Into the Dawn

Tarot for 2012~ 1st Moon

2012-01-25T17:00:00.005-07:00

The first entire moon cycle for 2012 has begun, so its time to explore the card I drew for the first moon when I did my New Year's spread.

Ace of Swords~

Keywords and phrases for this card (for me) include: fresh new ideas, mental clarity, new insights, power of air element, sharp focus, concentrated mental energy, problem solving, cutting self free

There are birch trees on this card, which is a nice symbolic touch-- I am studying the Celtic Trees and the ogham this year, and birch trees are associated with new beginnings. It also looks like a new day is dawning... new day, new ideas. The sun rises in the east and east is associated with the suit of swords-- another nice symbolic touch of this particular card.

All in all, an excellent card to begin the new year.

Yemaya Shrine Listed

2012-01-23T18:38:00.003-07:00

I just listed this OOAK Yemaya Mosaic shrine in my Etsy store!

I created this shrine in Yemaya's colors-- sky blue, white and silver. I hand stamped and cut all the polymer clay tiles for this shrine and they are mixed with some mirror tiles and iridescent blue glass tiles. The sculpted Goddess face in the center is set on a collage of art papers-- vellum, mulberry paper and a wonderful embossed pearlized paper.

Yemaya is a water goddess, a Yoruban Orisha who is called The Mother of All and Queen of the Seven Seas. She rules over oceans and rivers. She is known to be a proud and nurturing mother goddess who protects her children; she also is known to cure infertility. For more about Yemaya, see here.

B is for Boline

2012-01-20T00:01:00.001-07:00

I've observed over the years that so many beginner books about the Craft accentuate the importance of magical tools. And it seems that most people new to the path spend the first years searching for the perfect athame, wand, cauldron, chalice, etc. I know I was that way in the beginning. But one tool that I don't usually hear anyone share much about is the boline; it never seems to receive much emphasis.

Out of all the tools I have found for my practice, the one that makes the most sense to me, the one that I *really* use is the boline. It is the witch's "utility knife."

Perhaps its because I was a floral designer for many years back in my 20's that drew me to the idea of having a boline. Or perhaps its just because I consider myself a Green Witch and I adore my herb garden; at any rate, when I first learned about this tool, I was more interested in finding the perfect boline than any other item, although it was one of the most difficult to find. There are lots of choices for athames out there, but slim pickings when it comes to the boline.

I considered using my floral knife, which I still have to this day, but it doesn't have the right shape or magical feel, although I have used it from time to time. I found a lovely little leaf shaped knife that has one half that folds out into a blade and considered that my boline for a short time, but it also didn't feel right. It was more ornamental than practical or useful.

Sometimes we find our perfect tools in the most mundane of places. I was at one of my favorite local garden centers when I found the perfect boline, the one in the photo above. What could be more perfect for harvesting herbs that a gardener's knife made specifically for that purpose? It even has a bit of a scythe shape like a traditional boline.

And I find that because its practical, sturdy, well made and was found it in an everyday place (versus as metaphysical store), this is the tool I tend to use the most. It fits comfortably in my hand and it isn't meant to be ornamental, it is meant to *be used*.

I think it is the practicality of the boline that is so attractive to me. I am not a ceremonial practitioner. I don't even do much ritual, to be honest. I understand the symbolism of all the magical tools that Wiccans are supposed to have, but to be honest, I don't see a great need for them. And as I consider myself more of a witch than Wiccan, I have to say that I don't think witches of old really had many of those tools.

But a boline. That's an everyday tool, at least for a gardener. There is always pruning that needs done and herbs or flowers to collect. Maybe witches of old didn't have a traditional boline, but I would guess they had some sort of knife they used for harvesting and gathering.

Although I've been using my knife as a boline since I found it a couple of years ago, I've not done any kind of dedication ritual for my boline, but I am considering it. Perhaps at Spring Equinox, when the gardening season begins, I should plan something to express my gratitude for this practical tool. If ever there was a magical item that I'd like to be more connected with, it is this one.

(This post is part of the alphabetical topic series for the Pagan Blog Project.)

DIY: Stamp Carving Tutorial

2012-01-18T17:08:00.004-07:00

It's no secret that I'm addicted to rubber stamps; I love 'em! I use them for my polymer clay designs and for art journaling and ATC/ACEOs. But sometimes I can't find a design I really want, especially if its pagan themed. So I decided to try my hand at carving my own stamps.

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

linoleum cutter with different blade sizes (I used Speedball Linoleum cutter)
Speedball Speed Carve- this is a flexible pink block, similar to rubber but easier to carve
ink jet printed design image
burnishing tool (you can use the back of a spoon)

OPTIONAL SUPPLIES:

iron set on low heat
tracing paper
carbon/graphite paper
tissue blade

My design was going to be fairly small, so I didn't need to use the entire 3 x 4 inch block of Speedy Carve; I measured it into 4 sections and used my tissue blade to cut it into pieces.

Next I took one of my sculpting tools and used it to burnish my ink jet image onto the Speedy Carve. I was satisfied with the faint image that transferred, but the instructions for the Speedy Carve say that you can use an iron set on low heat to help transfer the image if needed.

If you're not using a printed image, use tracing paper to copy the image you want to use first, then place the graphite paper face down on the Speedy Carve with your tracing on top, and trace the image again to transfer it onto the surface of the block.

Next, I used the #1 liner tip on my Speedball cutter to carefully cut the edge around my image. You will want to carve from the inside of the image to the outside, because the more you continue to carve, the more delicate your surface becomes. By carving the most delicate areas inside first, you have plenty of density in your material and don't have to worry that it will break or tear while you're carving.

Work slowly and in small sections. You don't need to carve out large pieces of the block at a time, especially if your image has small details. I found that it helped me make curved lines smoother if I held the blade stationary and turned the block slowly as I carved, instead of trying to move the blade and keep it steady as I carved.

Below, the outline of my image is starting to take shape as I edge it with the #1 liner tip.

Once I had the outline carved, I switched to the #2 V-gouge tip and deepened my outline. Then I switched back and forth between the #3 large line and #5 large gouge to remove more of the block from around my image, until I had it the way I wanted it.

NOTE: I'm planning on using my stamp for polymer clay, which needs a more deeply cut image to produce a well-defined imprint. If you are using your stamp for inking to stamp on paper, you won't need to carve as deeply as I have to get a nice, clean image.

And here is my finished stamp! For a first try, it didn't come out half bad. I am excited to experiment with it and see how it works on polymer clay. Hope this tutorial is helpful to those who want to give stamp carving a try.

This Week I Am

2012-01-16T15:44:00.001-07:00

Watching: All the robins that are around our neighborhood-- in winter! Evidently Colorado isn't very cold this year, because they are everywhere, its so strange. I've been seeing them for weeks.

Reading: Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder, 2nd book in the "Study" series. I read the first book, Poison Study last week. It was a book I found recommended by someone on Pinterest. They are pretty easy reads, but they've kept me interested.

Listening: Well, I heard some Yaz on the radio the other night and I'm thinking THAT'S WHAT'S MISSING from my iPod. Yup, yup, yup.

Planning: I sold a Spiral Goddess wall plaque a year or two ago to a friend who has since moved away. The woman who bought it recently asked if I could create a male deity figure to go with it, so I've been looking at petroglyphs and tribal style figures to see what kinds of inspiration I can come up with.

Thinking: Its time to put away the holiday decorations and the little fiberoptic tree we got this year, but-- I DON'T WANNA! I love the sparkly lights and the decorations are so cheery. I haven't gotten enough of them yet, evidently. But really, I should put them away. And I will. Soon.

Trying: To add some simple weight lifting exercises to my week. I have some 3 lb. weights I've been exercising with recently and want to explore all the different arm exercises I can do with them.

A is for Altar

2012-01-13T22:07:00.009-07:00

I always enjoy seeing how others decorate their altars; thought I would share some of mine this week for my second post for the Pagan Blog Project. I have a Craft/craft room-- sacred spiritual space where I also create my art and I have several altars in this room.

I posted a pic of my main altar last week, but didn't talk about the ancestor connection it has. This altar is on an antique Victorian era marble-topped "Eastlake" table that belonged to my paternal great-grandmother. My gram had it in her house for many decades, then my mom had it, and now it belongs to me. I feel very fortunate that I have this lovely table with a family connection to use as my altar. (You may notice that almost everything on my main altar is contained-- this is my solution for cat-proofing my altar!)

I also have my meditation altar, which is on my gram's antique pocket sewing table. The altar cloth on this altar and my main altar are both tea towels that my gram embroidered. I am a polymer clay mixed media artist and I created the goddess figure that's on this altar. This is where I keep my affirmation tarot deck and each moon cycle of the year has a different card of affirmations that I focus on.

A third altar in my Craft room is this one for Kuan Yin. Once again, this altar has a little bit of family connection. The little chest it is sitting on is my gram's mini cedar chest from her childhood and the large seashell is a conch from my grandma.

Not all of my altars are large and detailed. This is a little one that I had on my bedside table for a while. I loved it for the simplicity.

I created this altar out in my herb garden the year of my 10th wedding anniversary. I took my husband out there and we re-read our wedding vows to each other and read the journal I kept during our first year of marriage.

I created this altar at a pagan festival one summer. I found all the rocks and pinecones on site. Note the battery operated tea light. It was very dry that year in the mountains-- safety first!

One of my most personal altars was actually very public. This remembrance altar for my gram was at an art gallery for their annual Day of the Dead celebration.

It is interesting how each altar has a life of its own. I used to change my altars with the sabbats, but now I often keep them the same for long periods of time, only changing them when they need new "life."

A is for Apple

2012-01-07T16:31:00.006-07:00

I've joined the Pagan Blog Project, where we'll be blogging our way through the alphabet this year, one letter at a time, two posts for each letter.

Not to sound elementary, but for the letter A, I'm starting with apple. I use them quite a bit in my practice. Cut an apple horizontally, and they have a little star or pentacle in the center. They embody the maiden, mother and crone with their colors-- red skin, white inner flesh, black seeds. I think of apples as a sacred food.

I associate apples with the Autumn Equinox and with Samhain. Around September, apples are ready to be harvested and I've used them along with grapes and nuts to decorate my Mabon altar. Since they're also considered food for the dead, I leave an apple out for passing spirits each Samhain.

I've collected many different pieces of wood for wands over the years, but the one I've worked with the most is a beautiful piece of apple wood. I've cut it down to a nice length and done some peeling of bark and sanding. I still want to do more with it, adding the ogham letter for apple and some other symbols and perhaps carving some apples on it (not sure if I'm talented enough for that). But even unfinished, my apple wand feels very magical.

Are apples important to your practice of the Craft?

Tarot for 2012

2012-01-02T06:53:00.000-07:00

Last night I did my traditional tarot spread for the new year. I like to draw a card for each moon cycle of the year and use that card as my guide for each moon.

1st moon~ January 23~ Ace of Swords

2nd moon~ February 21~ The Hermit (9)

3rd moon~ March 22~ 4 of Cups

4th moon~ April 21~ 8 of Wands

5th moon~ May 20~ Cernunnos (15) **

6th moon~ June 19~ The Hanged Man (12)

7th moon~ July 19~ Prince of Wands

8th moon~ August 17~ The World (21)

9th moon~ September 16~ 8 of Pentacles

10th moon~ October 15~ Princess of Wands

11th moon~ November 13~ 8 of Cups

12th moon~ December 13~ 6 of Cups

** In traditional decks, Cernunnos (15) is known as The Devil card

For some reason I thought there were 13 new moons this year (there are 13 FULL moons this year), so I drew 13 cards. So 2 of Cups will be the card for the first moon cycle of 2013-- a very good way to start the year.

Happy 2012

2012-01-01T03:10:00.006-07:00

Happy New Year! Here's to a wonderful year ahead-- full of love, creativity, joy and prosperity!

Instead of (or along with) New Year's resolutions, I like to choose a keyword for the year ahead. This year, I've decided my keyword will be STRETCH.

It can apply to so many different aspects of my life-- stretch my body by getting back into my yoga practice, stretch my creativity by trying new designs and experimenting with new techniques, stretch my boundaries by becoming less reclusive, stretch by coming up with new ways to promo my business... and so forth and so on!

I've also calculated my tarot card for 2012, which is The Fool (0 or 22). It seems a new journey awaits me and I need to move forward with child-like optimism and trust in faith this year. As long as I'm not too naive about whatever adventure is ahead, this sounds like a pretty good way to spend the new year to me.

