Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Daily Oracle and a Small Snippet of Anniversary

10/9 - Mummy/Change: The sand in his mouth, the bandages wound. Jealous of the living, eternal life bound. Like the Tower card in Tarot only slow and gradual. Change for the positive.

10/10 - Skull of Flowers/Creating through the ashes (3rd time drawn): To blossom and bloom, the work must be done. Through fire and ashes, our fortune it comes. Phoenix energy. Rising stronger from the ashes. 

10/11 - Zombie/Control: The dead arise, voices a-mumbling. After our brains, our screams they are tumbling. Being smart about control, making sure you have autonomy, easing up on the reins when necessary.

10/12 - Joy/Rejoicing in the present: I stand here, I am what I am. Fully alive and present. Stress is a sham. Living in the moment and embracing what each moment has to offer. 

10/13 - Vampire/Emotional intelligence: The deepest, the coldest, the craving of the blood. The hole never filled, the longing like a flood. Ancient empathy, protecting yourself against emotional drains.
Today was our anniversary. It's been a year since I became the legal thrall of my vampire wife. We went with our friends to Scarywood and enjoyed such delights as Pharoah's Tomb and Blood Bayou. I also did Total Darkness and 3-Dimentia and wondered around Clown Town and Spider Alley until my toes were quite cold and tired. I rode the log ride twice (even convinced my besty to ride it with me once, much to her horror and chagrin). Overall it was a good time though I do think I might opt for a Thursday next year so that I can ride the rollercoasters without waiting in long lines. Also I want to try and do some serious Zumba this year so that next time we go to Scarywood I can ride all the rides. Even the ones that I will regret, hehehe. 
10/14 - Skull of Stars/Infinite possibilities (2nd time drawn): Why think so small when galaxies spin within? Realize that you are made of the stuff of stars and infinite possibilities begin. Don't limit yourself. Work toward your goals believing they are possible. 

10/15 - Invisibility/Authenticity (3rd time drawn): Heart beating, we sense but do not see. They touch, we chill, they come unseen. Authentication of the self. Transparency of truth. 

10/16 - Mummy/Change (2nd time drawn)The sand in his mouth, the bandages wound. Jealous of the living, eternal life bound. Because one good mummy deserves another. More premonitions of change. Still positive though!

Monday, October 8, 2018

Oracle Time

Friday the 5th: I drew Death. And, because it sort of jumped out at me: Scrying. The Death card was particularly interesting because earlier that day I had expressed my fears to a friend, telling her how during the darker time of the year I always imagine my loved ones and myself as dying somehow. To draw the Death card was a good reminder that death is part of life and not to be feared or conquered and also that death itself is the beginning of the cycle. Again, solve et coagula. Something must be taken apart (die) before something new can be formed (born). Pagans put death at the beginning of the life cycle. Death is the great beginning. So something is starting for me - on the surface it is definitely the beginning of my tough emotional time - below the surface perhaps I'm going to start some spiritual and creative projects. The other card that jumped out at me, Scrying, is a card that calls us to abandon the desire to make logical sense of everything and to let our subconscious feel and understand. Mostly the card wants the drawer to try the actual act of scrying and so at some point during this month or Samhain season I will definitely give it a go.

Saturday the 6th: Invisibility. This is the second time I've drawn this card. Again it is a call to reveal my true authentic self and to be careful of my desire to be invisible.

Sunday the 7th: Skull of Light. A reminder to let my true self shine forth. A great follow up card to the Invisibility card. It speaks to 'stop hiding.' We can stay in the dark, Exist only in the midnight hours, But shining the torch, The victory is ours.   

Monday the 8th: (weirdly enough, I knew I would draw this card today) Skull of Stars. Why think so small when galaxies spin within? Realize that you are made of the stuff of stars and infinite possibilities begin. This card talks about broadening your view of the future and your role within it. Also it mentions letting go of old beliefs that no longer serve you. For me this means moving forward and researching some of the darker/stranger things that have called to me lately.

