I had a great day yesterday. One of the local metaphysical shops, the one closest to me, had a 'party' to celebrate Earth Day. I took my closest friend with me. She's been interested in Paganism for a while and has recently started exploring it more. She's also been interested in going to the shop with me, so it was a good time to bring her along. We bought a few interesting things, I won a door prize(!), and I brought home a baby pine tree to nurture. We came back to my place before joining our menfolk and children at the park to grill out. My friend had asked me to do a tarot reading for her, so we did that before gathering the rest of the picnic supplies. It was interesting. I haven't done a reading in a while and am fairly inexperienced, but it went well. It gave her a lot to think about, I believe.
Going to the park was nice, too. It's the first time we've grilled out this year, and the kids enjoyed it very much. They always like spending time together, and all were sad to part ways.
While the kids were bathing, I did a reading for my husband. I've had my tarot decks for several years now and have never done a reading for him using either one of them. The reading was frighteningly accurate. I think it discouraged him in some ways, but I hope it acts as a catlyst for him and he realizes there are things he can do on all levels to make changes for the better.
I've come to the conclusion that I need to start developing my skills and studying my interests more seriously. Right now, I have two I'd like to expand upon: learning about herbs and their many uses, and studying the tarot. The problem is that I'm not sure I can study both of them at the same time, so I may have to choose which one I'd like to work on first. However, I do have the Herbal Tarot, so I may be able to study both of them together. Maybe I can pick a card from my deck at the beginning of the week and study that particular herb and the meanings of that particular card (both the traditional meaning and the meaning of the card as represented in my deck) for the rest of the week ~ longer, if I feel it's necessary. I can try that and see how it works.
Lately I've been spending my time on things I shouldn't spend so much time or energy on. Things that don't really help me and, instead, take away from that which is important in my life. I want to make changes, obviously.
I've decided to make a list of four things I need/want to do in the mornings, and a list of four things I need/want to do in the evenings after the kids go to bed. Some of it is common sense or things that I *obviously* already do on a daily basis, but I figure if I group things I don't do daily with things I already do, I'll automatically associate all four things together and if I do one, I'll do the others.
Mornings: 1. get breakfast 2. take care of pets and plants 3. get ready for the day (including a morning ritual) 4. exercise (take walks, practice yoga, go for a bike ride)
Evenings after the kids go to bed: 1. finish cleaning the kitchen 2. take the dog out 3. work on projects/read 4. meditate/perform a ritual
I want all of this to flow as easily as, well, breathing. After I'm comfortable with these routines, I'dd like to add more. Maybe a late morning routine and an early evening routine. Four groups of four sounds great....
I'm disappointed. But I was preparing myself for it since the process was so prolonged for us. I also feel that since we didn't get the house, we obviously aren't meant to be there.
We'll be in this apartment for a little while yet, so I have lots of plans to spruce it up for us. I told my husband I want to go room by room and completely purge our place of things we don't need or want anymore. I have lots of little projects for every room. Once we're done, the place will look great and it'll feel like we moved into a brand new place!
I might hit up Ollie's and a couple thrift stores tomorrow....
I'm excited. I'm cautious, though, so won't count on anything until I'm actually in my house.
It's in a little town about 15 minutes from where we're at now. We rented a house there before; I love the town and am so happy to be moving back there. I'm a small town girl. :> But I know the area, I know people in the area, and I feel safe in that area. I'll also have my two closest friends as neighbors ~ how random is that? It's actually quite a chain of coincidences that have lined up to produce such a great outcome. My one friend who has always lived in Dauphin got married and bought a house with her husband. A handful of months later, my other friend (who knows about but doesn't know my first friend), decides to start looking for a house to buy. They buy the house literally right across the street from my first friend ~ without knowing it. Then the house right next to them is foreclosed on. We weren't planning to look for a house anytime soon, but the price is right, the location is right, and the neighbors are right. So we put in an offer and it's accepted. It's a rehab loan, though, so we have some hoops to jump through. That makes me a little nervous. I also lost us a bit of time ~ when time is an issue ~ because I didn't realize we needed to get someone in there to give us an estimate on the work that needs to be done. But so far so good, despite the minor obstacles.
I want everything to work out so badly. I usually don't let myself *want* something, so this is kind of a new feeling for me. But I can see us living there. I've mentally decorated the house. I've even designed our little garden! And the house is perfect. We have a decent-sized living room with a fireplace (I want to get that inspected and ship-shape during the summer), I love the bright and open kitchen, my kids can each have their own bedroom, we'll have a playroom/guestroom, and my husband and I can have our own retreat. The yard isn't all that big, but it'll be big enough for a veggie and herb garden, a sandbox and sunflower fort for the kids, and room enough to play. There's even a small concrete slab off to one side of the yard we can build an outdoor oven on. I have so many hopes and dreams for this place.
My friends and I have so many plans for the summer.
I know there are problems with the house. It's old ~ built in the 1840s or 1850s ~ and we'll need to continue to work on it once we move in. But that almost adds to the charm of it, if you know what I mean.
But I'm too cautious ~ too afraid something will go wrong ~ to tell many people about it and about my plans. I'm afraid of having my dream taken away from me. Of being disappointed.
But if all goes well, I should be able to move into my new house next month!
I haven't really been on CovenSpace much lately. But I've recently decided I should spend more time here. :>
I will say that I feel I'm bringing my spirituality into my life ~ and into myself ~ a lot more lately. I've been meditating most nights and that seems to help a lot. It seems to be giving me a good, solid base from which to build upon. I've been reading Christopher Penczak's The Inner Temple of Witchcraft and have been enjoying experimenting with the different meditation exercises he presents. I've also continued reading Druid Magic to a lesser extent. I really like the way the two compliment each other.
I've relaxed my standards regarding a daily ritual, though. I only have so much free time and, unfortunately, performing a daily ritual in the evenings would take up most of it. Right now, I feel I benefit more from meditation alone than I would from just performing rituals. I still like the format I've been developing, though, and hope to re-incorporate an evening ritual when it feels right to me. I am considering adding a weekly ritual, however, because I feel ritual can be an important aspect of spirituality. I'm also still working on a short daily morning ritual. Interestingly, I really like ADF's Daily Morning Bathroom Devotional and Meditation. I have two young ones, so fitting a ritual into a morning routine can be a bit challenging. Since the ADF ritual combines the two, in a sense, it works well. I just need to be more consistent about doing it! I also add the Sphere of Protection ritual to it to make it more complete for me.
I'm also broadening my horizons regarding spiritual paths. I've focused so much on the Druid Path this past year that I feel it's good for me to see what else is out there before I settle in and commit myself to one particular way.
