Witchy Wednesday - Black Owned Witchy Shops

Today I want to highlight some more black owned witchy shops.  I hope you had a chance to check out Teranga House of Africa since last week.  Here are a few more awesome witchy shops to check out online.

Little Crystal Galaxy - I know my witches like crystals.  Check out this shop on Etsy for everything crystal related. 

IfaCanElements - This black owned witchy botanical shop has products that are related to African and Meso-American spirituality among other great witchy items. 

LunaLumi - Are you fairly new to your path?  Looking for starter kits and self care kits?  This is the shop for you. 

Badmouthed Bruja - if you like enamel pins of your favorite witches and spooky stuff, check out this awesome shop.

So, what are you waiting for?  Go shop these awesome black owned witchy shops.  And these are definitely not all the black owned witchy shops you can find.  All it takes is a google search for "black owned witch shops", and you will find lists of them.  This is a great way to support our black witches during these times of racial unrest.  If you buy something, I'd love to see what you get.  Feel free to post a picture in the comments here or on the Cedar Valley Witch Society page.  Thanks for stopping by today.  Stay witchy, friends. 

Tarot Tuesday - 6/9/20 - The Emperor

Today's card drawn is "The Emperor".  I am really loving the "Halloween Tarot" and love that "The Emperor" is Frankenstein's monster.  In this particular case, I like the symbolism of the chain keeping him in the chair.  I like this because "The Emperor" is a restrained kind of a ruler, not a gaudy and greedy one.  He has seen both the good and the bad side of humanity and is prepared to hear from his people without being biased.

"The Emperor" card suggests that you are taking on a fatherly role.  You may find that lately you are providing for your family and being more protective of them than before.  You might be in a breadwinner position.  You are likely acting as someone's stability and security right now. 

As a leader, you need to be fair and balanced.  Just like our monster in the card image, you need to make sure you are restrained and under control.  This is not the time to let your emotions take over, but rather, you need to look at situations in an objective way.  Listen to both sides of a story fairly and equally before deciding your own position.  When dealing with a situation, this is the time to be calm and systematic.  Bring order to the problem, and it will be solved quickly and without resulting chaos. 

The appearance of this card today could mean that you have been put in charge of something important.  You have the stability right now to be able to carry out this role.  The message is to remain objective and logical and to listen to all perspectives before making decisions.  You've got this and you are perfect for this position.  The Emperor represents your masculine energy, your logical side.  This is a time to embrace that energy and to be a strong, disciplined and fair ruler of your kingdom. 

Have a terrific tropical storm Tuesday (I loved being able to say that today, I mean, how often do tropical storms track through Iowa?) and check back tomorrow for a very witchy Wednesday. 

Monday Musings 6/8/20

Marvelous Monday, everyone.  What a wild ride we all seem to be on here in America.  Today I'm just going to share my thoughts about a few things with you all.

Covid-19 didn't go anywhere.  Suddenly as shops are open and protests and demonstrations are happening, a lot of us seem to have forgotten that.  I am even going out into public more than I did in March, April and the beginning of May.  We now have protests and vigils which are very important.  We also have restaurants and bars opening.  I'm all for the protests because I feel it's very important that our country make changes within our police system and in the way they treat black people in particular.  However, if you do go to protest, PLEASE continue to wear the mask and try your best to keep 6 feet between you and your family group and other groups.  This can be so hard, but I'm so concerned about a second wave happening.  I'm still trying to limit going out into public.  I've gone to a couple places, but have made sure my interactions are mostly just with the group I'm with.  And I wear a mask whenever I can.  I love grocery delivery.  I doubt I would have tried it if it weren't for Covid.  I'm continuing with that practice for sure and only going to places that are not as busy as the larger stores. 

Black Lives Matter.  I can't stress this enough.  When we are saying this, we are not saying all lives don't matter.  We are saying that right now, black lives need more help and that something desperately needs to be done to improve race relations in our country.  White privilege is a thing.  Sure, you might have grown up poor and with a ton of struggles (I did), but if you are white, you still had and have white privilege.  There are certain privileges that come just because you are white that have nothing to do with your socio-economic status.  The sooner everyone realizes this, the sooner we can move on as a country and fix what needs to be fixed. 