Thursday, October 4, 2018

Halloween Oracle and Plans

This the new attraction at Scarywood this year and Hannah and I are excited to check it out!
This October Hannah and I will celebrate our 1st anniversary as a married couple. It will be our 11th year as a couple. I have to figure out some sort of anniversary gift for my human and I'm a sucker for old traditions so I'm contemplating a 'paper' gift as that is the customary symbol/gift of the first year of marriage. Our friends are giving us a lovely gift of taking us to Silverwood Theme Park's Scarywood on the actual day of the anniversary, the thirteenth. Leading up to that I have three days off from work and I think Hannah has some fun themed things planned. We're broke at the moment so our fun will have to be free or cheap until the payday on the twelfth (and that is the first time I think I've ever  written out the word for 12th and holy crap it looks weird!). So I'm looking forward to having some Hannah time and seeing what sorts of mischief we can get into. Now for the daily Halloween Oracle draw.

To bloom and blossom, the work must be done.
Through fire and ashes, our fortune it comes.
Wednesday the 3rd I drew the Skull of Flowers again. This is after extensive shuffling and cutting. So obviously there's a lesson or an energy that I need to be aware of. I'm going to write the full card meaning in here so that my fingers and brain can ponder what this card really means for me. 

Before flowers are born, they are sweet buds on a plant that came from a smaller form like a seed or a bulb. The seed needs prepared, nourishing soil to grow to its potential. Some plants and trees only seed after fire or a period extreme adversity like drought or flood. 
Sometimes we wish for a life different from the one we have and that can mean radical change. Sometimes to have that new life, everything falls apart to make it so - and that can be uncomfortable. We may lose our relationships or they may change. We might lose a job, have to move house or become ill - all big events that lead to a reassessment of the 'how' of our lives. 
The Skull of Flowers illustrates that there is a sureness and yet a rawness to creating again, to starting afresh. Sometimes the universe gives us a blank slate to work from, so we can build what we really want, rather than just settling for less. The Skull of Flowers celebrates not just a kind of phoenix energy but an energy of success and full bloom through adversity. 
So essentially I really need to eat shit before I can have my cake. Fair enough. It stands to reason that wading through muck will eventually get you to dry land and your legs, though tired, will be stronger for it. So I suppose this card is telling me to hang in there in a way. This time of year is very difficult for me as the darkness hyper charges my depression something fierce. Maybe that's why this card has shown up twice: to tell me that I'll get through to the other side and that I'll come out stronger and better for my journey. 

The stones they mark, The eternal resting place
Yet the spirits they are walking, and they are ready for the chase!
Thursday the 4th I drew the Graveyard card. This card delves into unnecessary fears. This is particularly appropriate for me as this time of year crushes my confidence and fills me with a plethora of fearful thoughts and hypothetical ends. I tend to constantly worry that my loved ones are going to die or that I'm going to die, or that I'm going to get into trouble at work, and I imagine random acts of violence befalling my family or property. I do need to 'chill the fuck out' and relax. Just because the days are shorter doesn't mean I need to fear the unknown. So far my home has been very safe and comfortable. The people I know and love are safe and sound. I need to stop letting bad thoughts in and I especially need to stop letting bad thoughts out.

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

October Halloween Oracle Daily Draw



So I haven't updated in a long time. So much has happened this summer: gardening, an anime convention, a visit from a dear friend from back east, the desire to start up Taiko drumming, a call to volunteer for the Kuroneko Cultural Association, Hannah doing assistance work at our friends' bakery, a lovely Rocky Horror Birthday for a friend, and a wonderful birthday/Mabon for me, all sorts of things. I have lots of pictures which I want to photo dump into a post on here. But all that aside, I wanted to talk about October.

This month is so very precious and stressful to me for all the obvious reasons and for some not so obvious ones. In years past this month has been an initiator of change. I started work at the Spokesman-Review on October 9th, 2015. I began moving to Spokane at that time. In 2017 Hannah and I married, forced to re-home, went on a honeymoon, and began the home buying process. This October I want the change to be less physical and more spiritual and mental. So to get that going I'm preparing for NanoWriMo and also doing a daily card draw from the Halloween Oracle Deck. 

