Change

I obtained my first piece of Moldavite several months ago, with my second piece about a month after that. Moldavite is a rather special stone. It is believed to come from a meteor that hit Earth some 15 million years ago. There are varying thoughts on the matter as to if it was the meteor itself, or if it was the way the earth changed at impact - either way the stone came from that event. Healing Crystals has some good information, also Shimmerlings, and Crystal Personalities - these are typically my go-to websites when I look up any crystal and it's properties.

All in all... this is a MAJOR transformational stone.

Most people can sense and feel this stone right off the bat, I am not one of those people. After I got the initial "ooh, pretty" on both look and feel, I haven't felt the stone much at all. I will say that every now and then it gives me a nudge of power/energy to let me know it's still there and doing its' thing. There are personal reports from people who wind up leaving relationships or other things in their lives after obtaining this stone to find that they had been in a stagnant situation that was beginning to harm them on many levels.

I got this stone in hopes of opening up certain closed off areas of my spiritual and energetic bodies. I still think it's possible for that to happen, however it seems that that is not the case for the foreseeable future - and that's okay. However, I'm feeling major change come my way.

I was actually headed to a full moon ritual when it dawned on me that this was the Moldavite working. I've been generally happy with my hair for some time now (I wouldn't let it grow to be as long as it is if I wasn't). I've been content with the slow moving progression of my weight and the goals I have for changing it. I've never been radical about what colours I dye my hair - red with simple blonde highlighting was the furthest I ever went with it. I do want more piercings and tattoos, but I've been okay with the slow progression of that too. I never had a phase where I just up and changed my look or presence in any fashion. In fact the most radical thing I did was probably changing my name. But somehow I feel that right now, this time, is time for me to go through some of that.

I don't know for sure what will come of this, but I do know that the jolt is going to be enough to get me further onto the right path. In the meantime I've been researching tattoo plans, piercing ideas, hairstyle choices - did you know that you can now donate colour treated hair to Locks of Love? Which means that depending on how short I cut my hair I can donate my base-of-the-spine length hair to the cause.

I'm also trying to find other ways to change up my physical appearance, though I'm coming up short on the matter. New clothes, and shoes to match, will come after I get fit. And as much as I want to do this, I somehow can't imagine 99% of my existing wardrobe matching even in the slightest. That may not be a problem for some people, but for a Scorpio with OCD issues it's just a bit too much to take in.

Now I'm stuck in a whirlwind of thoughts and ideas and plans and anything else of the like. Only problem is that I don't know what to do with, or about, any of it. Part of me is stuck on "this isn't suitable for a parent of a 3 year old", the rest of me is going "to hell with what people think, it's my body and my life - I'll do what I wish". Either way it's still difficult to find the time to do any of the things I'm thinking about, and I still have to work through/around that when I make any decisions.

UPDATE: I was able to donate 16 inches of my hair to Locks of Love, and 19 total inches were cut off. I dyed my hair a purple-ish red colour from Reshma Femme henna. And I'm LOVING it!

Running Adventures

I started running a few months ago with my friend Ivy. She started up with a couple of other friends - 3 at first, that has now grown to be about 10 people (and will likely keep growing). I've had my hiccups along the way and in light of everything - I'm okay with being in the middle of "Week 3" right now.

Ivy, the glorious rockstar that she is (it's a thing, bear with me), finished her 9 week program two weeks ago, and ran her first 5k last week. We are all so proud of her and look to her as a sort of demi-goddess/ hero. Her next goals are to run a 10k, but before she got started she wanted to kind of take it easy since she had just run her fist race. We have been going out on the same nights, and doing the "warm-up" portion and the post-workout stretching together since the beginning. Though this week she's been pacing me, and helping with the stroller to change up her routine as preparation for the 5k to 10k training.

