One Song

The following is a beautiful poem by Rumi called "One Song"

Every war and every conflict

between human beings has happened

because of some disagreement about names.

It is such an unnecessary foolishness,

because just beyond the arguing

there is a long table of companionship

set and waiting for us to sit down.

What is praised is one, so the praise is one too,

many jugs being poured into a huge basin.

All religions, all this singing, one song.

The differences are just illusion and vanity.

Sunlight looks a little different

on this wall than it does on that wall

and a lot different on this other one,

but it is still one light.

We have borrowed these clothes,

these time-and-space personalities,

from a light, and when we praise,

we are pouring them back in.

My Offering Stones and Powdered Oak Bark

Today the book and candles that I won for the give-away of Kim's blog "The Wiccan Life" arrive. It was absolutely perfect timing since I was having a kind of horribly long and tiring day after a very long and stressful week. It really made my day and gave me the energy to do a lot of things I've been meaning to do for quite a while. None of it was actually work for college but I'll get around to that tomorrow. I think I deserved focusing on other things after this busy, busy week and especially this long day!

Firstly I started grinding up oak bark into powder. For the year and a day that I'm doing from Timothy Roderick's book that I've mention quite a few times in previous posts, one item that is needed in the first month is powdered oak bark. I went out one day and searched for some bark on the ground. My boyfriend was actually the one to finally find a tree at the very end of the walk, that is super old and had some dead bark sticking off it. We broke some off carefully after making sure that the bark was not still being used by the tree and I gave my thanks. Unfortunately I did not have anything to give but my love and blessings in return, which I sent out to the tree. I will definitely go back and give it an offering stone because I feel it is the right thing to do.

After I finished that (it took a surprisingly long time) I started making my offering stones. I had made the dough about half an hour earlier based on the recipe from krazyboytx's video that I posted about a week ago. This is what it looked like just before I started making the offering stones:

To make them I brought out all my herbs, my favorite tea, some fingerpaints that are absolutely edible (says on the packaging and my dog sneaked a nibble when I wasn't watching and had to do work for school. Yes, I do get to use fingerpaints for some of the projects I make in college :-)), and some glitter.

It was really so much fun to make these offering stones and to me it feels like this might be better than just giving part of my dinner or other foods as offerings. The dinner I make because of what I want to eat but these stones I spend time making especially to give thanks. I think this gives them a different energy. But I will see how it feels when I finally get to give them. First I had to put them on the oven to let them dry and harden up. Now I have to wait at least two days before they are hard and I can go out and use them.

And finally, a picture of the very first offering stone I ever made (it's also in the picture above, the slightly greenish one). I dedicated it especially to the tree that gave its bark.

Winter Is Coming

Every day I can sense winter coming closer and closer. It is as if I can feel the air becoming more crisp, the sounds becoming more muted as the days are getting darker and darker. I felt it was a good moment to express these feelings in my art with a bird the color of snow signalling the arrival of winter. If you like it, feel free to buy a high quality print printed on beautiful recycled paper at my etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/listing/85751068/winter-is-coming. I already put this in my book of shadows and it really adds something to it. This is my very first listing making it extra special to me :-) To make this piece I used photos that I took while traveling in Iceland and on the Faroe Islands, two countries up in the north. They are two of the most beautiful and stunning places that I have ever been to.

Florida Water and Cleansing

http://www.boxvox.net/2008/09/florida-water.html

After having come across it a few times on websites and YouTube I was quite happy when I found Florida Water in a local store. Of course I bought it right away. They had a little tester where you could smell it and already in the store I found it fantastic. When I came home I put some on my neck and behind my ears, just like Krazyboytx recommended in one of his YouTube videos. That alone already felt fantastic.

Since my altar needed a cleaning anyways, after clearing it and wiping it down I also gave it a wipe with some Florida Water. It really gives me the feeling of having cleansed it form some extra energies as well.