I've been seeing the witch and pagan community grow and I think this is wonderful.  Is this a spiritual path that you are interested in?  Are you interested in the practice of magick?  There are a ton of books out there that make great resources.  If you are new to all of this, I would urge you to educate yourself.  If you have questions or are looking for resources, please feel free to ask them on the Cedar Valley Witch Society page or ask for recommendations for reading material.  There are a lot of us on that page and we are all happy to help.  You can also send a private message if you are more comfortable with that.  It is important that you know about the path and that you know what you're doing if you are intending to practice a form of magick.  Essentially in our community you are going to find a few different groups.  There are Pagans, who generally practice a poly-theistic form of religion.  Under the Pagan umbrella, there are still more groups.  Wiccans would fit under the Pagan umbrella.  Wicca is a religion.  Witchcraft is a practice.  Wiccans don't have to practice witchcraft and witches don't have to be Wiccan.  Then there are those who identify more as mages.  A mage is one who is focused on practicing magick.  The religious aspect of it is possibly less important to a mage, but not necessarily.  For whatever reason, a mage might choose to not be known as a witch, but might prefer to be known as a mage.  There are covens of witches and there are those who prefer to practice alone. 

Real world witchery is going to look different than Hollywood witchery.  If this is a path you are considering, try to learn a bit more about it before just jumping into it.  It is important that you know and understand what it is that you are doing.  There are plenty of us who are willing to help and who are willing to answer questions.  Reach out to us anytime. 

Apparently tomorrow, tropical storm "Cristobal" is possibly going to track through part of Eastern Iowa.  It looks like it will mostly miss the Cedar Valley, but areas further East and South of us will still be affected.  According to the weather, we might still get a lot of rain and wind as a result.  The last time a tropical storm tracked through Iowa was in 1900.  2020 just gets weirder and weirder.  Check your windshield wipers today and be prepared for a lot of rain tomorrow. 

Well, witchlings, I hope your Monday is marvelous.  I'll pull a tarot card for you tomorrow so check back then. 

Witchy Wednesday - Teranga House of Africa

Earlier this year I was in Davenport, Iowa, for my daughter's roller-derby mixer.  We had some time to go to the mall.  At the mall, there was a kiosk that had such amazing smelling things, incenses, shea butters, skin care products, African apparel.  I bought some "African 7th Power" incense at that kiosk.  The African man who helped me told me his friend made the incense.  As I kept walking around the mall, I eventually came upon the shop "Teranga House of Africa" and "Mama Sonia" (the person who makes all the wonderful products) was there.  I bought some lavender flowers from her and got her card.  Since then I have ordered some things from her online and I can't say enough wonderful things bout her products.  I thought it would be very appropriate today, considering the things going on in the world, to highlight an African owned business.  Browse her wonderful products and if you can, order something from her.  I can't say enough about her amazing and magickal incense. Here is the link to her online store.  Check it out.   Teranga House of Africa

I love the incense so much.  There is incense for money, love, "African 7th Power" (my favorite), and more.  She has the kind you put on the charcoal tablet to burn (what I use) and she also has stick incense.

These are amazing.

The clothing at "Teranga House of Africa" is beautiful.

Stunning.

If you have never used African Black Soap, you should try it.  I have a tub of the broken up pieces.  It's all natural, very good for you, and can help with skin problems such as acne as well.

Shea butter is so good for the skin, especially if your skin is dry.  Mama Sonia makes her shea butter products herself.  When I was in her shop, she had so many products that smelled so good.

So many jewelry choices!

Perfume oils!










I have only just begun to touch on the wonderful things in the "Teranga House of Africa" boutique. They also have African drums, marimbas and flutes.  If you are in the Davenport, Iowa or Rock Island, Illinois area, go check it out in person.  In Rock Island, the address is 1706 3rd Avenue. In Davenport, I visited their shop at the mall.  Or shop from them online like I do.  Check out "Mama Sonia" on facebook and give her page a like.  She also has some interesting content on there including a blog and some great videos with great music and dancing.  Stay witchy today and be safe.  It's a crazy world right now.  Spread some witchy goodness and love.

