I began attending the Buddhist temple which is only about 5 minutes down the road.
I can’t say much in this little update but I can say that it’s pretty much one of the best decisions I ever made.
I’m just stopping by to let everyone know I didn’t fall off the planet. Still very much here. :)
Hope everyone is well!
Ok, maybe you read my post about my new endeavor…
I hope you did. If so, you figured out that I’ve gone borderline nuts and I’m going to try and sell more soap than I’ll ever need. Why? Because I’m a poor college student who loves natural body products.
I’m selling the soap trough eBay. The really awesome thing about these little buggers is they don’t come with a box. What’s that mean? No trees, baby! This is clean treehugging at its ultimate finest! It doesn’t get better than this!
SO if you’d like to help me, please buy soap. Else I’ll be drowning in the stuff. If my house ever floods I’m doomed.
Visit the eBay page for my first victim, the Blue Bar. All natural tea tree oil (double strength) gives bacteria and all the other nasties das boot!
For a minute, we’re going to change the name of this blog to “Confessions of a Poor College Student Who Doesn’t Have a Job”.
If you haven’t gathered already, I’m a bit of a scatterbrain. I’ve always been someone who has five hundred different things going on at once, none of which are like the others. I’ve set myself in certain ways which have permanently changed my lifestyle (for the better)… being in a long-distance relationship can do that. :P
Anyway, I’ve traveled between the Northeast and the Midwest very frequently since I graduated high school. The longest I’ve held a job is 8 months. Impressive, right?
No.
I have a knack for making money through selling menial things of mine like books and stuff. I’ve never missed a bill and I’ve never ran the car out of gas. Thank the Divine, I’ve always had something. Even if it means I don’t have enough to supply my aviation addiction and keep my pilot license current, I can still function.
My newest venture is selling handmade organic soap from a little factory in Vermont. I’d like to do this on eBay instead of carting the stuff around all over the place… but who knows.
Regardless, if this does actually pan out I’ll let everyone know how/where to buy this stuff because the soap is AMAZING and I wouldn’t even think of investing time and money into this if it wasn’t. :)
You HAVE to try this candle place if you are.
“Candleberry Candle Company” had a Groupon offering a few months ago. I took the plunge and finally got around to using the 50% off deal. I bought 3 Spiced Pumpkin Simmering Cake Tarts and a Tart Warmer.
What’s a “simmering cake tart”? Basically a wickless candle. You place a “slice” of the “cake” (intentional overuse of quotation marks due to uncontrollable excitement) into the bowl of the warmer and put a tealight into the tealight holder. When the tart melts down it releases such an amazing aroma that you have to actually experience it to believe it.
I’m in love. Legitimately. Holy WOW.
Image via Wikipedia
Yesterday I saw a post on Facebook from the local holistic healing center. They were offering a Reiki and acupuncture clinic by donation. I’ve been interested in learning Reiki for quite some time thanks to a childhood friend so I figured I’d scrounge up whatever cash was in my wallet, take a shower, and head into town.
I’ll be completely honest. When the holistic center moved into town last year (in the bottom floor of a small office building) I had the same thought as the rest of the village folk; it was established for the weekenders. This stigma (and the very high prices for their services) kept me from stopping in and seeing what they’re all about. Last night was different, however, in the sense that it was an affordable excuse to check it out. So I did.
There’s a sign on the door which asks that shoes be removed upon entry. I thought “Wow… I like this place already!” I’m not a big fan of walking barefoot in public places, but I figured they do a fine job of cleaning the floor. I hope.
Anyway, I took my shoes off and sat in one of the waiting chair. I toyed with the idea of acupuncture but I wasn’t sure if I’d be allergic to the needles (I’m allergic to every metal except gold. Even silver. Bring on the vamp jokes…) So I opted for a Reiki treatment.
The lady was very pleasant… almost shy. I told her this was the first time I ever did anything like this but I had an interest in learning Reiki and wanted to give it a shot. She instructed me to lay down on the table and make myself comfortable. Then she took me by surprise when she asked if I had an intention.
Intentions? For Reiki? Sounds an awful lot like spellwork!
I explained that I’m dealing with a lot of stress related to school and my long-distance relationship. My boyfriend and I have spent almost three years together (yet only about half that time physically together… being 800 miles apart sucks) and he’s very close to starting his career. Trying to avoid my life story, I left it at that and closed my eyes.
