Voices of America

Tonight the votes are counted and a decision is made on who will run America for the next four years. I'm always over joyed to see so many people get active in their right to vote as an American, after all not all countries get this freedom, but I must say the anger and fear can become too much.

Every election seems to have less and less of intellectual discussions or debates, but instead increasing numbers of  arguments involving hatred. If I didn't know any better, I would be very afraid of this fact. However, I understand this comes from deeply rooted fears that are normally not recognized by the individuals. I, myself, have this problem at times when dealing with politics. Due to this fact, I have learned to just not discuss the topics of politics with those around me.

This does not mean I am unpassionate about my position of beliefs involving my country, but I know that getting involved in the overly emotional arguments will not generally cause another to see my point of view. If however, I do find a mature adult that can go beyond the fears and anger to actually engage in a worthy conversation on political matters, I am completely up for the discussion! But I do view the best way to state my political opinions to be in the voting booth with my ballet.

My only hope is that one day the people of my country will learn how to deal with their fears and make this time of change less stressful and more civilized. I wish this too for the future candidates who go up for vote.

Knooking

I've always loved older fashioned womanly hobbies like cross stitching, sewing, crochet, knitting and needlepoint. I was never able to do any of these hobbies until about three years ago. I guess when I was younger I managed to always find a way to not end up learning the skills required to do these hobbies, but I sure did day dream of doing them and all the projects I would one day complete.

However, I never got into knitting. It could be partly due to the fact I learned crochet first and was introduced to crochet at the young age of 8. Even though I learned to chain with a crochet hook at that age, I didn't learn to make projects until a few years ago, but I was used to holding a crochet hook versus a set of knitting needles.

I gave knitting a try once I had learned crochet and completed all the suggested projects in the instructional book I had purchased. The knitting book made it appear to be as easy as crochet, but I could never learn to knit to save my life. Well, if saving my life involved being in the wilderness alone with a body of water then I could knit a wonderful fish net as that is all my knitting efforts turned out to be like. I gave up until this week.

While wandering the isles of Wal-Mart's craft section I found books for a special crochet hook called a Knook. I ended up picking up a starter kit for it and found it very interesting. It is a crochet hook that has a handle which comes to a point. On the end with the point it has a hole through it creating a type of sewing needle appearance. You place a thread through the hole that later acts as your second knitting needle with your crochet hook being your first.

Using this Knook, I was actually able to knit a small project. This was the first time my knitting didn't have great similarities to a fishing net. I was quite proud of this since knitting has been on my To-Do List for some time now. I'm still no master of knooking, but I have found it much easier to learn than traditional knitting. Hopefully with time, I will be able to knit quickly and problem free using the Knook tools.

Purchasing a Knook from Amazon 

This month I have decided to revisit the good old Thirteen Goals of a Witch. Reasoning for this event has is linked toward my sister who decided to partake in a 28 Day Challenge on eating healthier by giving up processed foods as best she can. I decided to take her up on the task and joined her challenge.

So this would relate to goal number ten.

To me this challenge is more than just avoiding unhealthy foods. It is about detoxing my body of junk that doesn't serve me as well as detoxing my spirit. I've always believed that my body and spirit were linked in a way that isn't always noticeable. Witches generally seem to understand this link as it can be seen in ritual and meditation. If one is unhealthy, it makes the workings harder to accomplish. So this challenge is a way to eat more correctly for both my body, mind and spirit. 

For me this challenge doesn't end in twenty eight days, but will be partly carried over into my regular eating lifestyle. This is something I have been meaning to do for quite some time, but just had not found the right time to integrate into my eating habits. I think the Divine has been slowly moving me into this direction and I have no reason not to go forward with it.

Fasting

Fasting has always been viewed as a spiritual action. It is going beyond your body's normal wants and abstaining from its daily diet. It is about freeing yourself from the demands of your body allowing you to realize that you are more than just your physical form. It is about clearing out your system of harmful toxins that are found in so much of what we consume that build up within us and slow us down. It is about learning self discipline and control of what we place within our bodies. These are just some of the reasons that I have chosen to fast this weekend.

I have fasted before in the past doing only one and two day fasts. I'm guessing that my long exposure to antibiotics has caused me to return to this method as of late. This would be due to recent feelings of being tired, depleted and ill. My body is no longer working in a manner that I could enjoy and decided it was time to take act. Fasting does indeed jump start the healing process after all.

My bone infection that I suffer from does not allow me to do a traditional water only fast. Instead, I have had to  take part in what is referred  to as a modified fast. This simply means that I have allowed myself small amounts of fruit, vegetables and juices. Now because I am on antibiotics daily, I have also allowed myself one small meal at the end of each day I fast. It consists of brown rice with cooked vegetables.