Tarot Tuesday - Page of Wands - 6/2/20

Well, hello!  I took Friday and Monday off from blogging as I had a lot of "end of the year" virtual school work to do.  I'm also taking a grad class, so wanted to be able to keep up with that stuff first.

Today I'm feeling a bit more caught up, so here's a Tarot Tuesday post.  Today's card drawn is the Page of Wands.  I'm using the "Halloween Tarot", so "wands" are "imps" in this deck.

The image on this card is that of a well-dressed young man standing on barren land.  The salamanders on his shirt are a symbol of transformation from bad to good.  Of course, in the Halloween tarot, our page also has a couple of companions.  A friendly demon and a black cat.  Both are quite interested and focused on the young man.  

The appearance of this card today means that there is some driving force within you that is triggering you to make new discoveries.  You may feel called to make an investment or take a big step in life.  In the image, the demon seems to be "guiding" the young man forward.  The black cat is acting as a "familiar", to keep him safe on the journey.  While you are ready to take this next step, you might find that you are getting some conflicting messages that are discouraging you.  These conflicting messages are actually holding you back and preventing you from expressing your awesomeness to the world.  They are preventing you from showing the world that you exist for a reason.  

Sometimes this card appears when a spiritual path or journey is calling you.  The Page of Imps is telling you to go ahead and explore.  You will not be alone on your journey.  There will be people there to guide you and keep you safe along the way.  

In randonauting (I blogged about it a few weeks ago), there is a phenomenon called the "despair meme".  The "despair meme" is simply thoughts or other things that happen that will keep you from actually venturing out on a randonaut adventure.  One of the challenges with randonauting is defeating the despair meme.  I've gone randonauting twice now and yes, this is a thing.  I equate the idea that something within you is giving you conflicting messages that are discouraging you from moving forward with the "despair meme" in randonauting.  What is it that is keeping you from moving forward?  Is it something worth paying attention to or simply something you are creating to keep you from taking an important step?  

Change can be scary and sometimes our predictable selves will resist change, even if the change is for the better.  The page of "Imps" or wands is telling you today to have courage.  Be brave.  Take the next step in your journey.  You will not be alone.  Remember that the salamander represents a change for the good.  Moving forward is moving toward a positive change.  You've got this.  

I believe I should be back for Witchy Wednesday tomorrow.  I know we could all use a distraction once in awhile from what is going on in our world today, so I promise to include some beautifully dark and goth things in my blog for you to feast your eyes on.  Have a terrific Tuesday.  Move forward.  Be brave.  

Witchy Wednesday - Strega Fashion

Happy Witchy Wednesday.  I hope yours is going well so far.  If you're in the Midwest like me, I hope you are surviving the heat okay. 

Today's topic:  Strega Fashion.  "Strega Fashion" is a term used to describe "modern witch" style.  Witches do exist, of course, and they wear whatever they want.  Some are very much drawn to "dressing the part", so to speak.  The style is primarily monochrome black with touches of other colors thrown in from time to time.  Occult symbols are often worn and usually the style incorporates a layered effect.  As long as it's dark and witch-like, it's considered to be "Strega". 

You can always find "Strega" style clothes on Etsy.  Other great places to throw together a look are second hand and vintage stores. Look for as much black and long, flowing and dramatic pieces you can and then put them together into your own unique "Strega" look. 

Today I am pulling most of my "Strega Fashion" looks from Etsy.  If you find any of them interesting and "must have", just head on over to Etsy and search "Strega". 

Hoods are very popular in this style.  You can get hoods separately to accessorize any outfit whether the outfit has an attached hood or not.  Also, notice the crescent pins on the top. 

"Strega" is a gender neutral style just as "witch" is a gender neutral term.  And can we talk about their blue hair?  I have a wig that color and absolutely love it.  Notice the blue vest offsetting the all black outfit and accenting the blue hair.  Stunning.

This ensemble really shows the layering effect of "Strega Fashion".  From leggings to scarves, a layered and comfortable look is typical "Strega".  I love the accessories here as well. 

