Preparing for Samhain

This Samhain season I have decided to participate in some blog parties. I have never done this so I am making an effort this year with two. I think it will be a good way for me to get into them and see what I can come up with. I also do not want to over extend myself since school is really intense this semester.
But I am making my first post for the blog party hosted by Whimsical Cottage! Head on over to find out the other bloggers participating in the blog party.
The idea is to post as often as you do and include things about the season.
Since it was about the Samhain season I decided that I needed to make my altar appropriate for the season.
This is a good thing because I have been meanign to cleanse my altar and get it going. As you know if you read my blog my life has been pretty crazy recently and it has been hard for me to get things going. So I took this blog party as an excuse to motivate me enough to clean off my altar and make it into a Samhain altar.
Before my altar was cluttered and had a lot of items on it realating more to summer and spring and now I have stripped it to the bones.
I am getting back to basics if you will. Last year I participated in my first Samhain ritual and it was quite an experience. On our journey that night we encountered three goddesses Baba Yaga, the Shadow, and the Crone. These goddesses had a story to tell at each station and a lesson to leave us with. Baba Yaga is a goddess who strips you to your bones in her cabin in the conutry side. That message really stuck with me. At that station we drew a rune and when I drew mine it was the spiritual warrior rune. This was a very important sign for me and because of that it is layed on my altar during Samhain.


The desgin of my altar is pretty basic. I have the deities in the back. And of course in the middle is the wonderful Tree of Life god I purchased from Nydia from her wonderful etsy shop! I highly recommend you head on over there and see what is happening.



In the center of the altar I have a stone wrapped in rope that is from my mentor Madrone. She received this is the giveaway she attended at her summer retreat called Long Dance. Ever since she told me about Long Dance I have wanted ti attend, but it is unfortunately only for womyn. I felt very special to receive something from Long Dance because I know it is a place of change and happiness for Madrone and others. I can tell by the stories that many people experience huge amounts of growth on the retreat. I decided to place this item on my altar because for me the time of Samhain and what is to come next is a time of growth.It is a time mostly for personal growthas it is a time for intospection. It is the dark time of the year. This is the time when during the darkest nights witches can scry for their deepest desires. The stone sits right above my scrying mirror. This is a mirror I received from attending last years Samhain's ritual. So of course for this season I had to bring it out. On top of the mirror is a star garnet. I find them to be extra helpful in protection spells and charms.
I am pleased with my new altar and how it looks. I think it reflects the time I am going through in my life right now and also is appropriate for the season.
This is the first of hopefully more frequent posts during the Samhain season.

Surprises in the mail!

The past few days have been really really hard for me. I have been put in a position I had hoped to never have to be in with one of my best friends and my partner. I am not sure how it will play out but I am hoping that the package I got in the mail will be enough. I forgot that after I didn't win Nydia's giveaway on her blog I knew that I needed to buy somethings from her. I was really excited to support another witch and to add to my collection of witchy items.

What I got in the mail was a Tree of Life god. He is so beutiful I can't wait to find a place for him and call on him for some guidance.

Next we have the mini freya goddess! I really love that color on this one. I have worked with Freya in the past and I think she might actually be really awesome for me to do some magic with her. With her influences at my altar hopefully I can get back on track.


Finally Nydia sent me a Dia de Los Muertos skull magnet! I love it.
Like I said I had totally forgotten the fact that I ordered these and to have them come at a time when I need some guidance is great. I wonder if Nydia put any herbs into the dolls while creating them. Anyone know any herbs that are good for conflict? And I mean helping to solve or reduce the effects of conflict in a home?

This new god and goddess will enlighten my life in one way or another so I guess I will have to sit, wait, and see!




PS
I found this amazing plant the other day and was just reminded of how amazing the goddess can be at any point!!!

Happy Mabon/Ostara

Happy Mabon to all those in the Northern Hemisphere! And happy Ostara to my friends in the Southern Hem.
Today is a beuatiful day here in Northern Az. I am loving what the weather is. It is still a little hot but I cannot wait for Samhain.
I feel like my life is crazy right now. I need to be more focused. I am hoping that Samhain will help to ground me and get me going back on the narrow again. Now what to do till then???? HMMM........
I have lots to focus on for the next month and hopefully will be able to do it. School just seems so unimportant when I am doing my spiritual stuff. ( Not sure if I like using stuff, but that is what came out) When I am out in nature, soaking up the goddess and all her splendor I feel whole. One day that will be what I can do.
Sorry for the randomness of the post but my mind is so scattered now. Maybe Mrs. B's 31 Days of Halloween that is starting in 4 DAYS will distract you all and me included.
Blessed be all,
Ponderosa

