Beltane - AKA May Day

Hope ya'll had a Blessed Beltane peeps!

As luck would have it, our family had many non-faith activities on the calendar for May 1 this year. We did spend a lot of time outdoors - which is pretty typical for us. I had planned several fun activities (a craft and bonfire) that frankly just did not pan out with all the other things we had going on that day. I am not one to push kids to miss other fun things for most holidays. 

I had planned to make friendship bracelets with lovely colorful floss. I was thinking they would be a lovely creative and magickal activity. Alas, they are time consuming and we simply did not get to them. I did however take a photo as part of my planning.

I like to associate rose pink and wode blue with Beltane. I tend to think of roses too. I find the imagery of denim and flowers quite nice for this holiday. I particularly like to wear blue jeans, go barefoot outside wearing either flowers or a flower pattern or a pastel. (If you aren't from the south you may not be aware that the right blue jeans can be formal wear. True story. Promise!) This time, We just wore casual every day clothes. That's just how it is sometimes. We go with the flow. 

Our whole little family went outside and used one of our beloved mature trees as a Maypole. I lit some rose incense in the grove, which was really nice. The smoke kind of wound around us and smelled so nice! We had a good time and lots of laughter as we tried to weave a lovely pattern. In the end it was kinda wonky but just filled with love. While we were out there we blew some bubbles and enjoyed a nice spring breeze. We also took a minute to check on the little plants that have sprung up from the seeds we planted from our eggs at the Spring Equinox.


Inside the house we lit a rose colored candle complete with a white stripe spiraling around it representing the May Pole. We dedicated it to renewed creativity and abundance of Beltane and allowed it to burn all the way down. 

I enjoyed reading this article from the BBC. It would be so nice to have an inclusive town celebration such as those described in the article. Can you imagine this in the south? HA! 

I would love to read about how you observed Beltane! 
I wish you renewed creativity and abundance!

~Alette  )0(

Month Two of Box of Shadows!

Greetings!

So Jazzed! I received my second Box of Shadows via post! I can't describe the feeling of finding that package in the mailbox. I did not realize just how much I would look forward to the surprise of whats inside. I was so excited I just kind of tore into it - then I took a picture of the treasures inside! So far, I am enjoying this new adventure.

The facts: $40 per month, renews automatically, communication via email. Simple. 

What's inside this month?

I am just jazzed with this months box. It appears to be spring themed - which is just perfect! As you can see in the photo, there is a bundle of sage, some chime candles, Rose incense, a wooden incense plate, a rose quartz stone, a malachite bracelet, a large funky pentacle, a package of "Painless Moments"  loose tea and a tea ball. 

Ever the ecology sweetheart I recycle - my cat has decided this box, now empty- is destined to be his. I will post about the next BoS crate next month. Excitement! X)

Every kitty, ever, needs a good box or fifty!

Blessed Be~

Alette ♥

I ♥ my cat.

I adore my Cat. Yes this little post is about my favorite fuzzy buddy - my beloved Skitty. 

At this very moment as I type this, 

He is draped across my thigh. 

His furry arms outstretched and limp. 

His breathing is steady and his body warm. 

His tail is slightly curled.

Occasionally he makes little sounds of contentment. 

In a moment he will stretch, and bound down to the floor in a beautiful single fluid motion. 

He will curl up at my feet, and wave his tail expressively as I speak to him-

 before going back to peaceful sleep. 

My cat is pure soft stripey joy with cute little ears and long whiskers. 

Yes, I adore my Skitty Cat. 

That cute little thing he does with one ear turned....♥

***

I wish you all good meaow for now, 

Alette ♥

Working on Me and finding a well tempered Roar

I realized through reading peoples group Facebook posts that I often actually have something constructive to say. Huh. Who Knew? I guess I should not be all that surprised because the last few years I have experienced a great deal of personal growth, clarity, and awareness.

I did a little online quiz recently and it posed questions, the answers were based on choosing a tarot card out of a set of six or more. I don't usually do the whole on line quiz thing but I figured I would give this one a shot. What it told me was interesting. It stated the following:

"Your subconscious is hiding a strong confidence and sense of power. The Tarot reveal that you're a natural born leader with a strong sense of self. You're determined, hardworking, confident, eager, and highly attractive. You have a mission in life and there's nothing stopping you. Very few things are able to get you down because you're certain of your true purpose in life. Trust your intuition, never doubt yourself and when you feel your most confident....spread your wings and fly! You're able to accomplish great things when you trust your gut instinct and rely on your impressive capabilities!"

That's right! It claims that I need to step out, find my voice, and roar like a lion. 

I have long stayed in the shadows in most areas of life. I keep a distance from the cliques and chatty groups. I don't go for block parties and neighborhood haha's. I avoid the drama filled PTA bullies. I allow a bit of space around myself.

