionally, and it has also appeared to induce further healing in those spots as well.

Here is a page from the University of Maryland Medical Center on the applications of Peppermint:

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/peppermint-000269.htm

A standard tincture made -- one small to mediumish size Peppermint plant placed into an empty recycled glass jar(mayo sized)and about 1 cup of good rum poured over (I'd say about a 1 to 5 ratio of plant material to rum, a guess-timate), to sit for 5 days or more in a cool spot. Turns a deep brown like a strong tea.

*YMMV
[This is not meant to substitute for medical advice. Please seek out a doctor for medical help.]

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Allelopaths

[I hope the lady who gave me this info doesn't mind me sharing it, if she does, I will remove it.]

I was recently recommended as a solution to a personal work I have been doing, the use of Black Walnut, an allelopath. The work being done is in reference to being extremely sensitive to other's thoughts and emotions. The idea being that allelopaths create a natural border around them where very few plants can grow or thrive. Black walnut was recommended being it is the strongest of the allelopathic plants. I've also recently seen some agricultural articles where research is being done on Peppermint oil for it's allelopathic qualities. Also ran across that farmers growing Japonica Rice in certain areas, aiding in controlling the growth and spread of major aquatic weeds, which might be helpful in specific works.

Some others that may be of use:

American Chestnut
Thyme
Purple Sage

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Obeah Man

While searching you tube for some rake and scrape videos I clicked on this from you tube channel Jamaica Yard TV. It is a short video (wish there was more), but is good in what the man says when he is asked if he is an Obeah Man.

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June 19th -- Galveston, TX

I went here to learn more.

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With TV Gone

... I don't seem to have as much to write about. Not so much to be angry or appalled at. And when I read to catch up on the news, seems to have a different affect. I don't feel so invaded.

Through a yahoo group I subscribe to, I found out about these several things...

this one's relevant for tomorrow --

Moon Illusion

these concerning American enslaved Bantu people's and Christianity --

Kimpa Vita
Christianity in the Kongo #1
Christianity in the Kongo #2
Christianity in the Kongo #3

The latter pages shifting and balancing the askew picture of a majority of African's in America's practice of Christianity and the belief of their being introduced to it by their enslavers. Makes common sense that some already believed and this is how they were manipulated into not escaping or destroying their captors. After hearing about Stockholm Syndrome, I immediately applied it to slavery and the Africans forcibly involved, trying to make some type of life under horrific and unbelievable cruelty. A mind shift. But now with this information, the psychological impact appears to have been even more insidious, with the attackers using what they believed against them. A cult.

Also in the essay recounted on this page, a former slave talks about his experience with conjuring and how Africans could conjure each other, but not their captors.

"The biggest thing the niggers done was working congerations. [This is the interviewer's attempted phonetic spelling for "conjurations," that is, conjure or hoodoo.] The funny thing bout that was they could hoo-doo each other but they sure couldn't hoo-doo the white folks."

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Aside from the Box

My TV blew out several days ago. I had always considered myself not hooked on the tube, but I am instinctually(?) missing it. Several years ago, I didn't watch TV for over a year. (My friends telling me about Dave Chapelle's Show is what brought me back in the fold) So now I am without a hypnotube and what to do? The day seems to go alot slower, which is nice. I can hear the birds outside and spend time paying attention to the trees outside my window. I am finding I have a lot more time to get work done.

---

Last night I was relaxing and watching videos on YouTube. I came across this lady named Nancy Today. I really like her videos that I watched. The ones I watched were of her in one of her self-constructed tipis on her wilderness property in Ontario Canada. One day soon, I will be constructing a tipi on my property somewhere in Northern New Mexico or Arizona. Living life outside under the sky...