Listing New Items

2011-12-29T14:36:00.006-07:00

Gearing up for the New Year by listing lots of new items in my Into the Dawn Designs Etsy shop! Some new items include:

More EARRINGS, like these Celtic Knot Silver Ovals

More WALL DECOR, like this Spring Flower Celtic Tree of Life plaque

More TAROT/RUNE BAGS, like this Sky Blue & Ivory Drawstring bag

PLUS, more herbal pendulums, herbal rune sets, rune necklaces, scarab beetle jewelry, decorative brooches perfect for cloaks... etc.,. etc., etc.! I'll be adding items daily, so be sure to check my shop often; you never know what you might find waiting there for you!

Christmas Memories

2011-12-25T21:44:00.005-07:00

Wishing all who celebrate a very Merry Christmas!

One year when my brother and I were little, Mom made us Christmas stockings out of felt. Mom insists that she isn't artistic, but I've always thought these sweet little stockings were fantastically creative. And obviously well-made, as I still have mine all these years later!

As kids, my L'il Bro was always up before first light on Christmas morning. Which meant I was also up, because he would creep into my room, pounce on my bed and proceed to annoy me until I went downstairs with him to see that Santa had indeed arrived. We weren't allowed to open any gifts until Mom and Dad were up, but we *were* allowed to take down our stockings to see what was in them. It was always fun to see what kinds of little treasures fit into our stockings. Always a candy cane, and always an apple or orange in the very bottom. That tradition is one of my fondest Christmas memories.

Our Christmas was a quiet affair this year, just the two of us, since we were unable to travel back to Iowa & Wisconsin to be with family. But family was close in our hearts and it was nice to spend some time reminiscing my childhood...

Winter Solstice Blessings

2011-12-22T07:32:00.000-07:00

Welcome the return of the Sun! May the blessings of Winter Solstice be upon you! It does my heart good to know that the days begin to lengthen from here on out.

I don't have a particular ritual that I do for the Winter Solstice, but I do like the tradition of lighting the Yule Log to drive away the darkness of the longest night. Unfortunately we have no fireplace, but as you can see above, I make do.

Last night it began snowing around 6pm and it was good to be warm and at home. I was very tempted to stay up the rest of the night and greet the sunrise... but I guess I'm getting a bit too old for that, as my energy puttered out around 2 am.

Perhaps some solstice baking (I haven't yet made my cranberry orange walnut bread this season) will suffice as an alternative way of celebrating this year? Have a Blessed Yule, however you celebrate it!

Week of Healing

2011-12-17T22:00:00.003-07:00

It's been quiet on the blog recently as I've been recovering from surgery since the Friday before last. I am happy to report that all seems to be healing well. I will see the surgeon again on Monday and see if he agrees (fingers crossed).

Although the problem presented itself earlier this year, surgery happened very quickly-- consulted with the surgeon on Tuesday, his office called Wednesday afternoon to schedule pre-op tests and surgery, and had the surgery itself on Friday of the same week! And went home that same day.

I had complete trust in my surgeon and the anesthesiologist; they were very good about answering all my millions of questions and explaining what would happen before, during and after surgery. Did you know that they now use a device monitor your brain waves during surgery so that they can tell if you're deep enough "asleep" and whether or not you're feeling pain and adjust medication accordingly? Isn't it amazing what medicine and technology can do these days? My post-op nurse was a gem as well, she took very good care of me until I was ready to go home. Nurses don't get paid enough for all they do, I'm here to tell you.

The Mister and the cats have been taking good care of me, I've been moving gently and resting often... planning for a simple holiday here at home (mmm... honey baked ham and new jammies) since I won't be comfortable enough yet to travel to see family by next week... Life is good!

Round Robin Pages

2011-12-07T19:00:00.008-07:00

Earlier this year a group of us online started a pagan art journal round robin. Sadly, the mailing of the circle journals has not gone smoothly and at least 3 of the journals have ended up missing. The rest are on their way back to their original owners without having completed the entire circuit of the group.

I sent Danni's (of The Whimsical Cottage) back to her and she received it today, so I thought I'd share the pages I did for her journal. This first page is inspired by Lughnasadh.

I used alcohol inks for the background on this one and stamped images colored with colored pencils.

The text in the background is from the poem "John Barleycorn."

I included a yummy recipe for honey cornbread muffins, something I make at Lughnasadh.

This second page was inspired by Danni's love of Pan and other forest deities, elves and fairies.

I'm afraid I was a bit overzealous with my use of techniques for this page! Tissue paper and gesso for background texture, age distressed papers with distress ink and water, heat embossing on vellum and alcohol ink faux bleach technique used. And I used a white paint pen for the first time ever, which was fun.

As more journals make it back home to their owners, I will share more of the pages I did for the round robin circle, but for now I'm waiting so they will still be a surprise for the recipients.

Greeman Process

2011-12-01T07:15:00.000-07:00

I noticed from reading old blog posts that I often show the beginnings of my creative projects but forget to show them once I have them completed. Oops! So here is a recent custom order I did for a Greenman wall plaque and a few photos showing just part of the process of creating him.

You may remember my post on creating a simple leaf cane. I don't do much canework, but I have made a few simple canes before. The photo below shows the cane all put together before being compressed and reduced.

I used slices of the leaf cane and mixed light and dark olive greens for creating the leaves for the Greenman's face. All the veining in the leaves was done using a needle tool. Here is the completed face on the unfinished plaque.

The leaves on the Greenman were given a wash of either burnt umber or gold acrylic to bring out the details of the veining. Then he was varnished and heat cured once more. The plaque was sanded, stained and waxed. I did a little detail line of gold paint around the edge of the plaque and added felt to the back side, along with a saw tooth hanger.

So here is the Greenman completed! I am always amazed at how an acrylic wash/patina and a varnish can help bring out the colors and details of a piece. If you do polymer clay sculpting and have never tried it, I highly recommend experimenting-- it brings new life to each piece you create.

This November...

2011-11-30T17:09:00.003-07:00

... has been rather a bust. A month of FT hours back at work, lots of anxiety (and hence, extra medication) which ultimately culminated in a car accident, then dealing with insurance and auto-body shops and then the holiday, and finally, a cold that's been hanging on, sapping my strength for the past week. Safe to say, I'm glad this is the last day of November!

This week I am...

Watching: The short days get shorter and shorter. Seeing people put up their outdoor holiday decorations and lights, which I love!

Reading: Dawn on a Distant Shore by Sara Donati, second book of the Into the Wilderness series. Strong female character who chose her own husband against the wishes of her father, living in the wilderness of New York state in the late 1700's with her new Native American relatives, lots of adventure and intrigue ensues-- very reminiscent of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. I'm quite enjoying these books!

Listening: To a lot of silence. Sometimes that can be comforting. Finally playing some music today-- my secret boyfriend Steve Perry, of course! and that's been nice too.

Trying: To take care of myself, be gentle with myself...

Realizing: There is so much this month that I didn't get accomplished that I really wanted to-- like my Celtic Tree studies, art journaling, baking, creative work... At some point I drifted from my mantra meditation, time to pick that up again... My house is in major need of cleaning and TLC...

Feeling: Very, very, very tired...

Thanksgiving for Two

2011-11-24T18:09:00.004-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers!

The Mister and I both worked through yesterday, so no chance for us to travel back to Iowa or Wisconsin to visit family for the holiday. However, we found what had to be the only small turkey (7.5 lbs) in the entire Denver Metro area to enjoy for our own little Thanksgiving meal.

The Mister's grandma always called the Thanksgiving bird "Old Tom Turkey"-- since ours was so small, we started calling him "Tiny Tom." Hubby and I cooked all day together and enjoyed a lovely meal, just the two of us.

It's not a bad way to spend the holiday at all. I'm thankful we have each other.

This Week I Am

2011-11-07T19:09:00.004-07:00

Watching: Catching up on shows I've missed because I'm back at work FT and have to go to bed early. My sweet Mister taped The Mentalist, American Horror Story and The Walking Dead for me last week; I watch 'em when I get home from work the next day.

Reading: The Last Druid by P.L. Crompton. I am not impressed. Also started reading about the first tree in the Celtic Tree calendar-- birch.

Listening: To the furnace kick on and off at intervals. Cold weather appears to be here to stay.

Realizing: While I don't appreciate how early it gets dark in the evenings since the time change, it *is* nice to not have to get ready and drive to work in the dark in the mornings. Everything is a payoff...

Trying: To find my creative muse. She always goes on vacation when I start working FT at my seasonal job. *sigh*

Feeling: Stressed out and anxious about work. Hoping I can get my anxiety under control. I've been reduced to taking extra medication so that I can function. Not happy about that, but its a necessary evil right now.

Tree Wisdom

2011-11-05T20:25:00.007-06:00

All of my early autumn contemplation and turning inward found me yearning to further my pagan knowledge and studies, so I decided to do something I've always wanted to do-- learn about the Celtic Trees and ogham.

To guide me, I'll be working through Sharlyn Hidalgo's The Healing Power of Trees, probably with some extra help from Steven Blamires's Celtic Tree Mysteries. And since I may not have the opportunity to meet very many of these trees-- Colorado being awash in mostly pines, aspens and cottonwoods, it seems-- I have the Celtic Tree Oracle cards to use as a meditation focus, and some very generous friends from around the United States who have offered to send me small branches of some of the trees they have in their yards. Come spring, a visit to the Denver Botanical Gardens will be in order; perhaps I can meet many of these trees there.

Thinking about it now, I'm surprised I didn't decide to do this sooner-- I love working with stones and herbs; but most of all, I love trees. As a child, I was enchanted with the weeping willow tree in our backyard; she was my first taste of the Goddess. Truly, I adore almost all trees I meet. I'm looking forward to seeing what I can learn from them.

Turning Inward

2011-11-01T21:24:00.004-06:00

Welcome November! Hard to believe it is here so quickly. As Samhain grew closer and closer, I could sense myself beginning to turn inward for this dark half of the year.

I did a Samhain spread to gain some wisdom as I face the winter months. Interesting cards came up; I think this is a spread I'll need to mull over and perhaps do some meditating with a few of the cards. I sense an opportunity for deep work ahead of me.

Samhain Blessings

2011-10-31T17:57:00.011-06:00

A soul, a soul, a soul cake
Please, good missus, a soul cake
An apple, a pear, a plum or a cherry
Any good thing to make us all merry
One for Peter, two for Paul
Three for Him who made us all

~ Folk song

Wishing you a very Blessed Samhain!

I made soul cakes for the very first time this year. In the past I've left out apples and some sort of bread (usually cornbread) for the spirits. This year I wanted to do something a little more special.

SOUL CAKES

1/2 C butter (1 stick)
2 C sugar
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp allspice
1 egg
1 tsp cider vinegar
2-3 Tbl milk
powdered sugar to sprinkle on top

1. Preheat oven to 350 *F
2. Cut butter into flour with pastry blender or large fork.
3. Blend in sugar and spices.
4. Beat eggs, vinegar and milk together in bowl.
5. Mix with flour mixture until stiff dough is formed.
6. Knead thoroughly and roll out 1/4 inch thick.
7. Cut into 3 inch rounds, place on greased baking sheet.
8. Prick several times with a fork.
9. Bake 20-25 minutes.
10. Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar while still warm.

The above is half of the original recipe, so theoretically it should have made only 6 soul cakes, but I got about 13 of them. Maybe I rolled the dough too thin or my cookie cutter wasn't the right size. At any rate, the extras did not go to waste!

I put them in a wooden bowl with an apple (cut horizontally so you can see the pentacle) and set them on the flat offering rock that sits at the entrance of my herb garden. Sustenance for the passing souls as they journey through the veil tonight!

I'll Be at the Ball

2011-10-28T14:08:00.004-06:00

The 20th Annual Denver Witches' Ball is TOMORROW NIGHT! Live bands featuring tribal fusion, world groove, Celtic inspired music for dancing, trance drumming, psychic fair, costume contests, and a midnight ritual presented by my friends of Sacred Stone Circle.

AND-- I'll be there! Into the Dawn Designs is part of the Magickal Marketplace again this year. Some of my unique items include--

Hope to see you at the ball!

Witch's Circle: Commitment

2011-10-27T06:20:00.001-06:00

There is some interesting conversation going on over at The Deepest Well for the first topic in the newly formed discussion group The Witch's Circle .

In a nutshell, we're asked as pagans-- how committed are we to our path if we have dedicated ourselves to paganism, but haven't renounced our previous faith? In her topic post, Aine says,

"In my opinion, it's too easy to dedicate to something without having to forfeit something else. There is no risk, nothing to lose and because of this, it's too easy to commit."

