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Did you know that throughout history February 2nd has been a day of celebration?  On this day... people would celebrate the coming of Spring and the soon to come end of Winter.  In different parts of the world farmers begin tilling the earth on this day, preparing their gardens to be planted.  Pretty neat how it is also "Groundhog's Day" where we wait to see if Punxsutawney Phil is going to predict a few more weeks of winter or not. Over time this day has evolved into many different names within many different cultures... Imbolc, St. Brigid's Day, Candlemas.

Whichever name you wish to call this day... it is a day that many use as a time for purification, cleansing, beginning anew... i.e., spring cleaning!  It is also a time used for creativity and commitment.  So say your new year's resolution didn't quite work out for you over the past four weeks... Well here's another chance.! Start fresh... for now is the time to celebrate all things new.  Give your house a thorough cleaning and even yourself!  Commit to yourself to make a change... to rid yourself of the lulls of Winter and energize yourself for the coming Spring!  Open your windows and let the chilly air and the warm sun cleanse out the stale and stagnant air in your home. 

The Romans also celebrated this day by dedicating it to Goddesses Venus and Diana... both Goddesses of Love.  The first flower of Spring was associated with these Goddesses hence the timing of this day as well.  Not to mention the month of February was named for Goddess Februa... the Goddess of Fresh Starts.  So another way to celebrate this day is to decorate for Valentine's Day!

I love how so many things that we do today, whether we take them seriously or consider them folklore, are all interconnected... representing times passed.  So have fun with this day... after all... a little head start on Spring Cleaning couldn't hurt right?

 
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You know what I love about living in the Midwest as opposed to the Desert?  The fact that I don't have to purchase artificial leaves from a craft store.  Instead... I found these gorgeous fall leaves floating across my driveway.  I grabbed a handful and brought them indoors.  A few of them I even put into a book to flatten so we can always remember experiencing our very first Autumn. 

These leaves that came to me made me think about how I have all my fall decorations packed away and how it would be silly to unpack everything when we will be moving very shortly.  So instead I thought to myself... Let's bring some of this beautiful seasonal nature indoors!  There are hundreds of things all around us that we can bring in to decorate our homes for the seasons.  Leaves, pine cones, branches that have fallen from trees, pebbles and of course flowers!  The list goes on and on.  Even if I had all my decorations unpacked there's still something so magickal about bringing nature indoors connecting you more with our beautiful earth and it's elements. 

So start decorating!  Make it a fun outing for the family and for the little ones... go hunting for treasures that shout the change in our seasons.  Take baskets with you and collect as many leaves as you can and make a wreath with some branches that you find or even a grapevine wreath from the dollar store!  Remember... only take what is given, don't pull leaves or branches from trees... take only what has already fallen from where it lived.  Respect nature and her beauty. 

Other Magickal Happenings
Magick From the Farm

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Would you believe me if I told you I'm more than halfway done with my "shopping" list for Christmas?  I put shopping in quotes because I am making all of the gifts that I am giving this year so the most shopping I have done or will need to do is for yarn!

I am so excited about this... Not only am I giving my loved one's special gifts made by my own two hands and from the heart... I'm having fun doing it!  So far I have a beautiful scarf for my sister and lovely organic wash cloths and soap holders that I'll be giving along with my homemade lotion and lip balm to the ladies!  Next in line to crochet will be a lovey for our youngest nephew, a lizard bookmark for our older nephew, a blanket, some fingerless gloves for the men, and another scarf for my mother. 

These are going to be unique gifts individually made for each of our family members.  They will be items they will treasure always... and during these hard financial times little cost was put into these gifts although tons of effort was.  If you are facing financial difficulties and beginning to stress about Christmas because of gift giving... Keep in mind that the most memorable and treasured gifts come from the heart and not the pocketbook. 