"I became invisible a few years ago, so I made and wear outrageous flower-covered hats. I'm locally known as the Hat Lady." ~ Nancy Today

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Pea in a Pod

I haven't felt like being on the computer too much lately. My FDIL and two lil' grandbabys are here visiting for 3 weeks and all I want to do is just want to lay around with the little ones. This is the first time my new grandson and I have met since his birth and he is just little hunny bunch. But my son and FDIL told me that he has been having trouble sleeping and often times looked like he was having nightmares. My son told me that when he visited his Abuelita, she blessed him and did several little prayers for him which helped him alot. But after arriving here, he was fussy again and not sleeping. So I started observing him and it looked to me like he was not feeling secure. FDIL said that she would try and wrap him up but he would squirm out of it and wiggle his arms free. It popped into my head that what he might need is a sling carrier that his mommy can wear him in. I pulled up some bookmarks that I had for making a sling carrier and found this one to be the best one for me. It took me about a 1/2 hour to make and about an hour to try and figure out which shoulder method would be the best for her. We decided on a hybrid of the fan method and the 3-fold, it seems to give more support for the wearer's shoulder. This morning we put him in it. He stopped crying, but something didn't look right. After watching a video on this page, we realized we put him in backwards. hahahahaha ooops After fixing that error, we had to put a little receiving blanket folded under his head to prop him up. And after that, he went right to sleep. The sling is made of a dark olivish green t-shirt type material that I had bought to make some culottes for me, but never got around to it. He looks just like a pea in a pod.

♥

Earthships

And now for some good stuff... :)

Was watching the Science Channel and saw a program called Eco-Tech with a feature on "Earthships", common-sense homes. I had seen these a while ago, and wanted to live in one (I really want to live in a lodge/tipi, maybe one day...).

Lots of info and images to look at.

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So Obama got it...

When my oldest son first informed me that a Black Man and a White Woman were in the running for the Democratic nomination, I was like wha??? First of all I had not ever heard of Barrack Obama. So I turned on the news and was like, why are the media trying to push this man down black people's throats. It felt like when I was in high school, going to a predominately all white and Mexican school, and when a new young black man came to the school, all my "friends" would be hey don't you like him? Isn't he cute? Okay because I am black and he is black we are made for each other??? What business was it of theirs anyways who I liked and dated, as far as I know, they did not own me? (yes a veiled reference) So I had to think about it. What could be the real reason for this? And after a few days, I finally got it. Okay, they really wanted Hillary to be the prez, but they were not sure she could win, so they paired her up with what America might consider her equal, a Black Man. And by equal, I mean their relative standing among general American society/thought status wise. So they got their two patsies, and figured that America would not vote for them on the same ticket, but if they ran against each other, they would in the end legitimize each other since the American public are like goldfish. And all the little "party bickering/politics"are just to make it look good. All of this hanging on at the end is good stuff too, giving the impression that she is a fighter and doesn't give up. And who ever ended up winning at the primaries, it did not matter, because the other would just pop on over to run on the other one's ticket. And it is looking like that this may just be the case.

Oh and this brings to mind what Chris Rock says:

"Now as you know, there's been alot of talk about a black vice president. And I just wanna tell the world that it'll never happen. As long as you live you will never see a black vice president, you know why? Because some black guy would just kill the president. I'd do it. If Colin Powell was vice president, I'd kill the president and tell his mother about it. What would happen to me? What would they do? Put me in jail with a bunch of black guys that would treat me like a king for the rest of my life? I would be the biggest star in jail, alright, people would be coming up to me and I'd be signing autographs: "97-KY, here you go." Guys would be going: "You're the brother that shot Bush. And you told his mother about it huh? I hope my children turn out to be just like you, Man, you know I was getting ready to rape you until I realized who you were. And even if they had a death penalty, what would happen? I'd just be pardoned by the black president. So you see, Dennis, it would not be in George Bush's best interests to place Colin Powell on the ticket. "

And on the page where I copied and pasted this quote from I found this underneath:

if Obama becomes president, should he worry about some idiot out there shooting him so white VP becomes president?

Should Obama be shopping for bulletproofs? (and not the Ganstalicious one's... but that's another story... )

Here's Paul Mooney's take on it from last year on Letterman.

Oh and just one more thing... a little more finagling/conspiracy... wasn't Bill at the Grove?

But you ain't heard it from me... :)


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Huh???

Okay this is ignorant...

http://underafullmoon.com/2007/08/
witchcraft-suppression-bill-in-south.html

[excerpt]

"Supposedly, the bill was designed to prevent the practice of traditional African witchcraft which can include animal sacrifices and the like. But the bill makes no mention of Western witchcraft, such as Wicca, leaving Pagans who practice it wondering if they'll have to abandon their religion or keep it in secret."