And, "Commitments are necessary, and sacrifices are a part of life. In your spiritual life, you can't walk two paths at the same time. These paths may run parallel to each other but they are separate."

So I've been chewing on this idea since yesterday. I understand the point, but I'm not sure that I really agree. I have dedicated to my path in ritual, in front of others. I have re-dedicated to my path. I have been part of several rituals where I challenged, guided and then welcomed new dedicants after their year and a day of study. These were rich, emotional, fulfilling rituals with vows that were taken seriously by all involved. But were they incomplete because they didn't include a renouncement of former faith?

I think not. At least for me.

I can't say that I grew up in a very religious family. I remember going to Methodist church when I was very little and I was part of the children's choir for a couple of years. But I don't remember being involved in the church much beyond those years, except for when I would spend the occasional weekend with my Gram and she would take me to her Baptist church.

In my teens and 20's I was confused about religion. I tried finding God by reading the Bible several times, but never made it very far past Genesis. Why was God so down on women? Why was he so angry and vengeful? Where was the love?

In my early 30's I was involved in a 12-steps program, two of those steps stating that I came to believe that a power greater than myself could restore me to sanity, and, being willing to turn my will and my life over to the care of God as I understand God. Wait a minute. I didn't understand God. And I certainly wasn't willing to turn my life over to Him. So I went searching for understanding.

And on my last day as a Christian, I went to Easter services and listened to not one, but two pastors tell me I was an unworthy sinner who needed saved and blah blah blah. It was spring time, a time to be celebrating, and we sang doleful hymns about how Jesus died for our sins and without his sacrifice, we would never make it to heaven and everlasting life. After the service I sat in my car in the church parking lot and cried because I hadn't found God. And I made the decision to explore a different spiritual path, paganism.

Although I didn't state it out loud or during a dedication ritual or in front of witnesses-- I feel that at the moment I decided to pursue a pagan path, I renounced my former (tenuous) faith. I made a choice. I was committed to that choice. And after several years of study, I made a second commitment to my path when I went through a dedication ritual and gave myself to the Lady and the Lord.

I feel I renounced the Christian path when I made my choice to pursue paganism, but I don't renounce God or Jesus. I believe They are just different aspects of the Lord that I now honor. Only I know the Lord as Lugh and the Greenman and Hanuman and Father Sky and by other names. They are all different parts of the whole. How can I reject one of the many faces of the Lord, just because I don't connect with that aspect? Instead, I focus on the faces of the God that I do connect with.

What are your thoughts?

First Snow of the Season

2011-10-26T15:07:00.008-06:00

I've been enjoying a long, leisurely autumn, the trees slowly changing colors this year... but our first snow has officially arrived.

Its lovely and white and slushy and outside, but I fear for the trees. Most have not yet shed their leaves and the heavy, wet snow is dangerously weighing down tree branches everywhere.

Our neighbor has already lost a rather large branch off her elm tree that came crashing down in our yard and crushed part of my laundry line.

Temperatures are supposed to rise to the mid-50's again over the weekend, so the snow won't last long. Hopefully that one branch will be the only casualty.

This Week I Am

2011-10-24T15:39:00.004-06:00

Watching: Lots of horror movies! Tis the season, after all! Even if I've seen it a million times, if its a horror movie, I'll probably watch it. I also have some lined up in my Netflix queue, but I have to watch Elizabeth: The Golden Age first. Maybe tonite.

Creating: A tarot box mosaic. Need to make more scarabs. And a million other things before vending at Witches' Ball next Saturday.

Planning: A presentation for my tarot group tomorrow night. Looking at doing some exercises on embodying a tarot card.

Reading: The Druid's Isle by Ellen Evert Hopman. A sequel to the Priestess of the Forest book that got me thinking so much. Wonder if this one will get me thinking too.

Listening: To squirrels chattering and scolding outside. Its a gorgeous, unseasonably warm day, so I have the front door open. The cats are glued to the storm door, watching the squirrels-- not that they'd know what to do with one if they caught one.

Realizing: Returned to my seasonal job today for a short project and got hugs from several people I haven't seen all summer-- made me realize just how much I like my job even though its temporary and made me realize what great people I meet and get to work with there.

Trying: To stay focused and get things done that need doing. Its so easy for me to get distracted.

Thoughts on Priestess of the Forest

2011-10-22T23:38:00.000-06:00

I finished reading Priestess of the Forest: A Druid Journey earlier this week and I am still thinking about this book.

What I liked about this book: The way it showed how Druid spirituality was a guiding factor in all parts of people's lives-- not just ritual, but day to day activities, healing, hunting and politics as well. I really liked the way Celtic wisdom was intertwined into the story and how the Druids used every day occurrences as teaching moments.

It was also interesting to see how two different monks approached the Druids regarding the Christian faith. One priest shared Christian teachings by telling stories of his God, as the pagans shared stories about theirs. He spread his faith by breaking bread with the pagans, acknowledging their celebrations and being a loving and compassionate neighbor.

The other priest was all hellfire and brimstone. How he made the Christian faith appealing enough to the pagans to convert them is beyond me. He stirred dissension, he lied, was disrespectful of customs and to women...

I'm still questioning how Christianity ever caught on. I can see how it would be appealing to men, but not women. What was so appealing about it? Because there was one god, not many, to believe in, so it seemed so much more simple? Because of the promise of a rich afterlife for everyone, peasant or king, just for having faith? Would it ever have spread so far if it hadn't used fear and force to convert people?

I think it just emphasizes to me that I really am a pagan, because, even though this book is fiction, it is written by a modern Druid, and the Druid wisdom, teachings, rituals and lifestyle the author shares make complete sense to me and are extremely appealing.

I know I've rambled at bit in this post, but basically what I'm trying to convey is that this book really got me thinking again about my path and why it means so much to me.

WIP Wednesday: Leaf Cane

2011-10-19T14:27:00.000-06:00

I am making a Greenman wall plaque for a custom order, but before I can actually start designing the Greenman, I need to make a leaf cane...

I don't use a lot of canes in my work, but I can figure out how to make simple ones like this; it just takes me a while to put them together. I made a Skinner blend of two shades of olive clay (light & dark) and then rolled up the blend to make a plug. Then, I cut the plug apart and added brown clay for the veins of the leaves.

Next I reduced the cane in size, by carefully squeezing, rolling and stretching it. For simplicity's sake, I'm going to leave the cane round and then shape the leaves into teardrops after I slice it.

Now I can move on to creating the actual Greenman design!

This Week I Am

2011-10-17T15:33:00.003-06:00

Watching: The leaves turn yellow on the tree in our front yard. And watching the clock.

Thinking: About the pagan roots of Christianity (prompted by the book I'm reading-- see below). Thinking about Jesus as a Sun/Grain God. Wondering how pagans fought for their beliefs back in the early days of the spread of Christianity, and for those who converted, what was the appeal of Christianity over paganism? Or was conversion all just done by force?

Creating: Nothing at the moment, but I need to stain some plaques and start work on some leaf canes for a custom order.

Planning: Waiting for some news, so plans are up in the air right now.

Reading: Priestess of the Forest, a Druid journey by Ellen Evert Hopman. I'm about halfway through it. This is a fiction novel, but I really like it, and it has me thinking about my spiritual beliefs.

Listening: to silence, to help keep me calm... as long as my mind doesn't start chattering madly, then some soothing music will be in order...

Trying: To remember to breathe today. Deeply. And trying to stay busy.

Feeling: Very agitated. Waiting to hear back about a possible job opportunity and my anxiety is getting the best of me, unfortunately. I don't like that I still get this way when it comes to this issue. I had hoped I was past this.

This Week I Am

2011-10-10T08:33:00.003-06:00

Watching: Morning sunlight flickering through the leaves of the tree in our front yard, always magical.

Thinking: About how fall/winter is a good time to turn inward and do some pagan reading, studying and journaling. Wondering what I should focus on.

Creating: Working on a custom order-- scarab beetle necklace and earrings set. Also working on some art journal pages.

Planning: It's my turn to present at this month's tarot group meeting. I have several different ideas of what I could do, but I need to settle on one and get my presentation put together. Thinking about focusing on exercises that can be done to help clarify meanings of cards that are a challenge to understand.

Reading: Stealing Faces by Michael Prescott. I love good suspense/thrillers and his books are great, if you can stomach the graphic violence. Stayed up until 4:30AM reading his novel Blind Pursuit because it was so riveting. His strong, intelligent female characters are a big plus.

Listening: Last night I was listening to Billy Joel's "The Stranger" CD and thinking, man, I miss the days when music was like that. Also, I think I need more Billy Joel CDs.

Trying: New art journal techniques! Currently fascinated with using alcohol inks for page backgrounds. I have this great alcohol ink faux bleach technique I'm playing with as well.

Feeling: Content. Mellow. Sleepy. Creative. My muse is poking at me-- nice to have her around again.

First Fall Pot o' Chili

2011-10-09T17:47:00.009-06:00

While lots of states have been having unseasonally warm temps it seems, it was cold and rainy here in Colorado this weekend. The mountains and foothills even got snow.

Seemed like the perfect time to make our first pot of super beany chili for fall.

I keep experimenting with our recipe and at this point its come a long way from where I started. This year we found canned fire roasted tomatoes at the grocery store and I knew I had to use those in our chili. Plus, I wanted to try black beans along with the chili and dark red kidney beans, so now my super beany chili has gotten even beanier.

Last weekend we got a bushel of roasted green chiles and spent an evening cleaning and bagging them up to freeze. I think we got about 15 snack sized baggies packed full of green chiles stashed away. A generous half cup of them went into the pot of chili for tonight and I've been collecting other recipes for this winter that use green chiles.

Have you cooked up any fall favorites yet this season?

WIP Wednesday: Art Journal Pages

2011-10-05T23:04:00.008-06:00

It's been a long while since I posted any of my 52 Weeks Pagan Art Journal pages because... well... its been a long while since I've had any time to do work on any of them. But here are a couple that are in progress.

This is the page I've started for Week 5, theme "A Letter to Myself." I wanted to try using tissue paper for the background to see if I could create some interesting texture for the page and I've crumpled up and then smoothed out some scrapbooking paper for more texture.

This is another incomplete page; the theme for this one is "Earth." The herb images are stamped and then colored with colored pencils. I wanted to add trees somehow and found this cool embossed scrapbook paper that works. Not sure how I want to finish the page, but I think the Ogham will be part of the design by the time its done.

My summer has been crazy, but now that fall is here, hopefully life will slow down and I can do more with my PAJ pages. I miss art journaling.

Wall Decor

2011-09-28T20:23:00.004-06:00

Less than 3 days until Front Range Pagan Pride!

Remember the sketches I did of the Day of the Dead skulls I was planning? Here's how the polymer clay versions turned out:

For the most part, I think they turned out just the way I sketched them, and it was nice to have a sketch to reference, I think creating them went pretty smoothly.

Below are some ideas that I didn't sketch out, a couple of Celtic Trees of Life...

Spring and summer trees; I also want to do an autumn one and, if I can figure it out, a winter one, too.

All these & more will be available at my vendor booth at FRPP on Saturday!

Scarab Beetle Jewelry

2011-09-27T06:12:00.002-06:00

Only four more days until Front Range Pagan Pride Day!

Here is just some of the sculpted Egyptian Scarab beetle jewelry I've been working on for my vendor booth at FRPP--

A hint of metallic blue, green & gold over black makes for some scarabs with an iridescent glow...

I stepped out of my color comfort zone when I created these turquoise and copper scarabs, but I'm glad I did! Hope this set turns out to be as appealing to others as it is to me!

I have a couple other beaded designs and also have some simple necklaces with the scarabs on silk cording which is done in phoenix tail knot work; all will be at FRPP next Saturday.

Scarab beetles are associated with self-creation, renewal and resurrection. They can be worn as a powerful symbol of rebirth or transformation.

This Week I Am

2011-09-26T06:27:00.001-06:00

Watching: My sweet Moose-man sleeping on the couch next to me. Also, another Dexter weekend with the hubby. AND this week's season premieres of Criminal Minds, CSI and The Mentalist.

Thinking: Why is it so hard to find plain old brass thumbtacks? I need some, pronto

Creating: new earrings & necklaces for my vendor booth at FRPP next Saturday, Oct. 1st

Planning: all sorts of new ways to display my items at my vendor booth

Reading: It by Stephen King. I've never read it. Never seen the movie, either. When October starts to roll around, I usually dig out Salem's Lot to read-- my fave King novel. This year, thought I'd try one of his books I've always heard about but never got around to reading.