If your "Strega" style is "Forest Witch", then I absolutely love antlers as headpieces.  Etsy has tons of antler headbands. 

 More "Strega" inspiration.  Love the hair and makeup as well. 

Hats are always a good accessory for "Strega Fashion" style.  I'm a huge fan of wearing "Converse", so I love the shoes in this one. 





















By now you are probably pretty inspired to put together your own "Strega Fashion" outfits.  It's actually quite easy and fun.  You probably have a lot of pieces in your wardrobe already that fit the "Strega" style.  Experiment with layering them together and then accessorizing.  If you want, share some photos of yourself or a friend in your "Strega" outfit of the day.  Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday.  Stay witchy. 

Tarot Tuesday - 5/26/20 - Ace of Pentacles

Last week one of my favorite witchy shops to follow, Kae's Apothecary, was doing a clean out of inventory.  To help with this, she sold grab bags of anything in her store totalling a $60 value for $30 each.  I jumped on that opportunity, of course.  I am pleased to say that one of the things in that grab bag was the "Halloween Tarot" deck.  I've used this deck before when reading at Harris Haven during the Halloween season.  I always thought it was a cute deck and am so excited to have it now for myself.  The image I am using of the "Ace of  Pentacles" today is from that deck.  Now, on to the interpretation of the "Ace of Pentacles". 

In the image above, the Halloween bucket is full of wonderful goodies.  The trick or treater took home a pretty good haul.  The Ace of Pentacles represents new beginnings and prosperity.  This is a very good card in any tarot spread.  If something new is beginning for you, it is going to be very productive and positive.  This card brings with it feelings of positivity, optimism, inspiration and a new and exciting energy.  Abundance is yours in all areas of life.  The appearance of this card means that you are on the right path and those wonderful dreams you want to manifest are just waiting for you to call them home to you.  You are ready to make your dreams a reality.  This is a wonderful time for manifestation and for doing your part in the real world to manifest the reality you desire. 

If you are considering a new venture, this is a good time to do it.  If you are questioning whether to incorporate a change in your life, this card is a positive omen.  The time is right and anything you start right now will be prosperous and fulfilling. 

Considering manifestation, one of the most important things to remember is to always state that which you are wishing to manifest in the present tense.  Instead of "I will be offered a job I enjoy", state it as "I have a job I enjoy".  It seems like such a simple thing, but it's something so many people seem to forget.  When you put your desire in the future, it's going to stay there.  Always in the future.  But when you put that desire in the present tense, it's going to come to you much easier and faster. 

So, what are you waiting for?  The "Ace of Pentacles" says go out there and get manifesting.  You really can have it all right now.  Do you have a vision board?  Spend a little time with it today and generate the feeling that you already have those things.  And then enjoy them and spread the love. 

Enjoy the rest of your terrific tarot Tuesday.  Stay positive, friends.  It's a beautiful world. 

Freaky Friday - 5/22/20

Hey everyone, it's FRIDAY!!  What's freaky?

This:  I have a couple favorite podcasts I listen to.  One is "Supernatural with Ashley Flowers" and another is "Scared to Death".  The episodes on both of these podcasts this week were very freaky.

On "Supernatural", Ashley discussed the phenomenon of children remembering past lives.  She talked about one extreme situation that occurred in India in which an 8 year old girl remembered a recent past life with complete accuracy.  She even got to see the man who had been her husband in that past life.  Even though they tried to "trick" her a few times, she could not be fooled by someone claiming a different identity.  She knew who each of the people, relatives, friends, child, etc., from the past life she could remember were.  It's an amazing story.  There have been other children who can remember past lives, and my older daughter is one of them.  When she was very little and she would get corrected by me, she would tell me she liked her other mother better.  I'd ask her, what other mother?  And she'd say, "the one with the dark hair".  Typically these memories will fade as the child gets older.  Today, my daughter can remember remembering a past life, but that's about it.  She remembers a big house and a dalmation dog and a mother with dark hair.  Kind of freaky stuff. 