I am only doing it for the weekend at this time, but I plan to repeat this pattern in another week or so. It is a practice I would like to have back into my life to aid in my healing and my spiritual life. 

When I fast, I always end up adding in spiritual concepts. I will take extra time meditating, praying and focusing on my spiritual path. It really starts a rejuvenation within my soul when I do this while fasting in a way that no other method can compare for me. It allows me the chance to look at my life and my path with new insight and passion. 

If you haven't ever tried the practice of fasting, I highly recommend it. Figure out what method is best for you as there are several forms of modified fasts and each one meeting different needs. Once you have it planned out, the only thing left to do is try it. Take it one day at a time and slowly work up to more than one day at a time. I promise you won't regret the experience. 

My  sage is in bloom, wild blackberries can be picked and my pepper plants are already producing. Yep, the world is definitely full of life right now. It is that magickal time of the year, where it isn't too hot and the plants are going very well, and it is a great time to escape to the outdoors. Something I have been neglecting to do as of late. Mostly due to health issues or so I keep telling myself. I know though that stay indoors will do nothing for me expect drag me down. Think tomorrow I will spend some time outside and I have the perfect chance. I'm actually participating in a local event for the East Texas Bee Association. I get the joy of teaching children about the wonders of bees and how they are important in the cycle of life. Yes, this will be a perfect way for me to enjoy myself tomorrow.

Officially Spring

Spring has always come early in East Texas when compared to many other locations in America. However, there are several ways for one to tell that Spring has fully begun. Mainly, I check the wildflowers and the way the weather is during the rain. Wildflowers know when the weather is nice and only bloom here at the end of Winter so they are generally the first sign to look for. The most important sign I go by is that of the rain. If it rains, but it does not become cold during the shower then Spring is finally here. It is possible to get another frost after this and a few chilly days, but the worst of Winter is over. I also use these signs as a guideline for when my seedlings are able to stay out longer or for when I can start seeds outside in my mini garden.

Speaking of gardening, I started seedlings back in January for my Father,  myself and a friend's mother. So far my tomatoes for my Father are thriving the best and the onions I picked up from the local Farmer's Market are doing well. A strawberry plant I picked up at the grocery store not long ago is in bloom and already working on some berries. I've very excited about these little garden blessings. Hopefully this year my gardening will go well and the Summer heat will not be as extreme as last year's. This town could use a break from the drought and so could all the farmers and gardeners. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and using a little magick to ensure that doesn't occur this year.

Cure the Stress

I've been dealing with heightened levels of stress as of late. This is mostly due to recent health findings that I have been struggling with for several years now involving bone infections. This allows for depression to enter my life though I try hard to work on my emotions with the situation. I've been turning to healing methods involving Reiki, crystals and herbs for the emotional difficulties. They have worked quite well, but it is finally time to add more to this routine. Epsom salt! Yes, it is time for a nice relaxing and detoxing bath. Below is my personal recipe that I use when the stress of daily life just gets too much or I just wish to relax.

Bath Salt Recipe

1/4 cup sea salt

1/2 cup baking soda

1 cup Epsom salt

5 drops lavender oil

Want to know more about the health benefits of Epsom salt? Check out this link.

Jack Frost On Vacation

I am starting to wonder if Jack Frost went on vacation this year. Our Winter in East Texas hasn't been much of a Winter. It had become chilly for several days in December, but now flowers are in bloom all over the land and the local trees have started putting out their buds. It seems Spring is about six weeks early this year. It makes me raise and eyebrow in confusion. Nothing like this happens without a strange result down the road, which is what worries me.

At least there is positive side effect to this weather. Last week, I began starting seeds indoors for my vegetable garden and my father's. They sprouted just yesterday. Due to the lovely weather outside, they are safely able to spend the peak hours of the days outdoors to soak in some natural light. I can not wait until Spring has fully arrived and a trip to the local plant nursery is necessary. I look forward to it every year.

Neighborhood Walks

Since Chi's disappearance, I've been taking more time out of my day to walk around the neighborhood. At first, these walks were in hopes of finding Chi so to take her back home, since I was unsure of her ability to adapt so quickly to living outdoors in her natural environment. Now it is mostly for myself to get outside and exercise more. After my last two surgeries, I've been a bit more withdrawn from nature and the outdoors. It wasn't on purpose. It was just my way of avoiding any extra pain from walking outside on uneven ground. However, due to searching for Chi, I have learned that I am able to walk a little better and without as much pain than I had realized.

I've now decided to make it my New Year's resolution to walk more outside. This way I can get some exercise as well as take Chi some food to leave out by her tree for my own peace of mind. It seems that even her leaving has brought me lessons that without her, I may never have learned. Its funny how life plays things out.