Resolutions - They're not just for the New Year!

Resolutions (ahem.. goals - I hate the word "resolution." :P It leaves a bad taste in my mouth.)

January rolls around, and everyone has all these goals - lose weight, save money, stop smoking.

I've heard them all before. Heck, I've made them all before! Then usually around the 3rd week or so, most of these people have given up on their goals. Why does this happen? And how can we make sure our goals "stick"?

Before I get in deep with this blog post, let me go ahead and answer another question that most of you are thinking right now: "Why is she talking about resolutions in the middle of JUNE???"

Well, the short answer is I'm going through a lot of changes right now is soon going to require a lot of organization and goal-setting. I'm also starting The Pagan Experience blog project and I have a hard time with jumping in at the middle of something. It's an OCD thing. But.....goal-setting is important year-around! Successful people set goals, and I want to be one of those successful people! :D

So, let's get back to those two questions I asked earlier....why do most people give up on their resolutions (goals) and how can we make sure our goals "stick"?

1. Why do most people give up on their goals?
The reason I think most people give up on their goals before achieving them (I'm guilty as well) is because they are not emotionally invested in their goal! This is huge! If you want to achieve something worthwhile, you need to get revved up about it! You have to be hungry for it! But most of us fail before we even get started good. We can't just go through life on autopilot and expect success to just fall into our laps. Successful people are constantly moving. They make things happen instead of waiting for things to happen to them.

2. How can we make sure our goals "stick"?
If you want your goals to "stick," you need to get into the habit of checking in with yourself. You need to set baby steps and check to see where you're at and also see where you need an extra kick in the butt to get over any hurdles you are experiencing.

But.....the MAIN thing to keep in mind when setting goals is to you know WHY you are setting a particular goal!!! What do you hope to gain from achieving that goal and are you emotionally invested in the outcome?

I'll tell ya, it can be hard to keep goals. Especially those long-term ones where it seems like we struggle and struggle and struggle and never see any payoff. That's why it's important to have baby steps - smaller goals that help us to achieve our bigger long-term goal. I don't know about you guys, but when I want something, I want it YESTERDAY! Lol. I have no patience whatsoever. If I see something I want to buy, but the store is already closed, I'm in a bad mood for the rest of the day! I'm the same way with goals. If I can't see that I'm making progress, I'll quickly throw in the towel. I have to set baby steps.

So, now that we've gone this far, I'm going to share with you some of my long-term goals that I'm setting.

1. Have a magickal homestead and be able to live off the grid.
2. Quit my job and work out of my home
3. Finish my Year and a Day with Flora Peterson (Yay!)
4. Get married!
5. Fill my Etsy shop with Tarot and witchy goodness - I'll link my shop once I actually have stuff posted lol

This brings me to my last goal-setting tips for you guys: WRITE THEM DOWN!!! Write them down and put the list where you can see it every single day. And every time you see it, you get a little extra motivational push to achieve your goals. The other tip is to set a deadline for your goals. Once you know what you want to achieve, decide when you want to have it done.

And that, my friends, is the end of my very first Pagan Experience blog post! Hope you enjoy!

Blessed Be

(I'll just leave this here for you guys)

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

Hey guys!

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything. I've had a lot going on with planning our wedding and (wait for it) buying a house!

I restarted my Year and a Day with Flora Peterson. I feel like I was just skimming the surface the first go-round and I want to make sure that I'm getting the most I can out of my studies.

And holy crap, it has been intense!

For one thing, going through my Saturn Return has made things EXTREMELY stressful, which I feel like is one of the reasons I feel away from my lessons like I did. I've felt challenged physically, mentally, emotionally, and psychically. But Saturn went retrograde yesterday and will be in Scorpio until September, so this is almost like a little break! :D Once Saturn went retrograde, all the challenges I've gone through started to become clear. For one, I've come to realize that my role in this life is that of a mentor. To help those that need my help. Not in a condescending-because-I'm-better-than-anyone kind of way. But by walking beside people as they go through their struggles. I don't have a degree in Psychology or anything of that nature (although that may come at a later time), but as someone that has been though the ringer as far as experiencing all of the darkness that this world can sometimes test us with - particularly death - I think, from a spiritual standpoint, my experiences will be of value to people that are now going through some of those same things.

As of right now, my goal is simply to finish my Year and a Day studies and have a deeper understanding of spirituality. Once I'm done with that, I plan on beginning a Tarot practice and using Tarot as a tool to help other people in need.

Other that all of that, I'm pretty excited to say that we are getting close to closing on our house! We found an awesome deal on a small house in the county on 5.5 acres of land. Our plan is to turn in into a homestead where we can grow and raise our own food and eventually live off the grid.

I'll try to post more often, especially once I get deeper into my lessons. I also want to show you guys our farmhouse once we get settled in and start our homesteading projects :)

Talk to you guys soon!

Blessed Be

My Matron Goddess - Hera

Hey guys!