Blog Posts

I went to my usual "news" sites this morning... at least this where I can get some interesting stories as to what is going on in the world without having to be bashed on the head with the "Fear and Consume" brainwashing waves coming from other news outlets. Well, I went to wired.com and saw this story about the 7 Basic Blog Posts . Brought to mind the un-originality and apparent deceit of the blogworld, and the thought that this is what made me stay off the internet for about a year. I just could not take the bullshit anymore. At first, I was addicted when I first started reading blogs about 3 years ago (I also was addicted to forums or websites that dealt with some type of "cause"... rights, truth, poverty, etc. Maybe another post about some of those pieces of crap later). I used to read the Craft type blogs. Oh my goodness, these women seemed so perfect and their lives so perfect and their photos so perfect. I tried to do the same, trying to achieve the perfect life. Of course, I fell short and ended up beating myself up at how imperfect I was. Women telling stories of how they had 3 young children, a new baby and stayed up all night making this cute little purse. And she was going to have 5 of them to sell to you tomorrow. And little gullible me was like "oh my god, what is wrong with me? I have 4 grown children and I can't do this". The only way I could achieve what they were doing would be to have beckoning assistants and nannies, be independently wealthy (or married to a rich man, who gave me a "busy business") and snort big lines of cocaine on a regular basis. I am not saying these folks are lying or even that they may be stretching the truth, but dayum are they cyborgs then??? This post is eventually what got me to thinking that maybe some of what folks were putting on their blogs might not actually be all-the-truth. I even dared to go so far as to wonder if these were real people at all and not actually representations of some corporate entity... I mean corporations masquerading as "regular folk" happened over here and they were stealing from these young women and bringing product to the consumer at unable-to-compete at prices.

Okay so this all led me to wonder and question "why have a blog" or be on the net at all? Was it supposed to be for showing off some latest hipster type item acquired at the local Goodwill? Be a "look what I can do and what I have and aren't you jealous" type situation? What I wished for was some realness and just a little truth and real connection. And here I am, still here, with my umpteenth blog... still searching after 5 or so years. In the end, it makes me sad. Where are all the real folk at? I would assume in their real homes, walking on their real streets, in real stores, doing real day to day living... but to assume, makes an "ass" out of "u" and "me". [hahahhaha... corny :) ]

Have a wonderfully REAL day!
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Let's Make a Black Hole???

(I woke up a little extra crabby this morn... this may turn into a rant somewhere down the line)

I caught a little bit of the Science Channel's "Six Billion Dollar Something or Other" and it was about that LHC (Large Hadron Collider) scientists have built in Geneva to recreate the Big Bang/beginning of the universe.

Okay... first of all, scientists are scared that this experiment could "create a black hole able to devour our planet" or allow the opening of being able to interact with other dimensions (I believe that is what the scientist said), among other horrific things. What the hell is wrong with these folks??? Damn they remind me of a little bad ass boy who has to touch the stove, even though his mother tells him it's hot. How many ancient societies have told of these things that "modern scientists" are just now so-called discovering? Who is the one who needs proof??? What is the proof going to matter??? These "children" will still find a way to say "well that's not conclusive... we are going to need 10 jillion dollars to build this mechanical thingamagigger....".

Man... why are these the folks with all the money and in charge??? Just the way of this ***backward world/plane I guess.

If someone can stomach it, here is something about it on Youtube... complete with idiotic comments by bored little children and all.

Prayers for an interceding on humanity's behalf could not hurt at this time.

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***this link to info, I had originally found at www.thosefoursounds.com which the domain is no longer current. Tells of the Dogon People and Dogon Cosmology and Creation. I may put in a pdf link up if this link goes.

Remembering Collecting

The other day, I came across a cat's eye marble in my desk drawer. I don't remember where it came from, but it brought to my mind when I used to take my bag of marbles out on to the grass, lie down and just gaze into them. I remember seeing little movies or images. I used to 'play' with them for hours. I never thought much of it and as I got older, I kind of forgot about it. Well after finding the marble, I came across a page talking about scrying into marbles and heard a radio show speaking on it. Okay so I had to bring the marble out and give it a try again and see if I still 'saw things'. So yes I did. I wrote the images down and they ended up having something to do with a problem my niece is having. Cool. I ended making a little holder for the marble so I could keep it with me. I will take a picture soon and post it.

