Spring Has Set

With the passing of Ostara last week and the Full Moon today, spring is in full swing here in California.  Most of the United States right now is probably grumbling at us, but my parents in Washington State are actually having far better weather than California, so please direct your envy northward.

Full Moon on the Night of 3/26/13

Anyways, back to spring. One of the most common occurrences during spring is the proverbial "spring cleaning." Having most of my possessions 1) in storage up in Washington or 2) packed up and ready to move as soon as we find a new apartment kind of prevents me from going through everything I own and passing on what I don't need. (By the way, this is something I would love to do if I could access everything I own.) However, the house I currently reside in is in a horrible state of filth due to the three male occupants who all seem to have ego issues about doing chores for the others. Drawing energy from the full moon and with what I can only describe as inspiration from the Goddess I went at this disgusting house. I would have loved to do a smudging, but my sage is packed away so boxed incense, Glade candles, and a small bunch of daffodils helped guide me through the cleaning and cleansing process.

Spring "Altar" March 2013

The results? The kitchen, bathroom and my boyfriend's room all feel lighter and free of negativity. It's much more relaxing and homey. I hope this helps clear the funk of negativity that has been clouding my other half as of late.

Altars and Sacred Spaces

One thing I have been lacking for the past year and a half is an altar space of my own. I had to give mine up when I moved back in with my parents briefly. They wouldn't have understood and probably would have tried to have me exorcized or something since I had set up an "occult item" in their home. When I came back to California I ended up staying with my boyfriend in his tiny room, and whileI did set up a shrine of sorts on the kitchen table, that table has also been servering as my desk and thus is not as sacred as I'd like it to be.

Now that we are in the process of looking for a new place a live I am excited as this means I will be able to set up an altar again. I keep browsing sites for inspirations and there's quite a few new additions to my Pinterest Pagan board. All of these ideas keep me wondering and thinking about how I want to set up my space when I finally can again.

Path as a Concept

A path is a conceptually interesting thing. It both guides and distracts. It can be well worn or long forgotten. You can leave it and come back and find it again. However, the most interesting thing I feel about any path is that a path is a unique experience to all who traverse it.

I have been trying for a long time to find and walk my own path, free of outside influences and expectations. I believe I am on that path currently, but it's not been easy. The people closest to me are supportive and loving and those I am not so close with tend to be respectful of my path for the most part. Finally owning my own vehicle has helped clear up my path a little bit as it has lessoned the obligations to people other than myself. Yet, I my path has led me to new obligations that I know I am being entirely selfish about.

I've stated it before and I'll say it again, I'm a dreamer. I'm not the person who likes to go out and take charge. I'd rather tag along and see all the possibilities that lie before, rather than being focused on achieving the goal. It's something my meditations and working have revealed to me about myself and I embrace it. However, it turns me into the stubborn Aries that I am inside. And right now that nature is manifesting itself in a way that could be detrimental to my future. Namely, I don't want to be the only one of my new roommates looking for a place to live. But the God and Goddess have always guided me and I know when something is right as a result. And being selfish right now and holding on for a day or two is not hurting. Given that today is the First Quarter, there will be growing success starting tomorrow.

This whole post may have turned into a self justification for not taking charge today, but every now and again the Lady and Lord will remind you to be true to yourself.

Comet Pan STARRS March 2013

Online Resources

The internet is an amazing tool for learning about the Pagan path. There are thousands of blogs and videos about almost every topic you can think of. One of my favorite and recently discovered video posters is CharmingPixieFlora on YouTube. (I've linked to a video of hers that hit the spot just now when I was watching it.)

It's interesting to see how other people practice and video allows us to do this. We can share our path with the world and learn from the paths of others. I know she has a new YouTube channel, but I think this channel is more pagan oriented and thus more relevant to my needs.

Learning Focus of the Season

In the magical blogsphere I keep coming across more and more references to Heathenism and
Ásatrú. I know only rudimentary things about who the deities are in that pantheon, but it has me wanting to know more about the traditions of the North. Not saying I'm going to jump ship and start believing in that path, but I think the time is right to learn about it. It's just one more topic to fill my mind with.

On a secondary note, my study of tarot has been slow, but productive. I gave another reading this week and was better able to interpret the cards. It also made me really happy when my boyfriend popped in during the middle and stated how the Tarot is one of the few metaphysical things he actually puts stock in. Score.