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!

Witchy Wednesday 5/13/20

Happy Witchiest of Wednesdays, witches!  I hope for all you mothers out there that your Mother's Day was as special and wonderful as you are.  In my own case, this was one of those years where I got to share Mother's Day with my daughter's birthday.  I organized a drive by honk and yell for her which was a fun surprise.  She will always remember it.  She got a lot of surprise presents as well that she loves.  Our dear friend, Lori, brought us a gift package that was for both of us.  So nice!!  Thank you, so much, Lori.  I mention this because one of the wonderful gifts is this beautiful and stunning beeswax skull candle. 

Of course, it is sitting on my altar and I can never ever burn it.  It is just too beautiful and I love it so much!! 

I thought I would focus on witchy home decor today.   Many of us are at home a lot more than we used to be.  It's important to make your surroundings a place where you love to be and that reflects your spirit.  When I was researching places to purchase witchy decor online, I was surprised to find that Wayfair has a whole line of witchy home decorations.  Let's look at a few. 

If you like that look of a witchy library, you don't always need real books to achieve it.  This is a cute little statue that can grace a shelf or bookcase and fill in a little extra space to balance things out.  Everyone who sees it will be sure that you can brew up a spell, curse, or potion.  And of course, you can. 

 Here is an adorable little tealight holder.  Who doesn't need a glittery witch shoe to create a little atmosphere? 

This is actually an outdoor rug.  It would look great as a doormat. 















"black cats & witch's hats" pretty much sums up my home.  This is actually a wall decal.  It is also available as a canvas print, but personally, I am a big fan of wall decals. 

This is a very cute wall hanging.  I love the spider web background for a very classic witch riding a broom. 


















Halloween is a lifestyle, right?  I love the look of vintage holiday cards.  This wall canvas has that look.  I love the girl's golden curls and the little black cat peeking out.  And of course, my favorite holiday spelled right out. 










Go ahead and click on the link to see more of the witchy decor Wayfair has to offer.  Feel free to share pictures of your favorite witchy home decor items in the comments or on the Cedar Valley Witch Society facebook page as a comment on the blog link.  I'd love to see how creative you all are.  Have a wonderfully witchy Wednesday.  See you on Friday to see what's freaky. 

Tarot Tuesday - 5/12/20

Today's card drawn is "The Chariot".  "The Chariot" card is all about movement and overcoming challenges.  The black and white horses pulling the chariot represent opposing forces that you, the driver of the chariot, must learn to control.  You obviously need both horses to pull your chariot, so eliminating one of those forces is not the answer.  You have a destination in mind and both of these horses need to be guided in that direction.  That is your job as the charioteer.  

Remember that you are in control of your destiny.  It might sometimes feel as though you have no control and are being driven blindly through this life with no real destination in mind. Do not give your destiny up to those forces.  If the charioteer let the horses try to pull the chariot in different directions, he would get nowhere.  Such is your life.  Do not give up your control to someone or something else.  The journey may be full of rocky terrain, winding roads and even detours, but you must maintain your focus, confidence and determination.  What life lessons are you learning on your journey?  The journey itself is very important, so pay attention while you are driving the direction of your life.

The appearance of this card can also indicate that you are in the process of overcoming a challenge.  You will be victorious as long as you remember that you are in control.  Don't leave the result up to fate.  Don't be a bystander.  It is your life, your situation, and you are the driver.  Take the reins and create your reality.  

Balance.  Balance is one of the most important things in this world and yet I feel it is what we are most lacking.  The white horse isn't any better or more right than the black horse and vice versa.  Without the darkness there can be no light.  If you only let that white horse take control of your destination, the black one is going to fight it all the way.  You will get nowhere.  You, as the charioteer, need to make sure those two forces work together and achieve balance.  The darkness isn't evil, it's just dark, and darkness can be beautiful.  The whole point is to take control, but not to the point that you have taken on too much.  You need to find that balance between driving the direction of your life, but then also taking in the landscape on the journey, and letting the dark and light forces do the heavy lifting.  Joyous journeys to you all.  

Monday Musings - Twin Flames

Happy Monday.  Today's topic for my musings?  Twin Flames. 

You may be familiar with the concept of soul mates. You may be familiar with the idea of your "one true love".  You may be familiar with the concept of twin flames, or maybe not.  In my experience, I haven't heard as much about twin flames as I have soul mates.  And they are not the same thing. 