Oh, but back to the collecting part... :) this all brought to remembrance all the things I used to collect when I was a little girl. I had forgotten about them. When I started thinking of them, I got kinda sad and I missed them. My collections:

Marbles
Stamps
Matchbooks
Swisher/Swizzle sticks from my parents vacations
Coins
Rocks
Heart shaped items
Pencils and Pens
Labels
Books
Bottlecaps
Names
Song Titles/Artists (had a book to record any new song I encountered and what station I heard it on)

I don't have any of those original collections anymore. I have subconsciously started other collections. Bottlecaps, used lottery tickets, coins, casino chips, yarn, fabric, pens, small items, shoes, purses, random trivia... among other things.

I found this page on formal names for collectors. There are a lot missing, unless they just don't have formal names. A Wikipedia category page listing lots of objects for collecting. Also came across this book (Dictionary of Bible Proper Names - c.1923) that contains all the Biblical names in alphabetical order from Google Books that can be downloaded in PDF form.

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Dolomite to the rescue!

Yesterday, I was feeling rather drained and tired so I went for a walk to the store. I sometimes use the Walmart garden section next door as a little oasis to get back in balance. I walked around for a bit. Smelling the rosemary and the sage and lamenting at the absence of care for the plant relatives. I walked through the store and out the front door through the parking lot taking the long way around back home. As I was walking I saw two white stones sitting at the edge of a planter of the usual red rock you see around here. I recognized them as stones from my childhood. We used to have these white decorative stones next to our driveway. I loved to put them up to the sun, they almost looked like they glowed or you could see the sun through them. And they would glint also, sparkling. So I picked em' up and took them home, hitting and rubbing them together for a wonderful familiar sound. Looking them up on the net, I found they are Dolomite, and found these properties...

Dolomite -- Abundance, Balance, Emotions, Energy, Negativity, Protection, Purification, Regeneration, Restoration, Strength, Wealth

"Dolomite relieves sorrow in such a way as to assist one recognize that "everything happens for a reason". Useful for energy alignment, balancing and blockage removal. It can be used to arrest leakages of energy from the chakras."

Pretty nice. I immediately felt better upon holding them and was so grateful for them coming to see me and to my aide.

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Little Store that could?! :)

I had planned on having my little myspace page up for selling a few items by today, but things aren't going as quickly as I thought they would. But everything will be good in a minute... everything in it's own time. :)

So far I have several recipe types for really soothing herbal crystal salts ready to go. I also have some little products that I have made that may assist in herbal/rootwork. I have a deck of tarot cards that I designed (crude/folk art-style), but I am not sure if those will be ready soon... we'll see. I have a nice stock of essential oils made... waiting on bottles. Some herbal combination bases are done and packaged. There are also more items that I haven't listed... Well I guess I have more done than I thought. :) Writing things down gives a good spin sometimes.

Will update soon...

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Crystal Salts and Rice

This is the Lucky Green Rice with shredded money and several traditional money drawing herbs in it. Tradition states to wear in shoes for 24 hours and spread over front lawn and save a pinch to keep in your house. It's a happy shamrock-type green.



This one's the Love for You Crystal Salts. For use when one is feeling a little down on them self. Sparks renewed self-love, along with new insights and healing. Has rose petals among it's herbs, and is a creamy light pink.



This is for producing a steady stream of money into one's life, Long Money Crystal Salts. It is an earthy light green and has sassafras among it's many herbs. Also included is a little tied bundle of alfalfa (of course, I picked up the one bag that I did not put it in yet to photograph).



For a loved one lost in destructive habits or for when one realizes they are tired of walking on the hurtful path they've been on, Prodigal Child Crystal Salts. The color is liken to a silvery blue moon and contains lavender along with several other healing/love herbs .



And this last one my son made up for himself. It smells so good and when he came out of the tub, he was so relaxed, he fell asleep talking to me :) . Called Calen Crystal Salts, it's a beautiful earthy green... made with Elder and other herbs that promote calm under pressure, protection and opens the third eye.