She placed her hands on my head and I didn’t know what I was supposed to do. Should I visualize a white light? I remembered my Zen studies and figured I’d do some sort of breath work meditation. I focused completely on my breathing and let my body go completely limp. That’s when things started to get weird.
I noticed a tingling sensation in my hands. This didn’t surprise me because I recognized it from outer body experience work. However, I started to feel like I was rolling over on my left side. It became so strong that I wanted to move my arms just to make sure I wasn’t falling. I resisted and continued to enjoy the experience.
When she was finished I felt like a new person. I was a bit concerned, though, because I was unsure if I actually felt Reiki energy. I certainly felt more relaxed and at peace… which is far more than I could ever ask for. Will I continue to study Reiki? Maybe. But for now I’m going to focus on my Buddhism and my Paganism. 
Magical and Ritual Supplies : Otherworld Apothecary.
Stumbled on this site a few days ago and wanted to share with you.
Image by boston_camera via Flickr
Rain.
That’s all we’ve got. Rain, rain, and more rain.
Nevertheless, Fall is here! The end of Summer makes me sad… but I’ll readily admit that Fall is my favorite season of them all! I love when the landscape changes colors and a strong breeze swirls leaves around the yard. On a calm evening you can walk down a village street and smell pumpkin pies in the oven. Kids get excited for Samhain and the upcoming snowfall. It really is a magical time of year!
I differ from the usual method of celebrating the changes of the season, however. I like to make it last… I’ll bake a pumpkin pie, adorn my room with colorful leaves, and admire Nature throughout the coming months. Hopefully I’ll remember to share a few of my pumpkin seed recipes with everyone and I’ll learn of new ways to welcome the season!
With that, Happy Mabon!
A few nights ago I performed a bit of a dedication rite (the first ritual I’ve done in many MANY moons). The intention was to dedicate myself to travelling a new spiritual path and asking for guidance along the way. I wanted it to be simple, yet meaningful… so I relied mostly on words.
During this ritual I discovered one of my biggest goals – I want to trust myself more and learn more about what I’m truly capable of. No, I don’t believe there’ll come a time when I can shoot fire from my hands (though it’d be really awesome)… I’m more interested in positive energy manipulation to better myself and those around me. My biggest issue with this is dedication – I need to make a plan and stick to it.
I began the ritual by lighting an orange candle and a light blue candle. I placed the blue candle to the east and the orange to the west. Using my finger, I drew a clockwise circle from north to north. When I finished, I stood facing north with my hands out and palms upward, calling to the gatekeepers. I did this for each cardinal direction, then finally called for the God and Goddess to be present. I paused for a moment to let everything gather and had a bit of a “conversation” with the spirits present so I could tell them what was going on. This was difficult for me because I’ve been fighting the concept of deities and spirits for so long… but once I warmed up to it I felt like there was something that could hear me, so I kept speaking. When I finished my explanation I held out my hands and asked that they be blessed for ritual purposes. I closed my mind and imagined a swirling white glow enveloping them. I then proceeded to bless nine parts of my body, stating:
“Bless my feet so that I may walk a road of wonder, learning, and well-doing”
“Bless my knees so that I may kneel to all deities and beings in respect and gratitude”
“Bless my womb so that I may pass on this knowledge and respect to future generations”
“Bless my heart so that I may learn to practice loving-kindness and compassion”
“Bless my mouth so that I may speak words which cause no harm to others”
“Bless my nose so that I may experience the world around me in a deeper way”
“Bless my eyes so that I may see the beauty in all things”
“Bless my third eye so that I may learn to see clearly in this world and others”
“Bless my crown so that I may be connected with all that is divine”
Then I sat down and meditated for a short time. When I finished I stood and asked that the God and Goddess guide me along whichever path I choose. I thanked each cardinal gatekeeper for their presence, thanked the God and Goddess, and banished the circle counter-clockwise.
Personally I feel this didn’t bind me to one particular path… which is why I was comfortable with performing this rite. It still gives me the freedom to pursue different paths and beliefs. I want to study magick and the occult because I know I’m drawn to both for a reason. That “reason” is why I’ve embarked on this journey in the first place. Ever since my late Aunt (who was also interested in Occult studies) pointed out a “La Croix Mystique” on my right hand, I’ve grown to accept the fact that the occult will be a part of my life.