We were talking last night, as we were out running, about future plans (which I won't ruin). In a roundabout way we got to talking about how few articles there are about running in mother/fatherhood. The articles that one CAN find are geared towards the parents who ran before baby came along, and how you should ease back into things before getting back on your marathon schedule. Or the articles are geared towards upper-middle class, two parent households where mom and dad can actually take turns with minding the baby. I haven't found one yet that is actually helpful for single parent households, or for two parent households where mom and dad can't take turns with minding the baby. (Note: "mom and dad" is my chosen phrase to denote parent 1 and parent 2 - please substitute for your preferred terms as you feel called to do so.)

So I figured... why not write one myself? When I finish my first 5k I may write a revision in a new post.

For clarity's sake - this is for parents who have never run before, but may also serve to be helpful for other newbies to the running world. I am a single mother to a 3 year old, and the remainder of this post will be the things I wish I had known before I got started.

1) Getting started. I should have checked in with my body more-so than what I did. I have asthma as well as knee and back problems. None of which I took care of BEFORE I started. Granted I started as a spur of the moment sort of thing and took things as they came, but I really should have put more thought into it before jumping off the deep end. Getting new asthma meds, physical therapy and a knee strap for my knee, as well as a self-inspired purchase of a stomach/back brace. Most of my ailments have been fixed.

As we all know, every exercise and fitness program recommends that you talk to your doctor before getting started. Use your better judgement on this and check-in with yourself, and seek treatment for things that may become a problem.

2) Get good shoes. No really... go out, spend the money, and get ACTUAL running shoes.
The first week I started I just used the only decent shoes I had since I didn't have the time or the money to go out and spend on new shoes. That part wasn't so bad, and I'm glad I tested the waters of the program like that - but when I did go out and get new shoes I got the wrong ones. I wound up getting a pair of Propet's - which is specifically a walking shoe. Trying to run in them just caused me a ton of unnecessary pain, and wound up aggravating my knee problems and put me out of commission for a couple of weeks.

I recommend that you go out and find a small business running shoe store. East Bay women can check out See Jane Run - they are FANTASTIC. The staff is super helpful, and they will take the time to get you what you need. They hooked me up with a pair of Brooks (the Ghost 6 to be exact), and I am in LOVE. There was no "break-in" time, and my feet were just instantly happy. Several of the women in the group (plus a few men that are not associated with the group) have found this brand of shoe to be just what they needed. Downside is that they cost about $100 - but it really is worth every penny. Find the right brand and model for your feet - your feet will thank you!

3) Get a decent jogging stroller. Clearly this one only applies to parents who will be taking their children with them. Even if you only plan to take your child with you once a week, or once a month - you need a jogger. Going back to my previous statement of "time and money were not things that I had when I started", I did my first run with my standard 4-wheeled travel system stroller. Those strollers are not built for running, and I jacked up my back for trying. Before my second run I went and got a jogger. I wish I had the money to get a better one, but the Baby Trend that I did get ($99 at Target) is working well for me. I go out 3 days a week for my runs, and I use it when we go walking around shopping centers - it does what I need it to do, and for the more "every day" trips I like it a little better than the other one (the tighter turns are marvelous).

There are tons of articles out there going over stroller specs and which one is best for what. I waded through them, and wished I could try them all myself. I went with budget friendly over true desire. One day I'll upgrade, but for now it works.

4) Running with a stroller is WAAAAAY different than running without. It's going to take time to acclimate to it. Remember, not only are you pushing the weight of your child (and any toys s/he's brought along), you're also pushing the weight of the stroller itself - for me that adds up to about 50lbs. Depending on the stroller height and your personal height you may not be at an optimal posture either - do try to aim of the more upright, slightly-forward posture. Find what works and keep going.

5) Find an app that you can follow. Beginning a running routine is no easy feat if you've never gone out before. A lot of it is stamina building, and is best done with run/walk intervals. I mainly use Red Rock Apps' Run a 5k!, and several of the girls in the group use Active's Couch to 5k. There are others around, and no 2 are the same. Run a 5k! is a 7 week program, where Couch to 5k is 9.