I've recently been hearing the term a lot so I thought I'd explore what twin flames really are and where the idea comes from.  Here's a fun fact.  You can even ask Alexa what twin flames are and she will give you a short answer.  I've done a little researching and reading today and will tell you what I've learned. 

Many people assume that a twin flame is the same thing as a romantic soul-mate.  Some people may use the terms interchangeably.  They are not the same.  They can be romantic relationships, but they can also be completely platonic in nature.  A twin flame relationship is intense either way and can be life changing. 

I remember a long time ago reading about the idea that perhaps our souls split apart at some point before we incarnate on this plane of existence. The term in this story I remember hearing was "split apart".  Basically, according to this story, we search for and find our "split apart", or the other half of our soul. I believe this idea comes from Plato originally.  I am ordained and can perform weddings.  I once performed a same gender wedding and was looking for appropriate stories for that wedding.  I ran across a story about how we originally were "two sided".  Some of us were male/female, some were female/female, and others were male/male.  We were essentially two souls making up a whole.  We were then split apart like in the split apart story, but in this case, the female/female half would be looking for her other female half and so on.  I don't think I actually used that story in that wedding, but I found it interesting. 

A twin flame is not your soul mate.  Your twin flame doesn't have to be someone you fall in love with.  Sometimes it is.  A twin flame connection is a high-level soul-based connection that is about spiritual growth.  Once you meet this person, your life completely changes and you begin to see the world differently.  This relationship will push you to shift your consciousness and become a better person in this existence on this plane. 

Twin Flames are our mirrors.  They often reflect back to us all of our hidden fears and shadows, but also reflect our inner beauty and strength.  According to loner wolf, there are 11 signs that you are in a twin flame relationship.  These are:  1. the sensation that time doesn't exist between you 2. a strange sense of "recognition" or deja-vu between you as though you're both "destined" to be together 3. intense magnetic attraction to each other 4. your strengths and weaknesses perfectly balance each other 5. you share the same values, desires, and dreams 6. your twin knows you better than anyone else in the world 7. no matter how many times you fight, you always forgive each other completely 8. you have a multi-faceted connection together, i.e. you are best friends, teachers, and lovers to each other (my own note, you do not have to be lovers) 9. uncanny synchronicities exist between you 10. you're both driven towards a higher/social purpose 11. you learn the values of empathy, compassion, forgiveness, and unconditional love together. 

I've also heard that we can belong to a certain soul group or spirit family.  I've heard this in different variations over the years.  This is something I definitely believe.  I feel that many times in my life I have found members of my own soul family.  I've also called this my "magick family" from time to time as members of my soul family tend to have a strong interest in magick as well.  We find these family members in our existence on this plane, re-connect, learn from and grow with each other.  Your twin flame would obviously be a member of your soul group. 

Now I'm going to apply a bit of this concept to my own life.  Something you should know about me is I am not a "love and light" kind of person.  In fact, things get too "new agey" and I tend to get nauseous.  That might be an exaggeration.  I have wonderful friends who are quite "love and light", and they don't make me nauseous. Not in the least. But, seriously, it's just not me.  That being said, here's my experience in a nutshell.  I was married for 28 years.  That's a long time. In the beginning I was madly in love with that person and considered him to be my soul mate.  Things changed, we both grew in different ways.  I did not ever feel like he was the kind of person who wanted to make me better.  He was constantly pointing out my faults, but not in the supportive "hey, let's grow and enhance each other spiritually" kind of way.  So, anyway, he was not my twin flame, and he was not my soul mate.  Long story short, we got divorced.  I dated a couple people after that.  I may have thought I was in love with one of them as well.  But, same thing.  They were not my twin flames and they were not my soul mates.  What I've really learned is that I'm much happier without a partner.  And here is where the members of my own soul group will say "Okay, Leo", but I really do enjoy my own company.  Oh, but remember, twin flames don't have to be romantic partners.  I mentioned I definitely have a soul group, which I prefer to call my magickal family.  Those are the people I learn from and who help me to figure things out in a very spiritual way.  I would say that yes, I have found my magickal family, but not one particular individual twin flame.  And that's okay. 

This brings me to all those people who spend their lives without a partner and are perfectly happy with that.  In fact, they prefer it that way.  It doesn't mean they didn't ever have a twin flame as twin flames do not have to be a romantic life partner.  Maybe their twin flame was a teacher or a good friend at some point in their life.  And maybe they continued that relationship throughout their life even though it was not a romantic life partner type of relationship.  Does everybody have a twin flame in this existence?  I don't know.  I'm going to guess probably not.  This doesn't mean they won't have more chances in coming existences and lives to connect with that twin flame and evolve and grow. 