In another video on YouTube a tip was to use Florida Water to stop arguments and negative energies in general. For example, you can place a bowl with a little Florida Water in each room of the house to stop negativity from coming in. I was having a small argument with my boyfriend so I decided to be radical and wiped some on him behind his ears and on his neck and did the same thing with myself while telling him about what Florida Water does. If it was the Florida Water or just doing something while talking about the argument being over, I don't know. But we were certainly best friends again after. :-)

Needless to say that Florida Water is one of my new, favorite things. It is especially useful because I am often very busy and don't have the energy to light incense or smudge sticks. Incense requires you to stay in the room to be safe about fire and a smudge stick also has to be made safe to put back in the drawer after using it. Florida Water is such a wonderful alternative and on a busy day where I am often tired, the fresh and yummy smell works as an extra pick-me-up in way that incense and smudge sticks just cannot do.

There are some great videos that give a lot of different uses for Florida Water that I can definitely recommend. I really love the versatility of its uses and just cannot get over the smell! It also changes over time. Coming fresh from the bottle it might smell a bit strong but that stops very quickly. My boyfriend (when I did that thing to stop the argument) said he really disliked the smell. But every night I put it on behind my ears and on my neck just before I go to bed for some extra cleansing and protection and throughout the day I often use it for the same purpose as well and he's always telling me how good it smells! 

I could go on but I'll post some of the Florida Water videos including one on how to make your own if you do have the time:

Coming Out With My Spirituality - Or Not

 One thing that is on my mind quite often is my difficulty in being open about my spirituality and beliefs. So far nobody but my partner and my wonderful puppy know. I have hinted at it to my family but since we are not a family that naturally talks about belief I often dropped the subject before it got too personal. It's strange, I do ask them sometimes what it is that they believe in and the answers are often quite short and defined. They never ask me in return what I believe in. In one way I think that is a very good thing because it's really quite a wonderful thing that they don't judge by beliefs and don't care what I believe in as long as I am happy and living a good life. And I guess I'm not very much one to talk about belief myself. I have had a fair amount of interesting discussions about belief but it's not something that happens often. Actually it only really happens around people who do enjoy talking about their beliefs and spend a lot of time doing so, also with their family.

The negative part with all this is that my personal beliefs make me quite insecure. I do not know anybody in person who is on a similar path to mine (at least not that I am aware of) and have not yet found too many people on the internet that come from a family situation similar to the one I described above. This is probably making me more insecure about my own belief than is necessary. On the other hand I don't feel like I have been in a situation in the past few years where this subject came up naturally. In my surroundings belief doesn't really ever seem to be an issue or a topic of discussion. It's a thing that everybody seems to keep private in every day life. Even though I am very happy about the situation, I do feel a growing need to be able to talk to someone on the phone or in person about this subject. Even if it is just to find out what that feels like. There is so much I am discovering, wondering about, questioning and figuring out. There are also great changes taking place in me (I think - It's hard to tell sometimes with yourself).

So these are just some thoughts I have been having quite frequently. I really wonder what it is like to talk to somebody else in real-time about this path. Perhaps even do a small ritual or spell together. I am not even sure if I will like it but it is just something I would really like to find out about.

Die Zauberflöte

Today I went and watched Mozart's "Die Zauberflöte." It's something that I grew up watching and always loved so much. I had never actually seen the live opera so when I saw a poster a few days ago I thought I have to get tickets and go see it! It was especially exciting since I hadn't watched it since I was little.

Something that I never realized about "Die Zauberflöte" are all the references to old religions. Especially the temple of Isis and Osiris. Tamino and Pamina have to pass several tests in order to be initiated and become part of the inner circle.

Here is an English version of one of the songs from the opera, "O Isis and Osiris:"

And here is the same song sung in its original language, German: 

I really think this is so amazing to listen to! I can definitely recommend the entire opera. Here some more bits and pieces I found on YouTube:

A Special Day and One of the Reasons why the Internet is Wonderful

Today I found out that I was one of the winners of a give away contest on the blog "The Wiccan Life" that was done to celebrate the 100th follower. This is so special to me because in my life I can't remember ever winning anything, let alone the first prize :-) I joined the contest more as an excuse to post something and get to know other people who follow a path similar to mine so I was so surprised to see that I actually won. I almost cried because I am just so used to never winning anything. I might be overreacting but it just brings up so many strong memories, especially from my childhood, where I would have liked to win something but never, ever did. So thank you Lady Caer Morganna for having the contest!