Listening: I admit it! I've been listening to George Michael's Faith CD while I clay! I'm a total child of the 80's, what can I say?

Trying: to keep a mental list of all I need to accomplish this week to be ready for Saturday; I think maybe I'd better start writing stuff down

Feeling: giant energy & mood swings

WIP Wednesday: Moons & Bats

2011-09-14T20:39:00.004-06:00

I have several projects half finished...

The two small moons will be pendants and the large moon will be a brooch/pin. Now that they are beaded, I need to put clay on the backs to cover the beading wire and put a pin back on the big one, then they'll be baked again. Then I'll varnish them and cure them one more time. That will finish the pin and the pendants will be ready to make into necklaces.

And... from sketch to semi-reality--

the little bat pin is in the works! I have to figure out how I want his nose to look and then he's ready for his first bake. Then he'll be beaded, I'll put clay on the back side to cover the beading wire, add a pin back, bake again, varnish and cure one more time.

I also have some lavender colored african violet petal and gold leaf pendulum beads that just came out of the oven. They'll go into the rock tumbler with wet/dry sandpaper for a couple of days, then be buffed and then ready to put together the pendulums.

Not sure if its better to have lots of projects in various stages of completion or to entirely finish a project before going on the the next. At any rate-- more items in the works!

This Week I Am

2011-09-13T21:27:00.004-06:00

Watching: Dexter season 3 (again)-- weekend Dexter marathons with hubby!

Creating: polymer clay items for my vendor booth for Front Range Pagan Pride, which is coming up October 1st

Planning: Mom said she'd help me get ready for FRPP while she's here visiting for a week; figuring out what would be helpful to have her work on while I clay, clay, clay!

Reading: Past Tense by Samantha Hunter-- another tarot-reader turned sleuth book, I seem to be hooked on them lately

Listening: to Josh Groban's self-titled CD & 2nd one called Closer, while I clay

Realizing: life just hasn't slowed down at all this summer-- well, since March, actually

Trying: to remain calm

Feeling: a bit overwhelmed

WIP Wednesday: Project Sketches

2011-09-07T15:23:00.005-06:00

With my L'il Bro visiting, I haven't had time to sit down and do any claying, but I recently took a little bit of time to some quick sketches of a few ideas.

I want to do more decorated skulls for Dia de los Muertos and Samhain, which is fast approaching, so I drew out a couple ideas I had for designs before I could forget them.

I also want to make more cloak pins or brooches-- I thought some beaded bat designs would be cute. I also have ideas for owls, leaves, witches hats...

I've not often ever sketched out my ideas for clay designs, I tend to be pretty spontaneous about what I create. But I do know some people who do their planning on paper beforehand and I've wondered if this might be a good thing for me to try so that I don't forget ideas I have or so I can identify potential difficulties in design and come up with a solution before I actually start creating.

I also wonder if I'll finish my pieces more quickly if I already have my ideas solidified by drawing them out. Perhaps sketching designs will turn out to be a helpful tool for me.

This Week I Am

2011-09-05T00:14:00.004-06:00

Watching: Old episodes of The Waltons; there just aren't good shows like it on TV any more. Gah, how old does that make me sound!?!

Thinking: Will our cats EVER get along again? *sigh*

Creating: memories with my L'il Bro & his gf who are here visiting for a week

Planning: A ride on the Georgetown Loop Railroad tomorrow

Reading: Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland by Gerald Clarke

Listening: to crickets chirping... such a peaceful, homey sound

Trying: to use my L'il Bro's visit as a good way to face some fears (heights) and be more active (walking, hiking)

Feeling: content, tired in a good way, happy... and a little bit sunburned

Floral Nostalgia

2011-09-01T13:34:00.004-06:00

Aeons ago, I used to be a floral designer. I specialized in silk floral and wedding work, which was very helpful in saving money when I got married, as I did all our wedding party corsages, boutonnieres and bouquets, plus the table decor for the reception.

The Mister's boutonniere, top left, and a corsage & bout set for the grandparents from our wedding. Keep in mind these were made during the era tight, full designs, not the lovely, looser and more natural floral designs of today.

This was Gram's corsage from when my dad got remarried. It was a very small wedding and I did Dad's boutonniere and my step-mother's floral hair circlet and bouquet as well.

I also did the flowers for my sister-in-law's wedding. This is the boutonniere and corsage set for the grandparents.

Grandparents are wonderful about keeping nostalgic items. With the exception of my husband's bout, which I kept, all the other flowers pictured were carefully kept through the years by the grandparents who wore them for the occasion. Since all of our grandparents (my husband's and mine) have passed away as of earlier this year, I have inherited their tokens of nostalgia, which have now become mine.

This Week I Am

2011-08-28T18:08:00.003-06:00

Watching: the very first episode of Dr. Who ever! Wow, it was hokey.

Thinking: about the cats-- we had several very scary incidents involving feline redirected aggression between all 3 over the weekend... having to keep them isolated from each other...

Planning: for my brother and his girlfriend's upcoming visit next week-- where we'll go, what we'll see & do together

Reading: actually re-reading Sings the Nightbird by Robert McCammom, a really excellent book

Listening: to cats complaining because they are isolated from each other & their humans, for the most part

Realizing: its only 5 days until my L'il Bro is here for a visit-- much to do to get the house ready!

Trying: to remain optimistic that our kitty family will work though this difficulty and be able to remain together

Feeling: very worried & anxious about the cats & tired from 4 fairly sleepless nights

Feline Friday: Moose Belly Naps

2011-08-26T15:52:00.004-06:00

Our Moose has the fuzziest, softest, fattest belly-- so snorgleable! But Moose doesn't voluntarily allow ANYONE to snorgle his belly...

... which of course doesn't stop Dot at all.

In the beginning, she *did* have to work her way up to it, by sleeping as near as possible to the object of her desire on many occasions...

... but nowadays she just snuggles right in, no pretenses about it.

This Week I Am

2011-08-22T18:23:00.000-06:00

Watching: dark clouds rolling in... and away... leaving nary a drop of rain...

Thinking: there's no place like home

Creating: a pagan art journal page about the herb lavender

Planning: what I need & want to accomplish on Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday

Reading: Shadow Valley, sequel to Great Sky Woman, which I just finished-- both by Steven Barnes

Listening: to my cats purr-- they're happy their humans are home again; and also listening to Journey (of course!) while I craft

Realizing: it's getting dark waaaaayyy too early in the evenings already

Trying: to get back on track with eating well after not eating so well while on vacay

Feeling: quite mellow... its quite lovely...

Inside Mother Earth

2011-08-21T00:31:00.011-06:00

We're home from vacation in South Dakota! On our last day there, I braved my fears of heights and enclosed spaces and visited Sitting Bull Crystal Cave-- and it was amazing.

To get to the cave, we descended 187 steps that were so steep we had to go down them backwards, like a ladder.

The Chandelier Room ceiling

When we reached the bottom and went along a short passage that opened up into a huge underground room that looked as though we were standing inside a giant geode.

Close-up of a crystal cluster on the ceiling.

Calcite formations known as dog-tooth spars covered the ceiling, the walls and floor of the cave.

Some of the spars reached 16 inches in length. Those above were bigger than my hand.

Some of the calcite layers were different colors from iron and other minerals, which created formations like this "eye" shape in one wall...

... and stripes like in the Rainbow Arch.

My photos don't even begin to do justice to the underground beauty I saw. I could have stayed down there so much longer than we did (the tour was about 45 minutes). I was awe struck, it was so amazing.

And to me, it felt sacred as well. I was very aware that I was in the womb of Mother Earth, so to speak. I would have loved to have had a moment alone, to express my reverence to the Lady, to give thanks for the experience. I did so silently, and hoped the acknowledgment that I knew I was within sacred space was enough.

Feline Friday: Is it Friday Yet?

2011-08-12T07:10:00.000-06:00

Moose says, "Dude, I am TELLING you..."

"I am NOT coming out 'til its Feline Friday... oh, wait... hehehehehe. Forgot to check my calendar."

WIP Wednesday: Decorated Journals

2011-08-10T07:16:00.000-06:00

Here is what's in the works on my craft table right now:

I am putting together some decorative tiles for a couple of journal covers. Below is one of the journals finished:

Not the best pics, but you get the idea. I may add a few beads on ribbons for bookmarks as well, have to see how it looks.

What's on your craft table this week?

Kuan Yin Mantra Meditation

2011-08-09T07:32:00.001-06:00

I have had an altar to Kuan Yin for many years now. I've felt drawn to her, but haven't really known what to do to develop that connection, until recently.

Last month I went to a pagan retreat in the mountains. One evening while I was there, a small group of about 8 or so gathered at my camp and my friend Amaset shared with us about the Kuan Yin mantra meditation she's been doing for some time now. After she explained some basics, she handed out malas for those who wanted to use one and we all chanted Kuan Yin's mantra, Namo Kuan Shi Yin Pusa, in the gathering darkness.

Something about that experience really touched me, meant something to me, felt powerful and magical. I felt a definite connection with Kuan Yin, with the peace and comfort she embodies. Since returning home I've practiced chanting her mantra quite a few times using a small sandalwood wrist mala I have. I can't put my finger on why exactly, but this practice is very appealing to me.

I also recently acquired the book that my friend recommended, Mantra Meditation: Change Your Karma with the Sacred Power of Sound by Thomas Ashley-Ferrand. If I'm going to continue this practice, I should know more about what I'm doing, right? Perhaps I've found the daily meditation practice that I've been looking for.

Two Months Growth

2011-08-08T18:51:00.007-06:00

Wow, what a difference only 2 months has made with my herb garden--

It's actually beginning to look quite lush! I wasn't expecting that, considering I just replanted this year.

The sage, lemon balm and periwinkle are growing like a house afire and the apple blossom yarrow, thyme and lavender are doing quite nicely, too. Now it might look as though the chamomile (by the turtle) isn't doing so well, but actually about this time of year its done blooming. Sometimes in late September a new batch grows up again and blooms, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that its self-seeded and I'll see it again-- if not this season, then in the spring.

Everyone is doing nicely on this side of the garden, too. Sometime after my last garden update I planted foxglove, hyssop and comfrey on this side. If I'd known that comfrey (big and leafy in the right front corner) was going to get so big in diameter, I'd have planted it further back! I still have 2 more spaces to fill, I might do another foxglove along the back of the fence-- or move the comfrey; and as for the other space... hmmm...

At any rate, I am quite thrilled to have my herb garden back again, its nice to go out and spend time with my little green friends.

Feline Friday: Shoulder Cat

2011-08-05T14:38:00.006-06:00

The mister has taught Sassafras a little trick-- shoulder riding!

She was quite nervous when first learning to ride, but now as soon as he heads for the coat rack in the morning before leaving for work, Sassy races over to the back of the couch, purring while he puts on his jacket. Once he has it on, he bends over and she climbs from the back of the couch onto his shoulders, purring all the while.

He gives her lots of lovin' and then, if I'm still in bed, she gets a ride into the bedroom. When he bends down to kiss me goodbye, she hops off onto the bed. They are sooooo cute together!

Currently...

2011-08-04T10:12:00.007-06:00

Yep, another unplanned hiatus from blogging. Sorry about that. Full time work hours, camping up in the mountains for a pagan festival and then a chaotic trip back to Iowa & Wisconsin for a funeral, now recuperating and trying to reorient myself.

I really like this weekly check-in that Faye does at Aradia's Cauldron, hope its okay to borrow it to do my own check-in:

Watching: Pan's Labyrinth arrived from Netflix the other day, looking forward to watching it again (I saw it in the theatre when it came out). I remember it being strange, thought-provoking, sad and visually stunning.

Thinking: About the next few weeks ahead of me, what needs done for my shops, what needs done before vacay, what needs done right now.

Creating: Polymer clay decorated journal covers, pagan art journal circle pages. I am behind with both, need to play catch-up. Hate that.

Planning: Gathering recipe and decorating ideas for a witches' tea party I have planned for next month's full moon.

Reading: A Cast-Off Coven: A witchcraft mystery by Juliet Blackwell and Learning the Tarot: A book for beginners by Joan Bunning. The first book is some fun, rather mindless fluff; the second has great info, especially on wording questions for tarot and on interpreting Celtic Cross spreads, with which I am becoming quite fond of using.

Listening: Lately, Queen's Greatest Hits has been on my iPod a lot. At this very moment, I'm listening to the pounding of hammers as the neighbors have a new roof put on their house.

Realizing: Already the days are getting shorter. Where did summer go?