Oh my goodness, this week has been crazy! I feel like my spirit is on fire! So many things are beginning to happen for me (in large part, thanks to Leonie Dawson's 2015 Create Your Shining Year Workbook) and I'm excited to see what happens next!

One of the things that has grown exponentially is my spirituality. I'm going through my Year and a Day with Flora Peterson and these last couple of weeks have been really profound for me. It's all about connecting with your God and Goddess.

Last blog post was about my relationship with Hades, so this week, I'm talking about Hera!

Hera was the first deity that came into my life. She appeared to me during a meditation. It instantly "clicked" and I knew she would be a lifelong presence and inspiration for me.

Hera, Queen of the Sky and the wife of Zeus. Goddess of Marriage. She is often portrayed as being extremely jealous of Zeus' lovers and children and will go to any lengths to exact revenge.

This has not been my experience with her at all. She has a very motherly nature. She has helped me through more than one sticky situation and inspires me on a daily basis. My confidence has grown so much since she came into my life and my once-shaky relationship with my fiance is pretty solid. It's not always sunshine and roses with her though. Sometimes my temper gets the best of me and I'll stir up an argument, but she has no problem letting me know when I'm out of line. I've had to swallow my pride more than once.

She is also helping me to heal the relationship with my mom, which has been pretty damaged for the last 15 years.

More than anything though, she is really helping me to believe in myself again! My dreams are coming true because of the self-confidence I've developed since working with her. I still have a long way to go and I know it's not going to be easy, but I'm excited to be able to see the changes in myself and in my spirituality!

I hope you all have a fantastic week!

Much love and light!

Blessed Be

My Patron God - Hades

Hey there, buttercup!

I'm so excited to talk about my patron god, Hades! Working with him has helped me so much in my spiritual practice! I won't lie to you, I was terrified when he first came into my life, but I quickly realized that there was no reason to resist.

When I first discovered Hades was my patron god, I was sitting at my altar after a ritual. I had two candles on my altar: a peacock candle for my goddess Hera (I plan on doing a post about her as well) and a plain white candle for my unknown god. As I was sitting there, the white candle started to flicker like crazy! I instantly knew he was trying to get my attention....as I sat there, the name "Hades" popped into my head. I freaked!

You see, I come from a Christian background and Hades is always associated with the Devil. That's just one of those things that was left over from that.

I don't know how any of you communicate with your deities, but when I communicate, it's like a conversation in my head. I told Hades that I needed some time to think everything over and do some research. He agreed, but told me he wouldn't stick around long. If I hadn't made up my mind in two weeks, he would be gone from my life. This was my first indication that he is fair, but definitely not patient!

After I closed my circle, I started going through my old journals and Tarot readings I did when I was trying to figure out who my patron god was. I didn't understand the completely understand the readings until I went back. But when I did them, I realized they were gradually shifting my focus to the things I needed to understand. The first area of focus was my shadow aspect. I needed to understand certain things about myself that I had been trying to suppress. The next day, I did a reading to show me how to deal with my shadow aspect. I drew the King of Wands. My interpretation: a father-figure that wants to be a part of my goals and dreams. At the time I didn't understand, but when I read it again after the circle, I immediately knew that this was the right path for me!

I started reading about Hades and looking for people that have worked with him. The initial impression I got is that he is definitely not evil, just like death is not evil. It is a natural part of life that we all will have to experience one day. However, he is very stern and not someone you want to cross.

As I started to develop a personal relationship with him, I came to realize that all these things about him are true. But there's so much more to it! Yes, he is stern and impatient. But he's also very fatherly and caring. His teaching method is very much one of "tough love," like the father that will tell his child not to touch the hot stove, but will sit back and watch him or her do it so they learn their lesson.

As someone who has had to experience a lot of loss (my dad died when I was 11 and my ex-fiance that I was with for 6 years died three years ago when I was 23), I think there is a lot that Hades can help me understand about death.

Hades is also considered a god of wealth because of the crystals that grow in the ground. The ancient Greeks thought they came from Hades. I have done some work with him for getting my finances in order and have had success so far and hopefully much more to come!

He is always glad to pass on wisdom and will tell it like it is. He's not really one for the cryptic.

As someone that has had to deal with a lot of death, I feel like Hades is the perfect god for me to work with!

I hope this was an interesting read for you guys! If any of you have personally worked with Hades, I would love to hear about your experiences!

Much love and light to you!

Blessed Be

Ralph Fiennes as Hades in Wrath of the Titans. I love the way he is depicted here! :)

My Witchy Self

Hello again, lovelies! I thought this would be a fun post to do to go along with the introduction post, just so you guys can learn a little more about who I am! Hope you enjoy! :) 

1. What kind of witch are you?
I am a solitary eclectic witch. I also consider myself a Cottage Witch as most of my magick centers around hearth and home.

2. How did you discover your path?
I discovered Witchcraft when I was about 12 years old, I found a book my cousin had in her room and I was immediately sucked in. When my mom saw, she told me it was devil-worship.... I started actively practicing when I was 17.

