Keeping it clean!

A couple of months ago a salesman came into my office to talk product. Instead, he began telling me about how he’d made a large amount of detergent for only pennies. I wrote down the four items that he assured me I needed to buy.  When I got home, I handed my spouse the list and insisted that we were going to make detergent.

We haven’t made detergent yet but we have made soap. Actually I haven’t, but my spouse has. In fact, I didn’t remember suggesting to her that we make anything. All I know is that suddenly she was buying ingredients and making soap. We now have an unlikely stock of lye, lard, persimmons, lavender, a new stock pot and hand held blender. We have a lot more.

My partner in life and now 'Soapsuds Diva' reports that the process is lots of fun.  It’s like baking except that since we’re not eating the batter. I had to stop making cupcakes because I was eating and wearing more of the effects than I could afford.

While all this may seem cavalier, we care about what is going into the soap. Each sampling has been given to friends who have been nice enough to test the various concoctions. I particularly loved the half lard and olive oil based peppermint soap. It’s best for morning showers. It’s so moisturizing that I don’t really need any body lotions. My skin is moisturized and smooth. The peppermint gives it a nice kick that readies me for a full day in the city- awake, alert and ready to get the job done.

This is a picture of one of our soaps. Hmmm, I feel a life change coming…we may go into business.

Coffee soap with a base of palm, olive and almond oil. It looks good enough to eat!

Spiritual Consultations

Just imagine knowing what’s coming around the corner or how that idea of yours for a business or another creative project is going to turn out. We’ve all been there. Having some knowledge beforehand can significantly affect one’s decision making process.


There are varying levels and tools that one can use to garner this type of information. Sticks, stones and bones are what I see offered on many websites. One can use a pendulum, a bunch of quarters, shells, oracles and the mighty tarot to seek out the wanted messages. Some of us mediums 'listen' for guidance and are shown images that depict information.

Witchery you say! The definition of witchery can be boiled down to (couldn’t help think of a cauldron) the ways of wise women. We don’t all have straggly gray hair, a wart on our chins and greenish hued skins. Some of us are fine, foxy and, well, yes, some of us are men.

Obtaining information isn’t only limited to future knowledge. We can receive messages about our pasts that remains unclear or about how to resolve present issues. First it’s important to find someone you are comfortable with to share whatever questions you have.

I suggest that you ask someone you know if they have a medium with whom they feel comfortable. You will probably be pointed in the right direction. I tend to discourage calling a psychic hotline or going to a store front. While not all are ready to swindle, I’ve known too many people who end up being advised they need forty products, to keep coming back and that they need to have collares (beaded necklaces in the Orisha Tradition and the various branches of this spiritual practice. It is the first initiation into the religion.) While you may eventually benefit by any of these, keep in mind for some people this is their business. In fact it is big business.

Some people are immediately told that someone 'put something bad' in their path. Maybe. But there are the possibilities that a person put something bad in their own path. These can be ‘bad’ choices, ‘bad’ liquor, stealing at work, or lying through one’s teeth. My point here is that all too often as human we want to blame someone else for our problems. A candle, a hex, or a bath may benefit some but others will need an inner solution. I recently advised someone not to be so quick to ‘wear white’- meaning be initiated into the religion. There was a lot of inner processing, healing and recovery needed first before the ceremony. No pain, no gain.

I love receiving spiritual consultations and giving them out for others. Not all will be revealed at the time to the person doing the reading, and everyone gives their own take based on the knowledge they bring. If I see a particular image during a reading it usually has meaning for me and I can help the person sitting in front of me determine what the meaning is for them. My association with a symbol, such as yellow roses, gives me information and I am guided on what this means for the person receiving the reading. My take on things will probably be somewhat different than what you receive from your usual reader. That isn’t a bad thing. It just means that your Higher Ups want me to give you new or different information.

Remember that you should feel comfortable sitting with a person that you decide to have read for you. If not, you can always get up and say, have a nice day. I enjoy sharing a smile, a laugh, and warmness to my consultations. Fear need not apply. You decide what the perameters are and that will create the needed openness for you to bring to your consultation. It can be difficult for both participants when the person being read is very closed. It certainly affects the reading.

So, enjoy your next spiritual reading! It would be great if you shared a particular memory, question or suggestion regarding these consultations. Just press comment!

Honoring Osain

 

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St. Joseph is honored as the Catholic Saint for the month of March. St. Joseph is associated with Osain. In the Orisha tradition, religions of Santeria and Lucumi, Osain is the Orisha or deity of herbs (ewe), plants and all that grows in the rain forest. He is said to be described as one armed, one eyed and lame. One of his ears is tiny and the other large. He is said to be deaf in one and has acute hearing in the other.