On "Scared to Death", one of the stories is about the "Wendigo".  I admit the story freaked me out a bit, and it is really hard to freak me out.  The wendigo is a mythological creature or evil spirit from the folklore of the First Nations Algonquin tribes based in the northern forests of Novia Scotia, the East Coast of Canada, and Great Lakes Region of Canada and the United States.  It is described as a monster with some characteristics of a human or as a spirit who has possessed a human being and made them become monstrous.  Its influence is said to invoke acts of murder, insatiable greed, cannibalism and the cultural taboos against such behaviors.  Reports of the appearance of the wendigo talk about a very tall, emaciated humanoid creature, with the head and antlers of a stag and large claws at the ends of it's very long arms.  It smells of decay and decomposition. 

One legend states that a Wendigo is created whenever a human resorts to cannibalism to survive.  In the past, this occurred more often when Indians and settlers found themselves stranded in the bitter snows and ice of the north woods.  Another legend says that humans who displayed extreme greed, gluttony, and excess might also be possessed by a Wendigo, then having the unconsolable desire and need to eat and devour anybody it came into contact with, even those he loved when he was human. 

The reason the story of the Wendigo is so freaky to me has to do with personal experience.  No, I didn't see or encounter a Wendigo.  I don't think, anyway.  However, my ghost hunting team, GHOULSASS, and I went to a cemetery one evening in Palo, Iowa.  It was by far the scariest hunt we ever went on as a team in my own opinion.  This particular cemetery has a legend regarding the steps that lead up to it.  During the day, there are only 12 steps, but at night, after the sun goes down, there are 13.  We were there during the day and at night, and yes, counted 12 during the day, and 13 at night.  But that's not the freaky part of this investigation.  There is a trail there that winds through the woods.  It's quite beautiful during the day.  However, at night, it's an entirely different story.  Some of our team went through the woods that night.  The first time, we heard something very loud that sounded like it jumped from a tree and landed on the trail in front of us.  The imagination tends to get the best of you at night when you're on a trail in the woods by a cemetery.  We did not stick around to see what it was, but instead, we ran out of the woods.  As soon as we were out of the woods, I made the observation that we had to go in again.  At that point we heard coyotes howling in the distance.  What an eerie sound.  So, after a short break, we went back in.  We got a bit farther this time before something once again made a crashing sound in front of us on the trail and sounded like something big jumping from a tree onto the trail.  And again, we ran out of the woods.  You can find video of this on our you tube channel.  Just search "GHOULSASS Palo Cemetery" and you should be able to find it. 

During the Covid-19 lockdown and quarantine period, we haven't been able to do any ghost hunts because we are practicing social distancing.  Two of us thought it would be fun to go back to that cemetery and do a facebook live investigation.  Of course, we would go back on the trail in the woods.  We planned this before I heard the episode about the Wendigo, and now I'm paranoid that it could be a Wendigo on the trail.  Of course, that's ridiculous as if it was a Wendigo, it would have eaten us already.  Still, the Wendigo is not something I'd want to encounter on a dark night in the woods.  That's freaky. 

Today I'm going to leave you with a picture of what the Wendigo is supposed to look like to haunt your nightmares.  If you want to hear more about the two stories I mentioned above, listen to the podcasts, "Supernatural With Ashley Flowers" and "Scared to Death".  Stay freaky. 

Witchy Wednesday - Goth Gardening

Happy Witchy Wednesday, Witches.

I was up fairly early this morning for zoom meetings, so when those meetings were done, I was able to do a little gardening.  They say that soil contains anti-depressants and I believe this.  It's so good for the soul to get your hands dirty and do a little gardening and planting.  I have a fondness for black flowers and was able to buy the last pot of black petunias at the garden center today.  So today I thought I would blog about goth gardening.

First, let's look at some beautifully black and dark flowers.

Black velvet petunias.  I try to get these every year as a nice annual accent in a pot sitting in the midst of my perennial garden.

There are several varieties of black irises.  I have one that is called "Before the Storm".  It is by far my blackest perennial and I absolutely love it. 

Queen of the Night Tulips are absolutely beautiful, but for some reason mine have not bloomed well since their first year.  Right now I can see the tulips have come up, but there is no sign of a bloom coming.  Maybe it's still a bit early?  I hope they will bloom this year.