~MONDAY the 1st~
Skull of Flowers - phoenix energy and an understanding that sometimes things must burn/fall apart before they can come together better/newer/stronger. I've been feeling Baphomet a lot recently and written upon the deity's arms is the phrase: solve coagula. This means 'to separate' and 'to join together' and stems from the principle of Alchemy that  you cannot build something that is not, without breaking apart something that is.

~TUESDAY the 2nd~
Invisibility - the idea that being unseen can be a good thing when it comes to gathering information or doing an anonymous good deed. Also the acknowledgment that certain creatures/beings practice invisibility as a way of concealing their true selves for protection or to exhibit power or superiority. However when looking at invisibility in ourselves we should examine the intention of our hiding. If we are hiding ourselves due to fear or showing our true selves, or shyness, or unwillingness to share our gifts and talents... then that may be a case of unhealthy invisibility. For me this card means I need to continue pushing myself to explore new things and not be afraid to showcase my abilities and be proud of what I have to offer. 

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Tanabata 2018 (Photos and Script)


Quick update: Hannah went to the ER and got her gallbladder out on 7/7! Yay! Without health insurance the cost of the surgery is enough to purchase a new vehicle! Boo! But we are so poor that the hospital is writing it all off... so yay again!

Because Hannah's gallbladder decided it wanted to jump ship on Tanabata, we pushed back our annual celebration to the following Friday the 13th. This is totally my jam. I get pretty super excited over three celebrations: Yule (and Christmas Parties), Halloween/Samhain, and then Tanabata. There are other various things that get me really excited but these are my set big Holidays. For those who might not know what Tanabata is: it's a Japanese Star Festival celebrating wishes and love. I'll include the play I wrote for the celebration at the end of the blog post - but for now, behold all the pretty things:

My favorite sushi! Vegan and delicious.
This was my share item for the potluck. I brought 6 packages.

We strung a rope across the yard to represent a bridge across the Amanogawa (Milky Way) River.
Below the bridge is our Altar. 

Overview of the Altar. The long packet in the middle contained consecrated wish strips called tanzaku.

Another view of the Altar. 

We burned this absolutely lovely Japanese incense.
(Not very Shinto, I know but we loved it and it appealed to our witchy sensibilities!)

Hello Kitty Lantern decoration for the bridge.

A long view of the Amanogawa bridge.

These were Hannah's balloons that mom and I brought her for after her surgery.
We offered them up to the Amanogawa as well.

I had lots of different decorations for people to try and mostly people did the lanterns,
but someone did the pretty dangling rhomboid chain. I love it!

Here's a view of some participants and a sweet goblin child with red glowing eyes.
She's a mini-me. I love her!

Check out the exciting crystal ball in this picture!

Just a fun shot of the Altar.
You can see Orihime really close and in the distance is Hikoboshi.

I love this fox. He's guarding the tanzaku.

Excellent close up of the after festival treats!

Rachel of Lavender Moon Bakery provided two cakes to represent the lovers
 and Hannah baked Milky Way (Amanogawa) cookies!

                                                   


Across the Amanogawa
A short play for Tanabata
Retold by Amanda LaFantasie

Narrator: A long time ago, in a Kingdom in the Sky, there was a beautiful princess called Orihime. She was a very talented weaver and seamstress and she made the the most beautiful robes in all of the Sky Kingdom. Her father, the Sky King, was very proud of her and praised her often. For many years Orihime weaved in happiness, but as time wore on, her smile began to falter. The King noticed his child’s diminishing mood and grew worried.

King: I’ve watched you working these past few weeks. You look sad, my child. Do you no longer enjoy weaving?

Orihime: It’s not that. There is nothing I love more than weaving and bringing joy to those who wear my garments. But I’m lonely. All of my sisters have married and moved away to live with their husbands and I miss them.  