3. How long have you been practicing?
Almost 10 years, off and on, although in many ways I still feel like a beginner :)

4. What path/tradition do you follow?
Eclectic

5. Are you solitary or do you have a coven?
Solitary

6. Do you practice divination? If so, what techniques?
I'm learning to read Tarot

7. Do/would you teach and practice witchcraft to your children?
I don't have any children, but if I did, I would absolutely teach them witchcraft if that's what they wanted to learn!

8. Do you have a patron/major deity?
Hera and Hades

9. Favorite pantheon?
Greek! I've been drawn to the Greek pantheon since I was a kid.

10. Favorite goddess?
Hera

11. Favorite god?
Hades

12. Your sun sign?
Scorpio

13. Your moon sign?
Leo

14. Do you have a familiar?
No. In fact, I would say I have an ANTI-familiar! Lol. My black cat (go figure) is constantly getting into my stuff. I made a God's Eye for Imbolc and hung it over my altar. He knocked it down and ate the feathers off of it. I had to fix the thing three times before he had it good and destroyed!. He gets my gemstones and knocks them around the floor. When I was doing my money spell, he kept stealing the "treasures." LOL

15. Thoughts on the afterlife?
I believe in reincarnation.

16. Have you had any paranormal experiences?
When I was a kid, I saw what I thought was a ghost. Now that I'm older, I think it was my eyes playing tricks.

17. Are you out of the broom closet? if so, how do your friends/family feel about your path?
I'm partially out of the broom closet. Most people know, but it's not something I flaunt. Most in this group I didn't "come out" to...I got dragged out kicking and screaming. I'm open with my fiance about it. He's fine with it. My mom thinks I'm going to hell..

18. What is something that inspires you?
Knowledge

19. Do you have an altar?
Yes

20. What's a spell that you've done?
The one I did most recently was for focus and memory. I did it on Imbolc so I could get the most out of my lessons with Flora.

21. Do you have a totem animal? if so, what is it?
I have two. Horse and snake.

22. Favorite pagan holiday that you celebrate?
Yule

23. Do you meditate?
Yes, I try to meditate every day, but a minimum of two or three times a week

24. Have you gone to a psychic/tarot reader/reiki master/healer/etc?
Yes

25. What are some witch books that have influenced you?
Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner, Living Wicca, The Temple of Witchcraft series, Solitary Witch, The Simple Sabbat, and many more

26. Favorite witch websites?
YouTube (not exactly a witch website, but it has had the most influence on my practice) and Everything Under the Moon

27. Favorite witch movie?
Practical Magic

28. Favorite mythological animal?
Phoenix

29. Favorite season?
Autumn

30. Favorite herb?
Lavender, rosemary, and sage

31. Favorite gem?
Rhodonite

32. Rune of your choice?
I know very very little about Runes, but I did just have a Rune reading done for me and the one that stood out to me was Pertho

33. Tarot card of your choice.
The Fool

34. Symbol/sigil of your choice
The Pentacle and the Wheel of the Year

35. Your athame (or one you want).
This. 

36. Your wand (or one you want).
And this.

37. Your cauldron (or one you want).
Bought this last year.

38. Your book of shadows (or one you want).
I won't post a picture of my BoS because it's just a plain 3-ring binder. I've been working on it a lot though and it's almost completely full of information. I would like to eventually have one of the really big juicy ones, maybe like the one on Practical Magic! :)

39. Your tarot deck(s) (or one you want).
I have the Witches Tarot deck by Ellen Dugan

40. Something witch related you want right now.
This Witch's Ladder

Well, there ya go! A little bit (not much) about me!

See you guys next week!

Love and light! )O(

Hello Lovelies!

I'm so excited to FINALLY start this blog! I have been wanting to do this for so long now, but I was never able to find where I fit in and what I had to contribute....but now I feel comfortable sharing my journey with everyone! And that's what I intend this blog to be about! I am following several Pagans on YouTube (and even tried my hand at making videos - but I sure hate talking on camera!) and I have learned so much from several of my favorites: Kimi (TheLovelyLittleWitch), Charlie (charliesaysgo), The Four Queens, TipToeChick, and of course Flora Peterson! Now I feel like I'm ready to give back to the community, and hopefully become an addition to this awesome group of ladies that have inspired me so much!!

This is going to be a HUGE year for me - I can already feel it! So much has happened for me in just the last couple of months. I started my Year and a Day with Flora Peterson. I've ALMOST paid off all of my debt (with the exception of my fiance's truck), and I've started working with my shadow, all while experiencing my Saturn return. There has been many highs and lows throughout this experience and I feel like I've grown so much already. Now I'm ready to share what I have been through, what I have learned, and my future plans for my spiritual journey!

We're gonna get down and dirty - some of the things I plan on sharing are going to be very personal. I'm scared and excited at the same time!

I also plan on sharing my experiences with my studies with Flora as well as my experiences with shadow work - and let me tell you....it gets pretty intense!

I hope you guys will subscribe to my blog! There is so much I want to share with everyone and I'm excited to see where this path leads!

Much much love and light to you all!

Blessed Be!