Black Hellebore is one I've planted in the past, but have yet to see it come up and bloom.  Maybe this year?  It looks beautiful.










I'm also fortunate that I've kept some of my front yard kind of wild.  As such, I have some nightshades that grow naturally, both Woody Nightshade and Deadly Nightshade.  Poison plants are perfect for goth gardens as well. 

Now let's look at some accessories for a goth garden.

Nice skull planters.  Love these.

How about a nice coffin planter? 

Gargoyle statues are always perfect for a goth garden.

As are dragons.

And don't forget to add some goth garden furniture.  Black is always a good choice.

Goth doesn't always have to be black. One of the easiest ways to accessorize a goth garden is with gothic style doors and trellises.  If you don't want to spend much money, take a trip to a local thrift store (wear a mask in public, please) and see what you can find there for you garden.  I've found cool cherub statues and different things that look great in a goth garden. 





Are you inspired to create your goth garden now?  Get out there and dig around in the dirt.  If you have pictures of your garden, whether it's goth or not, I'd love to see them.  Feel free to post on the Cedar Valley Witch Society page on facebook, or as a comment on this blog post.  Check back Friday for my Freaky Friday post. 

Tarot Tuesday - 5/19/20

Today's card drawn is the Queen of Pentacles. The Queen of Pentacles is the true queen of her castle.  She is the nurturing, mothering archetype.  She takes care of her home and family while also providing for it all financially.  We see her in the image of the card as truly ruling her own roost.  She has worked hard as queen and is now taking a break on her throne with a well deserved plate of cheese, fruit, and wine, not to mention a hookah pipe!  Her surroundings are beautiful, reflecting her own beauty and her home is a place of her creation.  

The appearance of the Queen of Pentacles can indicate that you are the ultimate working parent.  You not only care for your family and your home, but you are also making a living for yourself and providing financially, creating abundance.  You are able to find a balance between these two hats that you wear.  You integrate them both and know how make the energies flow back and forth from and into each other.  

This card embodies your feminine aspect, whether you are biologically male or female.  It is important to you be able to live independently, with a stable income and also the time to nurture your loved ones.  At the same time, you need to make sure you are finding time for yourself in between all of your responsibilities.  

The Queen of Pentacles represents prosperity.  You have worked hard to become financially stable and, as such, you have the opportunity to be generous with your wealth as well.  Share your wealth and abundance with those you love if you are able to.  While you can afford to be a little bit generous with your wealth and abundance, it is important to remain practical and down to earth when dealing with others.  Create a calm and balanced life for yourself.  Being generous does not mean being careless.  You must balance generosity with practicality.  Make sure you aren't procrastinating as situations arise.  Deal with them as they appear and use straightforward solutions.  To help with maintaining balance in your life, this might be a good time to begin practicing meditation if you don't already.  Take some quiet and peaceful time for yourself each day.  

The Queen of Pentacles can also represent a mother figure in your life.  This could be your mother, a teacher, a mentor or someone who you are close to.  As you are busying yourself taking care of your castle, you may have someone who you can also lean on for support.  Your highness, while you are very capable of taking care of your court, it is fine to look to someone else for support and advice from time to time.  Don't be afraid to ask for help when it is needed or if you just need a break.  

I hope the appearance of the Queen of Pentacles hit home for you and helped provide you with some insight.  Personally, she described me to a "T".  When I have repairs or updates to do in the house, I usually refer to these as "Queen of my castle problems".  And as queen, I am always able to deal with them and find a solution.  

Have a tremendous Tuesday, my friends.  Take some time for yourself today and check back for some cool witchy fashion or decor tomorrow for Witchy Wednesday.  

Monday Musings - Twin Flames Part 2

This morning one of my cats somehow got the handles of a bag that had some glass bottles in it stuck around his neck, panicked and ran all over the house, dropping glass bottles all over the place in his wake. He is now horribly traumatized, but okay otherwise, and tip toeing so cautiously around the house now.  It must be Monday. 