Even if you don't know how to sew or crochet... homemade anything I think is a great gift!  I remember once receiving a tiny vial of vanilla extract that someone had made for me.  It was one of the most beautiful gifts I've ever received.  Do you have a special recipe for cookies, brownies or other sweet or savory treats?  Grab a mason jar and fill it with all the dry ingredients and then attach a little note with ribbon saying "just add..." 2 eggs, 1/4 water, or whatever the recipe calls for and voila... a thoughtful and most perfect homemade gift in my opinion!

Other Magickal Happenings
Goddess Herbal Cabinet
 
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Happy Autumn Equinox, Autumnal Equinox, Mabon, Second Harvest!  Today is celebrated throughout so many different cultures. It is a day of balance where day and night are equal and it is a day of thanks for the bountiful harvest that you have received until now.

There are so many ways you can celebrate this day be it big or small.  Recognize the balance of day and night and bring some balance into your life where you feel it is needed.  Give thanks today for all your blessings throughout the past year and celebrate with a feast using fall's harvest of squash, gourds, apples, seeds etc.  Even if you don't garden or have a farm... your "harvest" or "bounty" can be represented by all the gifts and blessings that have come to you this year.  This is a time to recognize that the warmer months are behind us and to prepare for the colder months ahead.  Go for a walk and embrace and appreciate the nature around you.  Decorate your home in fall colors!

I've mentioned "Giving Thanks" a couple of times and this is probably making you think of one of our American Holidays in November... Thanksgiving.  Well... I am completely amazed from what I've learned in my research of the Autumn Equinox.  Did you know that the original date of the Thanksgiving Holiday was October 3rd, which makes a lot of sense considering that most of the harvest has been depleted by the end of November. 

"In 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued his "Thanksgiving Proclamation", which changed the date to the last Thursday in November. In 1939, Franklin D. Roosevelt adjusted it yet again, making it the second-to-last Thursday, in the hopes of boosting post-Depression holiday sales. Unfortunately, all this did was confuse people. Two years later, Congress finalized it, saying that the fourth Thursday of November would be Thanksgiving, each year." -about.com. 


So although we of course we will always celebrate Thanksgiving in the end of November.  There's no reason not to give thanks all year round, especially during this time when the Autumn Equinox celebrates the ending of one season and the beginning of another. 

So today take a moment to find balance, give thanks, and appreciate the beauty that is being provided to us during this time of year. 

 
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Remember tonight is a full moon!  The full moon in the month of August is called the Sturgeon Moon... Native American tribes gave it this name because they believed the night of the full moon in August was the best time to catch Sturgeon Fish in the Great Lakes.

A full moon is believed to be a time for meditation, giving thanks, abundance, wish fulfillment, and of course harvest.  Pagans worship the full moon and draw their energy from it and according to Almanac.com... for the best tasting Sauerkraut, make it just after the full moon!  It is also a time of heightened feelings and major decisions should not be made during this time. 

Following the full moon comes the waning moon.  A time for letting go, undoing, and breaking bad habits. 

I hope you'll be able to see the moon tonight in all it's beauty... and just remember... if odd things begin to happen today... you can probably relate it to the moon being full!
 
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"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness."
~ The Declaration of Independence
 
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Today is the Summer Solstice (Midsummer, Litha, St. Johns Day) ... the longest day of the year when the sun is at it's highest power.

The calendars mostly call this day the day that Summer begins... Why then do some call it Midsummer you ask?  Because according to old folklore calendars, Summer begins May 1st and ends on August 1st placing this day, June 21st, exactly in the middle... Hence... Midsummer.  To me this does tend to make more sense  since all days following today gradually begin getting shorter

Today is a day full of magick and folklore and tradition...Soak up the sun, eat fresh vegetables and fruits.  Celebrate the earth and it's bounty.  Wear flowers in your hair.

 
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This was my husband's first magickal duty as a father.  He has continued to be an excellent father and protect and love his son far more and better than any father I've ever known. 

I am so grateful that my son and all our future children can call this man their father. 

Happy Father's Day to all the father's out there who strive to make the world a better place for their children.

Other Magickal Happenings
Our Kitchen Garden