I will be offering these Salts, along with more instructional info, when I officially get the shopping cart up and running. Crystal Salts can also be used as a hot steam (added to hot water in a glass bowl), a hand wash and for various other uses. Late at night when I am feeling overly tired and frazzled, I employ a Hot Steam Salt and when it cools down I soak my hands in for added relief.

***All statements regarding the herbs, rice and salts above are by way of tradition and alleged results. No guarantees or solid claims are being made as to the outcome or your results. These are faith based products... YMMV (see 'HUH?' on the left sidebar for more explanation).

Thank you for reading.

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Calling on the Rain -- Yemaya -- Pt.3

Here's the pic of the Chana Blue Rain Rice.



Also took pics of some of the Salts and one of the bags of Lucky Green Rice I made over the past several days. Putting them in the next post.

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Beauty for the Day

I just thought I would leave the day with a nice post, showing a lovely landscape. Been thinking a whole lot about living in the desert. I love the New Mexico, Arizona desert spaces. So beautiful and wide. Found this beautiful pic.

Who's Tougher???

Warning: Rant follows. May have generalizations and be based mainly on gut instincts.

When I see the commercials for the new History Channel shows "Tougher In Alaska" and "Axe Men" my stomach tightens in a knot and I am compelled to put the telly on mute until the commercials are over. I feel embarrassed for the producers of these shows and at the same time chuckle at their arrogant immaturity. I can't really speak on the men profiled in these shows, because I have not watched them. I know that sometimes the way a show is hyped does not always match up to the shows content. But from the commercials they look like the invented and inflated backwoods-American-white-men-are-so-billy-badass crap bordering on racist stupidity bullshit. Why can't Americans just tell a story without all the exaggeration and ignoring of the real truth of the situation. Okay, this is how I see the story they are trying to tell. I see, let's say, euros first contact with Indigenous Alaskans (I don't know when this was) and I see euro reaction to Indigenous Alaskans as being savages. Indigenous peoples who were living rather well, in harmony with their harsh environment, without the use of modern technology. Fast forward to 2008, some Caucasian men living in the same environment, with the benefit of modern technology, who are now being shopped as hereos??? Seems like something is missing. How did things scoot from resourceful people = savages to modern men = heroes. And same formula applied to "Axe Men". And their apparent arrogant attitude and money/greed is what seems to be driving nature out of balance. Same can be said for "Deadliest Catch". Stripping nature of all it's got for large amounts of money. In discussion with my son the other day, I asked if would he stop eating or using what was not in his immediate vicinity for the sake of human beings being able to live on this planet. He had not thought of it that way. Personal greed for things and money seems to be what drives the corporate world. And no one is ashamed of it. Seems kinda flip-flop from what my mother taught me. But that's okay as far as this new way of living is concerned. And through bullshit like these types of shows (and many many others) it keeps getting propagated and shoveled to the next unaware fool.

Rant over.

Calling on the Rain - - Yemaya / Pt.2

I came up with a recipe for the Rain Rice soon after writing the Pt.1 of this post. I decided to name it after my daughter, since she inspired me to make it -- Chana Blue Rain Rice. I colored it blue with laundry bluing, mixed it with Lavender and several other "smooth-type" healing/love herbs. It calls to mind the scent right before a good rain. I think it will be good for wrapping up and tying in little bundles to wear around the neck. I also have taken the herb combo and made Chana Blue Crystal Salts for bathing, laundry or breathing in the work in steam (from a bowl w/ hot water). Cameras and I don't get along too well, but I would like to post pictures. The color blue came out so nice, looks like the ocean. I will attempt to strike up a truce tomorrow and take some pics.

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Herb / StoneTranslation -- English / Spanish / Carribean

I've been looking for a list of herbs with Spanish translations. No luck so far, so I am going to start one. It will be an ongoing list as I come across more meanings and more herbs. I also may try to match up some herbs/plants worked with in the Islands with the comparable I can attain here.

