Ramblings

In a half asleep daze around 2 in the morning I made an unusual connection. I had woken up because my cold medicine wore off. This happens sometimes. I wake up and cannot fall back asleep, so I just lay there and think. I am amazed at what I can remember, and left to wonder about what I cannot. One odd thought I do remember from this morning is this little epiphany: using magic is like driving a car.

Don’t ask how I came to think about it. After thinking about it more and more though I feel that it’s true. They are both useful tools that, if you are going to use, you should learn to use properly. If you use either of them recklessly it can hurt you or other people. It’s a crazy thought, and may not make much sense. If so, just ignore those two paragraphs of rambling.

My cold almost kicked my butt this morning. Homecoming weekend was fun, but exhausting. I did not get enough sleep, and I would have loved to stay home today. A sense of responsibility, and some cold medicine, overcame wanting to sleep all day and I went to school. I am feeling a bit better this evening, but I can tell that this is going to last all week. Below is a picture of me and the group of friends I went to Homecoming with. I have the red dress. The dance was fun, but I'm glad I don't have to go to another for a while!

Banned Book Week

I was reading Mrs. B.'s post about banned book week. I wanted to post this list yesterday, but my computer stopped working. I am embarrassed to say I have read so few! I may have read some of the others, but I cannot remember every book I've read in school. I do plan on going to find at least one of the ones I have not read before the week is over!



The following are some of the most banned books in the U.S. I urge everyone, in honor of banned book week, to post this list on your blog, and mark the ones you have read in bold! Then go out and read one of the other books on the list. Never take your freedom for granted.

I. Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz
II. Daddy's Roommate by Michael Willhoite
III. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
IV. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
V. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
VI. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
VII. Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
VIII. Forever by Judy Blume
IX. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
X. Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
XI. Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
XII. My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
XIII. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
XIV. The Giver by Lois Lowry
XV. It's Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
XVI. Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine
XVII. A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
XVIII. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
XIX. Sex by Madonna
XX. Earth's Children (Series) by Jean M. Auel
XXI. The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
XXII. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
XXIII. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
XXIV. Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
XXV. In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
XXVI. The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard
XXVII. The Witches by Roald Dahl
XXVIII. The New Joy of Gay Sex by Charles Silverstein
XXIX. Anastasia Krupnik (Series) by Lois Lowry
XXX. The Goats by Brock Cole
XXXI. Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane
XXXII. Blubber by Judy Blume
XXXIII. Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan
XXXIV. Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam
XXXV. We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier
XXXVI. Final Exit by Derek Humphry
XXXVII. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
XXXVIII. Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
XXXIX. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
XL. What's Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters by Lynda Madaras
XLI. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
XLII. Beloved by Toni Morrison
XLIII. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
XLIV. The Pigman by Paul Zindel
XLV. Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard
XLVI. Deenie by Judy Blume
XLVII. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
XLVIII. Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden
XLIX. The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar
L. Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat by Alvin Schwartz
LI. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
LII. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
LIII. Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)
LIV. Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole
LV. Cujo by Stephen King
LVI. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
LVII. The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell
LVIII. Boys and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
LIX. Ordinary People by Judith Guest
LX. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
LXI. What's Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons by Lynda Madaras
LXII. Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
LXIII. Crazy Lady by Jane Conly
LXIV. Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher
LXV. Fade by Robert Cormier
LXVI. Guess What? by Mem Fox
LXVII. The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
LXVIII. The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney
LXIX. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
LXX. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
LXXI. Native Son by Richard Wright
LXXII. Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women's Fantasies by Nancy Friday
LXXIII. Curses, Hexes and Spells by Daniel Cohen
LXXIV. Jack by A.M. Homes
LXXV. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya
LXXVI. Where Did I Come From? by Peter Mayle
LXXVII. Carrie by Stephen King
LXXVIII. Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
LXXIX. On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
LXXX. Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge
LXXXI. Family Secrets by Norma Klein
LXXXII. Mommy Laid An Egg by Babette Cole
LXXXIII. The Dead Zone by Stephen King
LXXXIV. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
LXXXV. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
LXXXVI. Always Running by Luis Rodriguez
LXXXVII. Private Parts by Howard Stern
LXXXVIII. Where's Waldo? by Martin Hanford
LXXXIX. Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
XC. Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman
XCI. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
XCII. Running Loose by Chris Crutcher
XCIII. Sex Education by Jenny Davis
XCIV. The Drowning of Stephen Jones by Bette Greene
XCV. Girls and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
XCVI. How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
XCVII. View from the Cherry Tree by Willo Davis Roberts
XCVIII. The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
XCIX. The Terrorist by Caroline Cooney
C. Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

Mercury Retrograde

I was reading Sacred Suzie’s latest blog post about cleansing crystals and making holy water, you can scroll down to the bottom of the page and there is a link to her blog. In her post she mentioned that Mercury went retrograde a little while ago. I had not realized this. So I went to look around for the exact date when it went retrograde. I found that Mercury went retrograde on Wednesday, the 24th. It will go direct on October 15th.