Last week I blogged about twin flames.  I had been hearing a lot about this concept, and that's what inspired me to blog about it.  My blog last week was based on research about twin flames that I had done and not my personal belief. I did apply the concept to my own life relationship experiences and determined that I don't believe I have a twin flame. I believe I am "whole" by myself.  Today I thought I would present other viewpoints about twin flames.  Again, not my personal beliefs, but what other people have to say about the concept.

Let's start with a quote from Mandy Peterson from her article on "Twin Flame Philosophies and the Potential Problems that Arise". 

"A danger can arise if an individual, believing they have met their twin flame, becomes afraid to release their love object to move forward when a relationship does not pan out.

For the vulnerable individual, to release someone that they have accepted as their “twin” could be perceived as walking away from something or someone extremely exceptional. In the mind of the true believer, once lost, one can never have such a “special” love again. They have also lost the opportunity to bond with the other half of their soul. This completely takes a person’s power away through their feeling they need to find something external to find wholeness and completion.

As a result, a person can become very depressed, or terrified of rejection or loss. It can also result in codependency, obsession, clinging, and psychic addiction.  In severe cases, I’ve seen it result in loss of touch with reality, restraining orders, and stalking. I’ve even seen people feel despondent and questions themselves after they were the ones who broke up with someone. They say things like “What if he was my twin flame and I ran?” And they start to doubt themselves."

You can find the rest of her article here:  Twin Flame Philosophies And the Potential Problems that Arise

This is a well written article that brings up some very valid points.  If someone is searching for their twin flame, they may not take the time to work on themselves, thinking that finding that twin flame will help them to evolve or ascend.  What you seek, you shall find.  If someone is seeking that twin flame connection, it is likely they will find it or see it in someone even if that someone is not their twin flame.  

Here is another quote from "Indira's Kundalini Yoga"

"The moment the twin flame awakens by the Shaktipat given to them by the other twin an intense feeling of recognition and coming home occurs inside of them. This is why the myth has developed that the twins were once one soul which were separated eons ago. This is not true as no soul can be divided in two. Also it would follow that the two souls would then be very similar but the reverse is true with twin flames as they are in some ways polar opposites. Very few cases of Shaktipat is also a twin flame awakening. The coming home feeling may occur because the shaktipat giver acted as the doorway or a portal to the eternal world which is whence we came from and where we will return. Also the awakened twin has a certainty that some of their vibrational frequencies have been attached to one another at the moment of Awakening."

The rest of Indira's article about Twin Flames can be found here: Debunking the Twin Flame Phenomenon

By now you have realized that I am researching other perspectives of the twin flame philosophy today.  I am looking into some of the myths surrounding the philosophy and even looking into those who believe the twin flame philosophy is not a real thing.  I believe it's only right and fair to look at both sides of an idea.  

From my personal perspective, the problem I see with the twin flame philosophy is that we are assuming we are not "whole" without the other half of our soul.  Indira said in her article that no soul can be divided into two.  It's a beautiful image when one is truly in love that their partner could be the other half of their soul, but it's not necessarily the truth.  You are whole and complete just by yourself.  You are a beautiful, evolving, complete soul and you do not need a twin flame to further raise your vibration.  It is important to note that Indira did not say that the twin flame philosophy was not valid.  She said it was extremely rare.  Even more rare than true Kundalini.  

It took me a long time to get here, but I am of the firm belief that you must love yourself before you can truly love another.  You must love yourself before looking for someone else to make you complete.  I remember being young and afraid I was going to be alone.  This might be part of the reason why I rushed into marriage.  Honestly speaking, I didn't really feel "whole" until that marriage was ended and I feel less "whole" when I am seeing someone.  Strange, isn't it?  It's almost as if that other person takes away a part of me that I prefer to keep for myself.  Some of us really are just better without a romantic partner.  

I stated in my last blog post that twin flames do not have to be romantic relationships.  If we are going to subscribe to the twin flame philosophy, then I believe that is important to remember.  Twin flames are not the same as soul mates.  Your twin is not responsible for raising your vibration.  You are.  

