Apr 30, 2010

A Blessed May


"But I must gather knots of flowers,
And buds and garlands gay,
For I'm to be the Queen o' the May, mother,
I'm to be the Queen o' the May."
~Alfred Lord Tennyson

Wishing you all a firey and passionate May Eve, and a lovely and bright Beltane. Don't forget to wash your faces in the morning dew, for that youthful glow!

I've got a long bath calling my name and a few other pleasures...and then it's off to bed for me, as I have my first farmers market tomorrow! Then I may have a bit of time to rest and read blogs and sink a bit into the weekend.

Have a lovely one!

Apr 26, 2010

Spring Festival


I've just come back from the "Spring Festival of Awareness" here in British Columbia, Canada. A lovely festival, and one of two put on each year by a group of like-minded people (the other is the Wise Woman's Festival I attended in September,) the weekend was just what I needed to decompress after doing year-end books, a busy Vegas 'vacation' and getting our little business ready for the summer markets.

It was a weekend filled with meditation, yoga, dance, chant, and plenty of learning. I took two classes on Shamanism and found it is very similar to my own garden-witchery in that it revolves around gratitutde and offering to the earth Mother. Shamanism is such a mindful practice, and the wonderful Mexican man that lead the group spoke genuinely about his village and their love for the earth, and how much gratitute they have for everything they grow to feed themselves. Things we sometimes take for granted when we can just pop down to the grocery store....

I was amused that the Festival kicked off with a circle dance and the leader started up the chant "Earth and Air and Fire and Water, the Goddess is alive, magic is afoot." Although this was an open festival and many religions were represented, there was a definite theme of earth-centered spirituality. (The above photo is one I found online, and not from the festival. There were about 300 or so people at the Festival - a much larger circle!)

I even had time between classes to walk the labyrinth on the site, and get a bit of healing done at the "oasis" where all the practioners come to offer their services. It was a wonderful, relaxing, enlightening weekend!

Now, back to work and a busy week ahead with a full moon tomorrow (early Wed morning,) and Beltane coming up on Friday/Saturday! Looking forward to catching up on your posts and finding out what everyone is doing to celebrate this week!



Apr 22, 2010

Earth Day and Giveaway

Happy Earth Day to everyone!

I'm sure you are all out doing something fabulous on this great day. Planting a tree? In the garden? Feeding the birds?

I'm heading out for lunch with a friend on the patio, and then off to give some love and water and more seeds to my Mom's gardens (mine are still not built yet....) Her peas are up two inches and the radishes need thinning. Plenty to do and enjoy outside today.

Some other fun news to report: Nydia of Bringing up Salamanders name was drawn for the Skelli giveway! Congrats Nydia. Please email me at rueandhyssop (at) gmail (dot) com with your address, and I'll pop your goodies in the mail!






Apr 17, 2010

Nature Rocks!


I am a rock-hound. I can't help it. I think it goes hand-in-hand with being an avid gardener. I am forever picking up rocks off the ground, and have them all over the house and yard. I also have a crystal collection that keeps growing.

The above pic is a weathered-board tray that I keep most of my smaller crystals on, along with some assorted tools I use for workings. I always have multi coloured mini-tapers on hand, and the grey and white banded object behind them is my wild turkey feather for smudging.

In the blue and green pouch at the lower part of the picture, is one of my pendulums. In the center, there is also a little Mayan temple I brought back from Mexico, and a Egyptian glass bottle that I now have some protection oil in.

I have my other supplies spread around my little suite, but this tray gets much use, and I'm forever picking out a crystal or two to carry with me throughout the day depending on what energy I am needing, or how I'm feeling.

With my energy being 'funny' this last month or so, I've definitely gravitated toward the more protective and grounding stones. Some of these include:

Hematite
Jet
Red Jasper
Smoky Quartz
Turquoise

Not everyone is a rock person. My one neice picks up every rock she sees. The other one is a tree-hugger (literally,) and picks up flowers that have dropped from their stems, or dandelions and puts them in her hair.

