1st day back to school

Our summer vacation is officially over. :( My little girl had her 1st day of 2nd grade today. She was so excited to actually get there this morning that we had to leave even earlier than we'd planned! We did get the customary 1st day of school picture.

When we were walking back to the car, one of her classmates and his mom were coming down the hill. I hadn't seen her in a little over 4 weeks, at another classmates birthday party. The first words out of her mouth were, "Girl, you're looking good! You're wasting away to nothin'!" Now while that is a little bit of an exaggeration, it did sort of make my day a little bit. We're 2/3rds of the way done with the Couch to 5K program and we've all been working hard at it. Today I tried on a pair of jeans that just 2 weeks ago wouldn't even come close to fitting. Now they do, but they don't stretch at all. So they give me a muffin top. BUT I suspect in a couple more weeks that won't be the case. I can see in my face that it's significantly slimmer, too.

After we dropped her off, we went for some breakfast then to the bank to get paperwork the loan company needed. We went to drop it off with our agent but she wasn't scheduled to be in until 10. So, we grabbed the keys and went to check out our new home again. The other half didn't think we'd stay long enough to wait for her. I proved him wrong! We did insane things we hadn't done before. Like counting all the outlets in the kitchen (there are 7!). About 5 minutes before the agent was due in, we heard a knock on the door and then the key in the lock. It was her walking over to see us. Which gave me the opportunity to show her the 3 tiny dings that need fixed. She told us to expect more by the time it's set up and they'd get them all fixed. They don't get paid until we do a final walk through and sign off on everything.

I'm hoping tomorrow to make a huge dent in the packing. Since I'll have the house to myself from the time LA's dropped off until I have to leave to pick her up. I'll tell you though, I'm missing my books and witchy stuff pretty badly. It was some of the first to be packed and now I'm regretting that decision. I know it had to be done but just, ugh!

Anyway, it's getting late and I'm tired. The 6 a.m. wake up this morning was a rude one. I'll be back in the swing of things in a week or so. I do have some ideas brewing for the blog. I just need time to implement them. I need a clone...or 24 more hours in a day, whichever, I'm not picky. No? Well then this witchy's off to bed!

The journey ahead

I'll admit it, I'm the worlds worst to want to plan everything down to the last detail. That leads to a lot of things I WANT to achieve falling by the wayside. Most of the time, I don't ask for help/bounce ideas off of people, since the few times I have absolutely nothing happened. I was met with enthusiasm at the time, then crickets. Which has led to me becoming more and more solitary. I have vowed to myself that I'll continue the journey, because it's what I'm meant to do. I'll stop trying to plan everything to the last detail and step outside the comfort zone a little.

It was pointed out to me a week or so back that it seemed I had been replaced. Not seeing the forest for the trees, I hadn't even realized. Once it was said SO much then made perfect sense.

That leads me to the journey I'm on now. In Witchcraft/Paganism I've watched it ebb and flow many times. I've also noticed when the ebb happens is when the calling is strongest for me. My intention is to not let that calling fade when the resurgence begins anew. The only time I ever recall staying active during the boom in Paganism was about 16 years ago. Back then, there were 3 well-known Pagan auction houses, in addition to Ebay. Anything you wanted could be found among the 4 and the pricing was incredibly reasonable. Over the 24+ years as a practicing Pagan, I've owned my own online esoteric shop, written a 52 week year and a day program, read Tarot for hundreds of people (recently I've begun offering Tarot readings for others again), and seen Paganism gain incredible ground.

When I came to the path, learning materials were scarce. A lot of the books and resources I used are either no longer available or severely outdated. Now? There's almost too much to choose from. Sifting through it can be a daunting task. I look at the offerings from Amazon and it's overwhelming to me. I can only imagine what it's like for a new practitioner.

Know that people, even those that walk the path of Paganism, won't understand completely your particular spirituality. The old adage of 'Ask a dozen witches & you'll get a dozen answers.' is more factual than you realize. Do what feels right for you. Believe what feels right. Practice the way you see fit. This is your journey, with your heart and soul. It's up to you if you tell others. There is no hard and fast rule. In some places, even today, revealing yourself can be dangerous. Be smart.

In the future, I intend to do reviews, vlogs, in depth articles, poetry and prose, recipes, and anything else my brain thinks up. If I feel it's of benefit to others then I'll place it here.

Ultimately, if you don't know where to start, Google is your friend. If something you read raises questions, research it further. Paganism has no "one book" but that need not be a barrier. There are hundreds, maybe thousands, just like me who are willing to help you on the path. I'm not a teacher, I'm a guide. This process is about learning. If you walk this path, you'll spend the rest of your life discovering new knowledge.

Now it's time for me to get away from the PC and on to a play date. Wednesday school starts and a whole new set of adventures awaits!

Finding my way back

Who I am is such a vast chasm of details that it would take me forever to do such a question justice. If you choose to follow the blog, in due time you'll learn much of that (what I'm willing to reveal anyway).

It feels like forever since I've allowed myself to step back, take a breath and look at everything around me. To be able to take it all in, process it and let anything go that I don't need to hang on to is a bit of a luxury right now. 5 weeks ago, my 1st grandchild was born so I'm now a Mimi. The day after he was born, we found out that we were approved for a home loan. Which began a whirlwind of cleaning, sorting and packing. It's amazing how much stuff one can acquire in a few years time! I'm posting just a few pictures, I didn't realize we didn't have a good one of the living room. Doh!

 

On top of all of this, one of my oldest and dearest friends is getting married on Halloween. Which meant doing her invitations, CDs for the music and all the other million things that come from planning a wedding. You guessed it, it's a wedding off a different breed. ;) We also took up running about 6 weeks ago, in preparation for a 5k in October. With my daughter starting back to school next week, I should finally be able to breathe a little.

To add to all of this though, I'm being called to educate again. Every day new witches come to the fold and don't have any idea where to even start. So in this blog, you're going to find a mix of everything.  I started working several months ago on some herbalist-centric materials. I've obviously had to put that all on the back burner for a bit. Seeing as all my herbs are now packed up and my books are slowly joining them. So, for now, I'll be sharing my knowledge and answering any questions you might have for me.

I will say this much before I get back to the million other things that need my attention. Never allow anyone to tell you how you should or should not practice. Only you can truly know your own heart. If it feels right to you, then by all means, go for it. If someone tells you that something can only be one way, run as fast and as far away as you can get. For me, personally, I hex, I curse, I heal, I conjure, I guide, I nurture and everything in between. I am not Wiccan, that isn't my path. If you are, then that's between you and your deities, I have no right to tell you if it's right or wrong. My son follows the path of Asataru because it's the path that feels like home to him. The path I follow? It would take me the rest of the day to explain. Just be you, find your happy, your safe, your center. Find the things you're most passionate about and live them!

Go out and find some beauty around you!