I like the intervals on the one I use on a mentality level, though I see the benefits of Couch to 5k as well. Ivy herself "really endorses the Active, Inc. as a Couch to 5K program, she found it hit a great spot of challenging but doable for somebody super un-athletic (but a non-parent)."

6) Make a schedule and stick to it. Put your runs on your calendar, so that you don't schedule something else. And if you do have an event that you need to attend, you can rearrange your whole week before you even begin it. During my first "Week 2" a friend of mine had a baby blessing on my regular run night and it threw me off kilter for the whole week. Knowing that I run Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday I can make plans for things any other night of the week and not feel bad that I'm going to miss out on a whole week's worth of progress.

7) Find people that you can go out with, or otherwise connect with. Having a buddy system, or a level of accountability will keep you motivated. In the beginning, if I didn't meet up with someone - I didn't go. And if I didn't have people to go out with, I wouldn't have even started. If you're unable to do that, pick a destination or a great running spot that will keep you wanting to go back. Now that I'm more acclimated to the process, and running along the beach - if I have to go out by myself I'm totally cool with it. Plus, meeting up with my friends keeps my son somewhat interested. "Oh, go see Ivy" is the hook factor of getting him into the car and ready to go.

8) Week 1 is going to suck. If not Week 1, it'll be Week 2. It's TOTALLY okay, and it DOES get better. I never did go through the "sore for days" thing that several of the others did, but Week 2 was a killer point for me (granted I blame most of that on the horrible shoes). It's better to be fore-warned, but please don't get discouraged. Even knowing what I was getting into when I finally came back into the program (after getting my knee dealt with), Week 2 day 2 (round 2) kinda sucked. Though doing Week 3 day 1 last night was awesome and exhilarating.

9) Monthly cycles will throw you off. Also in the note of the "sucky" category - running while you're menstruating. I realize everyone has different symptoms during that time, and not everyone will hate it as much, but it is something to be aware of. And just remember, the run that you have after you're done is going to feel AMAZING.

Running during this time is likely to make you more sore, and your times are likely to go down even if you feel completely fine. I know for me running the day or two before I started bleeding, and while I was bleeding (even the light, only spotting every few hours day) was generally discouraging. Though the day after I had stopped I was back to feeling normal (if you take out the unrelated insomnia I had). It's normal, just keep at it and keep going! :)

For any dad's out there reading this, if you have monthly fluctuations this is something to keep in mind as well. Beings that I'm not a man I can't attest to what may or may not happen, but keep your chin up.

10) Its okay to take a break. I mention this one only because getting sick, or generally feeling ill, is something that happens - especially with kids in the picture. The general rule of thumb is that it's okay to go on your normal run if all of your symptoms are above the neck, anything below the neck warrants rest or you'll be out of the game for longer. Don't beat yourself up if your body is requesting a break, it's okay. Just be mindful and check-in with yourself.

Reflections...

There are many things the come through my Facebook and Twitter feeds. Many things that turn me to a thought provoking process, which on top of the recent water trine and my internal systems reaching a point of climax has meant that I've been all over the map. UpWorthy and Huffington Post have been major contributors to the recent trend of events for me.

Last week I saw this video... I was heartbroken to the point of bawling on a morning commuter train heading into San Francisco. I urge people to watch it, and to become aware - but only at the full disclosure that it is not, by any means, and easy thing to see. This instance is fictional, but it is a reality for too many. I was ready to hop onto the next East Bay bound train just so that I could scoop my baby up and never let him go. For the purposes of this post, I am desperately holding back tears from the mere thought of it - just as I do every single time it pops into the forefront of my mind.

It's a lot to take in and it honestly makes me question where my priorities lie. It makes me reevaluate what I'm doing with my life, what I want to do with my life etc. Hardly anything for me is stable right now, and with Tuesday's New Moon now is the time to rethink things. As I mentioned in my last post I'm going to start building a list of things I want for my life, for my self, for... the world.

