pin of the day

A Multi-Wavelength View of Radio Galaxy Hercules A by NASA Goddard Photo and Video, via Flickr

Source: flickr.com via Layla on Pinterest

Makes me think of this 

Planning the Holidays

Let me start with my giving you my two cents on the Holidays. A few years ago I heard the expression “we do the holidays we don’t buy them”  I like this. I don’t want it to be about things, I want it to be about our family and friends spending time with each other. Doing things and having fun. Secondly am not getting into any debate of who celebrates what or who celebrated it first or anything like that. What ever you celebrate is fine with me.

So if you have a long list of activities or crafts that you want to do this month. Or maybe you have board on Pinterest  full of Yule tide fun (If you don’t click on any of those links to get some really good ideas.) So you have all these ideas and good intentions, but how to get it all done? Well let me tell you what works for me.

First up find 15 free minuets and get your family calendar. Now gather your Book of Days or computer or where ever you have your ideas. Go through your calendar and find out where to plug activities in. I have a few different ways I organize these activities One is color code. I use
Green for Holidays and birthdays,
Red for all of my events/ things I need to do,
purple for meals,
and Orange for Little.

I also try to follow our Weekly rhythm that we honor the rest of the year:
Monday: Baking or make food
Tuesday: Painting
Wednesday: Adventure
Thursday: Garden day
Friday: Craft
Saturday: Market day
Sunday: rest

And so for example. Tomorrow the first we as a family are going to decorate and go though he house to find things to donate. Little and I are probably going to hit up a few craft fairs. Sunday I hope to do a little more scavenger hunt for more items to donate.  Monday we are going to try again to bake up either some clay or salt dough ornaments to give as gifts. We will probably bake up a batch of cookies to give to someone. On Tuesday we will paint said ornaments and maybe some paper to wrap gifts with. Wednesday I am hoping we will be going to the Zoo to see the reindeer. If not Maybe go and visit some of the local stores that are doing toy drives. Thursday is garden day and so we will make some bird feeders for our little feathered friends. Friday I am going to try to teach her to finger weave and if that doesn’t work we are going to cut out snow flakes and put them up on the windows. Maybe make a paper garlend to decorate with. 

As you can see it is just one little (or big) thing a day, but it makes the holidays memorable  full of fun. Having it all planned out means I know we will get to it all and I can slow down and enjoy the activity we are participating in at the moment. Hope this helps you enjoy your holiday season.

(Note: the calendar above is the oh so awesome Flylady calendar you can get at the shop on Flylady.net, The framed sheet above has my list of chores to do morning, before dinner, and after dinner, next to that is a grocery list holder that my grandfather made, below that the rainbow sheet has our weekly rhythm posted)

The red kettle is always hard for me. On one hand I want to help those in need, on the other telling people to pray away gay or supporting governments that are trying to make it legal to KILL gay people is not a value I can support. So I have decided to print up a bunch of these vouchers and number them. For each voucher I give to the Salvation Army, Hubs and I will donate a dollar to our local food bank.

Feminist Philosophers

One these vouchers, explaining your lack of support for bigotry.

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pin of the day

Source: fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net via Helen “Poppy” on Pinterest

Women & Science

Adventures and Musings of an Arch Druidess

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Full Moon

Full Moon, Shining Bright.
Grant me the Wish I wish tonight.

pin of the day

I am as you well know quite taken with trees. This is one of my first pins on my board art. My hubs (being the good and sneaky man he is) stalked my pinterest found this pin and bought me the print for my birthday.

Source: redbubble.com via Helen “Poppy” on Pinterest

“only a witch can make a witch”

If you have been around the pagan community for more than 5 minuets  you have heard these words. I have heard them over and over, from various different sources, and over time had many thoughts about these words. At first I thought it was pure rubbish. Recently I have begun to think they may be true. Wait wait hear me out. I think the words are true, but of course I think the way they are used is wrong. I think the general recognized meaning of these words is false, and should be examined.

The idea that the only way to become a witch is to be taught by the right person, with the right tradition, and the right level of initiation is utter and complete hogwash. Is it helpful to learn from someone? you bet. Is it nice to have some one to talk over new ideas and concepts? of course! Is another person needed? no they are not needed. it is nice but not necessary. If you have read either this interview or this one about how I came to this path then you can see quite clearly why I think this way. In short I thought I made this religion up and was practicing i,t when I found Power of the Witch in the library. I then learned other people practiced it too. Call it divine inspiration, collective consciousness,  or what you will but having that experience taught me that I didn’t need to depend on someone else for my spiritual well-being.

That said I DO believe that only a witch can make a witch, and that witch is the witch her or himself. Again I think that paganism is a religion of personal responsibly. So putting your validity in someone else’s hands is just loony to me. I have heard the argument that people read a few books (or internet sites) and think they are a witch. First off what of it. lots of folks read a little about a spiritual path and then choose to follow it or claim it. When are you a witch after the first step the 100th or the 1000th on the path? I would argue that you can say I am a believer of this faith at any point. I have seen this time and time again where my students (and this has been almost everyone that has found me) calls me up and says “I think I am a witch.” having declared yourself as a believer of said faith, or as a witch. declares ones intention, and does indeed make said person a witch. Thereby the witch has made themselves a witch.

After this first step of declaration and decided that you are a witch, then the study really begins and it is not reading a book or two it is reading hundreds if not thousands of books. It is reading new stuff and old stuff. Science stuff and nature stuff. It is practicing and tying things on and seeing how they fit with you. I it is praying and meditating to find your path. Saying “I’m a witch” means among other things that you have just made a life long oath to always be learning.  It is taking a life long oath to be true to yourself and to follow that path that is set for you. You are the only one in the end that can make you anything. Through work and study and experience and life you make yourself a witch.

And so it is true only a witch can make a witch, for you are the only person that can make you anything.

pin of the day full moon

Source: androidsoft4u.com via Helen “Poppy” on Pinterest

to who ever stalked my page yesterday

Thank you! you helped me reach a goal I had! and now my next reads per day goal is set for 50 higher!