Teaser Post....

So I came across an interesting post on Facebook today, that lead to me doing some digging today. Long story short, it was talking about an empath who was having problems dealing with their gift. Got me thinking and looking around, and all I can really say now is... more to follow. Going to do some more research, and digging. But does seem like a very interesting topic that I should really be looking into.

Mercury Retrograde

OK, so I am the kinda witch that will read my Zodiac AFTER the fact, and realize, DAMN, maybe I should have stayed in bed. I am also one who usually doesn't give much notice to the Astrological Pain in the Ass.......

MERCURY RETROGRADE(*Spooky Music).

 Personally, I have never noticed much different during the time, and in fact, it usually passes by me without me even knowing it. Not this year!

I am hoping that since it is 900 pm here in Germany, that it is safe for me to talk about this. So pretty much all month, I have been having problems with my phone. First, for some reason, all my contacts that were saved to the SIM card are gone, but still there. I can search through the history, and they are there, but when I go to search the contacts, they are gone. I tried, to save the info from the history, but no luck, the phone thinks it is on the SIM. Also tried to add a new contact, didn't save, but saved. Then by great "Smart phone" decided what it would be fun to just randomly turn off while in my pocket. Yes the phone was locked, and there is no way for the pocket to turn it off, since it was the shoulder pocket of my ACU's. Then it would just turn off when I would put it on my desk. The past couple of days, when I would plug it in to charge, it couldn't make up its mind whether it was charging or not. So that has been the drama with the phone. So over the weekend I was trying to check one of my email accounts and was told that my user name had been locked. That's weird, cause I was just on it 5 minutes before when my computer decided to crap out on me for a min. All that being said, I think I have learned my lesson.
 So what have I learned over the past 3 weeks? Know when to take a step back. Things have been so crazy at work, that sometimes, I just need to remember that I am only one person, and I have other commitments that I have to take care of as well. Maybe sometimes, I need to focus more on my family than my work.
Oh yeah, and keep an eye out for that evil Mercury Retrograde and what lessons may come along with it, cause they will come whether you are ready for them or not.
So how has this Mercury Retrograde treated you, and have you done anything in the past or present to prepare for it? Let me know, I would love to hear the stories.

Pagan Blog Project - Quiet

Have you ever taken the time to think of how much noise we encounter in a typical day. As part of my job, I teach a week long class that has one hour dedicated to the effects of noise. In that class noise is defined as any unwanted sound. For example, while you may have a favorite band, and a favorite song, not many people would appreciate hearing it blasted at top volume at 2:30 in the morning. Or those of us who have children, while I love to hear Alex talk, as he almost always manages to crack me up, there are just some times, that I wish he would stop. These would be considered noise. We like our music, and listening to our children, but not all the time.
In this class about noise, I teach about the potential damage that can be done, as well as the impact on a Soldier if the experience too much noise. Last time I taught this class it got me thinking, if we can be physically damaged by noise, why not spiritually. Our ears need time to recoup from being bombarded by sounds and noises all day, that's why music in your car may seem louder first thing in the morning than when you go home at night, so why wouldn't our minds (spirits, souls, etc). I have noticed lately that the more things I have going on in my life, the more sounds there seems to be around me on a constant basis, and the more out of sorts I tend to feel. Whether its traffic outside my window, the train station across the street, listing to people talk, doing housework, or just sitting down writing this, I am surrounded by sounds.
So, again id our bodies (ears) need a chance to recover, why not minds (again spirits, souls, etc.) Have you ever had those few times, where it seems like there is nothing going on. No movement and best of all NO NOISES! How did it make you feel, Think about it real hard. Some people are actually nervous about quiet times. Me, I think I have been downrange and in the Army too long, to be nervous about quiet. I love when I get the chance to just sit somewhere, and hear nothing. I'm not talking about having earplugs in, but just one of those rare instances, where it is actually quiet. What do I do? ENJOY IT! Take a moment to just relax. Funny enough, this happens almost every time, I am in my sacred space. While I might be vaguely aware of certain things going on in the "mundane" (yes I went there and said it) world, once I am in my sacred space, it is so peaceful and QUIET that I almost hate to leave it. I enjoy it so much that I am making it a goal of mine to have a regular "date" with my sacred space. Whether it just sitting down to ground myself (which I need very much lately), or just doing some magical house cleaning. I am slowly beginning to see how important this quiet time is to me. Plus, between you and me, it is the only chance I have to be by myself.

So try to be like Linus. Find somewhere comfortable, and just enjoy the moment of peace and quiet.

Picture of my Quiet Space as it was set up for Samhain 2011

Busy, busy, frustration, busy

So finally bit the bullet and got Alex enrolled in Pre-school, he starts on Monday. While we still have not conquered the Potty Training Mountain yet, I am hoping this will help. He will only be in school for 3 hours in the morning, 3 days a week, but hopefully it will be enough to help him expend some energy, make some friends, and be around kids more. Not to mention it will get him and Steve out of the house. Then, while I was at Central Registration, I got him enrolled in Strong Beginnings that will start with the new school year. It is basically a Pre-K program that will get him ready for Kindergarten next year.

Right now I am just feeling really frustrated. Between being exhausted from having to be into work early, not getting to bed till late because Alex wont go to sleep until late, and being the only one who does anything in the house, and being the only one who takes the dog out, I am just exhausted and frustrated. What I would really like to do, is just take some time to myself, light my altar, and sit there. The problem is, I have to wait till Alex gets to sleep, or else it will be a waste of time, and then have to get the dog out. There is just not enough hours in the day. I am hoping that since I will be taking Alex to school in the mornings, that Steve will at least take Kovu out in the morning, so I will still have time to get myself, and Alex ready.