Then this morning I saw this other video, that also put me to tears. Not on the train, and certainly not to the same extreme, but most definitely for the same weight of emotional pull. Watching it reminds me of how much I'm doing, and how important that work is. Regardless of what my family dynamic is, and what I want it to be, as it stands right now - this very moment - I am a single mother. I am the one who does all of the things, all of the time. I am the one making sure everything gets done, and that at the end of the day I've created a better life for my son. Extenuating circumstances came into play, no one left intentionally, but whether they did or not - it's still just me at home.

It's my job to make sure that my son is raised right. It's my job to make sure that my son has all that he needs to grow up to be the person HE wants to be.

So after all of that playing through my head, I stumble across this... I hit a huge "kick self in ass" road block and just sat there for about ten minutes. The amount of times in a day I use 'hurry up' with my poor child is probably upwards of a dozen on those real trying days, but still more than a handful on a more typical, low key day. My son doesn't stop to smell every rose on our way from point A to point B like the child in the article, but he does take his sweet time. I know that a lot of our problems are my fault for not giving him as much time as I've come to learn that he needs. The rest fall under the categories of scheduling too much and not wanting to be late. Plus then they're those days where I pick him up from daycare and it takes him 15 minutes to get into his seat and get his seat belt on, usually only after much convincing that he can't actually sit in the adult seat. I get so frustrated, and so unnecessarily (most of the time).

Why do I need that frustration? And why should I ruin his experiences due to my haste? Basically I came to the decision that I need to employ this new policy. I need to enjoy things with my son, as opposed to fighting him just to satisfy my desires to get going a little faster.

Out of Touch

Aw man... So I'm clearly not sticking to my self-induced rule of posting once a month :( Yet another thing to go onto my "falling behind on" list.

I have been all over the place lately - not being able to focus, wanting to do all of the things... and showing little consistency. I did get to read the first three books in the "Beautiful Creatures" series, with book 4 coming out in paperback in October. I did start getting fit. I did overcome physical issues with my knee and my asthma acting up. Yet, while doing all of that, I managed to realize just how far behind I am on my reading, and how much I've missed with my musical interests.

I was looking for new books to obtain and read, and remembered a series that I had started reading while I was still pregnant and shortly after the birth of my son. In the past 3 years, that series went from having 3 or so books in it to over 10 - I've only read the first 2. I can only imagine whats happened to the other series that I've started over the years and had to move on because the next book hadn't come out yet - yes I like to stick to just one series at a time since I typically only find them after several have already been published.

On the music side... I haven't even looked for new CDs to get in a long while, and the last ones I bought were all Pagan themed since I had none prior. There are artists that I love to sink into when I'm in a mood, and I've missed so much. Granted the cost of music is much cheaper than it was even 5 years ago with the rise of iTunes and similar sites, but the mere thought of buying all of the music that I've missed or that I had never considered owning before just sends my wallet into shock. Catching up on one particular artist will cost me about $100 through iTunes, and more so if I went and bought the physical CDs so I could also listen to them in my car.

I used to have a list of all of the books I wanted to read, some I owned and some I didn't. It's been on my mind lately... I should find it and update it according. I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to find it since I created it on a computer I no longer own, though maybe the power of the internets will save me because I think I posted it somewhere. I never did make one for music, though from the looks of it I'm going to have to start one. Pandora will just have to do in the meantime.

On the other side of things I've been thinking about my bucket list... Not exactly sure that's what I want to call it, but I want to make a list of things that I want to do and learn in my lifetime - which is the basis of a Bucket List. But ever since the movie came out (as amazing as it was) the term has just boomed all over the place, and I'm not exactly the type to follow the norm and do what everyone else is doing. I try to be unique (many years of being teased because my tastes just happen to line up with what others have started doing).