*** edit 6/23/08-- found this site with a great list -- http://www.innvista.com/health/herbs/spanish/default.htm

Herbs / Hierbas

7 Blossoms -- Siete Azahares (Passion flower, linden flower, rose petals, chamomile, anise seeds, tilo star)
Allspice -- Pimenton
Alum -- Alumbre
Angelica Root (Holy Ghost · Angel Root) -- Angelica
Anise -- Anise en Grano
Anise, Star -- Anise de Estrella
Alfalfa -- Alfalfa
Basil --
Basil, Sweet -- Albahaca
Bay, Laurel -- Entero
Brickelia - Progdioso
Chamomile -- Manzanilla
Clove -- Clavo Entero
Coriander, Seeds -- Cilantro Bolitas
Cumin, Ground-- Cumin Molido
Elder -- Sauco
Eucalyptus -- Eucalipto
Flax Seeds -- Linaza
Hibiscus -- Jamaica
Lavender -- Alucema
Lemon Grass -- Hierba de Limon
Marjoram -- Mejoranna
Mugwort -- Estafiate
Mullien -- Gordolobo
Nutmeg -- Nuez Mozcada
Oregano -- Oregano
Rhamnus Purse -- Cascara Sagrada
Rose Petals -- Rosa de Castilla
Rosemary -- Romero
Sesame Seed -- Ajonjoli Blanco
Thyme -- Tomilla
Wormwood -- Ajenjo

---

Stones / Piedras

Lodestone -- La Pìedra Imán
Pyrite -- Pirite


[continuously being edited -- last edit 6/22/08]

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Calling on the rain -- Yemaya

My daughter frequently calls the rain. I am not quite sure which emotional state or feelings provoke when she calls the rain, but from what I can see and what she has told me, it appears to be a time when she is feeling a little sad, melancholy maybe?... but I cannot see it on the outside. I can only guess, but it feels as if she need a cooling visit from her 'friend' Yemaya.

Looking up anything about some type of Rain Rice recipes. Wanted to make her some for her to keep in her little bag. I got 'lost' and found a couple of interesting web pages that mentions the calling of rain.

This page on Sacred Texts has a copy of the book "Taboo, Magic, Spirits: A Study of Primitive Elements in Roman Religion" by the author Eli Edward Burriss. I have not heard of it before, but it seems to be the typical arrogant rigid caucasian male view anthropological book, commonly disseminated as academic fact in early 20th and 19th centuries. These types of texts are so ironic to read because of the authors assuredness in their superior intelligence. Despite the obvious assumptions made by the author, there are some interesting descriptions of past communities rain-making that I was not familiar with. I had a somewhat hard time focusing on what I read, so I only skimmed it, but this part struck me:

When Marcus Aurelius was leading his forces against the Quadi in 174 A.D., a drought settled upon their country. According to one account, some Christians who happened to be serving under the Roman standards prayed for rain, and forthwith the heavens overflowed. 16 The pagan account of this rainstorm says that an Egyptian magician procured it from Hermes. 17 We do not have to go to antiquity, however, for evidence of supernatural rain-making. Frazer records 18 a case of rain-making by immersing the statue of a saint in water. He writes: "Beside the old priory of Commagny, a mile or two to the southwest of Moulins-Engilbert, there is a spring of St. Gervais, whither the inhabitants go in procession to obtain rain or fine weather according to the needs of the crops. In times of great drought they throw into the basin of the fountain an ancient stone image of the saint that stands in a sort of niche from which the fountain flows."

It seems the saint in question may have been Saint Honoré and I came across this page about a hydrotherapy station named for him. I will have to look into the Egyptian magic portion of this recount later.

What all this has to do with Rain Rice? Don't rightly know yet... another one of my typically unexpected 2 hour trips down the rabbit hole I suppose. Hope there's something revealing to glean from it.

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Working WITH Herbs and Plants

Just a little realization...