Osain knows all of the secrets of wild plantings and the healing properties that each bestow. He is a very powerful Orisha and without him the sacred ceremonies of Ocha would not occur. Ocha is initiation as a priest or priestess in the Orisha tradition. This is what is meant by “making the saint.”

cubayoruba.cult.cu

One of his major attributes is the gourd that hangs in the houses of initiates and his color is green. He is the patron for curanderas, healers and those who work with folk remedies.

Take a moment to think about how Osain may be connected with you in your life. Have you worked with herbs, listening for their properties and how best to use them? Are you an ardent tea sipper? Enjoying the sweet effect of herbs that have been carefully cultivated for you to sleep, relax or have just a bit more energy at the end of a long work day? Do you make healing concoctions for your children and neighbors while remembering the secrets that your grandmother whispered in your ear as a child?

Embrace the blessings of Osain this month and honor him all months of the year.

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Palabras: El Agua

Having just meditated before I prepared to pull tonight’s card, I was aching to talk about the benefits of meditating. But that’s not what I do here, so instead, I smudged and centered. After shuffling and spreading the cards before me, I felt Graciella, la Gitana, only momentarilly, but together we pulled the card.

Image: The image is that of two happy and barefoot children playing with each other on the grass. The girl holds a hose with her two hands pointed toward the boy who is surely belly laughing. Around the perimeter of the property is a white picket fence.

 Words: Play as the children do. Bring innocence and trust to the waters. Be open to the caring calmness and the healing properties of the water in whatever form it appears. Give over to the Universal Love of the Great Feminine.

Read: The larger read is that today my two dogs got into bear and deer stuff in the woods behind our house and got sick. We did the best we could to help them feel better. Since they were settled on the couch, I sat to a very fulfilling meditation. I received the information to take a couple of cubes of ice for each and cleanse their auras. Each turned over and seemed to enjoy the sensation of the cool ice especially around their little bellies. I then sat to the cards. I was enchanted to have pulled the Water card. I had just experienced a very sweet healing moment with a form of water as this card encourages. I just love when things like this happen. It’s similar to a writer’s motto “Show don’t Tell.” As the card suggests be open, bring trust and surrender to the healing love of the Great Mother Goddess- She won’t let you down!

Palabras- Intimacy

Today, I planned to write at least 2500 NaNo words. Instead I decided to blow, rake and disperse the leaves that had showered down onto the grounds of our house. Our home is situated on about an acre and a quarter of woodland. It wouldn’t be sensible, of course, to try clearing the whole area but it’s exhilarating playing with the leaves and tidying the area just around the house. After moving on to answering emails and checking up on some blog sites, I then wrote a few hundred words on my NaNo project. Afterwards, I got up to make a zucchini and pasta meal. The day was low key. I loved it. Filling myself with the things that are really important to me is what makes my life special. My spouse and I linger around each other, sharing in some of the activities but giving each other space too. I couldn’t be more grateful for today.  Before pulling the Palabras card with Graciella, la Gitana, my spirit guide, I smudged, centered and fanned the cards out before me. Her energy was very “spirit-like” and light. We pulled the Intimacy card.

Image: The image is a rear perspective of a male and female lying side by side gently and barely touching hands. For each individual, only the lower half of the facial features is visible. The two might actually be standing side by side but only their nude torsos are shown.

Words: Intimacy is the sharing of your being with another. Decide your own desires, boundaries and abilities in the pursuit. Once your own feelings are acknowledged you can go forth in partnership. Not allowing yourself to do this may result in self-doubt, engulfment in another and ultimate betrayal of self to give totally in love.

Read: To thine own self be true! The concept of intimacy for most conjures up the idea of sexuality. This is apparent in the picture of the two lying or standing side by side. It is by no means the only area of closeness that one should be attentive to when allowing one’s guard down as he or she begin a new measure in a relationship. Intimacy brings forward newness, trepidation, excitement and potentials that await fulfillment. Making sure that the self is cared for is the first step in achieving a deeper relating with another. If not, the possibilities of anger and resentment may taint the growth that is being nurtured. How much will you tell or show about yourself? Do you hold back in fear that the party you are interested in will be turned off to the real you? Because the image shows only the lower part of the faces of the two, it is impossible to tell whether their eyes are closed- and if they are, who are they closed to? The self or the other? Betraying your true self in order to develop a friendship, partnership, or business deal with another will only result in frustration, aridity and denial of your spirit. Look within, there you will find out if it was or will be worth the negation of self.