Ever since I started working out with the rest of Team Atlanta (an every growing couch to 5k running group started by the one and only Ivy) I've been feeling more alive than I've felt in a while. With that I want to retain the motivation to learn and do more and just get more in touch with what used to make me happy - or what will make me happy now.

I think now that I've become more committed to blogging I'll find a way to create the space for the 3 different lists on here. Not sure how I'm going to make that happen exactly, but I'll figure something out :)


Happy in Life

Toddlers and Sleep (or a lack thereof)

Last night was one that is unfortunately too frequent of an occurrence. Put the baby to bed, we disagreed, I left, he cried - all typical events on a regular basis. Then when I finally peeled my sorry butt off of the couch at 1am and went up stairs, I hear this little patter come down the hall. Now, mind you, I've just gone into the bathroom - all lights are off in the house, and I'm still expecting him to be in bed. He pops his head into the bathroom (which is really just a fashion of a hall leading to the toilet). Scared the livin hell outta me.

I convinced him to go ahead of me back to bed (he tends to sleep the first few hours in my bed before I sneak drop him into his own if I have enough energy), and he was going so fast he slipped a couple of times. This was slightly amusing until it occurred to me that we really needed to just go to sleep.

This is where the real fun began... I had to convince him ALL OVER AGAIN to crawl into bed. And this time I had better leverage - I was going to be staying there this time. He didn't want to cooperate until I had fully laid down, and as a result was more in the arena of 3/4s asleep. After getting him onto the bed he tossed, turned, talked, kicked, poked, and every other little annoying thing a small devil child can do to his/her mother to be the most annoying thing on the planet. He did this for an hour. An hour!

Finally having had enough I got up, yelled at him to go to sleep - sincerely considered going back downstairs to sleep on the couch, also considered grabbing a blanket and sleeping on the floor in his room...

I wound up walking out of the room for a couple of minutes, decided it was too much energy to go anywhere else but back to bed, and thus turned around and went back. He talked off and on for a few minutes, but nothing bad enough that I couldn't easily fall asleep and stay there. Unfortunately morning comes a lot faster when it's already 2 am, so I've been running on limited sleep.

Then tonight happens... We had a ritual for the Bloodroot Honey Priestess Tribe, it started at 8:15 or so (as they do) and he was an all around good boy through the whole thing. He's been going to ritual with me for the vast majority of his life, so it's nothing new to him. His tiredness and tolerance levels depict how good he's going to be. Today was apparently a good day and set him up well for a long evening.

We left the space about 11p, got gas, and headed on our way home. We asked about how proud I was of him (it's good for both of us if I remind him), and he started commenting on cars as they drove past. When we got onto the freeway he saw an ambulance drive pas, and as he's been on a "fire truck" he called it such. We practiced how to say "ambulance", he gave it a good effort but I heard the lack of enthusiasm - not surprising. He mumbled a few things after that then must've fallen asleep, because not 2 minutes later when we pulled off the freeway he was sound asleep. Asleep enough that he didn't wake up when we got home.

Life is so strange when you have kids. No two days are ever the same. Some days you get a bed to yourself, others you have to share. But every day is filled with love - and it's truly magickal.

New Things on the Horizon

This past month has been one hell of a roller coaster. Lots of things going on at work. Lots of things going on in the stars. Just all around lots going on.

Since getting into the final stages of my Initiation I've been rather busy on the whole, but here in the last day or two of April I'm accomplishing my goal to post at least once per month. I just got a new iPad, so that should help me stay on track with this plan through the year - and who knows... It may even provoke me to post more.

I made a promise to myself earlier this year, with witnesses, that I would give myself a break more often, and take time just for me (no baby). I've actually been keeping up with that a little bit. I'm still trying to get the hang of it, but I've already gone out a couple of times with some friends. I went and got my nails done yesterday, and I'm going out again tonight to celebrate my good friends birthday.