Is there something out there on the earth that you pick up and hold on to? Do you gather items from your yard, walks and trips and bring them into your home? I find it fascinating how we build homes to protect ourselves and then spend our time bringing Nature in!

Apr 15, 2010

Vegas Witchy-ness

Although I didn't venture too far off the strip while in Vegas, I couldn't find any suitably witchy shops. I guess I'd have to go farther into the 'real' city for that. What I did see, was one very well-dressed Goth girl and her boyfriend, and this sandwich shop - with it's clever name!



I also noticed a plethora of skull and Day of the Dead bling and gifties, so I picked up a couple things to give away to my dark dearies here who read my little blog and are so generous with their comments!

Here are the couple cute skellies I found:

"Loungefly" Hair pins with D.o.t.D. skulls, black flowers & black hearts.
And, of course, with my ice cube tray obsession, I couldn't help picking up some "Bone Chillers." Who doesn't want a skull or crossbones in their drink this summer?

So, all you have to do is leave a comment here, and I'll draw a name in one week, on Thursday, April 22nd. (That's Earth day!)

Also, I just wanted to share that I'm officially signed up for the local Farmer/Artisan markets this summer with our Tarot/Reiki/Spiral Spirit products! I'm very excited, and the markets start May 1st, so the return of the "Farmers Market Saturdays" posts is coming soon!



Apr 12, 2010

I Need A Vacation!

I know - I just came back from one! But really - if you've been to Vegas, you will know it's not exactly...relaxing. Still, I had a wonderful time (thanks for all the well-wishes!)

I didn't come back rich, but I sure made the most of the days I had there. We walked miles and miles, and saw as much as we could. We stayed at the Monte Carlo hotel, which was lovely. The above pic is one of the statues they had outside the hotel.


We spent some time on Freemont Street - the street that is now covered by a canopy of lights that is like a huge tv screen of sorts. That street was pretty wild. I think the adventurous crowd hangs out down there - we saw some pretty drunk people! Plus, a bride or two.


Below is a shot of one of my favourite hotels - Caesar's Palace. This place was really opulent and I loved all the statuary. I wish we had spent more time here. This is a photo of winged lions guarding their incredible pools.


We walked the strip in the evenings too, and saw the Bellagio fountain, the volcano at the Mirage, and the pirate show at Treasure Island.




All in all, it was a great trip. I still needed two days to recover, but luckily I got home on the weekend, and was able to relax a bit before I had to head back to work.

I do recommend Vegas for those who love lights and non-stop activity, but you should also know that there isn't one quiet spot in the whole city, unless you are in your hotel room. It's nice to be home without the sounds of sirens, music, horns, slot machines and much more!

Now to catch up on all your blogs to see what you've been up to while I was gone...

Apr 4, 2010

Hey Baby, Let's Go To Vegas!


I've been a bit absent of late. March was a horrid month. With year-end bookkeeping and trying to get the website up and running, it's been rather stressful. My sleep has suffered and the stress-level has been dialed up to "super-extreme" for the last few weeks. Even my face is acting like I'm 13 years old and breaking-out all over. Ugh.

On a bright note, I'm chucking it all, and going to Vegas! My best friend bought me a ticket and we are heading out tonight, for five days! I've never been, so I'm really looking forward to the trip.

I'm not bringing my laptop, so I'll have to update you when I return - hopefully rich! Actually, I'm not much of a gambler at all. The only thing I might pause at are the penny slots - although I've always wanted to try roulette once. Who knows?

We do have tickets for a Cirque du Soleil show, which should be amazing. Then I think we'll just take in the sights the rest of the time. It's supposed to be nice - but not too hot, which will be great for me!

I'll catch up with you all when I get back!

Hope everyone got some nice chocolate from that rabbit that's been wandering around!