I have always thought of herbs and plants (and rocks and animals and other things I can't think of right now) as my friends. Plant friends, rock friends, animal friends. I think this may be one link to a difference in hoodoo/native american/atrs from "wicca" or "wiccan-type" rituals (okay I am being very general here, and probably too simplified, so please excuse me). In the wiccan flavoured rituals I have seen/studied/performed there always seemed to be a 'hiccup' for me at the empowering/charging part. I would not 'tell' or 'use' a friend to get me something I want using 'mind power'. I would however explain to my friend my situation, and ask for any help, insight or wisdom in aiding me to obtain a resolution for the problem. In the course of such a relationship, I would have done little things to show how much I care about this friend and would most likely take the friend out as a celebration for my freedom from the problem or invite the friend over for a night of listening to music, good food and chillin, as a little sign of how much I appreciate this friendship and their help. So behaving in this same way to my plant and rock friends makes perfect sense and is inline with my other behaviors. If I have been a good friend, my friends will not hesitate to help me and will genuinely want to see me free from strife. If I have not been a particularly good friend and I realize this, I may apologize for my neglect, and commit to a changing in my ways. I would leave the decision up to the friend. And if this friend is especially wise, I would tell them that there is probably more going on here than what I can see and ask for help to see the 'bigger picture' and want only truth from them, no matter how much it may hurt. This would be the expected behavior from a real and true friend.

I also understand the viewpoint that all of this exists within us and the answer lies within, so the answer could lie in my allowing my "inner self" to push out the energy to empower the 'item' to get the job done. I mean they are really all different perspectives on the same activity. I know inside that the rocks and the plants and the animals are all ME. But I think there might be a little difference that is important to me, whereas it might not be so important for others. There is a little subtle shift concerning the ego. As we know, the ego can be a very self aggrandizing entity/program. There is such a fine line to crossing over to the path that leads to egoism or to other side with a false sense of humbleness, leading to fake self-deprecation. In seeing 'all' things as equal and as having meaning and value, for me, this is the balancing pole, the equalizer. I at harmony with life and living things in this life. Like the Buddha said, "walk the razor's edge" (okay I am paraphrasing, here are the actual words"...Rise, awake! having obtained your boons understand them! The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path (to the Self) is hard" from this page at Sacred Texts).

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Crown Royal 'of Success'

Our family is a Crown Royal Bag Family. Well at least my dad, brother, sister and I are. Probably the extended family too. I know for sure at least my dad’s side of the fam is. My mom… naw, that is a little too tacky for her tastes. I love the bags! I have not had one in my possession for a while now. Last one I had was when I was in my early 30’s. I was always perplexed why I loved them so… and why so many other people loved them too. Always had a strange pull for me.

The other day while checking out a page at Lucky Mojo about hair care products, I read about Royal Crown hair grease as being used by folks because of the crown on the label and in the top. I used to use Royal Crown too years ago, before I stop using grease on my hair. Even though I had stopped, I still had (have) this urge to buy it. So it dawned on me… of course, the symbolism of “Crown Royal”! And the bag being purple too?! Ah, I finally saw the connection. So wonderfully covert! And no wonder it’s never spoken of, just as so many other “things” are hardly ever spoken of, just done. And I’m sure others have realized the connection, but I just couldn’t find anything when googled. Maybe I didn’t look hard enough.

Also Jazz musicians have used it for many years as a mute for their trumpets. Wonderful…

On this forum page, someone speaks of liking the brown Blanton’s bag better because it is not purple. I’ve never heard of Blanton’s. And I guessing the poster means it’s less “tacky”. Also a lot of folks post how they use them for poker chips, scrabble tiles, chess pieces and dice. This makes sense.

I gotta get me a bag now. Ebay has some, but I think I’ll just persuade one of my friends or one of my sons to have a little whiskey instead of rum for one of their get togethers. Mmmm… Crown and coke does sound good.

Irish Moss and da Big Big Bamboo

Okay, I've been looking for Irish Moss, trying to find either some product that contains it or somewhere close by that sells it for cheap-ish. But I've have been having this feeling that I know what it is already, but I just could not place where from... so this morning I googled Irish Moss. Checked out the Wikipedia 'crib notes' and saw that it was also called carrageenen and used in some ice creams, which I knew from somewhere. But I didn't think that was the connection, so I kept scrolling and saw that it is popular in the Carribean... ahhh okay so I googled Irish Moss Bahamas and came up with this. I was like oh okay, Irish Moss... Big Bamboo, now I remember. I don't think the person writing this review got the reference to Big Bamboo, which is a song by The Mighty Sparrow that I grew up listening to my mom play on the huge over-sized stereo in the family room. Big Bamboo links it to the aphrodisiac properties associated with this plant. Ya know... big bamboo... a man? Okay, so I looked for a place to listen to the song on the net, wanting to hear it again. 'The big big bamboo bam-boo... aye la la la la la la... workin for dah yankee dollar".