Plus on top of that, I am still "dealing" with the family issues back home. There has still been no resolution, and I am not sure when there will be, and when there is, how will it impact me in the future. Plus, with the transformation at work, no one seems to understand that we still have to do our mission, even though we will be falling under a new higher HQ's. Everyone is focused on the fact that they should be doing our mission, and not us. Technically, that would be true, but we still have people here, and as long as we are, we are going to do the mission as best as we can.

Pagan Blog Project - K for Kitchen Witch

When it comes to magic and witchcraft, there are more forms and types than one person could even begin to list. One in particular seems to be fitting to many of us with family, whether we realize it or not. That would be Kitchen Magic. This is especially true for me. While I may not always want to cook, I do enjoy it. I actually took some time to try to think about why. The way I see it, everyone needs food to survive. When I am in the kitchen cooking something for my family, even if its pre-made), I am provinding the nurishment that they need. While I may not be fully aware of it, I am putting my energy into what ever it is that I am making. In turn my family eats it, and gets a little bit of that energy. After thinking about that, and coming to that realization, I have decieded that I am going to be more careful about how I cook. By this I mean, making sure I have my emotions and energy in control when I am preparing the food. There is no sense in passing on what I am feeling to my family

Blessed Beltane

Beltane is a time when the Goddess and God have consummated their relationship, and the signs of the fertility that returned at Ostara can really be seen. This is definitely the case here in Germany. The past couple of weeks, it has been chilly, rainy and windy. Well lo and behold, over the weekend, it gets warmer, and everything is so GREEN! The flowers on the bushes where I work are even starting to get flowers on them.
So what have I done to celebrate this? Well I just got my altar lit up, will post pictures to my Picassa Album later (so check it out in the next couple of days). I also used the time to enjoy the warm weather by spending some time outside after work. Even Alex was in on the fun for most of the day. It is so nice that things are starting to get nice enough to spend some time outside.
While my energy is not back up to where I would like it to be, I am beginning to feel better now that the weather is getting nicer. Of course that could be from finally being almost done with school for the semester (one more final to take tomorrow). So no matter where you are in the world, please take the time to enjoy what they are giving us at this great time of year. I LOVE WARM WEATHER!

Gonna keep it short tonight, still gonna go and sit at my altar, and do a "Blessing" on mine and hubbies wedding rings in honor of the Goddess and God
HAPPY BELTANE EVERYONE!
Alles Gute zum Beltane

PBP - H for Home Blessing

As I stated in my post from last week, we spend allot of time in our home, and for many Pagans it is also our place of worship. The problem with this is that so many people come and go in this space, that they tend to leave residual energy behind. This can really be an issue if you are renting the place you live in, or even live with someone else. All this left over energy can really weight you down. That's why I think that its important to periodically do a cleansing or blessing on your living space. The one that I am including is from my personal book of shadows. If you like it, please feel free to use it, change it, or completely ignore it if you choose.
What you will need:
Incense of choice, or smudge bundle (I use Sage in either)
Besom
Blessed Water

Even though this is a spiritual/ energy cleansing, it is always good to start with a clean space. Get the good old vacuum and dust rag out, and get the physical clutter out.
I always begin at my altar. If you would like you can cast your circle, but I find that this just adds an unneeded step.
Build up your energy. This should be energy that you will use to push out the negative unwanted.
Visualize a bubble building around you from the ground up. Picture it surrounding you from your feet to your head.
- If you are in an apartment, as I am, picture a barrier between your floor, and the ceiling below you. You only want your energy in this bubble, not the whole building.
Build the bubble until it touches you ceiling. If you have multiple stories, start with one at a time.
Picture your bubble anchored in one spot as you begin to walk your living space. Expand the bubble with you as you walk.
- When you finish the first floor move to the next
As your bubble expands, picture it pushing all the negative energy out.
If you live in an apartment, reinforce anywhere there is a shared space, (walls, floors, ceilings)
If you like, and if it makes it easier, feel free to walk with your besom to sweep the energy out.
Pick a chant or words that you like. I use "Out, about, I turn you out, All that dawdles here, I turn you out."
Once complete, be sure to ground the excess energy that you have raised. After all, you have just gotten rid of the stagnant energy, and don't want to start accumulating some more.
If you would like, you can take blessed water, and sprinkle it in the corners of your space.

I hope you like, and maybe even got some ideas.
Blessed Be!

PBP - H for Home

Home is the place where you live, whether its an apartment, house, motel, dorm, barracks, or a spare room in someone Else's home. So what does this have to do with being Pagan? Well since many of us practice in our homes alone, it also becomes our place of worship. Ideally, there should be somewhere where you can be alone with your chosen entity. Of course this is not always possible, We have family, friends, roommates, and neighbors, that can prevent this. What is important is that when you go to worship, you are able to relax. With so many people in our homes everyday, allot of energy can be kicked up and left around both good and bad. This can effect how you are able to worship. If there is a lot of negative energy hanging around, it can make it difficult. Personally, what I do, is before I begin, I take a few minutes to ground and center myself and get rid of the energy in the immediate area of where I will be working. Of course, there are times when this may not be enough. As I have my own energy issues right now, I will be addressing this next week. This was just an intro on the topic.