Dracula
On Thursday night my baby boy had emergency surgery and passed away. My heart has shattered. Some pets leave imprints on your life that will always remain. He was barely 2 years old but because of his sweet personality he had a huge impact on my family. Everybody who met him fell in love. He had such a remarkable personality for a cat and I can’t believe his life was so short. He was fine one day and gone the next. I took him to the vet because he seemed to be breathing funny and I didn’t think it was a big deal. They took xrays and found an air pocket outside of his lungs. They did surgery and he passed away. We will never know what caused it or why. That’s so hard, not knowing why. And wondering if I could have done something different. I know the grieving process and I know time will make it easier but right now I feel like I’m in a nightmare. I just want to stop crying and hurting. My mom is a wreck too. We took his body to be cremated and we pick him up tomorrow. We are going to spread his ashes under his favorite tree in the backyard.
Please send your thoughts to my family and I, we are all devastated.
Rest In Peace, you beautiful monster.
Live With Intention
Live with intention.
Walk to the edge.
Listen hard.
Practice wellness.
Play with abandon.
Laugh.
Choose with no regret.
Appreciate your friends.
Continue to learn.
Do what you love.
Live as if this is all there is.-Mary Anne Radmacher
I first saw this quote on a journal cover and every time I read it, each line makes me smile. I absolutely love it.
Which line stands out most to you? Do you have any favorite quotes?
Some of my Favorite Rocks
One of my absolute favorite hobbies is collecting rocks, minerals, and crystals! Since I was little I was obsessed with picking them up on walks and buying them in little shops. I love the energy in them and when I hold them I feel my spirits lift. I am amazed at the beauty that comes from this earth. Here are a few of my favorites! And don’t forget to check out my crystal creations on Etsy.
Wolves Outside The Window
The Dream:
My boyfriend and I were in our room sitting on the bed. It was night time. In the corner of my eye I saw something outside the window. Eric pointed in the distance and we noticed it was a pack of wolves roaming in the yard. I didn’t want the wolves around so I went to the window and started shouting through it, hoping to scare them away. My voice wasn’t loud enough so I started to pound on the glass. That attracted their attention and they came menacingly towards the window. I was getting scared. One of them jumped up and growled and snarled at me. His saliva was smearing on the window. I had the impression he was hungry and really wanted to eat me.
My Interpretation:
I am standing behind a window. Glass is fragile; it will only hold the wolves back for so long before it breaks. The ravenous wolves represent some issue/problem that I need to face. I need to stop hiding behind a fragile barrier and confront my problems. A window should be a peaceful thing that offers a view of the outside and let’s light in. The wolves are upsetting my peace of mind and my inner-self is telling me I need to face them in order to move on.
I have suspicions but if only I knew for sure what this problem was!
Au revoir,
Kristin
Gilded Tarot Cards
I gilded my own Tarot cards.
I’ve always wanted a gilded Tarot deck but I don’t like any that I’ve seen. That inspired me to make my own gilded cards. I got some paint markers and rubber-banded my cards super tight. I colored one side at a time, pinching the deck close together where I was painting. I crossed my fingers while they dried, undid the band, and voila! I was surprised it worked so well. As you can see in the last photo there was some bleeding onto the face of the cards but it blends ok with the borders, I don’t mind at all! I think they came out fantastically.
I was happy with the results so I did silver on another deck. It’s less noticeable but still adds a touch of glimmer.
Au revoir,
Kristin
Placerita Canyon
These are some pictures from a hike through beautiful Placerita Canyon a few weeks ago. It was a warm day but down in the canyon it was cool and damp. The place feels so alive and magical. I love the smell of the air, the birds, all kinds of plants and trees… I live in a desert so it’s fascinating to see this much lush greenery!