Click here to see the Mighty Sparrow sing it. Click here to see a shorter cute version I just found.

I also used to LOVE LOVE LOVE this song and still do!!! Obeah Wedding (click to here a little snippet).

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Irish Moss

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Archaeplastida
Phylum: Rhodophyta
Class: Rhodophyceae
Order: Gigartinales
Family: Gigartinaceae
Genus: Chondrus
Species: C. crispus
Binomial name
Chondrus crispus

*Money herb*

Also more info here at Herb-Magic

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Moon Phase Reference

(Click/go here for a larger pci)

Moon Phases Calculator


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Quick Days of the Week List

Days of the Week Correspondences:

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Sunday · Leo · orange · fire · Sun

Monday · Cancer · white · water · Moon

Tuesday · Scorpio · red · water · Mars

Wednesday · Virgo/Gemini · yellow/green · earth/air · Mercury

Thursday · Sagittarius/ Pisces · purple/blue · water/fire · Jupiter

Friday · Taurus/Libra · pink/brown · earth/air · Venus

Saturday · Aquarius/ Capricorn · dark blue/black · air/earth · Saturn

♦

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Garden and Grocery

Garden and grocery store friends...

♦

Rose - sweet love · healing · Mary

Carnation - healing · young gentlemen · balanced power

Parsley - attracting · cleansing

Sweet Pea - love · youth

Fern - good luck · protection · seeking to talk to little people

Marigold - creativity · energy · psychic senses

Hibiscus - sensuality · love · seeing dreamworld

Violet - healing · love · strong beauty

Willow - sorrows · walks beside through healing

Pine - cleansing · purifying · mood elevator

♦

(on-going list)

YMMV

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Simple Kitchen Herbs

Kitchen herbs have been my friends in time of need. This is a list of what is prevalent in my kitchen and what I hear/have heard them conveying to me.

♦

Cinnamon - love · activator · passion · fire

Basil - cleansing · mental · good vibes · healing

Salt - canceling · cleansing · purifying · grounding

Thyme - healing · aides in seeing reality of situation

Rosemary - sacred · love · prayer · protection

Sage - wisdom · cleansing · calming

Bay - protection · expelling · cleansing

Clove - money · security · comfort · warmth

Allspice - activator · protection · courage

Black Pepper - courage · repels negative

♦

(on-going list)

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YMMV

So simple...

This is so simple, I am almost embarrassed to post it... but I will, just in case someone may need it who is not in the position to go shopping for 'extras'.

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A simple "incense" to burn when feeling bogged down, fuzzy, hazy, unfocused.

Refresh · Renew

--a bit of Sage (air · Jupiter)
--a bit of Basil (fire · Mars)
--a pinch of Cinnamon (air/fire · Sun)
--a small saucer

Place herbs/spices on saucer. While doing this, "talk" to them, discuss with them what your need is. "Listen" for anything/feelings they might convey to you. Light herbs/spices. This usually will not burn fully, but sufficiently for what you have asked. Lie back/relax and let the aroma fill you. Know that help is on the way. Relight during the day, if desired. (* leaves sticky residue behind, so be aware)

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YMMV

Truthfully...

Okay, this is like my 8th no 9th... maybe 12th??? blog I have had in about 5 years. Been through a whole lot over these past 5 years. Learned a WHOLE lot. Learned I've learned what I already knew, but didn't believe I knew. Learned that what I had been practicing in theory, was very very real. And it took a very serious lesson in just how real it is, to take me all the way around back to square one with my eyes WIDE open. God is real... Magic is real... and it is a real good idea to figure out exactly who you are and where you are within this mix.

So now I am curious to see where this leads... I know where I want it to lead. Let's see if I can get it to all line up cohesively, spiritually and divinely. Or maybe more truthfully... see if I can stay in line with what is calling me and what I desire.

Please excuse any mis-steps, mis-speaks, mis-stakes... they would not/will not be intentional... well, unless I specifically state they are... I am a human being.

Living · Loving · just like a woman...

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