When people talk about Mercury going retrograde, they mean that the planet Mercury appears to be moving backwards. It isn’t, but it looks that way. Mercury rules communication so there are usually a lot of miscommunications during a Mercury retrograde. There are three or four a year, and they last about three weeks.

I know from personal experience that during Mercury retrograde there can be problems. Last year during one my mom broke her grandmother’s bread bowl. It was precious to my family, and she felt horrible about the accident. Just on Thursday, the day after this retrograde began, my mom started to have communication problems with her boss at work about overtime and her check. I am having some problems communicating with my parents, when I usually don’t. I can look forward to three weeks of this mess.

It’s not all bad though. Mercury retrograde gives us some time to catch up with ourselves, and look back at things we’ve done. It seems that way to me. I don’t know if it’s just because of the retrograde, but I’ve been having some serious déjà vu lately. I also had a reoccurring dream two nights ago that I seem to have just every now and then. Some people believe that during Mercury retrograde it is best to avoid making set plans. This means you should probably hold off on planning that vacation until the retrograde is over.

Make the most of this retrograde. Go over some of your old writings, think over an old problem in a new light, or just sit and be open to whatever ideas happen to flow through your mind. I plan on doing all three. We have three weeks to use, and I will hopefully have time to use them.

Meditation

Meditation is a good skill to learn. If you can meditate then you have a very effective way to relax yourself. Meditation is not just a way to relax though. You can meditate on an idea and it will help you decide what you believe is right or wrong. You can meditate to learn information about yourself. Some people meditate to learn what their spirit guide is.

I have not mastered meditation. I want to, and it is something I am working on. I suffer from the age old problem of the second you are trying to clear your mind a million thoughts pop up. xD There are a lot of people who have the same problem.

I find that if I have something to focus on it is easier to meditate. Some people listen to relaxing music. I like to sit and stare at a candle flame, or the smoke from incense. Those two work well for me. I also find that deep breaths help in the beginning. Take a few deep breaths, then just slow down and concentrate on your breathing.

You do not need to sit like Buddha in order to meditate. I do sometimes sit cross legged on the floor, just because I feel comfortable that way. Other times I want to sit on the couch, or on my bed. I risk falling asleep if I am really comfortable, but if I’m too tired I won’t usually try to meditate anyway.

There are guided meditations out there in books and on the internet. They can help you with various things, depending on what the guided meditation is for. Most of the ones I have seen take you to a place, like a garden, and help you learn something. Others are just for relaxing, or for fun. The problem I have with these is if you don’t record yourself saying them, you need to get someone else to read them to you. I don’t want anyone around watching me try to meditate. xP

I cannot suggest any books or websites to help learn meditation. Despite it being a skill you learn, there really is no way to ‘teach’ it. Different methods work for different people. I would suggest talking to people to see what works for them.


Sorry for the lack of posts. I just wrote this tonight, and I am tired. It’s been a busy week. I’ve been distracted with Oh My Gods! comics, Brisingr, and lots of homework. I babysit as well. I am doing that all day tomorrow. Not to mention this weekend is homecoming! It’s a small school, we don’t have very good sports teams, and all the games have been rained out, but I am going to the dance Saturday night. Wish me luck! I don’t usually go to dances, and I have a cold. =P

Oh My Gods!

So I am now hopelessly addicted to the Oh My Gods! comics. I just started reading them two days ago, so I'm only on #471. I should be done soon. xD

http://ohmygods.co.uk/strips/2002-03-07

Since I'm not going to school tomorrow, (my 4H group is doing some volunteer work in the NH Building at the Big E) I'm in no danger if I procrastinate on my homework! =D Lucky for me I know how to balance my work and play.

I still have not finished that Astral Travel book. I got distracted with the new Christopher Paolini book. It's the third in the series, and there is now apparently going to be a fourth! If it didn't say so in the back of the book I wouldn't believe it. We were all told it would be a trilogy. Anyway... it's called Brisingr and I will review it when I'm done.

Happy Mabon!

For those who may not know what Mabon is, (I am still technically trying to help newcomers xP) it is the day of the Autumn Equinox. Today there is equal time of light and dark. For me, it is a day to celebrate the turning of the Wheel of The Year. After today the days will be a little shorter, and the nights a little longer.