Review of: Mystic Dreamer Tarot
The Mystic Dreamer Tarot by Barbara Moore is a popular deck. The companion book is very detailed and thoroughly discusses each card, making it great for beginners. The symbolism follows the Rider-Waite style. The court cards are Page, Knight, Queen, King. The deck itself is very feminine, featuring young and good-looking characters. At first I felt this was better suited for a teenager but the more I handled the cards and read with them, the more I began to love them. If I had to use one word to describe this deck I would use Lush. Every card has so much detail and activity going on! I’m not a fan of the borders but I can live with that. Overall I do recommend this deck. I recommend any of Barbara Moore’s books and decks.
Au revoir,
Kristin
Altar Space
I decided to share pictures of my altar because of this post by The Pink Pagan. Most of you probably look at this and think, what the heck, that’s not an altar! Compared to a Wiccan altar mine is very UN-conventional. All the spiritual work I do is with Tarot and Crystals so that’s what takes up my altar space. Although I really do need a table soon! To me, an altar has no definitive setup. An altar can be any little space where you place objects that are special to you. It can be a place to relax, meditate, worship, and connect to your spirituality. And like The Pink Pagan said “…it should be sacred to you–not anyone else.“
Click the photos below for a larger view.
To Love The Skin You’re In
You will need:
- A glass jar, a glass bowl, or any kind of glass vessel
- 3 petals from any flower
- A dash of sugar
- An opal, or a citrine crystal, or rhodonite or rhodochrosite. If you do not have any of these stones, go outside for a walk and pick up the first stone that attracts your eye.
Cleanse your chosen stone by running it under water until you feel it is refreshed. Hold the stone between your palms and think of all the things you don’t like about yourself, all the reasons you are self-conscious. Imagine the stone absorbing all that negative energy and feel your spirits lift as you do this.
Place your stone into the vessel and fill it with water. Sprinkle the sugar in the water and visualize the sweetness overcoming the negative thoughts you sent into the stone. Next take the 3 petals and drop them in 1 at a time, saying the following or something similar: I am charming. I am beautiful. I am confident.
Place the vessel on your bathroom counter for 3 days. On the 3rd day take the vessel outside and pour the contents onto the ground. The power of your ritual is now fully released. You may retrieve your stone or leave it.
Now go out into the world and walk with your head held high and a smile on your face!
(I created this ritual. Please do not copy or publicly post it without my permission.)
Au revoir,
Kristin
A Relationship Spread
I want to share this rather intricate relationship spread I did, using my Tarot of the Mystic Spiral deck. The left cards represent myself, the right cards represent my boyfriend, the middle 3 represent us together. Below are a few of the strong cards I read.
The cards were spot-on about my boyfriend: The Emperor and the Hermit show he is a leader and a deep thinker. The 10 of Pentacles shows he values family, tradition, stability, and wealth. The Queen of Swords shows his honesty.
My side was a little harder for me to read. The Hierophant and the Moon are almost opposite but I believe they show my constant search for knowledge and my (possibly hindering) over-active imagination. The 2 of Swords shows my struggle with my unpleasant past. The 10 of Cups shows my desire for a peaceful life.
In the middle, representing our relationship, the Ace of Cups shows strong emotions, intimacy, and love. The other two I am confused about. Does anybody have opinions about how the 7 of cups and the King of Pentacles could be defining our relationship? Any insight on what they could mean?
Au revoir,
Kristin
Awards and a New Year
I’ve seen these awards on other blogs but never expected to get any for myself! It’s wonderful that strangers from all over the world come together and recognize each other. In this crazy internet universe it’s a small comfort knowing our words are being seen and appreciated.
Apparently the origin of this first one is a mystery! Nobody is sure where it came from or who received it first. I got mine from the sweet Lumina and it makes me smile knowing she thought about me! Thank you Lumina! To pass it on, I would like to give it to the anonymous author of darkbutlife.com for her amazing spirit and strength.
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This second award came from the resilient Tracy, thank you so very much. I would like to pass it along to Cassandra, who was the first blog I followed when I started mine. Her blog is filled with awesome information and I find her Tarot posts inspiring.