I wish that I wasn't raised with that idea of conventional and traditional marriage.  It made me feel I needed to find that one special person, get married, hopefully for the rest of our lives, and that was that.  Things have changed a lot.  I have friends who are in committed "triad" relationships.  They are very happy together and wouldn't change a thing. 

To sum all of this up, your twin flame could be anyone in your life who you feel like you know on a spiritual level.  This person will help you to grow and evolve and raise your consciousness.  Your twin flame does not have to be your life partner, but they could be.  They can be a friend, teacher, student, or lover.  They will make you feel like you've found the lost part of yourself and that together, on a spiritual level, you are one.  I believe you could have more than one twin flame and that these multiple twin flames might be a part of your soul family.  It's a really cool concept and I'm much more comfortable talking about these types of relationships than I am about romantic relationships.  I suppose I'm a bit jaded when it comes to romance at this point. 

What do you think?  I'd love to hear your thoughts about twin flames.  Do you have a twin flame?  Do you have a soul family?  Oh, and something else I just thought of.  Can we have more than one soul family?  Can members of our soul family not be connected to each other?  I'll have to give that some thought.  Have a marvelous remainder of your Monday and check back tomorrow for Tarot Tuesday. 

Freaky Friday - Conspiracy Theories

It's Friday.  What's freaky?

Conspiracy theories abound on the internet these days.  Today, I'm going to share some weird and freaky conspiracy theories that are NOT Covid-19 related.

The Secret of Denver Airport:  The Denver International Airport was built in the mid-1990's.  Conspiracy theorists are sure there is an array of evidence suggesting the airport is actually one of the headquarters of the secret rulers of the world.  First, they wonder why the airport needed to be twice the size of Manhattan.  Could it be because the airport is actually a front for a secret underground bunker complex, ready to be used as a concentration camp for US citizens when the one-world government takes over?  What?  And what about the ominous art you find there.  One is the "Blue Mustang".  This is a sculpture of a blue horse with blazing red eyes.  Some people have called this statue "Blucifer".  Did you know that the creator of this sculpture actually bled to death when a section of it fell and impaled him in his studio?  RIP, Luis Jimenez.  That's really sacrificing yourself for your art.

Why are there murals inside the Denver Airport of soldiers with gas masks along with images of cheery-looking children from around the globe?  There's also a stone slab in the airport engraved with a Masonic symbol, along with the words, "New World Airport Commission".  Hmmmm.  Suspicious.

Frozen:  The Movie, or is it?  Another great conspiracy theory is that Disney created the movie "Frozen" to alter Google's search algorithm so that when people looked up some variation of "Disney Frozen", information about the movie and not about Disney being cryogenically frozen would come up.  Cigarettes used to be cropped out of Walt Disney's hands in an attempt to keep up with their family friendly image, so while this conspiracy theory seems pretty crazy, considering the corporation, it also kind of makes sense.  And if it's true, then what a genius move it is!

Hollow Earth:  There is a conspiracy theory that claims the Earth is hollow and that there might even be an entire civilization of advanced beings living in it.  This originally stems from Edmond Halley's 17th century claim that the Earth must be hollow because of changing magnetism.  In 2014, scientists found a reservoir of water that was three times the volume of all the oceans deep within the Earth.  The water is inside of ringwoodite, a rock, which is 435 miles deep beneath the Earth's surface.  Since the water was solidified in rock form, this bolstered the hollow Earth theory for some. 

The entrance do this secret world within a world is either at the North or South Pole.  I've evern heard that some people believe the being we know as Santa Claus comes from the hollow Earth and that's why he comes from the  North Pole. 

The Moon doesn't exist:  Some people, like Dave Marsh (also a flat Earther), say that the moon is just a projection.  Dave Marsh claims that the moon is a projection that was put there for a reason and that we could study this for a thousand ore years and never understand.  He claims to have come to this conclusion by following the path of the moon in the sky in order to compare his findings to official records.  His findings were not the same, and therefore, Marsh concluded that the Moon was a scam.

There is another theory about why the moon's existence is that it is a giant hoax created to distract us all from the existence of Nibiru, a rogue planet that will cause the apocalypse.  Speaking of large planets causing the apocalypse, have you seen the movie, "Melancholia"?  If you haven't, you should.  Keep in mind it's a very slo mo type of film and very artsy, but it is a very interesting movie. 

