Seven of Tentacles!

"Ah! The Seven of Tentacles is a very powerful card…"

From Articulate Matter, a sculptural webcomic.

I've been dealing with a lot of negativity lately but this made me laugh really hard! I have a soft spot in my heart for squids and my love for them made me get one tattooed on my arm several years ago. The posts are all really adorable and funny so go check it out.

Scribing

Eleggua Vintage Key Charm available in the Shop

So I've begun transcribing my Grimoire pages into it's new home in the Moleskine Sketchbook. My hand is wrecked from it. I never realized how much information I had accrued over these ten years and I'm learning more every day. I have a million pieces of paper everywhere and to compile all the information is a challenge! It's also interesting to see how my path has changed and evolved. Even my beliefs have changed, but with knowledge comes a different understanding of things.

My ritual structure was very strict before and I felt stifled by it. Now I just go with it, let the muses take me. I use different deities now but still all similar aspects which I find amusing. I'm always drawn towards aspects of the water and night, chaos and darkness. Nyx, Persephone, Hades, Hecate, Ochum and Yemanya just to name a few. I think it's the Cancer in me :).

Witches, what were your first tools of witchcraft? Please elaborate!

A couple business things, I created an Anathemum Facebook Page. Become a fan and get special promotions, announcements, and updates for the Shop!

Busy witching

Heal a Broken Heart Incense Blend available in the Shop

So I've been a very busy witch lately; brewing incense, making oils (Van Van and Red Rose to name a few), and crafting for the shop. I also had my first sale a few days ago which was inspiring for me and while things are slow I have a lot of confidence that it will pick up. I also bagged up some Ostara incense I brewed which will be for sale for the coming Sabbat by this evening. The whole room smells wonderful!

My witchy area is a mess because I've been using lots of my herbs and resins and I have nowhere to store them currently. I found a cabinet at Ikea I really like with glass doors but it's pricey and my car needs new brakes. But while everything is all scattered all over it's making me a little bonkers. It's nice to be able to see everything out but it's still unsettling.


One of the drawers from my altar. It holds a little bit of store stock, a cowrie shell necklace, skeleton keys, rocks, gemstones, coffin nails, and lots of other bits and things!

I've also had Grimoire issues for a while. I've used a composition notebook for the longest time and while that is acceptable it's not what I'm really after. It's messy and disorganized and out of place and many of the things written in it I no longer feel is relevant to my path. Not that I'd like to discount those things but I need something that's representative of me as a Witch now, not as a Witch 5-7 years ago. For years I've used Moleskine sketchbooks to journal and sketch in and I thought it'd be the perfect medium to organize my Grimoire a little better. Anyone who's used them loves them. The page weight is good enough to even paint on. Beat that composition notebook!

What do you use for your Grimoire/Book of Shadows, Witches? (I see lots of lurkers, I want to hear your voices!)

Etsy Update

Today I listed a few things in the shop. Egyptian Oil, Patchouli Oil (the first listing of this already sold, this is the second), and a Tarot Enhancement Incense Blend. Give them a look!

Yesterday was quite productive for me and I blended several incenses and oils which should be arriving in the shop within a few weeks. Is there a specific incense or oils you'd like to see in my shop? Let me know! I'm always open for new ideas!

Malachite Key Charm

Today I listed the Malachite Key Charm in the Shop. It's still snowing here and I wish it would just quit already. I want spring to be here! Sigh.

Snow!

So we had a ridiculous snowfall today! It's rare that here in Northern Virginia that we get such snow but this year has been a record! I don't know how people deal with this stuff all the time. It's lovely but such a hassle!


Other than eating ice cream, chocolate pudding, and having great spaghetti for dinner I've been doing something with those keys I got from the antique store the other day. I think I'm going to turn some of them into these beaded pendants. What do you think so far?

Quick Etsy Update

Today I did a quick Shop update and added some Four Thieves Vinegar. Ya know, no matter how many times I bottle this stuff and even when I use a funnel I always spill it everywhere! I guess my home is pretty protected by now, eh? :)

We are preparing for a supposed 40 inch snowfall between today and tomorrow so I won't be leaving the house! Lots of crafting to be done here while the boyfriend plays video games. We also had ice cream for breakfast so we're off to a good start to a great weekend!

Etsy Update: Incense and Bags

Today I listed the Mystic Eye Pouch and a batch of Kyphi Incense in the Shop! I really love the design on the Kyphi tin I came up with. I find that selling incense with a container seems like a cool deal since I ALWAYS have an issue finding containers to put things in. This simplifies things :)

Since moving I have found nothing but positive things to say about this area. I live about 15 minutes from a historical college town full of antique stores, which I've been prodding through lately, hole in the wall shops, great little venues and restaurants, and a giant library to boot! There is this one very large antique store that has dissapointed me with it's service. The store is beautiful, clean, decent prices, and a great selection. The owners of this consignment based venue are very wary of any "young" person that ventures within the building possibly because of college students stealing in the past. This leads them to follow you around the store the entirety of your browsing. I like to touch, pick up, smell, and sort anything I want to buy and their presence makes me uncomfortable. And they've seen my pentacle so who knows what the lady blue-hairs think of me now! :D


On my most recent antique trip I picked up a lot of antique keys. While not skeleton keys, which are typically are more expensive, these keys are old with strange notches for the tumblers of locks. Some are very rusted and have wonderful personalities. My plans for these keys will take the shape of some sort of Hecate/Spiritual Gate/Knowledge Based etc charm which is still in the muddly puddles of my creative brain space and has yet to take true shape. Stay tuned for that. We are expected to get anywhere from 12in of snow to 40in of snow this weekend! I might have to go to work, or I might get to sit around the house watching tv and crafting which I'd much rather do that go to that "real" job any day!

I'd like to think that in these last two weeks of absence I've been pretty busy. I've got several WIP's lying around including several more trinket bags. The lack of sales in my Etsy shop has not deterred my progress at all, it has probably strengthened my resolve. I will try and generate more traffic to my site. Want to trade links, witchy friends? Let's do it.