I did not think I would be able to do much to celebrate today, because I don't usually get to do much. The rest of my family is not Pagan, so we don't have a big meal or do other things I would love to do. The day was in my favor though, because my mom, out of no where, decided to make corn chowder! We had some corn on the cob that she used to make it. Corn on the cob = I had corn husks! So, I got to do something I have been wanting to do since I was little. I got to make a corn husk doll. Then, while procrastinating on my homework, I was browsing some other blogs. I was really looking for ideas of what to write for this Mabon post, but what I found was an idea of what I can bake for Mabon instead! I made apple crisp. It was good. In our haste to eat it while it was hot we cut two pieces out before I could take a picture. So now I have a picture of the crisp in the pan, and on my plate with some vanilla ice cream.

Just about my whole family was in the mood for Autumn things. My mom with the corn chowder, me with the corn husk dolls and apple crisp, and then my sister who decided to make a scare crow! I have no clue why it's dressed for winter. She does have to spend all night outside, so maybe it's a good thing!

I hope everyone has (or had) a good Mabon! I know mine was better than I expected. =)

Gems and Crystals: Cleansing and Recharging

On a suggestion from Sacred Suzie I am sending my friend a Rose Quartz Gem. My friend is suffering from depression, and Sacred Suzie told me rose quartz can help calm emotions down. So in her next care package she will not only find cookies, brownies, and maybe some other yummy foods, but also a piece of rose quartz! It is just a piece that I have had sitting on my shelf for about a year. I haven’t done much work with crystals and gems so it will not be missed. I may have another piece that fell under my bed anyway. xD

Before I send her the gem I am cleansing it. There are a few different ways you can cleanse a gem or crystal. The method I am using is one of the more common. I am soaking the gem in salt water for 24 hours. For this method you should use natural sea salt, not table salt.

Other simple methods for cleansing crystals are:

· Running them under cold tap water for 3-4 minutes
· Burying the crystals in the earth for 24 hours
· Soaking the crystals in an ocean, lake, or spring for 3 or 4 hours
· Soaking the crystals in flower petals for 24 hours
· Leaving your gem in a quartz cluster for 24 hours (this also charges the gem)

NOTE: Some gems do not do well in salt water. If you are unsure about your gem, check online.

After you clean a crystal of its energy you should recharge it. I am going to leave the crystal in the sunlight to do this.

· People may use a quartz cluster to charge the crystal (it also cleanses it)
· Your thoughts are very powerful. A crystal can be charged with your positive thoughts. To do this hold the gem in your hands and visualize it surrounded by light. If you feel yourself thinking negatively put down the crystal, and clear your mind before continuing.
· Some believe that crystals can be activated with sound. I am not sure how this works. If you are interested in this method please try it and tell me your results!


I f you are interested in the meanings a good site for gemstone meanings is http://crystal-cure.com/gemstone-meanings.html . There is an amazing amount of information there.

I’m sorry that I don’t know much about the subject. It’s interesting, but it is not something that I have worked with very much. I will try to write another Fairy Post sometime soon. If I can find some good bulbs to plant I will do a post about my garden and maybe plants that the Fae like. Aelwyn wrote about a few in one of her comments. =)

Into To Fairies: Part Two

Believing in the Fairies is very important if you want to work with them. Why it is that people who do not believe in the Fae do not see them? I’m not sure. I do know that seeing them takes work, and that the first step to seeing is believing! I have a firm belief in the Fae and even I do not see them with my eyes. I can usually sense their presence, and I can sometimes see them in my mind. I am very new at trying to see them though. It takes time. There are exceptions of course. Some people naturally see them, while others (like me) need to work to open their eyes.

Young children usually see Fairies with ease. They have not been taught to not believe in them, so they still can. Usually we lose this ability and never think anything of it. Because they still believe in them, the Fae deal with children a lot. You can probably ask a child what they know about Fairies and learn something!

I remember when I was little looking out the window at my cousin’s house during a summer rain storm. In her backyard a rainbow almost always appeared after it rained. When we saw it we would go running out to look for the pot of gold at the end. What little kid didn’t do this though? It was fun, and we loved to be outdoors.

If you want to contact and see Fae you should spend time outside. They like nature, and prefer yards and gardens to be as natural as possible. I am thinking about buying some bulbs soon so I can attract more Fae to my home come spring. Not that I believe all Fae hibernate during winter, but I do think they prefer spring to snow! xP

You may also want to pick up any trash around your yard or on the side of the roads around your home. The Fae are a part of nature, and what hurts the Earth hurts them. Being environmentally friendly will make it more likely for you to make contact with Fae.

When you feel really ready to try to make contact you should go into your yard and invite them. They love gifts, so I would suggest leaving something for them as well. They love sweets, milk, and butter, but ultimately they would probably prefer natural to unnatural foods. So that means no “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!” They also love shiny things. Remember this when leaving gifts for the Fae: If it’s not good enough for you, why do they want it? They do not like being treated like animals. Do not leave scraps of leftover food as gifts. Leave it for an animal to find of you like.

