Woo Hoo! I Won the Owl/Jol Gourd

What a wonderful way to end this year. I won this lovely Owl/Jol gourd created by Howling Moon Designs in the EHAG Emporium: The Howling Haunted December Giveaway. What a treat!

Thank you to Howling Moon Designs and EHAG Emporium! You made my night.

Autumnwind

Etsy Store Opening Soon

As I get set to ring in the new year I am putting the final touchs on my Beneath the Witch's Moon Etsy shop.

Currently the shelves are bare but I should have some items in stock by mid January, if not sooner. I will be offering a selection of spell bottles, magical supplies, embroidered alter cloths as well as some wonderful witchy themed die cuts that are perfect for the scrapbooking witch or for use in your BOS.

Check back soon for my official Etsy shop grand opening, I'll be giving away a special prosperity spell bottle that I am creating just for this blog.

Happy New Year!

Autumnwind





Thoughts for a New Year

On the table that my computer sits on I have this tiny easel holding a blank 2 x 2 inch canvas. Every time I look at it I am reminded that life is just like that canvas, full of possibilities and ready for me to make the most of it.

As a Witch, my New Year's celebration is on Samhain. I make my "New Year's Resolutions", honor my ancestors and just enjoy my favorite time of year, however, I also like the traditions that go with the New Calendar Year that the rest of the world celebrates. I like the idea of a fresh new year. One full of possibilities and hope.

On New Year's Eve I revisit my resolutions, make plans for things I want to accomplish over the next 12 months, clean my house, my studio, my email in-box and what ever else I can think of, and then at the stroke of midnight I ring in the new year with my family and friends, some champagne and of course those noisy confetti poppers.

Generally I only make a few resolutions and each year they have become less the things I feel I need to fix in my life and more the things that I want to incorporate in my life to make it fuller, richer and more worth living. That's not to say that I don't have things I want to change! I am definitely going to work on losing weight but rather than focus on "dieting" I am focusing on adding fun activities with friends, eating tasty healthy foods and and working on having a better attitude about my body (that last one is tough, but I am working on it!)

On New Year's Day I will post my 2012 New Year's Resolutions and throughout the year I will re-visit them. I like making plans, lists, charts, graphs and progress reports. I like to see where I want to go as well as how far I've come.

Right now, I am going to go and do something fun. Enjoy your day my friends and if I don't talk to you before then, have a magical New Year!

Autumnwind

Amazing Yule Gift

The fact that I am Pagan and my husband is not has, fortunately, never been an issue for us. He accepts me for who I am and respects my beliefs. He even celebrates my holidays with me. In our household we celebrate Pagan holidays as well as recognize most of the traditional Christian holidays, though in more of a secular fashion, as our families and children celebrate traditional Christian holidays.

This year for Yule, my amazing man bought me a wonderful selection of Pagan/Witchy books. We just recently started shopping at a fantastic used bookstore called Grassroots Books. They have a large selection of books and their prices are really, really great!

During our first visit to the store my hubby made sure I found my way to their metaphysical section.  What a lovely thing. I found a dozen interesting books that I HAD TO HAVE and that wonderful man got them for me for Yule. The great thing about used book stores is that you never know what you are going to find. I found fabulous books on Astral Projection, Meditation, Herbs for Healing, several spell books and more!

My two favorites:

1) The Dictionary of Witchcraft by Collin de Plancy - originally written around 1825, this fun little book is an A - Z listing/definition of common and not-so-common terms. It is fascinating! I have only glanced through it but I will be reading it cover to cover as one of my books for the reading challenges I am taking part in so look for a review and some comments on this little gem soon.

2) Signs, Symbols & Omens by Raymond Buckland - This is another reference book. I love symbols. I use them in my practice as well as in my art. This book has symbols for so many different faiths and practices that I almost did a little dance with glee in the bookstore!

I am so excited about these books! I love old reference books of any kind. The language, the way the sentences are structured, the ideas being shared, all of these things make old books such interesting things. I'll be writing more about these and others this year. Check back when you get a chance and look for my 2012 Reading Challenge posts to see what new and unusual books I have found.

Ciao,

Autumnwind

Sherlock Holmes - A Game of Shadows

I'll admit it, I am a huge fan of Robert Downey Jr. I admire how far he has come not only as an actor but as a man and the fact that he is one gorgeous man is really just an added benefit!

I loved the first Sherlock Holmes film, I'll confess I have watched it a dozen times and I still haven't really seen it, not for the reasons you may suspect though. I love the visual aspects of this film! Yes of course the male eye candy is worth the price of admission but the costumes, locations, sets... these things inspire me to create.

The second Sherlock Holmes film had the same effect on me. I left the theater and had to go home and create something. Of course this time what I want to create requires some planning. I want to re-create a lab for one of my sculptures. I want test tubes and beakers in a dusty, Victorian style, warehouse setting. But first I need to finish the detective. He was started quite some time ago and is almost complete

Yes I know he is green, that is because he is a goblin. The fabric he has draped around his shoulders is similar to what I want to use for his jacket. He will have a coat in the Sherlock Holmes style as well as a "detective" style cap, magnifying glass and other accessories. He will eventually have a Victorian era friend as I won't be able to move forward without creating something along the Victorian theme. I see soot covered buildings, velvet, tapestries, steam engines and the horseless carriage and I get all dewey eyed. *sigh*

Once sculpted this guy demanded that he be a sleuth. He loves that he is currently standing in the middle of my work space surrounded by fabric, metal and clay. I am usually working on at least 5 different projects at once and this poor guy has been pushed to the back for quite some time. I guess now is the time to get him finished.

Check back in a couple of weeks for some progress pictures of my detective.

If you get a chance go see the latest Sherlock Holmes movie. Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law are worth the price of admission, the sets, costumes and of course the story are all lovely extras!

Autumnwind

Witchy Books Reading Challenge 2012

I am thrilled to be taking part in another reading challenge for 2012. I just joined the Witchy Books Reading Challenge being hosted by Pagan Culture. You can't go wrong with this kind of challenge, you read amazing books and then you learn about other amazing books from fellow challenge participants.

I'll be updating this post as I read and review books this coming year.

I hope you join us...

Autumnwind

Books Read:

1) The Hollow - Nora Roberts  finished 01/06/2012

2) The Pagan Stone- Nora Roberts Finished 01/11/2012

3) Fairy Tale Rituals - Kenny Klein (In Progress)

4) the Elements ofRitual - Deborah Lipp (In Progress)

Vacation Pictures... Finally!

I know I have been promising some vacation pictures since I got back so here are a

few of my favorites from out trip to the Eastern Caribbean.

This is our stateroom. It was a nice size and the balcony was huge!

Here I am on the balcony before we left Miami.

This is a side street in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. I love the colors of the houses!

Pirate ship anyone? What else would you expect in the port of St.Thomas?

This is the 99 step staircase at the site of Blackbeard's Castle in St. Thomas.

We walked back to port from here. St.Thomas is a lovely island.

I saw some of the most beautiful sunsets while we were at sea.

This picture was taken on the night between St.Thomas and St.Maarten.

St. Maarten was our last port of call. We made a mistake and took a non-cruise-sanctioned tour. I do NOT recommend this to anyone. We went on Mr. Toad's Wild ride with a stranger who, once we were out of the city, appeared either drunk or high. Good times - NOT! Fortunately we survived, we have a great story to tell and I did manage to get a few nice pictures. All in all it was a nice day.

We had 4"at-sea" days, one of which I spent reading on the balcony. I had a great time with my husband and our friends and even managed to relax on my vacation!

Have a lovely day,

Autumnwind