Reawakening

I'd like to say thank you to all of you who left words of encouragement and blessings in comments and messages. I continue to read your words frequently and they are humbling, inspiring, and so full of warmth and kindness, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

My absence was spiritually emptying, though necessary for growth. I never realized how much of my practice actually involved the creation and sanctification of products for others though I suppose it should have been obvious. I occasionally struggle with the obvious. When the constant spiritual work stopped I had to take pause at the near silence that followed. To go from near daily work to no work was odd. My craft had shaped my path and I felt a little stumbly without it, like walking with only one shoe. During this time I felt as though my spirits sanctioned a hibernation, gave their blessing to cocoon myself up and dig really deep to reshape myself into a healthier creature. I took full advantage.

I think a lot of practitioners who aren't sellers and workers by trade go through dormant periods, most often between festivals and sabbats, though maybe not for so long. I believe it's allowed me to really take stock and realize the immense value my practice holds for me.

But I've felt the knocking again, a tapping indicating they'd like me to come out now. So I've reemerged, dripping in whatever spiritual placenta I fed on in my dormancy, ready to dust off the working altar and get to crafting. It's felt so good to reconnect again and the shop will be open by August 1st. Please pardon my dust as I make changes here, and for those interested I usually post daily bits and photos on my Facebook and Tumblr.

Quiet Notes

Fresh Yew, the Mountain Dream Tarot, frogs, bees, bird bones, coyote skull, and many other things

Today I'm rolling smudge sticks for the shop, listing a few new items, and enjoying the quiet around here. The days are getting longer and I've been thinking lately more about my own personal trance work and otherworld travel.

I was given Trance-Portation: Learning to Navigate the Inner World for Christmas from my family. I've found it concise and extraordinarily helpful. I've always been a dream walker; I see things or travel to see other witches while attempting to sleep. I also rely more on the signs I see from day to day; creatures that cross my path, interesting articles that seem to coincide with other signs, black dogs, found objects, weather patterns, etc. But lately, in an effort to submerge myself deeper within my practice, I've wanted to see what I don't see in my normal waking consciousness, the juicy innards beneath the crumbly crust.

I will document as much as I'm able to here. In the end this mode of communication might not be for me. But we shall see.

Moon Days

Snow still coats the grass here. It's cold and the Winter Hag is welcomed. Tracks of rabbit, squirrel, and perhaps fox scour the Thicket. I shouldn't need to remind you, but our Solstice and Lunar Eclipse happens tomorrow, so powerful and so rare. Perfect for some spell work and moon magic.

Have a Blessed Solstice, my wonderful friends.

On Altars

Throughout our home we keep several altars, as every home should. Some are discrete, some are not. I normally keep five in our 1200 square foot apartment but for Samhain I add a sixth. Let's take a tour of a few of them.

First, the Ancestor Altar created on our less than used dining room table. It holds several ancestral items, the book, the owl, and the small German Skull, as well as keys and lanterns to open the door and find the way to this world to visit us. There's also some black, silver, and white Mardi Gras beads from New Orleans on the table, sort of a nod to the Ghede. When it gets closer to the thinning veil I'll add food and flowers to this space. The denim vest hung around the chair is also an ancestral item but it stays year round. The Virtual Boy in the other seat is, well, a Virtual Boy. Heh.

Next we have the House Altar, residing on the kitchen counter, which changes from holiday to holiday. It keeps our house spirit, the little Knight.

He is currently fighting a dragon with his unicorn steed at his side. Joey found him in his store one evening and took him home and since I added him to the House altar we've had no home trouble. Sometimes he fights other things but I think he likes slaying the dragon best.

The Working Altar in my Studio/Altar room. I use this altar for my work and it's where I make most of my products. The top has all sorts of trinkets; found feathers I've had since childhood, squirrel bones, graveyard dirt, candles, etc. The bottom is in homage to the Dark Gods arriving and the Light Gods leaving. The Earth is returning to dormancy. The glass stemware holds natural objects found in the Thicket or close by; Crepe Myrtle bark, Rowan Berries, Yarrow, and a seashell. Also found here is my cauldron, mortar and pestle, several rosaries and crosses (given to me by my amazing Mom. I keep them there because they are filled with her love and protection), and my lanterns. The brass boxes hold charcoal disks and matches.

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!)

Juniper Smudge added to shop!

So today I added a Juniper Smudge Stick to the shop. When Juniper is carried or burned it helps break hexes, increase psychic power, and guards against ghosts and sickness. It also protects against theft so this is a great herb to keep within your home! I have Juniper readily available to me so I plan on keeping these in stock regularly.


In the past I had used a small bookshelf and small wall shelf as my altar and for years I'd groused about not having adequate space for my ever expanding collections of tools and herbs and various witchy items. I never had the space for something more suited to my needs. Several weeks ago I was poking around the local thrift store and happened upon it. It was perfect. A small peacock colored dresser... for only $10. Its dark knobs called to me, it's perfect amount of storage space and shape. It was beat up and had great character to it. I had to have it.

I cannot account for the weight of the actual piece since I charged the boyfriend with sole responsibility of it's transport, but it fits perfectly in the space provided. I've slowly been unpacking small box after small box and to see everything evolve is wonderful. Before I'd have to sift through at least four or five chests and boxes to find the right items I needed, and now with the procurement of this dresser, everything seems so much easier.

I know, I know, it looks a complete mess and that's because it kinda is. Ask any witch and I'm sure there's a moderate amount of "organized disorganization" to every setup. We installed the shelf above and I use that mainly as effigy space and the top surface of the dresser is working space, where I bind smudge sticks and blend incense etc etc. I think an altar can and should serve both functions, for worship and work.

