While the Three of Swords could never be called a “happy card” it can be seen as a card of healing, warning, and caution. It is a card of heartbreak, emotional pain, and sorrow leading us towards forgiveness and releasing pain. As you protect yourself from heartache you may be missing out on opportunities to grow and heal the ache and trust. If you find yourself holding back or surrounded by dark clouds with your heart hurting, now is the time to look at why and perhaps begin the path to healing. You may be feeling the call to release the ties that bind you and keep you from healing. When we confront the ache and release the hold it has on our spirits we are able to heal and grow. Guard your heart but do not miss the opportunities of friendship and manifestation through finding the silver linings and blessings in our lives.
Author: lilyth
Daily Divination – Empress Energy
A trifecta of energies converge today as we have a Full Moon, Lughnasadh, and the new month helping us to shift into gratitude and abundance of the harvest season. For the month of August, I am using my Everyday Witch Tarot by Deborah Blake. This is a stunning and incredibly witchy deck and is among my favored decks. This deck uses imagery that is in alignment with the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot and is awash with color and meaning making it able to be intuitively read as well as “by the book.”
Today we see the energies of The Empress gracing us. As the embodiment of the divine feminine that lives within each of us, her message is one of “girl power,” abundance, and nurturing. Lean into this warm energy as you would a loving hug and feel it wrap around you. Today, is Lammas/Lughnasadh, the first harvest and a time where we celebrate abundance and growth. Now is the time to embrace your connection to growth and abundance, feel it within and it will be made manifest. Nurture not only yourself as a being on this planet but also your path, your goals, and your projects to watch them grow and manifest in your life.
Affirmation: I open my being to the abundance which surrounds me, inside and out.
Harvest & Roll…
A regular part of my practice includes smoke cleansing or smudging. I was taught this practice by a Peruvian native and shaman. When I purchase smudge bundles I always purchase them from native sources and have tried several times to make my own with wobbly results. An acquaintance shared her method with me, using baking parchment.
This afternoon I harvested about half of my flowering lemon balm plant to make smudge bundles. Lemon balm is a fantastic herb for so many things and the aroma of it is simply magnificent. Using lemon balm in smudges helps to improve emotional balance, it is calming, it can help partners deepen their bonds to one another, helps us clear negativity, and so much more.
Once I brought the lemon balm inside I started trimming it down into pieces that would allow me to make the bundles. After I had a nice stash of cut herbs, I started cutting twine and baking parchment. I ended up with enough lemon balm today to make 13 bundles…an auspicious start.
I layered the lemon balm with special notes in the center with a sprinkling of sakura petals (innocence, joy, delight, living in the moment) and a few grains of resin. After they were topped off with more lemon balm to complete the wrap, I rolled them up in the parchment adn tied it shut with lavender twine.
Now the bundles are set to dry out and then will be finished with the twine and stored for use and gifting. We’ll see how they come out!
Lavender Farm Visit
Last week, I had my first “field trip” with the Olympic Peaks Camera Club. We met at Olympic Bluffs Lavender Farm & Cidery just after six and were able to stay until ten with the sun setting at about a quarter past nine. This was my first time joining them as I had not had the opportunity to attend the first monthly meeting as I received my member details the day of and I could not make it work. Anyway, after meeting everyone there I set off to start taking photos. The wind was kicking pretty hard as we were right on the bluffs overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca – the lavender plants were about a half mile from the bluff edge so it was a bit on the chilly side.
I hope you enjoy these.
Lavender Fields looking towards the Olympics
Light Lavender
Clouds over the Olympics
Lavender Stalks
Light/White Lavender Stalks
Rows of lavender leading towards a bench between trees
Lavender flowers
Lavender flowers
White/Light Lavender flowers
Lavender flowers
Lavender Plants
White/Light Lavender flowers
White/Light Lavender flowers
White/Light Lavender flowers
White/Light Lavender flowers
Rows of Lavender
Cider Apple Tree
Lavender flowers
lavender flowers
lavender plant from above
lavender rows with a building in the background
lavender plant
stalks of lavender
Rows of lavender facing the bluffs and a B&B
white lavender
Clouds over the mountains
Rows of Lavender
Lavender stalks
Lavender Stalks
Lavender Stalks
Lavender Stalks
Lavender Stalks
Lavender Stalks
Lavender Stalks
Rows of lavender
Lavender Stalks
Lavender Stalks
Lavender Stalks
Rows of lavender
A fun close up of lavender
Lavender Stalks
Motion blur lavender in the wind
Lavender Stalks
Lavender Stalks
Lavender plants
a fun close up of lavender flowers
more apples at the cidery
Clouds over fields of lavender
Wheat
Lavender Stalks
White lavender plants
Rows of lavender
Lavender Stalks
Motion blur lavender in the wind
Lavender Stalks
Motion blur lavender in the wind
Lavender Stalks
Lavender Stalks
More Wheat
Clouds
Gifts to the Forest Witch…
It’s been a bit crazy in my world and will be for a while yet but I thought I’d share something really amazing with you guys.
As some of you know, I live in the Pacific Northwest (Olympic Peninsula of WA state). My husband and I have a cute little house with a small forest surrounding it. I like to spend time in the forest when I can and my body permits me to do so (physical health issues prevent this sometimes). Over the years, I’ve posted a lot of photos from my property and the area so if you want to check them out they are here!
Anyway, on one of our walks, up the hill – through the forest and just off the property we came across a truly AMAZING natural gift and offering. I have long had a love of owls and something managed to catch a barred owl. We have several that roost in our area so while I was bummed about one of them being caught…it is a part of the cycle of life – everything feeds something, after all. The first indication was a wing resting in the path just sitting there and a little further down feathers…everywhere. There were no other bones or wings in the area. I picked up that wing and cleaned off the bone that still had meat and tendon on it.
Today, I began the cleansing and drying process, using a Native American method. I chose to place it in borax. It must rest in the borax for a minimum of one month. I decided to turn the entire process sacred to my path and journey in this life. You see a part of my path is shamanic in nature, I was taught by a Peruvian shaman many years ago and incorporated those teachings into my Wicca & Witchcraft path.
This wing will rest in the borax until around September 15th and then at Mabon I will consecrate and dedicate this beautiful gift for use in my path to be used for the first time in the Samhain season.
Rest and Reset
I’ve removed all previous posts and pages as I’ve decided to start fresh with writing and sharing. On this site I will be sharing my life and experiences as a rural witch living in the PNW. Additionally, I will include things from the past and photos that I take as well.
Come on in and sit for a spell…things will be getting started soon.