Then I began to ask myself "why?". I realized a few things over time. One is that I pick up on the energy and emotion of people around me (sometimes animals too). Two is that I lack the confidence to include myself - or perhaps I lack the confidence that other people will behave well - and that I, in turn, will know how to handle that. (As a child I was always told that I was too sensitive. I often used to take things very personally and automatically perceive others behavior as somehow my fault.)

This is where that growth, clarity, and awareness comes in. These things are often hard won. We all have things to work through, sometimes we don't even know what they are. I have found as my meditation has increased so has my ability to gain clarity. With clarity comes awareness. Now that I am more aware I have been able to tackle some personal issues that had been previously hidden from my conscience. Now when I say that, I mean issues regarding my own understanding of  my childhood scenes, or perspectives of others in past situations, or past hurts that could not quite put my finger on. Once I really worked on these things, I enjoyed growth. Now I am able to see the world and myself through a clean spiffy lens.

Lately I have adopted the "Thou shall taketh no shit" policy. I tend to live in a state of neutral. I am fairly well balanced - according even to my Birkman score. I am generally just me. When I have to engage with the world I am sometimes caught off guard. Other peoples energy can just whamp me on my petootie if I am not careful. After the fact I find myself wishing I had said X, Y, and Z - but by then it is too late. So, this brings me back to the "Thou shall taketh no shit" policy. I am kind of tired of being run over, through, and around. I am asserting myself a bit more and stepping out there. I am readying my ROAR - with wisdom! 

Another thing I have gained with my clean spiffy lens is a wonderful personal peace. This has come with the clarity to know when to just not respond. Not everything requires a roar. I am better able to see when the issue of someone elses rudeness is actually completely a projection of their own issues - and actually has zero to do with who I am. I can feel their energy and read it now, instead of just being waylaid by the force of it. Awesome. I feel free. 

Find, and temper, your own roar! I say to you - look within. Meditate. Ask yourself why? Why do "I" feel.... Do this from a place of being ready to accept responsibility for your own issues, shortcoming, and prepared to make the changes necessary to be better! Where it really was your fault - go back and apologize. Then leave the issue there. Done. Over. Ask yourself how you can do things better today, then yesterday - and treat yourself kindly. Understand that you can not force another person to react a certain way, or fix their own issues. That is not your responsibility. You can fix you and then move on being happy with personal growth, clarity, and awareness.

I wish you love and light;  personal growth, clarity, and awareness; and a well tempered roar!
Blessed Be loves!
Alette
)0(

March Fun~ as we Welcome Spring, celebrate Irish Heritage, and have a good time!

March. What a fantastic month. So many amazing fun things about March - it is a beautiful month in nature! Everything begins to bloom. We observe the equinox and welcome spring!

We begin to really celebrate the turning of the season with the spring equinox. We visited some beautiful natural places as a family. We talked about the changes occurring around us in nature. We played "Flower Bingo" where each player tries to be the first to point to certain flowers and trees.

I burn Rose incense this month to welcome new blooms. Makes me feel all springy even if it may still be a bit on the chilly side. I have also burned it, while meditating, out doors before the buds popped.

I offered springy mandalas to each of the kids to color along with a new box of colored pencils and a personal sketch pad. I personally love anything that encourages artistic expression! Gaia covers the world with blooms at this time, and I find it inspirational to color on paper along with her.

This is also the month where our family ventures out into the wildflowers for photos! This is one of my favorite traditions because I display the photos in my home and share the photos with extended family.

Goddess and God egg for the Egg Tree

One fun project we began a few springs ago is to create a Deco Egg Tree. We color fake eggs for hanging in a tree. We collect a new fallen branch and hang some home decorated eggs on it indoors, with new ones being added each season.

This year we used Crayola Scribble Eggs which I found on a lark in CVS. Both colored pencils and crayons worked wonderfully on these. (Do note that markers are not so good on these, oddly they just rub off.)

Our family also has an egg hunt. We use plastic eggs that (we parents pre) filled with seeds. We plant the seeds in the flower bed at the end of the collecting and we "welcome spring, little seeds". In a few weeks we will have a lovely new flower garden. Next year we may do this with veggie seeds as well.

Something about spring time just screams bubbles to me! We bought new bubble bottles and took time this weekend to get out and just play with the bubbles. No one is ever too old for the simple wonder of bubbles in the breeze.

Another BIG thing we do in march is celebrate Irish Heritage on March 17, and around then too. This year marked the 100th year of freedom in Ireland. As a decedent of Irish Patriots, I can not express how proud I am of this accomplishment which overcomes 700 years of oppression - with a century of freedom! This month, although not actually Irish, we enjoy Corned beef and cabbage a few times. This meal has other significance for me as well, as its origins in NYC are also part of my Irish heritage. We celebrate the new season of spring as well as the new seasons of prosperity in Ireland. (I am just gonna sit this here: I bleed Brian Boru Blue!)