Chuck E. Cheese recycles their pizza:  This one is apparently decades old, but became well known when Shane Dawson talked about it in 2019.  Shane claimed that when he was a child he noticed the pieces of pizza in a Chuck E. Cheese pizza didn't all match up right.  The theory was that Chuck E. Cheese recycled pieces of pizza that people left on the tray when they were finished eating.  Chuck E. Cheese has claimed these claims are false and that their pizzas are made to order and prepared fresh.  they also said that since they prepare their dough fresh in the restaurant, they are not always perfectly uniform in shape, "but always delicious".  Still, this has always been my favorite conspiracy theory, even though it's not true. 

Do you have any favorite conspiracy theories? Feel free to share them.   Do you know of any outlandish ones?  And wasn't it refreshing to read conspiracy theories that had nothing to do with Covid-19?  I hope you are all well and healthy and staying safe.  Witchy wishes to you all and I'll see you on Monday for my musings. 

Witchy Wednesday - Marigold Shadows

Happy Witchy Wednesday, darklings.  Late in the evening seems to be my new time to blog.  Who knew teaching from home could keep me so busy!

Today I'd like to look at a company I only recently discovered, Marigold Shadows.  I first heard about this company, believe it or not, on Facebook.  Ads kept popping up because, you know, Facebook knows exactly what each of us likes.  I have to say I have been quite intrigued by the apparel this company has.  Their clothes are definitely my style and color.  Lots and lots of black.  Let's take a look at a few of my favorites.

 This one is new!!  And this one always catches my eye.  I love the drama and comfortable fit of this dress.  Got my eye on this one and might need to make it a part of my wardrobe. 









Here is a very nice dramatic jacket. 


















This would be great over leggings.  I love the bold black and white contrast. 
















This rock and roll leather style is what they call vegan leather.  As in, it's not real leather, so it's vegan friendly. 
















 Earlier at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic stay at home phase, I was looking for one of these.  A hat with a built in shield.  I feel like it would be more pleasant to wear than a mask (although I do have some very cool masks now and can't complain about wearing them) AND you could wear your favorite blue, black, or scarlet lipstick again.  This one is only $19, which is pretty good for a hat with a shield.  This side view shows you how the visor attaches with velcro onto the hat, so you could just wear the hat by itself if you wanted. 

 Oooooh, a cool, asymmetrical ruffled dress.  Enough said.  Love it.

These might be my favorite of all.  Transparent pants.  I legitimately love these.  Of course, they would need to be worn with leggings depending on where you live. Or if you're brave, with short booty shorts.  What a bold fashion statement!

That's all I have for you today.  I encourage you to go check out Marigold Shadows.  There's so much more to see there and the prices are reasonable, ranging from $19 to $80 with most items right around $40.  I look forward to wearing some of these outfits when we are once again able to go out into public. Or maybe I'll just wear them to check the mail or walk my dog.  Stay witchy, friends, and check back to see what's freaky on Friday. 

Tarot Tuesday - 5/5/20

Today's card drawn is "The Devil"

"The Devil" can represent depression or addiction.  This card points to feeling trapped or not in control of what is going on in your life.  You may feel as if things are spiraling out of your own control.  This seems to be another appropriate card for the situation going on in our world right now.  You may be feeling trapped because of social distancing.  You may be feeling sad because you have to stay inside more or can't see beloved friends or family in person.  You might feel as if there is nothing you can do.  "The Devil" is an illusion.  The illusion is that feeling of entrapment, that feeling of having no control over your situation. You control your own destiny and are not bound by anything other than your own attitudes and behavior.  There are always options and there is always something you can do to improve your situation, no matter how hopeless things may seem on the surface.  Don't give up and don't give away your power.

At the same time, be mindful of how you are treating others.  Have you been more manipulative lately?  Are you using someone for your own gain?  While you are working on freeing yourself, you can also help to make sure you are not infringing on the freedoms of others.  Be kind and be nice.

Sometimes "The Devil" can refer to materialistic things.  Have you been spending more money lately online?  Have you been hoarding toilet paper?  Just kidding about the toilet paper, but this can be a good time to do a little saving as well.  I am all for splurging on yourself once in awhile.  You deserve it.  Just make sure that in the long run you are planning for the future as well.  Don't become a slave to your "things".  They really are just "things".  Find something fun to do that doesn't cost money and doesn't violate social distancing guidelines.  The easiest thing to do is to go for a walk.  Take a walk somewhere you wouldn't normally go and see what happens.  Sometimes we just need to break the "norm" and do something entirely different to help ourselves break free. 