Narrator: This got the King thinking. Perhaps it was time that his treasured daughter should also take a husband. So he journeyed across the great Milky Way River, the Amanogawa. There he searched for a man honorable enough and brave enough to marry his precious daughter. He searched until he was exhausted. He went to the field where the Sky Kingdom’s best cows grazed on the finest grass. As he walked among the cows he rethought his plan. After a while, a young cow herder named Hikoboshi approached him.

Hikoboshi: I hope I’m not bothering you, but you seem troubled. Is there anything I can do for you?

King: Only if you can find me an honorable man worthy of marrying the most beautiful girl in the kingdom.

Hikoboshi: I’m very sorry but I don’t know anyone like that. I’m all alone now that my brothers have taken wives and left their herds to my care.  

King: You mean you watch all of these cows by yourself? Doesn’t that get stressful?

Hikoboshi: Not at all. There’s nothing I love more than tending the cattle and keeping them safe.

Narrator: The King asked Hikoboshi many questions and, in the end, invited him to dine with the Royal family in the Sky Palace that night. The cow herder hated to leave his cows but knew it would be rude to refuse. So he made his way across the Amanogawa to the Sky Palace. The King made sure to seat Hikoboshi next to Orihime and before the night was through the princess found something she loved more than weaving, and the cow herder found something he loved more than tending his animals. In no time at all, they were married.

[King ties a ribbon around their clasped hands]

Orihime and Hikoboshi: I will love you until the stars burn their last flame.

Narrator: With each passing day their love for each other grew. Over time they forgot about things like weaving and cow herding. Soon the fine garments of the Sky Kingdom became tattered and torn, and the prized cows across the river began to wander. They left their safe field and traveled on rocky, dangerous ground. They ate grass that made them sick and many of them died.

King: Orihime, you’ve neglected your duties far too long. Look at my robes! They’re in shambles. I’m the Sky King and yet I look a beggar. Get back to your weaving and sewing!

Orihime: I’ll do it. But please, allow Hikoboshi to sit with me as I sew.

King: Absolutely not! Hikoboshi, you must leave at once and go back across the Amanogawa and tend your cows.

Hikoboshi: I’ll do it but I won’t leave Orihime behind. Please, let her come with me and join me as a cow herdess.

King: No. I forbid it. She will stay here and weave and you’ll return to the fields. Your King commands it.

Hikoboshi: I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but if she stays, then I stay.

Orihime: I won’t be alone again, father. If Hikoboshi must go across the river, then I have no choice but to follow.

Narrator: The argument continued until the King had no choice but to remove Hikoboshi by force and banish him back to the field across the river. To make sure that his daughter stayed in the Sky Palace and did not run away to join her husband, the Sky King destroyed the only bridge between the two banks. With a mournful heart, Orihime resumed weaving and sewing. The Sky Kingdom dressed in fine garments once again, yet somehow they were less radiant than everyone remembered. Across the river, Hikoboshi returned to herding the cattle. They regained their health, yet somehow the beasts were less impressive than they’d been in the past.

King: I had to do it. They cared only for each other. They didn’t care about the kingdom anymore. If I’d left them alone we’d all be naked with no milk and no meat. The kingdom would fall into ruin. Wouldn’t it?

Narrator: Orihime worked diligently. But she never smiled anymore. The King didn’t want to recant on his order but he couldn’t stand to see his daughter so miserable. After a long time he came to a decision.

King: The kingdom cannot do without its best weaver and its best cow herder. But, because they cannot do without each other, I will allow Orihime and Hikoboshi to see each other one day each year. On the seventh day of the seventh month, I will order the magpies of the sky to fly down and form a bridge between the banks of the Amanogawa. That is how they will meet and part.  

Narrator: And so, every year after the King’s proclamation, the lovers met on the seventh day of the seventh month. Sometimes the princess would travel to the cow herder’s side. Sometimes the cow herder would travel to the Sky Palace. But always, when the time came for them to part, the King’s magpies would seek out and carry the displaced lover back to their own bank. Many years and many meetings later Orihime’s weaving resumed its former brilliance, and Hikoboshi’s cattle grew into extraordinary beasts. But what they were most proud of was the vow of love they had managed to keep despite the river that ran between them.  

FIN