I've also, just last night, set up a secondary blog. I created it through Wordpress. I have a few friends who prefer their interface to this one, so I thought I'd give it a try. Figure if all else fails I can just transfer those posts to a new section of this existing space. This new blog (found here) will be for my exploration of the tarot, and will be a space for me to offer readings while I'm learning this divinatory practice. Eventually it will include astrological items as well, and other currently unknown items as well. I want to start offering services, and I thought this would be a good place for me to start.

I'm not sure how things are going to pan out, but I hope that these changes are for the highest good of all. And most importantly I hope I can help a few people along the way.

Love and Light!

Final Touches

So, last weekend was the big, private retreat, where we as a coven go off into the woods to celebrate the mystery and the transformation of ourselves, and the to-be-ordained Initiates. This past weekend was the smaller, public ritual that seals the deal.

My Saturday was spent preparing for the ritual, making sure everything was packed and ready to go, and attempting to make my hair cooperate. This whole time change thing had me on my toes towards the end of my "allotted time" though - that was rather interesting, and anything but fun.

I got several comments on how much like Marilyn Monroe I looked, plus a few others on just how beautiful I was. I was highly flattered, and am still floating on the feel-good feelings that they brought up. My hair actually cooperated (even still had curls the next day, which was a total bonus), which if you know anything about me and my hair you know how much of a win this was. And I had a real good time!

I invited a dear friend of mine, who was able to come - which meant that I got to share that moment with someone I knew, who wasn't in the clergy, or on the path to being a clergy-person. From what I've heard it left a lasting impression, of the good variety, in both her and her precious daughter - which was another win!

It's been a couple of years since CAYA has had an Ordination ritual. Due to various reasons, the coven took a break from having Initiates and started the path of having Aspirants who would become Dedicants, who could immediately turn into Initiates if they so chose. I was able to attend the last ritual where they held ordinations - and it was lovely, but it's been 2 years so I'd forgotten some of the finer details.

This ritual was put on by several of the new Initiates (who I had the pleasure of watching grow during their Aspirant training), as well as a handful of other clergy. I must say they did an amazing job! I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and was able to experience what they had to offer. By the time it got to the point where my hive-mates and I were to go on the stage, I was so antsy with anticipation I could hardly wait. Of course, this part is best explained if you were actually there, but man... it.was.GOOD!

I proclaimed that I am the Priestess of the Soul's Journey, and that I have dedicated my work to Isis, Hekate, and Artemis.

Magick is in the Air

I just came back from the most magickal of weekends...

Four days in the woods. Four days of peaceful bliss. Four days of nothing but Perfect Love and Perfect Trust.

This weekend was my Ordination weekend, it was spent with my Sisters and my Brothers - with not one care in the world. Well, I can't say that entirely - as I did have a few moments of worry. I was baby-free this weekend so that I could more fully focus on the mystery at hand - so I did have my "mommy-moments" desperately curious about how my baby was, but other than that it was all care free.

Given that this is a mystery tradition, and that with most covens in general certain things are not to be discussed, I really can't talk about too much about the finer details. What I can say is that this whole experience was genuinely and massively healing to the nth degree.

I am proud to be a part of this coven, this community - this family. I am proud to call myself a loyal sister, and to hold the title of "Priestess". And I am grateful that they have welcomed me.

Love and Mystery

Getting Fit and Healthy

This morning in my Twitter feed I came across a post from Shaklee... "Apply today for the #Shaklee180 healthy blogger program". Having been thinking about my health as of late - I applied. (Entries due by 31 Jan, sadly for women only - sorry gents!) This application is to get accepted into a program that has 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prices (all including substantial gift cards to get an awesome new wardrobe for your awesome new body). The program provides "workout gear, shoes, equipment, and more." And from the looks of things, this is going to be one heck of a program!