Trying: To get myself organized. Strange how an unplanned week away can make everything feel so up in the air for so long. Now I have to remember-- what was I doing before we left? Where do I start from here?

Feeling: Lots of back pain these last couple of days, trying to take it easy and not let it depress me. Chiro app't next week, hope I can make it until then.

Filling In the Spaces

2011-06-06T18:10:00.006-06:00

I've been adding my little green friends to my herb garden!

The left side has all the spaces filled-- sage, lemon balm, thyme, apple blossom yarrow, lavender and chamomile. There is some periwinkle along the far left side that will hopefully fill in along the fence.

sage~ artistic ability, health, protection, purification, wisdom

lemon balm~good luck, health, love, justice, success

thyme~ courage, healing, psychic power, purification, swift action, ward negativity

yarrow~ defense, divination, love, happy marriage, protection, ward negativity

lavender~ cleansing, creativity, peace, purification, psychic awareness

chamomile~ calmness, meditation, prosperity, purification, rest

The right side has just chamomile, lavender and apple blossom yarrow so far. I think I'd like to put foxglove in the back along the fence. I'm hoping I can find hyssop again so that I can put it in the front corner.

The other spaces... hmmm... any suggestions?

All Back Together Again

2011-05-31T20:53:00.007-06:00

The Mister & I worked hard over the holiday weekend and were able to get my herb garden plot all laid out again! I am so excited!

Here's the destruction of my original garden that we started out with...

... halfway there...

... and... DONE!

The checkerboard design was something I read about somewhere, years ago; the design is supposed to help contain some of the more tenacious herbs that like to spread. The flat space along the back fence is for a garden bench-- once all the herbs are planted it will be such a nice, fragrant place to sit and relax in the evenings.

Now-- time to plant! Lavender, sage, yarrow, hyssop, thyme, foxglove, lemon balm... mmmm... can't wait to have my little green friends back again!

Herbs In Half Barrels

2011-05-29T17:13:00.006-06:00

I'm using my oak half-barrel planters for some of my herbs this year, as my herb garden is still not put back together yet (working on it, though). I do love my barrels as planters, especially since we put wheels on them.

In planter #1, chamomile and lemon verbena, although right now the lemon verbena is getting overpowered. Its supposed to grow up to 3 ft. tall, so I'm sure it will catch up and surpass the chamomile eventually. I was so excited to find it! Usually I can find verbena, but not lemon verbena.

In planter #2, rosemary... and more chamomile. Although this chamomile will probably get transplanted into the herb garden once its finished. Rosemary doesn't winter over here in Colorado, but since my barrel planter is on wheels, I can roll it into the garage and hopefully it will survive during the cold, snowy months. That's the plan, anyways.

I also planted some basil in one of the bench planters on the patio... but...

... its not doing too well. The weather has still been too cold at night, I think. This is the coolest, wettest May I can recall in years and years.

Even though I covered my basil with empty upside-down plastic gallon ice cream containers on the cold nights, I think I noticed they were chilled a day too late. Only one is still alive and its not looking too good. Evidently basil is more delicate than I realize, because this is the third time I've tried growing it and I'm still not having much luck.

But its early in the growing season and I'm not giving up yet. We'll see what happens.

Feline Friday: Helping With Laundry

2011-05-27T14:42:00.004-06:00

Got a big basketful of laundry to fold? Sassy is on top of it:

Am I cute or what?

Cute enough for lovin's from dad! Purrrrr....

Yep, and that's how Sassy helps with the laundry!

Making Loose Incense

2011-05-26T06:08:00.001-06:00

Last year with my circle, I learned how to make loose incense for burning on charcoal and I fell in love with the process. The very first incense I created was my own personal power incense. It has about 10 different ingredients, including herbs, woods & oils and it turned out absolutely amazing, which I still find hard to believe as it was my first attempt ever. I love using it.

House blessing/protection incense in the square jar on the left, personal power incense next to it on the right.

A couple of weeks ago my circle met and we made incense for house blessing/protection. This time my incense had a much more modest ingredient list, only five different things:

Basil~ courage, love, protection, repels negativity, wealth; basil is also an old traditional housewarming gift

Cloves~ cleansing, purification, wards negativity, wealth

Lavender~ cleansing, purification, peace

Myrrh~ binding, protection, purification/consecration, wards negativity

Rosemary~ blessing, courage, love, health, protection, purification

I am trying to get my herb garden put together again so that I can once again be growing many of the herbs myself to use in incense, candle magic, etc. I still have some of my own calendula, lavender, chamomile and garden sage, but my stash is running low. Keeping my fingers crossed that I can soon afford to replace/replant them all and have a good growing season this year!

Round Robin PAJC Journey

2011-05-24T15:06:00.006-06:00

My Pagan Art Journal Circle recently decided to take things a bit further and have started a Round Robin art journal circle to share our artwork with each other, as well as have our own pagan art journals!

Each person in the circle has a journal that we send around-- and each person in the circle will eventually receive it and add at least a page (or more) of pagan themed art to it. When we get the journal back, it will have journeyed across the United States, to Canada, Germany and Australia, and will be filled with art from everyone participating.

Because of the cost of mail these days, most of us went with a large (8 x 5) craft paper cover Moleskine-- it's a reasonable size, lightweight, plenty of pages, and has a handy-dandy pocket in the back.

If we chose, we could have a theme for our art journal. I decided to go with the theme "Divine Nature" and decorated the cover of my Moleskine to express this theme. We also send along an "introduction letter" with our journals-- I shared in mine some childhood experiences related to my theme of Divine Nature and finding my way to my pagan path.

And, I have already received my first journal! I must say, the gorgeousness of the leather cover and paper inside put my poor Moleskine to shame. I was delighted to read the letter included and am now plotting and planning what I will add to her journal as my artistic contribution.

I'm already loving this experience, the anticipation of receiving a new journal every few weeks, seeing the artwork from everyone who's had it before me. So exciting and so much fun!

A Blessed Beltaine

2011-05-01T18:53:00.004-06:00

THE MAY-POLE

The May-pole is up,
now give me the cup,
I’ll drink to the garlands around it;
But first unto those
Whose hands did compose
The glory of flowers that crown’d it.

~ Robert Herrick, 1891

Wishing you all a blessed Beltaine! The weather here has been very un-Beltaine like-- cold, cloudy, windy and rainy, but the rain has been a real gift, we have badly needed it.

The cold weather didn't stop me from celebrating Beltaine, however. I went to my first Earth Temple Beltaine celebration last night and had a fantastic time jumping the (indoors, electric) fire and dancing around the maypole, with sweets and fruit after. I haven't smiled and laughed so much in one night in a long time! I am really thankful there is such an active pagan community here where I live.

Happy May Day to everyone, and for all my friends who celebrate-- may the blessings of Beltaine be upon you today and throughout the year!

Herb Garden, Again

2011-04-11T18:18:00.007-06:00

Over the weekend the Mister & I worked on putting my herb garden back together again.

The reason we have to put my herb garden back together is because-- long story short, it was torn up when the neighbors had to have their electrical cables buried. The post for all the electrical for our neighbors is in our back yard. So when the cable was buried, the trench for it was dug straight from the post, through my garden and into their yard. Above is what it looked like after they were done. It used to have a beautiful "checkerboard" made with the patio blocks, with herbs in the open spaces between the blocks.

Even my little turtle guardian of the garden was broken...

Anyway, once I got over fuming about the damage, there was nothing left to do but put it back together again. Pretty much everything was dead from the mess when the trench was dug, so we decided just to pull out all the remaining stones and patio blocks, till up the soil and start from scratch.

I am looking at it as an opportunity for improving the design from last time-- for instance, this time we're using more of the blocks to make a sidewalk and area for a bench. Last time we used flagstones and although pretty, they were very uneven and hard to walk on, so this will be much better.

I'm excited with the progress we've made so far and looking forward to my garden being even more beautiful than before.

WIP Wednesday: Peacock Tales

2011-04-06T20:05:00.008-06:00

So I have a project where I'm trying to create the look of peacock feathers and it has been challenging to say the least.

To begin with, its taken forever for me to get the clay I needed for the project-- Premo has a peacock pearl clay in their new 2011 colors, but so far I've not been able to find it locally even though it was released in January. I couldn't even find it online anywhere-- stores that carried some of the new colors didn't seem to have this particular color in stock, for whatever reason. Finally, after looking and looking I found some to order online and ended up paying an exorbitant shipping price for it.

The other color I need is green pearl, which has been discontinued in lieu of the new 2011 Premo pearl colors, so that has also created a difficulty. I finally found two blocks of it locally and have been hoarding it for this project.

But ANYWAYS-- on to creating the peacock feathers:

First I mixed two shades of peacock pearl and created these "eye" canes which will be in the center of the peacock feather. Then I mixed a darker shade of green pearl and was ready to assemble the second part of the feather cane.

I have to add--I am not a caner; I have very little experience with the technique, and then its been with only the very simplest of cane designs, so I approached this peacock cane project with all the online feather cane tutorial information I could find and quite a bit of trepidation as well.

Failed cane attempts #1 and #2. Sigh. The one on the left didn't seem to have enough definition between the layers of black & green, plus the shape wasn't what I wanted. On the right, I tried using silver between the green layers for more definition and I got it-- but did not like the results.

So I decided to lighten the dark green pearl just a bit so it wouldn't blend into the black and I tweaked the cane design a little and--

Finally. A peacock feather tip. But would it reduce and still look okay? *fingers crossed*

Yay! I'm pleased with how this one turned out. I think it will work for what comes next. And its a good thing, because all my trial and error has used up the majority of the peacock and green pearl clays I had.

Now on to stage two...

Altar Updates

2011-04-05T16:04:00.005-06:00

Its been a long while since I cleaned and rearranged any of my altars, so I decided it was time to do something about the last night.

Part of the reason my poor altars have been so neglected is because I haven't been able to figure out how to cat-proof them. The cats love to eat feathers, play with tarot bag drawstrings and knock crystals on the floor and break them. *sigh*

Here is the solution I've been working on for my main altar-- almost everything is contained! The bell jar has a robin's nest filled with found feathers (for air), one of the jars has polished and unpolished stones/crystals (for earth) and the other has seashells (water). I'm still a bit worried about the open flames on the candles, but I'd hate to resort to battery operated votives. The altar doesn't feel alive without fire. I supposed I could do jar candles as well, but I love using the banded onyx holders I found for the Lady and Lord. Although I'm sure they'd rather I use jar candles than set a feline afire!

This is my devotions altar-- hopefully everything is safe from the cats. Since this table is smaller and not near a window, the cats tend to leave it alone. This is just a nice, simple altar where I can ground and center or sit nearby and think. I have my pagan prayer books & devotionals, plus my Tarot Affirmations deck here. I love my little Japanese rin (gong), its ring is perfect for creating a meditative state.

I'm glad I did spring cleaning and rearranging of at least a couple of my altars. It feels like I've welcomed spirit back into my room and it makes such an amazing difference in the atmosphere!

PAJ Week 7: Water

2011-03-30T17:36:00.006-06:00

I am behind on my pagan art journaling pages, but here is one that I recently DID complete (out of order)--

Its a very simple page, but I think it says it all for me when it comes to the element of water.

After we moved to semi-arid Colorado back in 2000, I realized just how important water really is... Most people don't realize that Colorado is very desert-like in climate. With the very low humidity, dry, sandy soil and sun that feels hotter because of the altitude, water really is life.

Seeing my lawn and garden and even trees struggle during the long, hot days of summer and watching the snow in winter dry up and disappear in a matter of days after any snowstorm really has made me aware of how important water is to survive.

WIP Wednesday: Wrapped Loops & Chain

2011-03-16T07:49:00.001-06:00

I am working on a necklace with a very different look than what I normally create.

Instead of using satin cording with Chinese button knots or bead work strung on flexible beading wire, I'm doing beads on 22 gauge wire with wrapped loops...

... and then I'm connecting those to copper chain. It's really a change from what I'm used to doing, but I like the look so far! What do you think?

PAJ Week 4: Nature

2011-03-07T15:05:00.008-07:00

When I was a little girl, my Gram told me I needed to go to church more so that I could talk to God. I was such a little pagan, even then.

I asked her, "Why do I need to go to church to talk to God? Didn't He create everything on earth? I would think He would hear me better if I talked to him in a forest that He created instead of in church build by men."

The quotes I used for this art journal page are two of my very favorites and completely sum up how I feel about Nature and my spiritual path. The longer verse is on the first page of my BOS, as well.

