I found the Path Back!

WOW. I cannot believe it is May 19th, 2011. I have missed a lot and I apologize for keeping all of you out of the loop and hoping that some of you would still continue to read. I have faith in the Goddess that she will motivate me again to write and inform myself and others on whatever comes into my path.
Too much has been happening in my life. I graduated from my university on Friday the 13th. I wish the goddess would have alerted me to the fact that I graduated on Friday the 13th because I had too much trouble getting to the ceremony. The trouble started weeks prior but you know what, it doesn't matter because I completed my degree. I am currently attending a community college to finish up my minor which is in biology. I am very proud of myself and since then I have been relaxing and preparing for school and applying for jobs in the real world.
The end of the semester was hard as Hades but I did it. Although there were flames biting at me every step of the way there were cold fronts that moved in to cool the flames. This cool breathe of the goddess came in the form of my partner, rituals, and friends.

My partner has been too wonderful to me during the end of my semester. He was always there to support me and I unfortunately was not the nicest to him during the dark times. hahha. For making it through the hell I think that he is going to get a really good graduation gift from me! ;) hahah.
The other day after stressing out about everything going on in my life Bobby and I went on a beautiful hike on the Urban Trail in town. It was beautiful but I also had a mission. I needed to ground again and do a meditative walk The urban trail is perfect because it goes all through town. I brought Rafiki with us and he enjoyed it thoroughly.
There are beautiful trees that symbolized the flow of life. The Ponderosa Pines are strong and resilient trees. They take all the wind in Flagstaff is stride! There was also a lovely uprooted tree that had a root sticking out that was perfect for a wand so I had to grab it. Of course had the tree root not been ready to come off I wouldn't have taken it but I feel as if the tree allowed me to take it!
Along the way there were various animals, Bobby and I were training our eyes and I am happy to say both of us found creatures that neither of us could see. I was proud of us.
I was the first one to see this chipmunk. He was so cute and let me get really close till Rafiki started barking.

The only problem with this hike is that the stream that runs along side of the trail is a reclaimed water area. It was originally a natural stream thru Flagstaff but because of daming there is no natural flow until the snow comes and melts. We walked all the way to the lake that the city has made that contains waste water effluent as they call it. If you do not know anything about reclaimed water I would suggest looking it up. The water is filtered and cleaned by the city and is deemed suitable for wildlife to drink from and to live around, yet the sign on the lake says WARNING: DO NOT USE!
How is this safe water? Shouldn't all life have access to clean water? And why don't the majority of people in this world value the environment and all more-than-human life? (The phrase more-than-human comes from a book I read called the Spell of the Sensuous by David Abram look it up if you get a chance) I took a class this semester entitled Gender, Nature, Culture and this was the most eye opening experience. I will making a post about all of the books I read and give reviews for anyone who is interested in educating themselves can do so.
The lake is a perfect example of the intersection between Culture and Nature. Seeing the sign at the lake helped open my eyes and remind me that I have a lot to accomplish in this world still!

This hike was beautiful and I am so happy B. and I went on it!
I owe him a lot for helping me ground and keep my insanity in check and for that I say THANK YOU AND BLESSED BE!

Friends have always been a help and will continue to be help. The wonderful thing is that I found a best friend in someone that I never thought would end up being that close to me. She has helped me so much this semester and I hope she continues to remain in my life. Rebekka you are divine in all senses of the word and am so happy that found someone I can lean on and learn from and I hope you know I am there for you! I share some of the most out there ideas and some of the most connecting ideas with you and because of you my spiritual knowledge has grown tremendously!
Friends are the rocks that I lean on and consider them as close as fmaily. DJ, Mari, and Sebbi love you boys! DJ- we did it!

The other factor that helped to get me through the end of the semester was ritual! From April to May 18th I did four big rituals. For some people that might not seem like a lot but for many of them I was leading different aspects. The first was a full moon ritual. It was really basic and a good way to set intention for the coming month which was the end of my career at NAU. This was very grounding and I am thankful it happened.
The next ritual that came was Beltane! Beltane was beautiful and I will be making a post about the ritual of Beltane in the coming days!
Then I had my class ritual. For one of my classes this semester we had to design a ritual that focused on bringing awareness to the land of Flagstaff and balancing the energies of fire and water in the area. That is also going to be part of the post on Beltane. Keep your eyes open for it!

Then finally my club (unbeknown st to me) designed a whole ritual for me and graduating. I had no idea that they were doing this and I was blown away. To be honest it made me tear up a bit to hear all the things people wanted to say to me and about me. I feel blessed that the club thought it fitting to send me off with some guidance! That will be a separate post as well.

Thank you all for holding out and waiting for me to return. I knew it would happen I was just not sure when.

Blessed be and look forward to those posts!!!

TIme for a spiritual hike

I would like to just say that I am finally starting to get into the Samhain season and am LOVING IT!
This weekend was a big part of it. I had a wonderful time with my partner and our amazing friends Brad and Matt. I cant forget to mention that we both had our adorable dachshund's Darci and Rafiki. Rafiki is mine and he is just a joy! He and his sister had so much fun romping around the creek!
But anyway back to the season. The boys came down for a couples retreat which was perfect! We had some champagne, dinner, and fun laughs. We woke up on Sunday morning and made AMAZING breakfast. Then we headed to the creek.

I wasn't really thinking that it was going to be a terribly spiritual event but it turned out to be what helped me to realize the seasons were changing. When you live in a Pine Forest you don't get to see the leaves change. (although that is not entirely true because the Aspens up on Mt. Humphrehys change and I can't wait for pics of that).
Down in Sedona by the creek there happens to be many signs that the fall faeries have been at work. The hike was honestly so beautiful. Walking along the creek with the boys, dogs, and my partner combined with the magic of Sedona and the creek is what I needed to help shake the negativity I have been carrying around with me.
On the way to our destination there were trees that were starting to change colors. The yellows, oranges, and reds whispered to me "Samhain is on its way. Are you ready?" As if that was not enough our walk led up to the most beautiful doorway I had seen by the creek. There was a patch of grass that the dogs loved and a doorway of trees above.
That is my friend brad over there. He was my model but didn't know it. (side note check out his blog Chronicles of an Ex-Smoker)
Next came the huge Cottonwood tree that was basically parallel to the ground and perpendicular to the creek. It was an awesome break that just invited us to climb all over it and even a place for the puppies to take their first steps in a creek.
Darci really liked it but Rafiki was having none of it. We continued on our hike further down the creek area.
As we traversed the landscape we had to climb up mini mountains, past cactus, down a rock face, between a tree and rock, and pass the puppies over a part in the creek. It was intense and I loved every second of it. The further we went and the harder I had to work the less I thought about troubles. They all seemed to fade away. I was focused on the hike and the nature around us. I saw some cool lizards and one fish. The water is very sediment filled. We hiked for about and hour and a half and then decided to turn on back around. This picture is where we stopped and went back. I love how peaceful the water looks behind the branches.

In our garden in Sedona we have experienced the end of our growing season. There are a few things popping up that I am not sure about but we will see what becomes of them. The sunflowers died so we chopped them down and broke them up. We layed them on the garden to become mulch for next years growing season. Even the pear tree is showing signs of Fall coming.

I am getting more and more excited for this season!
Can't wait for more and more signs of fall!

PS after that long hike Rafiki was totally tired! Isn't he so cute?!



Blessed BE!