Along with the winter time cold, I've been having more and more problems with my own body rebelling against me. I'm 25 years young, I should NOT be feeling this old! I'm a mom to a wonderful 2 year old who's ready to call it a day by 6 o'clock. I have had to start walking in the door when I get home from work, to immediately start working on dinner - otherwise it'll take an extra hour to get it to the table. Plus, after dinner my son wants to play for the next 1.5-2 hours until bed time. Then occasionally, I find myself sitting down on the couch after I get him all tucked into bed to relax, just to find myself groggily waking up in a funky position at 12:30 in the morning.

Something. Needs. To. Change!

I have been good about going for walks during the work week, 10-12 walks in the 4 weeks I've been back to work this year. I put in 2 miles each time, and it's down a very sunny street - which adds a good dose of Vitamin D, and helps to keep me warm in the San Francisco chill. But that's all I've been doing.

I look forward to this potential challenge. I'm looking forward to being able to get fit alongside countless other women. I'm looking forward to finally being able to change my body on my terms.

I stopped drinking sodas a year ago this Friday. It's been a challenge, though I will admit that on two occasions I did have some 1) a dear friend had come over, and left her drink to be thrown out - I had no other liquid in the house aside from water out of the tap, and I was thirsty. 2) I was at a kids birthday party for a family friend, and mistook the Sprite for the Water (which was empty). Not really intentional, but again I was thirsty and didn't opt to find actual water instead. Most people who follow through with no longer drinking soda find themselves shedding pounds right and left... Me... I gained 30.

I had a child and gained 10 glorious pounds after shedding off the baby weight. Things shift around, and I was happy to have only gained that much. I went back to work in an office setting over a year later and gained 10 more. Again, not that big of a deal - could have been worse. Four months after that is when I gave up the toxic mess that is soda-pop, and slowly the rest added itself on.

Now, the last time I weighed this much and lost it all I was a stressed out mess who worked too much, and slept too little. I was the 200 I am now, and over the course of 6 months I dropped down to 145. It was fantastic! But I don't know what I did to do it, and every time someone asks me - all I can do is shrug and declare that their guess is as good as mine. I wasn't working out. When I ate it was mostly fast-food. There were a LOT of unhealthy habits tied to that. Though it sure did give my confidence a massive boost!

This new opportunity would provide me the chance to actually get healthy, not just slim. Every time I talk about my want of getting fit this year, I'm always quick to qualify it with "I want to be healthy", noting that any weight shrinkage* would be a much welcomed side effect. (*= I use 'shrinkage' instead of 'loss' here because, frankly, I don't want to find it again)

While it would be nice to win one of the final prizes, or any of the claimed prizes along the way, the thing I look forward to most is the journey.

Even if I don't get accepted into this program, I'm still going to look forward to the months to come. I have a buddy to go on my work walks with - which makes them more fun. And as the sun continues to return, more opportunities will be provided to take my son outside to run around the good ol' fashioned way.

A New Year, A New Me

Two thousand and thirteen. What a number! If you're in to numerology it's a power number of 6: "all about sacrificing, caring, healing, protecting and teaching others" (Source Here). Not to mention the "13" that shows in it's short form - whatever your beliefs, that too is big. 

For me, this year will complete my Initiation into the Wildflower Tradition of CAYA Coven. It's been an amazing journey, had some ups and downs, but I've made it trough - and now the countdown begins toward Ordination.

I've set a goal to blog at least once per month, with high hopes of being able to post more than that. I'm not sure yet what that will consist of, but I'm hopeful of the journey that will soon come to pass. I'll look into writing prompts or other topics, anything that can get my mind whirling. I will welcome any suggestions as well - I make no promises to post on all that come in, but I will source those that I do.

I've been meaning to get more hands on with the Tarot as well. I have several decks, all of which I've pulled beautiful readings from. Though I strive to learn to do that without the help of books. I have amazing friends who can read the cards without a second thought, and I admire them dearly. Now's my turn to do it myself, maybe that will be part of my monthly postings... Hmm.

I wish you all luck on your adventures. May you have a Blessed year. And may you find love along the way!