Okay.  Let's get real.  I am not into new age stuff at all.  The twin flame philosophy is considered to be a new age concept.  It's true that I am into witchy stuff and so I write this blog.  Witchy and new age are not the same thing.  If you are into the new age type stuff, I have no problem with that.  It's just not me.  I know I said this last week when I blogged about it, but I think it's important that you, the reader, understand this.  I am not going to tell you that the twin flame philosophy is not a valid concept because our paths are not the same.  If you feel you have found your twin flame, then that's awesome.  It really is.  But I can say without a doubt that it's just not for me.  

Laura Rosell says in her article about the myths of twin flames:  

"That you NEEEEEEED a relationship with your twin flame in order to learn, grow, and be happy.

This is a popular idea among New Age types. But you have to put your trust in the universe here; why would the universe tether your divine purpose to a specific relationship and then prevent that relationship from materializing?

It wouldn’t. That simply wouldn’t make any sense.

Whatever you genuinely need to fulfill your purpose and meet your soul’s objectives is either already within you, or it will arrive when the time is right. Don’t tell yourself that your life will be meaningless without this person. Cultivate goals and dreams that don’t require that individual. I assure you, you can come up with some."

The rest of this article can be found here:  The Day for Twin Flames

To close my blog post today, I want to encourage you all to always explore all sides of an idea before buying into it completely.  What works and resonates for you likely will not be what works and resonates for me.  If you believe in the twin flame philosophy and that works for you, then it is right for you.  I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions on the twin flame philosophy if you care to share them.  Leave a comment below or a post on the Cedar Valley Witch Society page.  Have a magnificent rest of your Monday and stop by for a tarot pull tomorrow.  

Freaky Friday 5/15/20

It's Friday!!  What's freaky?

This:  The sun is going into lockdown?  What the heck, 2020?  Apparently the sun has entered a lockdown phase, which could cause freezing weather, earthquakes and famine.  As if a pandemic and murder hornets weren't enough!  What this means is that activity on the sun's surface has fallen dramatically.  This is called solar minimum.  Solar minimum is underway and it's a deep one.  In fact, sunspot counts are revealing that it could be the deepest in the past century.  The sun's magnetic field has become weak, allowing extra cosmic rays into the solar system.  Excess cosmic rays affect the electro-chemistry of Earth's upper atmosphere and can trigger lightning.  Well, I do love lightning, but I'm not so sure about the rest of it.  If you want to know what this might be like, look up the Dalton Minimum, which happened between 1790 and 1830.  Truly freaky stuff.

This:  A US military jet had an encounter with a UFO the size of a suitcase.  This apparently happened in March of 2014, but the report has just recently been released.  The navy jet passed within 1,000 feet of the object, but could not work out the identity of the aircraft.  You can read the full report here: US Military Jet UFO Encounter.  It is believed because of the size that this aircraft was an unmanned aerial system, or basically, a drone.  However, they can find no evidence of anybody flying drones like that in the area at the time.  There is video with audio and someone can be heard saying "there's a whole fleet of them" and "they're all going against the wind".  The wind was 120 knots to the west.  This report comes just after the more recent reports of UFO sightings were released about a month ago.  Again, what the heck, 2020?  This is quite the year so far.

This:  I feel like shaking hands might become a thing of the past.  Did you know that the original purpose of a handshake was to insure the person you were greeting didn't have a concealed weapon?  The hand clasp insured that the person wasn't carrying the weapon and the shaking was meant to dislodge any weapon that the person could be hiding up his sleeve.  Interesting.  Personally, I'm all for us adopting the custom of bowing when greeting people.

This:  I recently saw a post of the weirdest looking creature on facebook.  On further investigation, it was just a large male moth with his testosterone tube things out.  I guess that's a male moth thing.  It really did make it look sci-fi.  So, let's end today's blog post with some weird bug photos.

Creatonotos Gangis Moth

Awwww.  Poodle Moth.  So cute and fuzzy.

I can't find the name for this, but it looks like an alien.

Again, I can't find the name of this insect, but it comes from Singapore.  In fact, check out these macro photographs of Singapore's strangest looking insects.  Singapore's Weirdest Insects








Has your Friday been freaky?  What are some of the freakiest insects you have ever seen?  I'd love to hear about them.  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  I'll see you  Monday!