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I can’t find a definitive “rule book” for either award but along with passing them on, it looks like you’re supposed to mention 7 things about yourself, so here they are:
- I love living in California.
- I have too many cats.
- I hate elevators.
- My nickname in high school was The Mute (because I was too shy to talk to anybody).
- I’m 5’10″ and used to hate being tall, until I met my 6’3″ boyfriend.
- If I had one wish I would live back in the 1700 or 1800′s.
- I want to visit Scotland before I die.
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PS- I WOULD LIKE TO WISH EVERYBODY A WONDERFUL 2013!
Au revoir,
Kristin
52 Reasons
For the holidays I didn’t know what to get for my man because he buys anything he wants or needs already. It’s also close to our 1-year anniversary so I decided to hand make something special. I kept a piece of paper on me for a few days and wrote down 52 reasons I love him. Using a deck of playing cards I created a little book of 52 Reasons I Love You.
You will need scrapbook stickers and whatever else you want to decorate with, sand paper, glue, a hole puncher, 2 notebook rings, and of course a deck of cards (I used this antique style deck).
Because the cards are glossy you have to sand them first! That will prevent your paper and stickers from coming off later. I glued small pieces of paper onto the cards then cut my stickers and decorated them. After that I wrote 1 reason on each. Then I punched holes in every one (I picked a spot in the design on the back and punched that same spot on each card). This is what my final product came out like!
I was the lucky one though because in return I got this beautiful promise ring!
Happy Holidays
Whatever holiday you are celebrating this time of year, may it be with family and friends and good food!
Treasure Hunting
I had this weird dream about treasure hunting. I was following a map and it led me to a beach where I noticed some caves and cliffs. The treasure was in a cave but it was hard to get to because the waves would crash in and fill the cave. I dived in and it took me multiple tries to get into the cave but once I did I waited for a wave to recede then frantically started digging in the sand. Sure enough I started finding tiny pieces of gold. Waves kept coming in and I had to hold a ledge and hold my breathe while the water filled the cave. It was forceful and rough, blowing my hair into my face and pushing me against the rough rocky walls. The water would recede and I would start digging again. I found more gold and trinkets but only had a small box to carry them in. When I finally finished I swam back out of the cave and brought my treasure to a friend who lived in a hut. That is the end.
Interpretation coming later :)
Au revoir,
Kristin
What is Paganism?
Recently a fellow blogger wrote this post about Paganism and I was inspired to write my own post. I will be happy if just one person stumbles upon this and I can enlighten them.
The negative stigma attached to Paganism makes me so unbelievably sad. People who don’t understand something are so quick to judge it. Paganism is the bigger term that encompasses many other spiritual paths such as Wicca, Druidry, and Shamanism. These paths are not evil and malicious. They are not a cult. There are no leaders or “bibles” that dictate how to live.
Paganism can be called a religion but if you ask a Pagan they will tell you it’s a way of life. We are led by our own inner instincts. We seek higher spiritual insight. We adore the earth and we find magic in nature. Some of us believe in Deities and some do not. Paganism is a very diverse spiritual community and you can’t fit us into a mold. To me, that is why Paganism is so beautiful; Each one of us might follow a different path (as mentioned above) but our open-mindedness and spirituality unites us.
Next time you are confronted with something you don’t understand, don’t judge it or be afraid of it. Open your mind and you might be surprised by what you discover.
“Walk lightly, breathe deeply, harm none…“
- Scott Cunningham
Au revoir,
Kristin
Happiness…
“ It is almost impossible to describe happiness, because at the time it feels entirely natural, as if all the rest of your life has been the aberration; only in retrospect does it swim into focus as the rare and precious thing it is. When it is present, it seems to be eternal, abiding forever, and there is no need to examine it or clutch it. Later, when it has evaporated, you stare in dismay at your empty palm, where only a little of the perfume lingers to prove that once it was there, and now is flown. ”
- Margaret George
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