Busy Busy Busy

I am busy as a bee this week. It started out on Monday with an amazing Neo-Pagan Alliance meeting! It was the first of the semester and the turn out was amazing! We had about 12 people show up to the first meeting, which is double that of our first meeting last semester so I couldn't be happier. I think there are about 6-8 people that seem very interested and I hope they keep coming back. The exciting thing is that there are people who cannot make it to our meeting time and are still very interested. I am not sure if we Will be able to change our meeting time but who knows. I just feel like the goddess sent some of her positive energy to start the week off right!
I really think that there was a good mix of people at the meeting and am very hopeful for the upcoming year. We are hoping to do a henna tattoo event next week as an event to get to know each other and to get our clubs name out to the students. We are really hoping to put on an event for the school this year whether it is a May Day celebration or a pagan pride festival. I am putting it out into the universe that if it is going to work out I need someone to help out with the planning so I can make sure I still graduate on time.
In other news, I recently purchased some books and many of them came from an interview that Mrs. B had with Judika Illes.
After reading the interview Mrs B had with her I really was inspired to go purchase some nice books to expand my reading. I ended up getting Pure Magic, Encyclopedia of Spirits, and Dictionary of angels. It was really great to get them in the mail. I felt like I was getting presents everyday.
I also received Mother Moon's giveaway gift for me! I am so grateful that she was kind enough to send me something even though I missed the giveaway I actually won. Thank you again so much. I have just one question though, what is in the perfume bottle?
I was so happy to see inside of it incense, candles and a 2011 Herbal Almanac! I am super excited to use this in the up coming year and I think it will be perfect for the Neo-Pagan Alliance for our herbal candle making.

I am about as happy as a pagan running in the forest sky clad. HAHHAHA I tried the pagan humor I am not sure if it worked though.
Anyway, today is a day of cleaning for me. I am cleaning my room and saging immediately. I need a fresh start. My apartment still doesn't really feel like mine. I am also going to use a garlic protection spell that my friend Caitlin made. I am really super excited. My altar needs to be cleaned and rearranged so I figured I would so a ritual cleansing of it. I am working on a altar cleansing spell, as well as designing a little ritual around it. Wish me luck.
When I get it all done I will post pics here! And my writings.

Hope you all have a witchy weekend!!! And get ready for the Equinox/Ostara and full moon!
Blessed be!

Giveaway arrivals!

Today I got my amazing giveaway prize in the mail! They are amazing and I cannot wait to cook with them. As soon as I do I will take some pictures and post them here.
I think my first step will be to clean my kitchen and do a blessing from Mrs. B's blog and then use a recipe from the Hubble Bubble book.

The other cook book I received was Peace Recipes and I find this so fasicnating because my partner is a buddhist, It appears the goddess had destined me to win this giveaway, one book for a witch and one for a buddhist and in this family we have both!
Thank you to A Nu(de) Motivation for holding the giveaway and trust that all meals will be made with full love to foster personal growth and to positive body image of all!
Blessed be!

Blog Giveaway time

Nydia over at Bringing up Salamanders is having an amazing giveaway that ends September 1st.
Nydia is a wonderful mom, witch, and creatrice. Check out her Etsy shop and tell her what you like!
I am hoping to get the Stag god if I win. You can definitely tell that she puts so much love and effort into her creations.

A post is soon to come if anyone still reads them anymore.

Blessings!

Saving the Peaks

There has been a long fought battle since the begining of this country and many people on both sides have felt upset and betrayed. What I am speaking of is the struggle of sacred space vs public space and expressions of religious freedom. Too many people religious freedom means that they get to express their form of christianity and their personal beliefs, but we all know that many christians want to have religious freedom for those who only worship Jesus.
Well sad news for them but we live in a place that prides itself on religious freedom and it is time that "christians" and the country live up to the freedom of religion.
One issue I discovered more in depth this summer is the struggle of many native americans to be respected for their religious choices. Living in Flagstaff always brings up touchy issues with the respect for nature and the respect for the need of the town to grow. Many people in the town moved here because it is small and nestled into the beautiful landscape of the San Franscico Peaks. Those who truely know about the peaks know that they are sacred to over 13 Native American tribes and for decades Snowbowl, a ski resort on the peaks, has been trying to create more and more ski runs and now Snowbowl wants to create fake snow.
The fake snow is created from reclaimed water. Few studies about reclaimed water point in a positive direction but still Snowbowl wants to create fake snow.The fake snow will disrupt the flow of mother nature and in my opinion it could be as bad on the environment as dumping sewage and even oil on the earth. I have full confidence that whatever we throw at mother nature she will be able to handle and will far out last us. But until then we have to make sure that those around remember the importance of the earth and remember to respect all religions.
Bobby and I went to a rally in Phoenix for the Save the Peaks coalition to help support those who are not for fake snow and support religious freedom. In my opinion if this were a church no one would even dream of doing something so potentially harmful to the people who worship there.
It felt good to join with those who were fighting for something this country says has no meaning. I do not live my life that way and hope that adding my energy to this cause will help.
I would love if anyone cna send their energy and thoughts and prayers to this cause. We all seemed to help with the oil spill in the gulf so hopefully we can help send some positive healing vibes to the Peaks.

For more information check out truesnow.org for more information on reclaimed snow!
Blessed be,
Ponderosa