At this time we discuss family history, genealogy, and in timeless oral tradition - the stories of "my" people. This, is just as I grew up with at the knee of my elders. I just can not express how much this means to me!

Although not specifically related to any of the other things, my kids just love baking cookies - so we did that too. We broke out some colored sugar and made festive colorful tasty treats.

Ideas for next year:
*Write prayer on small paper and roll it into the scribble egg. Glue shut with small ribbon for hanging. NEVER open the eggs.
*Egg relays. I plan to come up with some plastic egg games.

The following link is something I really like! I plan to do this myself on Friday. It will be the last day of March, and I can not think of a better way to personally take time with my Gods, the Trees, and welcome spring in a very personal ritual! I feel quite kindered with this youtuber (Anni at MIRTHandREVERENCE)- I deeply admire her and her practice, ethic, and honesty. That is not something I say lightly.
Awesome video here:
"Season of Air - Spell of the Four Winds"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OlDxVLk8tw

Blessed Be Friends!
~Alette ♥

My First Box of Shadows arrived!

Recently, I was delighted to find the arrival of my first Box of Shadows! I have never done the monthly crate thing before but have heard good things. I decided that this would be a good place to start. 

No, it was not free. I subscribed on a lark! I have been really looking forward to receiving this first box. I chose the priestess box at apx. $40 monthly. I do not have a shop nearby (Yes, I know, that is a lot of money to be committed to on a monthly basis. I have to drive at lest an hour and get lost in the process to get to a rock shop that has a few pagan items - so this box could be worth the $40 if it has items I can not get locally or easily.)

The package was included with my regular USPS mail. The outter bag is the typical postal service one which protects against wetness. Then inside....

The whole packaging is earth friendly - which I love! In fact I think the box would make a great spell box..... There's no tape it just unfolds and has the Goddess symbol on the top. So many possibilities!

I am quite pleased with the content of the box as well. As you can see in the photo, there is a rainbow colored bracelet that appears to be made with nice stones. There is also bundled sage ready for use. The chime candles and well sized candle holder are super as that is something I can not get locally, and if I drive for it - they are not cheap. There is also incense and a medallion to ward off the evil eye. (The medallion frankly gives me the creeps. That must mean I should be using it - lol. I need to read about it and then cleanse.) There is also a lovely stone, which I already cleansed, dedicated, and charged. I carried it in my pocket over the weekend - and enjoyed it quite nicely. 

So - there you have it. I will post about the next one as well. Hopefully it will be as interesting and useful as this one.

Blessed Be~
Alette ♥

Anti - Bernie Mormons, Social Media, and Friending

Whats with the anti-Bernie Mormon fervor? 

Proud Disclosure - I support Bernie Sanders for President. He is the perfect candidate with a lot of common sense. I actually WANT him as my US President. He is inclusive, smart, and has vision. I would be so excited to see him as POTUS! Also, I support freedom and public policy free from theocracy. 

Disclosure Number 2: No, this isn't about what our family did to celebrate a Pagan anything. So if you aren't interested in this - ok, I'll see you in a few days when I publish the Ostara / Spring post. 
I will be here with peace, love, and happiness. 

OH and...
YES! I am snarky. YES! I am telling you exactly what I think! NO! I will not leave the snark out - it is of course, why you love me!

***   ***   ***   

SO back to my original question: Whats with the anti-Bernie Mormon fervor? I mean seriously...

I find looking at social media to be a fascinating (and oft revealing) study in "In group - Out group" theory. Additionally, I have been considering Facebook specifically as a study in social science. 

Observation
I noticed on Facebook that every one of my Mormon friends are anti-Bernie. Very specifically ANTI Bernie. I can not help but wonder why. This got me to thinking. In my wonder, I also observed that I would lose these 'friends' if I asked that legitimate question. (Of course, they know they can not convert me - they really don't know what to do with me. Many of them have simply 'friended' me, and delete my comments too. Read on.)

Follow the Money
This also caused me to reflect on these facts. Here's the thing kids, Mormons pay a great deal of money to their church. Not only is it ten percent of gross household income off the cuff, but it's a constant bleed with a great deal of guilt and coercion. The average adherent would not dare refuse to pay up when asked. They are asked often. Really. (yes, I do actually know this. Intimately.)

Just the Facts
Now before you send me hate filled messages - let me just get this out there. I was a Mormon. Married with children. Drinking the pitcher of LDS Kool-iad.  I also am college educated - specifically focused on (non Mormon, evangelical) Christian Theology. Not BYU! Yes. In caps. Both of these things. This is why I am critical of all things Mormon, and Christian-ish, Also, this contributes to why I am a practicing Nature Based Pagan today. 