Have a wonderful Tuesday and Happy Cinco de Mayo on Taco Tuesday.  Do something different today than you normally would and free yourself from your own prison.  Check back tomorrow for some cool Witchy Wednesday styles and decor. 

Monday Musings - Ghost Dogs

It's almost 8:00 p.m. on Monday and I'm just now getting around to blogging.  I also realize I never did do a Freaky Friday post.  Some weeks are better than others for regular blogging, I guess.

I'll talk about a couple things today.  The first being "ghost dogs".  I quite literally just got back from a walk with my dog, Lulu.  She is a big dog, probably a good 80 pounds, an Anatolian Pyrenees.  I'm keeping my sanity during this Covid-19 stay at home crazy time by taking walks with her every evening.  It's so good for us both.  On tonight's walk, we both saw a very large, Mastiff type dog across the street at a house on a corner that was looking at us.  I said "Look, Lulu, a big dog like you".  She obviously saw it and was quite interested, wanting to go over to make a friend, so I tightened my hold on her leash.  I only looked away from the big dog across the street for a second and when I looked back up, it just wasn't there anymore.  I figured it must have gone inside the house or gone around the house or something, but there were no open doors it could have gone into, and it wasn't on any side of the house.  I honestly have no idea where this dog could have gone.  I've also never seen this dog before and we walk by that house fairly frequently.  So, was it a ghost dog?  That is my explanation, although there possibly could be a rational explanation as to where the dog went.  We actually circled around and walked by that house a second time tonight, but there was no dog. It appeared to me to have just vanished. 

This inspired me to look up ghost dogs just before blogging.  Do You Believe in Ghost Dogs?  I found this great article on dogtime.com from October of 2019.  It's not that unusual to have spectral dog sightings.  Even Christopher Knight, the actor who played Peter on the original Brady Bunch, saw ghost dogs. 

The next thing I'll talk about is randonauting again.  I blogged about randonauting previously, and tried it one day by myself.  Just this past Saturday I had the chance to go randonauting with my daughter.  We set intentions for our adventures.  Hers was the color orange and mine was the number 3.  The first location we were sent to was a cute little neighborhood.  The location was at a crossroads, right in the middle of an intersection.  Right by there were one of my favorite things, lilac bushes.  There were 3 of them.  My intention was met.   We then tried a few other locations and saw a lot of orange while driving, from orange houses, orange barrels, orange mailboxes, a dog with an orange color, etc. etc.  But most of these locations would have required us to trespass to reach them, so they were not a possibility.  Finally, though, I got a location for an attractor that took us to a little dirt road that was quite literally next to a train track.  We drove up the road a bit, then decided it would be better to park the car by the main road and then walk the rest of the way since it was so close to the train track.  We walked down the road and it turns out this must have been a popular spot for people to dump their junk.  My daughter found a few treasures, including an electric circuit board, a broken Jacob's ladder, and a light fixture.  We also found a few railroad spikes.  It was more like what I have imagined when I've thought of randonauting and it was fun to actually find artifacts this time.  The actual randonaut location was off of this road and in the middle of a cornfield (Iowa!) and this being tick season and us both wearing sandals, we decided not to venture out there.  When we decided to head back, the train that had been sitting down the way also decided to start moving.  The train went right by us and the engineer yelled something to us, but we couldn't hear what he said.  We had fun watching the train and the number 53 was on several of the train cars.  Looking up the number 53, it is a powerful indication of important life changes occurring in your life (or about to occur).  These changes are the result of a positive attitude and intentions to better your life on all levels.  I like it.  It's also a sign that divine powers are helping you throughout your journey in life.  It's all about positive thoughts bringing about great things.  It's a very appropriate number for so many things that are going on both for my daughter and myself. 

Randonauting is fun even if it's only because it takes you out of the normal predictability of your life and adds a little bit of randomness.  It's fun to look for the meaning in the randomness as well.  It is an experience I would highly recommend.  I think it's a bit more fun to do with someone else than it is to do by yourself, but it can be a meaningful experience either way.  I think it's safe to say I'm hooked. 

I hope your Monday was marvelous.  It's honestly getting close to being over. Tomorrow is Tuesday, so I'll pull a tarot card.  Come back and see what message I have for you for Tarot Tuesday.