Once all the artwork and charms are hung it will look more like my old space but until then I'm satisfied with it's state.

Now organizing my herbs are a totally different story....

What inspires your altar?

The Dark Half

Good evening everyone. I'm wishing you all a Happy Samhain, Dia De Los Muertos, Dia De Los Santos, All Soul's Day, or whichever Ancestor/Spirit Festival you celebrate. This is the lower part of my altar for my favorite time of year. I painted the small cat painting in the back which at some point may be for sale in the etsy.

With the beginning of the dark half of the year I am always filled with bountiful inspiration. On it's way is a shipment of bottles from the Sunburst Bottle Company which are ready to be filled with all sorts of delights for the coming darker months. I've already drafted a label design as well which I shall debut in good time.

I hope the conjuring of your ancestors is blessed and for now I'll leave you with some pictures I'd like to share from recent outings and museum trips with the boy.

Exploring scents and gypsy magic

So I've been absent for a while but in that time I've acquired a real job and have slightly abandoned most of my projects in exchange for commuting. Instead I've been stocking up on supplies and continuing research and general reading about certain paths and delving deeper into my own. Today I went and purchased the pictured mortar and pestle which is dense and heavy and spectacular for grinding tough resins. The ones I've used in the past didn't have the perfectly bowled bottom but this one does. I plan on wearing shoes when I use it since I know I'd break a bone or two if I dropped it on my foot!
I've only recently begun to brew things again and also pictured in the photo are two small bottles of Dragon's Blood oil I brewed recently. There's also some loose incense pictured here that I'm making for a friend containing Myrrh, Rose, Jasmine, Frankincense, Spearmint, and a few other fancy things. I don't like using anything unnatural or manufactured so my incense and oils are the real deal. The base I use for my oils is Safflower oil which is rich in Vitamin E.

I've also been doing some research on gypsy paths and religion and picked up a book at the thrift store called Gypsies: Their Life, Legends, and Lore by Konrad Bercovici. It sort of jump started an interest for me in their paths. The book itself is old and slightly archaic, being written in 1882, but is full of interesting wisdom. Occasionally older literature can be a bit of an arduous read but it flows easily. It tells a first hand account of their history through the author's experience living with the Gypsies for a considerable amount of time. It's interesting. Also was in the book store today and picked up a Llewellyn book called Charms, Spells & Formulas by Ray T. Malbrough. The book itself had recipes and such pertaining to Hoodoo and while most people snub anything published by Llewellyn, this book isn't too bad. It's useful and informative and contains many recipes and instructions for oils, incense, powders, etc, which is right up my alley. While I never try to go straight from books when it comes to recipes and spells, it's good for reference.




Pictured above is the top section of my altar again, this time in honor of Ra, the Egyptian Sun God. He represents light, warmth, life given by the Sun, and growth. While I try to stick to mostly the Greek Pantheon, there are a few members of the Egyptian Pantheon that tend to communicate with me well. Nut, Bastet, and Seshat are a few of them.

Cold Spring

Today I'm devoting solely to some crafting and cleaning. So far I've organized my craft area and desk, watered the seedlings, moved around some furniture, and completely revamped my altar. I've been pretty productive so far.

Today I made a trinket bag with a really vibrant spring theme. I've had this cotton yarn lying around for a few years. I got about 50 yards of it at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival and have never really found a purpose for it. I thought the colors, pastels wound with red thread, were really perfect for the season. I knitted up a quick rectangle with it and stitched it up with red embroidery floss, attached a braided handle to wear it around your neck or tie it to a belt or something, and glass and wooden beads for decoration. This was my first time adding beading to anything and I think it turned out well. I get a really good vibe from it, very strong and cheerful. I really plan on making more of these today. They take no time at all and they're really fun.

The seedlings are going strong! This is the Flax here, but many of the others have sprouted. I keep forgetting that Rosemary and Lavender have a longer germination period then most of the other seeds I planted so I was getting quite impatient! But now their little sprouts have poked their heads about the soil so I'm happy.

I wish the light was better in this room, but alas. This is the upper part of my altar. I just added this part today since I usually run out of space on the bottom part quite quickly. The upper part changes the most here. On either side of the vintage glasses used as tealight holders are two needle felted eggs I received in my last swap at Craftster. The pretty lady in the center is a vintage find from the 40's or 50's I believe and I sometimes use her as a Goddess figure. The little wreath behind her is woven Willow branches.

Below is the more working area of the altar. This is the cleanest it will ever be. Incense is burned down here, charms and amulets are charged, stuff is constantly being done on this part of the space. Either that or I do it outside. But for those times when I can't and the nosy neighbors are watching I do this stuff inside.



I'd like to wish everyone a wonderful day and for those celebrating have a wonderful Spring Equinox.

Spooky bird house

I thought I'd share a picture of some of my Samhain/Halloween decorations. I picked up some Calla lilies at the supermarket as well. Their thick waxy stems and large pitcher like blooms were too pretty to pass up.
I managed through coughs and sniffles and wooziness to finish my spooky bird house today. Finishing this up made me feel better but I gave it a really half hearted effort. I really just wanted to finish it and hang it up so I can move on to another project. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy making the birdhouse, I just became very tired very quickly. I had to blow the dust off the wood while sanding it and I nearly fainted because I guess no oxygen got to my sick brain.







I ended up hammering my thumb a few times punching holes in the bottom of the coffee can so the birdies feet don't get wet if it rains. I always do that. Also the kooky looks from the neighbors didn't help as I was bundled up in a hooded sweatshirt coughing with 3 inch bags under my eyes while scavenging for sticks and twigs in thick Pine and Silver maple trees and then later hammering a coffee can in my back yard. I suppose that would seem strange.

Cough.