If you do not notice any changes after you invite the Fae to your home do not be discouraged. Keep your mind open and try again another day!

Thanks to Mrs. B. for reminding me about Aelwyn’s online shop http://www.myspace.com/wingsandfaerythings . There are some amazing pieces of art there, and I definitely recommend visiting it!

Random Life Update- OW!

So, today I got my nose pierced. My aunt Jen did it with an earring gun. I now have a 3mm earring in my nose. It seems huge. I can change it to a cute little nose ring in 3-6 weeks though! Here is a picture of it.

Yeah there is a bit of blood, and no I do not know why my eyes are so huge! I'm glad I did it. I wasn't sure if I would go through with it. I'm a bit of a chicken. xD I kept saying stop, stop, stop. It was the same when I got my bellybutton pierced two years ago. And when I get shots. There is the initial pinch and then there just seems to be this long drawn out painful moment. It's not longer than 5 seconds, but it feels like forever. Then it just feels hot after.

I'm going to go to school tomorrow and I'll have people asking me "Did it hurt?" Well duh. You are shoving something through your nose, of course it hurts! Not as bad as I thought it would though. It's still a bit sore. My cousins and my aunt tell me that the first few hours are going to be the worst. I'll post another picture when I change it.

I'll post the next Fairy post tomorrow, Thursday at the latest. I am currently reading Astral Travel for Beginners by Richard Webster. It seems to be a good book. When I am done reading it I will try some of the exercises and post about them.

Intro To Fairies

I’ve been debating about how I was going to write this post. There is so much to talk about, and I can’t talk about it all! It’s also a subject with a lot of different opinions. I guess I’m just going to throw my opinion out there and hope it helps someone form their own thoughts.

Fairies. You can spell this about a hundred different ways, and then there are about a hundred other names for them on top of that! No matter what you call them, or how you spell the name, if you have worked with the Fae then you probably know the way they can greatly change your life. Since I am hoping to help people who do not know much about Fae I should probably start with an introduction about what they are believed to be.

Fairies are believed to be many different things to many different cultures. One thing seems to be a more common belief though- that they are sentient beings who exist somewhere outside of, and yet are still so much a part of, our world that we can’t help but interact with them. They inhabit the plants, they live in the rushing waterfall, they ARE the spirits of nature!

The Fae are much more than just nature spirits. As I mentioned before they are sentient beings with minds of their own. As with humans they can be helpful or harmful. As some smart person somewhere once said- “Don’t piss off the Fairies!” They have a great sense of humor, and there are countless stories about the Fae moving things around in your home. You may even hear stories of them making a mess because they were just trying to be helpful. If they are in your home you should feel very blessed. They are found all around the world though. Almost every culture has its Fairy beings.

There are many different beings that have fallen under the title ‘fairy’ over the years. This term has grown to include elves, dwarves, trolls, gnomes, goblins, and many other beings like them. I find it helpful to have common name. It’s like with animals. You have Cat à Tabby, Siamese, Calico, etc. It’s the same with Fairies. You have Fairy à Beansidhe, Dryads, Gnomes, Brownies, etc.

It may be useful to have a book or website that talks about the different types of Fae. There are plenty out there. A useful site is http://faerie.monstrous.com/fairy_encyclo.htm . I have a book with a dictionary of all the Fairies in the back on it. It is called A Witches Guide to Faery Folk by Edain McCoy. Though there are some flaws throughout the book, and in the dictionary as well, it is not a bad source. The dictionary can be found online at http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/4611/fairyenc.html .

Since there is so much to talk about I think I will have to write multiple posts on Fairies. This will make it easier for me to write, and easier for anyone who might be reading my blog.

Books On Fairies:

A Witches Guide to Faery Folk by Edain McCoy. As I said there are some flaws throughout the book. The author tends to pose her own personal beliefs about the Fae as researched fact. Some of it is from her own dealings with the Fae. This is not a bad thing. A personal touch is important in any book, and I would be worried if she were writing about the Fae when she hadn’t worked with them at all! xD It is just important to know what is personal experience and what is not.

Fairies 101 by Doreen Virtue. She seems to be a very popular author lately. I am seeing tons of her books on the shelves at Borders. Fairies 101 is an interesting book with some good information and various stories from people who have had personal encounters with Fae. I like reading it and I love the pictures. The artist is Howard David Johnson. He’s worth looking up, his art is beautiful.

~~~
Now I just want to thank Mrs. B. for being the first to comment on my blog. I was beginning to think no one at all had read it! xP