Thank you for this wonderful course, Ehsha (and for the inspiration/motivation/guidance for this dedication rite)!
I even gave it a new name! Holy smokes!
I spent the better part of three hours hand-picking each of the books (and pictures) now gracing the brand new “Books You Should Read!” page. Please check this out and tell me what you think! Also, if you buy one of these books from Amazon.com (where they link to) then I get a small commission which goes toward me buying new books. How cool is that??? :)
Happy reading!
-Sarah
This post is going to deviate slightly. Today’s lesson is “How to deal with people who troll on Facebook (or any other social network)” and I know most of you have dealt with this. These people have nothing better to do with their time than harass others and make themselves look better than you in front of your own friends. I had my most recent exposure to a troll earlier this afternoon. I made a comment on a friend’s post when some girl went off on him. All I said was “She’s serious?” Oh boy was that a mistake.
The key to dealing with any sort of bullying is to “not feed the troll”. This has been my tactic ever since the days of MySpace and it has never failed me. Allow me to show you why. I received a message from said troll a couple of minutes later which said:
B**CH PLEASE SSAY WATEVA YU GOT TO SAY!! TRUST IM NOT GONNA BE SCARED OR THREATEND OR WORRIED YU LOOK LIKE DA GIRL WHO HAD ONE FRIEND IN SCHOOL LMAOO YUR A F*KIN NERD AND A F*KIN LOSER! I WOULD BEAT YUR F*KIN ASS REAL QUICK…..LIKE DEADASS DO NOOT F*K WIT SUM1 LIKE ME!! IM FROM HUDSON AND ALBANY YUR FROM CHATHAM I GOT FAM DAT LETS ME KNO EVERYTHING….SO I KNO WHO YU IS NOW N I KNO WHERE YU CHIL LAT AND I KNO YU LOVE FLYIN AIRPLANES AND IN SCHOOL EVERYONE LAUGHED AT YU CUZ YUR SO F*KIN WEIRD.
so i would looove to meet yu sum time instead of facebook chatting doll face and i will f*k yu upp.
This is a prime example of trollery in its purest form. A small person attacks someone because of who they are. Your greatest weapon against people like this is confidence. You KNOW why they’re doing this… because they’re something you’re not. Yes, she’s right that I wasn’t Ms. Popular in high school (by choice). Yes, I am fairly nerdy when it comes to aviation. And you bet your behind I deviate from the norm. The only difference is I’ve accepted these qualities and I take pride in knowing that they make me unique.
Trolls hate that kind of stuff.
My response to her was simple: “You seriously don’t have anything better to do with your time?“
Brevity is best. Always K.I.S.S. the troll – Keep It Simple, Stupid. Don’t feed the troll, don’t poke the troll.
“sweetheart a messge takes like 3 mins……its sunday im fighting wit my man watchin football….so nope i guess not might as well take a few mins to tell sum f*kin dork to not piss me off“
This is when you take the opportunity to shut the troll down. You already know the troll doesn’t like you because you’re a threat to their trollerdom. It’s time to slam the door in their face and laugh as they go back under the bridge from which they came.
“‘Dork’? Come on. Why do you waste the energy trying to demean other people through sh*tty short-hand text? If you put half that effort toward doing something productive, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
No, I have no intention of ‘fighting’ you. No, I don’t give a sh*t if you ‘know where I chill at’. Ask some of the people on your friends list – I’m friends with them, too. I said two words on someone’s status and you let off like I made a death threat to you or something.
Don’t expect me to come firing back at you calling you a b*tch or whatever. You did nothing to me except give me a good laugh.”
I’m proud to report that the trolling has ceased and all is well in the world. I want this to serve as a lesson to all of you who have dealt with people like this. I’m sure there are Pagans and non-Pagans alike who have been attacked for their beliefs. In this instance I was attacked for a hobby and my social habits in high school. Remember that if you meet a troll, you already know you’re better than them. Don’t bother sticking up for yourself – you’ll never convince a troll that they’re wrong. If anything, have a bit of fun with them like I did above. Trolls want one thing – emotions. They want to tick you off and get a rise out of you so they can keep fighting. If you starve them of hate like starving a leech of blood, they’ll leave you alone.
And that, my friends, is why you do not feed the trolls. :)