Another Beeswax Candle

2011-03-06T19:00:00.008-07:00

I think I'm getting addicted. Met with my circle yesterday and made another beeswax candle while we talked. This one has some of my handmade personal power incense sprinkled down the center along the wicking. I also put in crushed lavender buds, calendula and rose petals-- if you look closely, you can see some of the colors peeking through the beeswax.

While we made candles, my circle discussed what we want to create for a house cleansing/blessing we have planned. I have my white beeswax candles from last meeting that I made specifically for this and we kicked around some other ideas, including making incense again.

Although I've only made incense once before, I really enjoyed doing it and look forward to making more. Now I need to do some meditating and studying on what exactly should be in an incense for a house blessing. I love that my circle is really in to making our own tools, candles, incense, etc. I think it is such an important part of the Craft.

WIP Wednesday: Moon Goddess

2011-03-02T13:18:00.004-07:00

I'm a moon gazer, I fully admit it! This month's PCSG challenge theme is "nature"-- so what better subject than the glorious moon?

I usually think of the moon as the Lady, and I love seeing her with a halo of clouds, so I decided my Moon Goddess would have swirling clouds of silver and pearl for her hair. This is when my clay extruder comes in handy! I also have some silver star beads I want to use in my design.

She will (hopefully) be finished by tomorrow, in time for the challenge.

PAJ Week 3: I Believe

2011-03-01T16:39:00.005-07:00

During the time that I was mulling over the question what do I believe? for the third week of Pagan Art Journaling, we received a call that my husband's grandmother had died. I've been trying to sort out my beliefs about Death for years and years... and I realized this would be a good topic for this week's journal page.

When the pastor at Grandma's funeral started talking about how Death was wrong and unnatural and the result of original sin, I knew I had picked the right topic for sharing about what I believe. Because I believe that Death is a natural part of the cycle of Life.

Its taken me many years on my pagan path to come to this belief. Sometimes it offers me comfort, other times, not so much. Yet I know its true. Everything dies at some point, whether human, animal or plant. And perhaps we rise up again, like seeds in the spring time-- perhaps we get another life after this one, and another and another. Perhaps Death is just the seed planted for a new life.

Fairy Door Class

2011-02-27T18:04:00.006-07:00

I taught my fairy door class today and it was tons of FUN!

The class was about half as big as anticipated because quite a few people were unable to make it due to illness, homework, etc., but that actually turned out to be an advantage. There was plenty of table space for everyone to work and one pasta machine for every 2 people, which worked out very well, no one had to wait long to use that or any of the other tools if they were in use.

I did a little overview on how I got into polymer clay work, talked about how to condition and bake clay, passed around the sample fairy doors for everyone to look at, explained how to use the tools and texture sheets, etc., and then everyone got to claying.

Look at the fabulous doors they created! Didn't they do a fantastic job? I just loved seeing how creative everyone got. Everyone came up with such great ideas and had a good time in the process. In fact, everyone had such fun that we started discussing plans for another class in the future!

Traveling By Train

2011-02-26T20:47:00.009-07:00

We had another one of our whirlwind trips back to Iowa this past week, but this time we let someone else do the driving. We took the train!

Leaving Denver at night

We got a sleeper car on Amtrak and it really worked out well. And less expensive than flying.

We had our own compartment with 2 nice wide seats facing each other, much more comfy than being squished into airplane seats.

Our fold down table with complimentary bottles of water.

The seats folded down to make one bed...

... another bed unlatched and dropped down from the ceiling above. Note the harness that attached to the ceiling and side of the bunk so that hubby wouldn't roll out in the middle of the night!

Arriving in Iowa just at sunrise.

The only bad thing about taking the train is that both trips, there and back, were overnight, so we couldn't enjoy the scenery on the way. But it was relaxing not having to worry about the drive, meals were included and the food was surprisingly very good, we met some interesting fellow passengers while in the dining car, and we had an opportunity to sleep along the way. Not a bad way to travel.

A Sample of Fairy Doors

2011-02-22T16:36:00.007-07:00

In less than a week, I will be showing a group of people how to make polymer clay fairy doors. My friend Windy arranged for me to teach about 15 or so members and students in her circle. I've put together some basic instructions and information for handouts, and I also came up with some templates for several different door shapes for everyone to use.

My friend and I have gotten together several times in preparation for the class to make sample fairy doors so that we could show everyone a variety of ideas for creating their doors using the different templates, as well as ways to decorate them. These are the doors I came up with.

I made one with each template shape (and used one template 2 different ways), and tried to include a variety of techniques...

... faux woodgrain, faux stone using embossing powders, using rubber stamps and texture sheets, using a clay extruder for making vines and branches, simple canework...

... using scrapbooking supplies, jewelry findings, beads and metal charms for decorating...

Hopefully, I've covered all the basics! Looking forward to the class, can't wait to see what everyone makes. Just the preparation has been lots of fun.

PAJ Week 2: Love

2011-02-17T08:26:00.006-07:00

I really struggled with this week's topic of heart/love. I had two ideas for creating my page, but couldn't find the words I wanted to go with either idea. I'm not sure that I actually answered the prompt, I think I sort of went off on my own direction.

I'm also not sure that my journal page really expresses what I meant, but... I wrote what was in my head at the moment.

What I really wanted to express was that when I started identifying or defining myself as a pagan, it opened up so many pathways to so many different types of love. It's made my marriage better, its made my friendships better, its made my understanding of community better. And all of this started with my quest to make my relationship with God/dess better. What a journey its been! And will continue to be...

Beeswax Candles

2011-02-13T13:14:00.006-07:00

Earlier this week my circle got together and we made rolled beeswax candles.

CM gave us a quick demo on how to roll the candles-- really very easy to do-- and then we got started. Basically we cut the sheets of beeswax for the size of candle we wanted, cut the wicking the length needed, pressed it into one end of the wax sheet and tightly rolled it up. Just that simple!

Magically, we warmed the beeswax sheet with our hands as we concentrated on our intention for the candle and continued to focus on that as we rolled the wax.

And of course, I had to ask the question-- can we add herbs? Because I love using my little green friends in anything magical, if possible. CM didn't have much on hand for herbs, but we did break out the sage, and he had a variety of essential oils, so we used some of those, as well.

My lavender candles are for everyday use on my altar, but the white candles I made for the upcoming house cleansing our circle is doing. They have rosemary oil (purification, protection, health, blessing) and sage leaves (protection, purification, health) in them.

I really loved this project and would like to make more candles this way in the future.

PAJ Week 1: Intention

2011-02-11T00:19:00.008-07:00

Aradia's Cauldron has created and organized a fantastic year long project-- 52 weeks of Pagan Art Journaling. A different prompt every week to create your journal pages around. I've been saying to myself that I want to do more journaling, and I love this idea, so I'm IN!

As you can see, I'm much more of a rubber stamping kinda gal than one who paints or draws. And I love my colored pencils, too-- rather the adult version of crayons for me!

My intention for this project is CONNECTION. When I first started blogging, the only people I "knew" online were pagan bloggers. As I got more and more involved in the online handmade community, that connection was rather lost, and I found myself drifting closer and closer to being back in the "broom closet" online. I'm very much looking forward to re-connecting with pagans online through this project-- and meeting more pagans who are artists? Even better!

Not only that, but I hope to re-connect with myself as a pagan. Somehow along the way I feel I've lost a bit of that, and in the past year or so, I've been looking for ways to reclaim my spiritual path and sense of self. Pagan art journaling seems to be one more excellent way to do that.

WIP Wednesday: Yemaya Shrine

2011-02-09T07:27:00.001-07:00

I have been working on tiles for a new mosaic shrine, this one for Yemaya.

I've been turning the idea around in my head for a while now and after doing some reading and thinking about Yemaya, the design for the shrine started to come together.

I have been interested in Yemaya for some time now, but to be honest, I am a bit afraid of her, she seems such a strong and no-nonsense Goddess. Yet maternal, as well. I don't know that I will keep this piece when it is finished as I'm not ready to invite Yemaya into my home yet, but I do hope that she will be pleased with my efforts.

Calavera Dreaming

2011-02-06T13:47:00.005-07:00

My fascination with all art that is Dia de los Muertos related continues, and I've fed my interest by acquiring this great book, which I learned about from my friend Sage.

This book is chock-full of ideas for creating ofrendas and nichos (altars/shrines for honoring the dead), calaveras (skeletons), and all manner of Day of the Dead decorated masks, skulls, jewelry and more. I want to create a whole line of DotD pieces, can't wait to play with ideas from this book.

Speaking of playing with ideas, I recently created a set of custom sugar skull beads for another friend who is likewise fascinated by Dia de los Muertos. These beads are about 2 cm long and 1.5 cm at their widest point. It was a real challenge putting so many details on such a small bead, but didn't they turn out to be the happiest little colorful skulls you've ever seen? They are now on their way to China!

Many more Day of the Dead ideas are brewing... more to come throughout the year.

I'm Still Here

2011-02-05T17:35:00.006-07:00

Sorry about the 3 month hiatus-- it was totally unexpected and unplanned. I guess I needed a break from blogging?

Now its a new year, I'm working on a new focus and I've added some new features to my blog-- mainly the tabs at the top of the page just under my header. I decided to clean up my sidebar and give my shop widgets, tutorial links and blog awards their own pages. So please do feel free to peruse them at your leisure!

As for the new focus... well, its not quite so new. At Autumn Equinox I ritually dedicated my creative work to Deity and my pagan path... so part of my silence has been figuring out what this dedication really means to me, my expression of self, my art work and everything else tied in to all this, even including the way I promote myself, what blogs I read and what sorts of topics I blog about.

Quite possibly, readers of my blog won't even notice much of a difference in content. I think the difference is in my intention, my own mindset. As for my creative work-- expect less jewelry and more sculpted pieces, wall decor, and mosaic work like some of the shrines and boxes I've done in the past. I also want to get back into journaling again, whether that means written, art or nature journaling-- most likely all of the above and any other type of journaling form I can find to explore. Some pages I'll be sure to share here... and some will be personal enough that I probably won't.

If you're still following and reading my blog, thanks for hanging in there during the silence! I think I'm ready to be back.

Tarot for 2010~ 11th Moon

2010-11-08T06:06:00.001-07:00

The year is quickly waning and the 11th moon cycle has arrived. Here is the card I drew for this moon back when I did my New Year's spread--

The Wheel of Fortune (X)~

Round and round, up and down-- luck, change and fortune are the key words for my life this moon cycle. Generally, the Wheel of Fortune indicates good fortune, but as its a wheel of change, you never know what might come up.

This card is full of elemental energy-- on the wheel itself and surrounding it. The Elements symbolize all that is available to harvest, one only has to embrace the changes as the wheel turns.

Being receptive to change is one of the lessons in this card, something I tend to have difficulty with. But if it means good luck, abundance and riches as a result, I am willing to give it a try!

Silver Sisters Croning

2010-11-07T11:41:00.004-07:00

My three friends' much anticipated Croning Ritual was just the other night and it was an amazing experience!

The evening was filled with lots of love, laughter and some tears. It was an incredible feeling to be in a room filled with women there to honor other women, to CELEBRATE aging instead of being fearful of it.

In this day and age of anti-aging creams and lip plumpers and Botox injections, its a rare thing to see women embrace growing older. And to me, that is sad, because aging isn't something to be feared, its a natural part of life. Some of the most beautiful people I know are people with salt and pepper, or silvery hair and wonderful lines that crinkle their faces, especially when they laugh. What's wrong with that?

Sage, Sephira and Windy may be crones, but they are anything BUT old. They are wise, joyous, energetic, sassy, creative... absolutely young in their hearts and minds. Nothing stops them. I was honored to be asked to be a part of this ritual and I am honored to call them friends.

I'll Be at the Ball

2010-10-22T18:47:00.008-06:00

The 19th Annual Denver Witches' Ball, that is! When? TOMORROW NIGHT!

Yes, 24 hours from now, the Witches' Ball will have just begun! And I will be there with my lovely wares at the Magical Marketplace downstairs. So be sure to look for the Into the Dawn Designs purple vendor tables where you will find...

... decorative egg rattles...

... rune necklaces...

... moon face necklaces...

... herbal pendulums...

... spirit boxes...

... hand sculpted scarab beetle jewelry...

... herbal rune sets...

... elegant tarot bags...

... and MORE!!! Don't miss the Witches' Ball!

WIP Wednesday: Tarot Bags

2010-10-20T15:41:00.003-06:00

Remember my tarot card inspired tarot bag I made? I got such a positive response about it from tarot friends, I decided I'd try my hand at making bags to sell in my online shops and at my vendor's booth at the Denver Witches' Ball this upcoming Saturday. So I've been sewing up a storm recently!