To this I would also like to add that "The Wiccan Life" is a really wonderful blog. Lady Caer Morganna really shares a lot from her personal and daily life, past experiences but also how she practices her spirituality. To me who has yet to meet people outside the online world who follow a similar path it is really special to see how others live it. In addition to that and since I am still way in the closet, it is also a great inspiration to see others being so open about their path. I think that is something that's also very special about the internet in general, that there is this possibility to share your own life and glimpse into that of others in a way that you would never be able to do in real life unless you've known the person for a long time. So thank you internet as well!

Witches on YouTube

I thought I would share some of my favorite Youtube Channels when it comes to Witchcraft and Magic:

http://www.youtube.com/user/paganperspective

http://www.youtube.com/user/Krazyboytx

http://www.youtube.com/user/KimiRose771

http://www.youtube.com/user/CharmingPixieFlora

http://www.youtube.com/user/charliesaysgo

http://www.youtube.com/user/avalonmoon91

http://www.youtube.com/user/ABroomandTheMoon

Breathing

What a difference a simple breath can make. It's incredibly easy and yet something I so frequently forget to do. No matter where I am, if I take a deep breath I always feel better. It helps to regain focus as well, supply the body with energy and feel grounded and connected. One thing I especially love doing is breathing in and then to breathe out all the way and then some more. Really go for it until I feel I have not a single bit of breath left in my body. After that I will breathe in again and repeat breathing out so much until it almost hurts (stop before it does start hurting!). Even when I breathe out the first time I already feel like I am cleaning myself from the inside out. A lot of the time I think people do not breathe out all the way (since it does often take a conscious effort) and breath just stays in your lungs. But breathing out all the way makes way for new breath and new energy to come into your system. After repeating this just three times I already feel like my lungs have been completely cleaned out. It's a wonderful feeling and something I would really recommend everybody to try who hasn't already!

Some ways I apply this way of breathing: Before meditation to relax, when I just don't feel that good (I always feel better immediately), to reduce anger, to enjoy a great experience even more, to freshen up, before ritual so that I am not just cleansed on the outside but also on the inside.

Stop Procrastination

I'm a huge procrastinator. I always seem to do the things that I have to do at the very last minute. Especially when it comes to work for university, cleaning, doing dishes, washing clothing. All those necessary things in daily life. I often let my spiritual path get in the way or all those fantastic shops on Etsy. And if it's not Etsy, then I just started reading a book that I absolutely have to finish today or I'm training my dog. All more or less good things to do but none of those are things that need doing right away.

So today, as a deadline is moving closer, I decided to try something new. For one of my classes I have to make a magazine. Now, working on finishing the whole magazine seems like a lot and you first get something good out if at then end when you can start printing. Usually there are also mistakes that you first see when it is printed and then it takes even longer until you have the finished result. So, I decided to divide it up. I started completing the magazine one double sided page at a time. And it's really working! I get super excited about seeing the finished result coming out of the printer and I can watch the stack of finished pages growing relatively quickly. And finishing one double page doesn't actually take that long. These quick results are actually keeping me motivated pretty well. I'm definitely going to try and apply this to all my work.

Here is also a video I found on YouTube by charmingpixieflora. Many probably know this already but it's a great one to watch again and again for some extra motivation.

Watching the Sunset

Today I went to a lake close to where I live to watch the sun set. It was absolutely beautiful. One of the things that I never noticed so consciously before is how the moon gets brighter and brighter the deeper the sun sinks. That's definitely one thing I have always taken for granted up until today!

Once it got dark and I started getting a little cold from sitting I got up and walked back to my bike. As I was walking a song came to my mind. I sang it quietly to myself. It made for such a beautiful moment as they were my own words and it seemed like such a perfect way to end the experience.

Here are the words to my song:

There is magic in the air

Magic 'round me everywhere

In the trees and in the grass

In the river flowing past

In my heart and in my soul

Magic makes my wings unfold

Don't despair and don't be scared

For there is magic in the air

God and Goddess I thank you

No more am I without you