In summation - All I can say is - Do not drink the Kool-aid! 

'Friending' - as defined long before social media
If a Mormon does you a solid - you can bet your ass it is not without strings. You will be the subject of proselytizing either during or as a result of said 'kindness'. See, LDS members are told to 'friend' people, The constant buzz is to act as a "friend" for the purpose of converting and retaining cash paying converts.    Oh wait - no, no, that's not for cash but for the good of the members soul. NO, no wait - it is for the neighbors soul. After all - don't you want to be ruled by the infallible prophet? (like a pope - no of course not.... like a government operating independently and hell bent on world domination - uuuuh hold on - don't look behind the curtain!)

Theocracy Conspiracy like 007 style?
That's right. Ask a practicing Mormon. They will vehemently tell you that Mormonism will cover the entire earth. They will also pay lip service to respecting others - but at the same time will also be sending their children (today both boys and girls) at a rate of $400 per month (today's fees) on the shiny mission. Proselytizing does not respect others - it is a basic assertion of personal supremacy. This also demonstrates how the LDS have already a theocratic army at their disposal. (We can talk another time about the indoctrination that goes on while on a mission.)

(OK stay with me. That's ten percent of gross household income per year, and four hundred dollars per month, per child for their mission, while "serving".) ((BTW the grand vision is to MERGE with Muslims at some point. The official policy is NOT to proselytize or convert Muslims. EVERY other group is fair game. Yes. Really. I have heard all of this with my own ears in various church meetings since about 2001)) There is an entire policy set out by Joseph Smith to create a world wide theocratical socialist society. Really. It is the overarching goal of the LDS Brethren and supporting membership (who are regularly asked to 'sustain' the leadership). This is not new. Joseph Smith came up with this a very looong time ago. This is actually part of official theology - they believe he was called of God to put this world wide plan in play. (Really. Look it up!)

Social Media and Member "responsibilities" 
The organisation has an extensive machine of 'service for winning converts'. They own and operate farms, warehouses, thrift stores, counseling services, etc. etc. - and participate very publicly in pretty much every major crisis. You want help? Then you can welcome their message.

Members have been conscripted to sign up for various social media outlets and project their udder elation at not being a cookie cutter drone, but a faithful adherent to the Mormon way. Additionally, They employ/conscript a slick team of public relations and social media communications experts who ensure their branding, service, and desire to win your loyalty, is well known. (...wait is that propaganda? No of course not... its faith!) 

These activities are funded by members donations (always in addition to the requisite tithe of ten percent). Members are gathered methodically in a meeting and asked for money specifically to fund these programs. They are additionally conscripted to perform labor at these installations. Members are asked to do things like grind wheat and make peanut butter in church owned factories.

There are no anonymous donations. Every penny is accounted for and attributed to the individual member. There is a great deal of peer pressure and coercion to never ever say NO. So great is the status of one whose capital is given to the Mormon movement that members who have been promoted to 'authorities' have published articles and given 'talks' on how consistent their official record of giving has been since childhood. So, want to be a revered party member? Proselytize and pay up! 

Ok tabulating again - 10% per annum, 400(number of children)(18-24 months), general 'missions' donations, general 'LDS Charities' donations.... holy cow that is a LOT of money! Much of which members won't discuss with outsiders unless pressed. 

So what does all I have said above have to do with being Anti-Bernie?
Haha your gonna love this!  If you are already forking over massive quantities of personal funds to save your soul, stay in good graces, and support world domination through the LDS social service and proselytizing machine - you damn sure do not want the secular government to do the job with out proselytizing! You do not want people to be served and unified by a secular nation! You do not want peaceful secular US foreign policy. You do not want inclusion. You do not want fair taxes because you are already owned by the LDS government, who you actively agree to 'sustain'. You already pay them taxes (tithes and donations). You already support their missionary army with both your finances and offspring. Simply put - you want the US govt. to go away and allow the LDS machine to rule the world. That's right. Scary isn't it?

These are the things I learned as a member. This is why I will not allow my children to attend Mormon functions. This is why it is so very important not to ever elect an LDS US president. His loyalties could never be to anything but the LDS aim of a world wide theocratic socialist society under the direction of the LDS church - who already they call their president. (Really. Look it up.)

Don't like anything I said here? No problem. Look it up! 
(Oh and if you are one of those people who are afraid of losing your relationship with the holy spirit (and becoming apostate) by reading something that is not officially sanctioned by the LDS church - please, ask yourself why the church does not want you to think for yourself? Sound like thought police much? Naaah - couldn't be - its faith!)

Blessed Be~
Alette

*** *** ***

I support Bernie Sanders for President. He is the perfect candidate with a lot of common sense. I actually WANT him as my US President. He is inclusive, smart, and has vision. I would be so proud to see him as POTUS! #Bernie2016 #feelthebern