Spent one whole evening, six or seven hours, just cutting out the pieces for the bag and liner and pinning in the fringe/beaded edging. Then on to the sewing! Of course I'd get a color combination idea that I didn't have cut out yet and would have to go back and pin and cut more, but for the most part things have been moving right along.

Just *some* of the finished bags.

I've sewed so much in the last 2 weeks, I'm actually starting to get comfortable with my sewing machine! The machine manual is my best friend. I've learned so much with this project, like how to use the zipper foot. And I don't know the technical terms, but I learned to adjust little lever thingy for the feed pressure for velvet vs. cotton. Makes a huge difference!

I envisioned creating something really elegant to hold tarot decks and I really like how these bags have turned out. I made them a very generous size, too, so that they can hold even the largest decks. They are 8 x 6 inches overall and about 6 x 6 inches below the drawstring. If you use the bag for a smaller tarot deck, you could even store a small spread cloth in the bag with it.

If you're in the Denver area, watch for my tarot bags' debut at the Denver Witches' Ball on Saturday, October 23rd and look for them in my Etsy and ArtFire shops soon after that!

If You Like Labyrinths

2010-10-17T12:21:00.005-06:00

If you are a labyrinth lover then head over to Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom right now for your chance to win this--

a Meditation Labyrinth necklace!

Yep, today only you have a chance to win my Meditation Labyrinth necklace as a giveaway for Mrs. B's 31 Days of Halloween. All you have to do is follow the instructions under giveaway pumpkin #2 to enter up to seven times to win!

FOR THOSE VISITING FROM MRS. B'S-- MERRY MEET AND WELCOME!!! It's great to have you here! If after visiting all my links provided for entries in the giveaway you've decided you like my poly clay artwork please feel free to join

Into the Dawn Designs on Facebook

for daily Creative Quotes, Work In Progress Wednesdays, updates on my most recent creations available and other news. Thanks, and good luck with the giveaway!

But mine isn't the only giveaway today-- there is also a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Spelled with a W and also a custom Tarot Story from Looseleaf Handcrafted Stories. Not only that, but So Dark, So Cute is dressed up as part of the Haunted Blogs Tour and awaiting your visit and guest blogger Willow Silverhorse talks about carving a pumpkin protection charm.

So head on over to Mrs. B's for all the fun today!

Molding Sugar Skulls

2010-10-12T06:45:00.001-06:00

My friend Sage and I got together yesterday and made sugar skulls! We've both wanted to do this for a long time and yesterday was the day. (Actually, I was so excited about doing it that I got the day wrong and accidentally showed up at her house an entire 24 hours early, but that's another story...)

The supplies-- sugar (but of course!), meringue powder, plus water and mixing bowls, measuring cups and three sizes of sugar skull molds. The molds and recipe we used came from the most excellent mexicansugarskull.com website.

Packing the molds nice and full.

Scraping off the excess for a nice flat back...

The mold after a piece of cardboard was laid over top of it and it has been flipped over.

Tapping the mold to release the skulls.

Large skulls!

Two types of the medium skulls-- the above are Traditional...

... and these are Oaxaca, a more whimsical style...

Cute little mini skulls!

An entire table full of skulls-- 5 large, 24 medium and 37 minis! They were so much fun to make and not hard to do at all. I think the biggest problem Sage had was finding a good meringue powder to use-- good meringue powder and using enough of it is the key. We don't think we got quite enough in our second batch of sugar mixture and we could see a difference in how it molded.

Now they need to dry for at least 24 hours (medium and mini) and longer for the large. Ours will get to dry until Sunday, and then-- we decorate!

Giveaway Day

2010-10-10T06:56:00.006-06:00

Today is the day! Visit Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom for your chance to WIN one of my herbal pendulums!

I've donated a handmade African Violet and Amethyst pendulum as a giveaway for Mrs. B's 31 Days of Halloween-- all you have to do is visit her blog and follow instructions under pumpkin #1 for your chance to win!

But don't stop there-- there are 3 other giveaways today at Mrs. B's, plus a new blog to visit in the Haunted Blog tour AND a guest blogger post on mojo charms. Be sure to check everything out!

FOR THOSE VISITING FROM MRS. B'S-- MERRY MEET AND WELCOME!!! It's great to have you here! If after visiting all my links provided for entries in the giveaway you've decided you like my poly clay artwork please feel free to join

Into the Dawn Designs on Facebook

for daily Creative Quotes, Work In Progress Wednesdays, updates on my most recent creations available and other news. Thanks, and good luck with the giveaway!

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

2010-10-09T06:40:00.003-06:00

Many people know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, but are not aware that it is also Domestic Violence Awareness month as well. So this post is to help spread the word.One of the questions I often heard as a DV Victim Advocate when I did shelter work, and something I still hear now when abusive situations are discussed is-- "Why doesn't she leave?" The following is a VERY condensed summary of Susan G.S. McGee's article, "20 Reasons Why She Stays: A guide for those who want to help battered women." You can read the full article HERE, and I encourage you to do so.

1. This is the wrong question; it puts blame on the victim. So many people believe that if a woman really wanted to leave, she would. It's not that easy. We overlook the reasons women can't leave-- how she is trapped by the batterer with no money, no way to get safe housing, insurance, transportation, etc.

2. Incorrect assumptions of why she stays. Many DON'T stay. That's why battered women shelters are often at full capacity. It's important to realize that leaving is often a process, one the victim may go through many times. The more support she gets each time she tries to leave, the more it is likely that she will finally have the courage to leave for good.

Also, its important to note that the most dangerous time for a woman is when she is about to leave, is in the process of leaving or has just left. Up to 3/4 of domestic assaults reported to law enforcement agencies were inflicted after separation of the couples. (U.S. Dept. of Justice, 1983.)

3. Some battered women are held prisoners in their own homes, victims of psychological terrorism and brainwashing techniques used by their assailant to keep them in the violent relationship.

4. Some stay because they believe that counseling or therapy will help their batterers stop being violent. If the batterer is willing to go to counseling or anger management classes, why leave? Victims believe that these programs will help the batterer change and therefore, there is no need to leave, because he's going to get better.

5. Some stay because they hope that he will change and become non-violent. Everyone want to believe the best of their partners, those people they love. Most batterers are very charming and the relationship goes through a "honeymoon" phase after violence. Victims want the violence to end, but not the relationship.

6. Some women are forced to stay because they can't afford justice. The help of an attorney for a protection order or divorce requires money, and one of the ways batterers control their victims is by controlling their access to money.

7. Battered women stay for their children. Many battered women fear their abuser will get custody of the children if she leaves, and often, they do. Battered women are concerned about taking their children away from their homes, their school, their friends, their family-- which is often what must happen if they leave.

8. Some battered women stay because there is no place else to go. Not every town has a shelter, especially in rural areas. Many times, shelters are full. It is difficult for battered women to find safe and affordable housing.

9. Some women stay because they are not given accurate information about battering. Women are often told, and believe, that drugs or alcohol are the reasons behind battering, it's not their partner's fault. They are told that they are co-dependent that they need to change their behavior for the relationship to improve.

10. Some battered women stay because they believe what most people in our society believe about battered women, such as:

battered women imagine, exaggerate, deliberately fabricate or initiate violence
they somehow provoke or are to blame for the violence
all battered women come from poor, uneducated, or minority backgrounds
their partner just has a problem controlling anger, or that stress, alcohol or unemployment problems have caused the battering

11. Some stay for varying lengths of time because their assailants deliberately and systematically isolate them from support. Batterers are experts at driving away family and friends. They may keep their partner isolated by keeping her car keys or taking the phone away.

12. Some battered women stay because they believe in love and they still love their partners. Love is glorified in our society. Women are especially taught that love is the most important thing in life and without it, one has nothing. And batterers will often use the excuse, "I did it because I love you so much" as their reason for jealousy and abusive rages.

13. Some women stay because they believe what their assailant tells them, such as:

"You're crazy and stupid. No one will believe you."
You're the one who's sick. You need help. You're hysterical."
I know the judge, he won't put me in jail."
It's not serious. You're not really battered."
If you leave, I'll get custody because you abandoned me and the kids."
If you leave, I'll find you and kill you. I'll kill your family, your kids and your pets. You'll never escape me."

14. Some women stay because they are addicted and their addiction prevents them from taking action on their own behalf. It is hard to be in an abusive situation and get clean, especially when the addiction helps numb the pain. I had a case where the woman was addicted to crank; her partner was her supplier kept her high so that he could control her, which included pimping her out.

15. Some women are trapped in battering relationships because of sexism (unequal treatment of women). Women do not have economic resources equal to men, minimum wage doesn't pay enough afford health insurance or child care on top of food and safe shelter. Many can't find jobs or keep jobs because of harassment at their work place by the batterer.

16. Some battered women stay because institutions are helpless or unwilling to offer protection or assistance. Assailants are not routinely arrested or the victim is arrested for acting in self-defense. Protection orders are often not enforced. Courts do not make sure women are notified of their court dates, if she misses court, they blame her for not following through with charges. The list goes on and on.

17. They stay because of what women have been taught about both women's and men's roles (gender socialization). Girls are taught to be passive, nice, accommodating to others' needs, nurturing, and self-sacrificing. Most women have not learned to be independent, autonomous and to speak out.

Men are taught entitlement-- they are trained to believe they are entitled to the attention and services of women. Much more in the full article about this subject.

18. Some women stay because in addition to being a women and being battered, they are from another disenfranchised population. Women of color face additional problems with racism. Native American women may live on reservations where there is lack of resources. Rural women may have to travel for hours to find the nearest shelter. Lesbians and gay men may be threatened to be outed by their abuser. Often shelters have policies which do not allow transgender victims to stay there.

19. Some stay because of what the media says about battered women and domestic violence. Language like "love triangle" "domestic squabble" and "crime of passion" trivialize domestic abuse and the does not address the fact that it is about vengeance, power and control, not a "messy relationship."

2o. Some battered women stay because they believe if they try to leave, they or their children will die. And it is true, they might. Which is why they need the support of family, friends, their employer, the community and other professionals so much.

If you've read this far, I thank you. I hope by sharing this information I have helped increase understanding of the devastation, fear and helplessness that surrounds those who are victims of domestic violence.

Don't ask, "Why doesn't she leave?"-- instead ask-- "Why is does our society allow domestic violence to continue?"

Feline Friday: Moose Sleeps On

2010-10-08T06:30:00.001-06:00

Meaning, ON the couch cushion...

ON the top of the chair....

ON (not IN) the kitty cave catbed...

Moose just keeps sleeping on and on...

Tarot for 2010~ 10th Moon

2010-10-07T15:21:00.004-06:00

It's spooky October and the 10th moon has arrived. Here is the card I drew for this moon cycle back when I did my New Year's spread--

Knight of Cups~

Wow, the cups runneth over in this tarot card! An outpouring of love and other emotions is the clear message, whether these are directed at me or from me-- probably a bit of both. And as a knight, one is actively involved in all of it. Looks like a bit of celebration at the end of the path, as well, with the happy maidens there waiting.

Hard to tell with the water flowing over them, but it looks like the runes on the sides of the stone archway are Tiwaz on the left and Gebo on the right. Tiwaz is the rune of Tyr the Sky God indicates honor, authority and some rationality-- a good sign that emotions won't completely take over. There also victory and success in Tiwaz. Gebo is the gift-- a balance between sacrifice and generosity. What is given is also received, in all forms of exchanges.

Already I can see this card becoming a reality for this moon cycle. This cycle is filled with gatherings with friends and all sorts of business opportunities; lots of love, and giving and receiving ahead of me. Very exciting!

WIP Wednesday: Incredible (In)edible Eggs

2010-10-06T08:54:00.003-06:00

Once again, I've been playing with creating decorated egg rattles. Here is version 3.0--

This pic doesn't show it very well, but there is lots of subtle color on them from using mica powders. LOTS of mica powders! My hands were just a beautiful mess of color from blending. Each egg actually has 2-3 different shades of mica powders on it, giving them a nice metallic sheen.

These are jumbo sized eggs and have a nice rattley sound to them. Fun little items I created that I thought would be nice for using in drumming or chant circles. More varieties to come!

October Fun is Here!

2010-10-01T07:53:00.005-06:00

It's October 1st, and that means two things--

31 Days of giveaways, guest blog posts, creative Halloween ideas, Haunted Blog tours and more at Mrs. B's Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom...