Palabras: Cambios- Changes

The New York Writers Workshop Perfect Pitch Conference. That’s where I spent my entire weekend. Whether I was at the conference physically or at night in my dreams when I hit the sack, that’s where I was. The whole thing amazed me. The professionalism and graciousness of the people who ran it, the editors and the agents astounds me.  One part of the workshop that I love is meeting with other writers. After years (for some) of working on our manuscripts we all got together and listened to each other craft our pitches in the hopes of being asked for a sample by one of the editors or agents. It’s heartening to be part of a group that shares our best ideas in hopes that everyone there gets chosen for the coveted position of having a “requested submission.”  Some of us were asked and some weren’t. We all received the support and camaraderie that only comes with taking a chance to open to outside sources of experience, strength and hope. Today was the third day and I came home to collapse on the sofa for a nice nap. The adrenalin had its way with me! Tonight, I’m vacuuming a bit, cleared up my altar, and now am pulling the week’s card with Graciella, la Gitana. Olé! We smudged, centered and fanned the cards out. I felt her energy, very businesslike, we pulled the card. Cambios - Changes

Image: The image is of a female hand reaching for a canister on a shelf.  The hand-Graciella’s I dare say- has bracelets on the wrist. The canisters appear to be a set, old fashioned in style with a small picture-probably of fruit on the front of each. The largest canister is lying on its side. What appears to be sugar is lying on a tiled countertop.

Words: Expect change in terms of money, times and relationships. There will be a sense of fulfillment and wonder associated with these changes. There may be a rekindling of relationships with children or grandchildren. Thing that you may consciously have put on hold will seem to fall off the shelf and into your lap.

Read: The feeling that comes with this read is one of positivity! Change is always difficult, especially if we don’t know what it will be. The obvious sign of “not crying over spilt milk,” although in this case of sugar, is quite apparent. Whatever it is, it will be different from now on. Don’t get stuck in the ways that have been or in past experiences. Things that may seem reminiscent of the past are not. They are just memories. Open to the sweetness that seems to be pouring forth. Whether accidently, uncalled for, or plain old unwanted- let yourself be open to the good things that are coming your way. It’s often difficult to allow newness in when fear stands in your way. A child would put his or her fingertips into the spilt sugar and taste its sweetness while the adult yells to clean that mess up! Trace what you would like to see in the granules of sugar. Let the changes work for you. There may be some cleaning up to do, but that is minute in the face of the largeness of the wonder and beauty that is coming your way!

Palabras: Caridad- Charity

After making several new commitments for the month of November, just before going to sleep last night, I remembered that I hadn’t done this week’s spiritual reading. Today, I got up early went to the gym, completed my “NaNoWriMo” and spent the rest of the day at work.  Finally back at home, I played X-treme Fetch with the dogs and I swear that I have a better time than they do.  After dinner and the dishes I again remembered the card. Sometimes it’s difficult for me to stay the course with old plans and projects. I tend to want to pour all of my excitement into my new interests. That’s an internal thing. The externals show that I’m consistent and stay with things until they are completed. As usual I smudged with white sage, centered, grounded and felt Graciella’s energy. I had an image of her doing healing work. She likes to use cigar smoke when she does healings and awakenings. We pulled the card and it was the Caridad card- Charity

Image: The image is a pair of hands that are open to reveal a beautiful pink lotus flower.

Words: Charity, the sweetness of giving without the expectations of reward because the gain is in the giving. Providing service for others is the stepping stone for liberation of the self.

Read: Charity. Compassion. Healing. These are the concepts that came to mind when we pulled the card. This past weekend I spent a good portion of my time doing healing work with the help of my spiritual guide, Graciella. I don’t often write or talk about these occurrences outside of my healing circle. These are private and  sacred times that are cherished. It is a gift when likeminded people come together in a compassionate manner. Leaving our selfish needs and self-centered thinking behind to be present for someone in need is a blessing. The circle I stand in worked together and then afterward, we ate and laughed and told stories. I know there is an incredible amount of strife going on in the world. For today, I feel fortunate for my existence. I’ve also been alive long enough to know that life can easily turn on a dime. That knowledge doesn’t keep me in fear but in hope that just as I’ve managed to survive some difficult times that I can help others to do the same. My larger message today is to ask you to look around yourselves and see where you may be of service.  Take a step outside of yourself and take one action. I promise to do the same.

Are there places that you’ve taken an action in helping others that you’d like to share here? It’s not about boasting. It’s about sharing your ideas so that others may see all the wonderful possibilities that are available and that they might also share in! Please comment- no gift is too small.