~AND~

The Masquerade Clay Ball has begun at Polymer Clay Smooshers. Come see the daily parade of fabulous and fantastical masks created by the Smooshers Guild and our fans!

I am proud to be part of BOTH of these exciting events-- as a giveaway sponsor for Mrs. B's 31 Days and partygoer at the Masquerade Ball-- but when will my giveaways and masks be shared? Visit each blog daily to find out!

The Ball is About to Begin

2010-09-27T20:27:00.006-06:00

Just 3 more days until the Polymer Clay Smooshers Guild Masquerade Ball begins!

What's the Masquerade Ball, you ask? It's a fantastic parade of gorgeous masks like these, from last year's Ball:

Only this year, we've invited our fans to join in, so you'll see masks made by them as well as the Smoosher's guild! Plus, we'll be giving away some lovely prizes, too! And, if you join in our Spread the Word blog contest before October 3rd, you'll be eligible for the drawing for a beautiful bracelet made by Haffina Creations.

So come join in the fun at PCSG, starting October 1st!

Tarot Card Inspired Tarot Bag

2010-09-20T13:00:00.009-06:00

Using scrap fabric, plus some inspiration from the colors of the deck itself, I sewed up a tarot bag recently.

The deck is the Druidcraft Tarot and I pulled from The Lady (III) and Princess of Cups cards for the color scheme for my bag. The color of the panne velvet isn't quite accurately shown in these pics, it is more of an olive hue-- both the velvet and the cotton batik for the lining were leftover from when I made a cloak for myself several years ago. I made the bag a generous size of 9 x 7 inches.

I found the braided trim and beaded trim for half price, and both perfectly matched the colors in the cards shown, which are two of my favorite from the deck. The braid is a bit bulky for cinching up the bag with the drawstring, but I still like the way it looks.

Being a novice sewer, I wasn't able to completely hide the woven edge of the beaded trim into the seam of my bag bottom. My sewing machine foot wouldn't go over the beads if I got close enough to the edge to hide the woven part. There must be a little trick to doing that? If any one has suggestions on how to do that, I'd love to know for next time.

Overall, though, I'm really pleased with how my tarot bag turned out! I love the colors and the style and I really like that I'm using a bag that I created myself to store one of my favorite tarot decks.

Front Range Pagan Pride Adventures

2010-09-19T13:20:00.007-06:00

Yesterday was Front Range Pagan Pride Day and I had my very first experience with selling my wares from a vendor booth!

I only had about 2 weeks to prepare, so my booth was itty bitty, small potatoes compared to some of the booths there. But I did the best I could on short notice and I think it turned out fine.

I owe much thanks to some friends who helped make my vendor booth possible-- Sage, who gave me the idea, lots of encouragment and loaned me tables, and Deb who graciously loaned me the use of her canopy. I have fantastic friends!

One thing I definitely learned-- light weight tablecloths are not good when the wind blows! Even though we had them tied down, the wind puffed up and blew those light tablecloths easily, and lots of items on the table got moved around when that happened. I had to leave most of my pendulums bagged up together during the morning hours so they wouldn't roll away!

The rest of vendor's row at FRPP. There were about 6 other booths in the opposite direction from this view, including mine.

There were rituals, workshops, pagan bands, and other entertainment throughout the day. Nationally known pagan author and performer T. Thorn Coyle was our featured speaker, who lead us in some songs/chants and also meditations. But my favorite performance of the day-- the belly dancers! They were fantastic and performed for at least a half an hour.

Closing ceremony was a Blot ritual by a local Asatru (Norse/Viking) group, which was really interesting. The ritual came across as very empowering with the Hammer Rite, lots of praising and libating and hailing Odin.

Believe it or not, next year's FRPP is already in the works-- date set for October 1st, with Raven Grimassi and Stephanie Taylor as guest speakers. I'll be there!

Handmade Artist Opportunity

2010-09-16T15:12:00.004-06:00

If you create handmade items and have always thought, "I wonder if I should try selling online?"-- the answer is YES because ArtFire is offering an incredible opportunity right now with their Opt-In Group Deal.

Open a shop at ArtFire and sign up for the Opt-In Group Deal, and if 20,000 members sign up for the deal, your fees for a Pro Account will be just $5.95 a month! There are no hidden fees-- no listing fees, no re-listing fee every few months, no commission fees, and you can list as many items as you want-- for just $5.95 a month! Read more about this awesome opportunity here and find out about terms, conditions and FAQs here.

I have been at ArtFire for over a year now and I love this marketplace. And it just keeps getting better. It's simple to navigate and has lots of features for Pro-account sellers, like design customization for your studio, studio blog, easy networking and promotional tools for Twitter, Facebook, Stumble, and more. ArtFire Pro studios also have a global editor and the ability to create coupons which makes listing items and putting items on sale a total breeze.

So if you've been wanting to give e-commerce a try, DON'T MISS this limited time Opt-In Group Offer at ArtFire!

WIP Wednesday: Everything for FRPP

2010-09-15T07:20:00.000-06:00

Lots of work in progress this week as I get ready for vending at Front Range Pagan Pride day this upcoming Saturday, September 18th.

First off-- scarab beetles for necklaces and earrings!

And MORE scarab beetles in progress!

I've always wanted to try making pendulums. These will get a lentil shaped bead for the other end of the chain, to hold while using the pendulum. The bead on the left has African violet and gold leaf in it and has been polished, the one on the right has lavender buds and gold leaf and still needs to be buffed.

And lastly, egg rattles in progress. I thought these would be fun little items for those who like to go to drum &/or chant circles.

Still a lot to get done before Saturday, so I'd best get to it!

Front Range Pagan Pride

2010-09-13T22:34:00.005-06:00

Front Range Pagan Pride day is here in the Denver area this coming Saturday, September 18th-- and Into the Dawn Designs will be there as a vendor!

I'm very excited to be vending at FRPP this year! This all came about on very short notice, so I am working hard to create plenty of items to bring for my booth. Stay tuned this week for a sneak peek of just some of the pretties I'll have on hand. Such as...

... brooches/pins that will be perfect for cloaks, shawls, lapels or hat brims...

... fabulous fall faerie wear, like this golden aspen leaf necklace...

... or these brown and copper oak leaf earrings with fancy jasper...

More to come-- stay tuned! And come see me at Stapleton Central Park on MLKing Blvd. in Denver for FRPP this Saturday!

Feline Friday: Best Toy in the World

2010-09-10T07:24:00.001-06:00

We tempt the cats with catnip, we bring them rattley mice and crinkly foil balls and feathery wands-- but no, Dot thinks the best toy in the world is... this...

An empty cracker sleeve! YEAH!

It's sooooo much fun! It makes this great crinkly noise and...

NO! You can't have it! It's MY toy! MINE, MINE, MINE! Now go away and let me play!

Tarot for 2010~ 9th Moon

2010-09-09T08:38:00.001-06:00

Fall is in the air and the 9th moon has arrived. Here is the card I drew for this moon cycle back when I did my New Year's spread--

The Emperor (4)~

Opportunity for lofty ambitions and great authority this moon cycle! The Emperor is the ultimate patriarch, the ultimate father figure.

He represents power and a solid foundation-- a solid foundation is also represented by the cubes and cones. Cubes also represent looking at a situation from all sides, and cones remind me of "raising a cone of energy" and as well as the witch's hat, a symbol of wisdom. He also has his symbol of will power and action-- his wand; and he has his dagger, representing clear thought, drawing boundaries, cutting to the heart of the matter.

There are four runes on this card-- the most I've seen on any card in this deck so far. They are Uruz and Sowilo on the left, Tiwaz and Dagaz on the right. In their simplest definitions Uruz is potential, strength and wisdom; Sowilo is success and victory; Tiwaz is authority and leadership, and Dagaz is security and certainty-- all the characteristics the Emperor embodies.

Most likely this moon cycle will present me with opportunities that will require me to act like the Emperor and draw on those strengths within myself.

WIP Wednesday: Faux-ish Turquoise

2010-09-08T07:18:00.002-06:00

I've been wanting to play with techniques using acrylic paint on raw clay for a while now, so I decided a simple faux-ish turquoise effect would be a good place to start. What I was really going for was the interesting "veining" the paint creates more than making faux turquoise that looked so real it could fool ya.

The first part of the technique calls for chopping up your clay, which I did with my ripple blade. Then, the messy part-- slathering the chopped up pieces with black paint. I admit, I cheated. I didn't use my hands and get all goopy, I used an old paintbrush. Does this mean I get my Polymer Clay Smoosher card taken away?

After the paint dried-- and I won't lie to you, I got distracted and it had a nice long week or so to do that-- I smooshed all the clay back together into a nice little loaf shape. Then I made some bead cores with plain clay and covered them with slices from my faux-ish turquoise loaf.

I made round beads and played around with making some tube beads. It actually wasn't as easy to do this as I thought it would be. I'm not the best cane or loaf slicer, I'm still working on making even, thin slices. And then I had to roll and roll the beads in my hands to get them conditioned well. I think the paint stiffens or dries the clay a bit, which makes it hard to get a nice smooth surface.

At any rate, I'm happy with the faux-ish turquoise look I achieved and I think the beads will be perfect for what I have in mind once they've been varnished.

Halloween Extravaganza

2010-09-07T17:17:00.006-06:00

It's on the way! Only a few more weeks! Are you ready for Mrs. B's 31 Days of Halloween?

Over at Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom, Mrs. B is cooking up a horrifyingly good time for everyone who stops by. I've been participating in Mrs. B's Halloween fun since her very first year-- and it just gets bigger and better every year. To give you an idea of just how huge this blog event is, she's been planning and organizing since mid-August!

Seriously, you must check out festivities. Great decorating and craft ideas, yummy recipes, and lots of interesting guest blogger posts on everything and anything related to Samhain and Halloween. And don't forget the Haunted Blog Tour! Plus, this year so far she already has 43 Giveaway Sponsors, and Into the Dawn Designs is proud to be one of them.

Head on over right now to pick up a blog button to post on your blog BEFORE October begins-- this will earn you an EXTRA entry for every giveaway. And then join in the fun and mayhem beginning October 1st over at Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom for 31 Days of Halloween!

Smoosher Spotlight: Gingerbell's

2010-09-06T21:05:00.003-06:00

This week the spotlight focuses on the fantastic work of Polymer Clay Smooshers guild member Ginger of Gingerbell's. Whether it's polymer clay beads and pendants or her beautiful beadweaving, Ginger's work is incredibly intricate.

I have long admired Ginger's eye for color combinations whether it be subtle, like this swirled cabochon in her Blue Beauty Bead Embroidered necklace, or...

...the bold colors of these China Poppy pillow bead hair pins.

And look at the glittery shimmer in her pendant and beads for this Wild Thing Tiger Beadwoven necklace-- beautiful!

These are just a small sample of Ginger's gorgeous work-- so be sure to visit her shop to see her bangle bracelets, earrings, handmade buttons and beads. She also makes candles and soaps with yummy sounding scents like Black Amber & Lavender and Sandalwood & Ginger Apple.

You can also find Ginger and her beautiful jewelry at Gingerbell's Gifts, her blog.

Feline Friday: Paparazzi

2010-09-03T08:31:00.000-06:00

Moose says, "No photos. Please respect my privacy..."

"I said NO PICTURES! Hey! Did you hear me?!?!?"
**scuffle ensues**

Tarot Mosaic Box

2010-09-02T15:12:00.006-06:00

This month's PCSG challenge theme is "Medieval" and it was quite the challenge for me, coming up with an idea for something to create.

What are the Middle Ages known for? Kings and Queens and heroic knights, dragons and castles... I googled for more ideas and found that stained glass was popular in architecture during that time... and then I discovered that tarot cards became popular during the last 50 years or so of the Middle Ages-- BINGO!

I got out my clays and mica powders and started making mosaic tiles to go with some of the tarot transfer tiles I'd made a while back.

Because it took me forever to come with an idea for the challenge theme, I was running out of time and afraid I wouldn't get my idea finished before the deadline. So of course I had trouble figuring out how to fit together all the mosaic pieces. Then last night around 11 pm, everything began to fall into place...

Voila-- the Empress & Magician Tarot Mosaic box, completed just in time for today's challenge theme due date and available at IntotheDawn ArtFire.

Welcome September

2010-09-01T00:36:00.001-06:00

When the goldenrod is yellow,
And leaves are turning brown -
Reluctantly the summer goes
In a cloud of thistledown.

When squirrels are harvesting
And birds in flight appear -
By these autumn signs we know
September days are here.

~ Beverly Ashour