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Today we're going to discuss the different ways we might work with crystal to increase the vibration of our non-human family (and how they likewise might enjoy these interactions). We'll talk about cats, dogs, fish, birds, plants and trees...

CATS AND DOGS

Cats and dogs react to crystals in different ways. For example, my friend Renee has a bowl of crystals that her cat likes to touch. She said it uses its little paw and moves them gently here to there.

Greetings, friends! Thanks to Anne for inviting me to share my views on the intersection between Paganism and politics in this blog. First, let’s get acquainted.

I am a feminist atheist solitary Pagan Witch. I am primarily of Western and Central European ancestry, with some North African thrown in. I am pansexual, cisgender, and celibate and single by choice. I work primarily with Celtic goddesses (Welsh and Irish) plus lots of fictional characters like Princess Leia and Lao Ma and others from Xena: Warrior Princess. I also call on archetypes from the Robin Wood tarot deck and the Celtic Book of the Dead by Caitlín Matthews.

In the next several entries I plan to quickly explore the materials that have formed the basis of incense historically as well as those that modern incense makers use regularly.  One of the most important incense ingredients historically is sandalwood.

There are 5 different varieties of sandalwood that are used in scented products, although only 3 of those have commonly been used in modern times.  Indian yellow sandalwood (santalum album) has historically been a preferred base material for incense in Asia and Africa.  Even in modern times, sandalwood is burned in every form from large pieces in fires to powdered bits in incense sticks and cones.  The biggest consumer of sandalwood, by far, is the perfume industry.  Sandalwood is a key ingredient in many popular perfumes.  Once you work with the fragrance for a while you will begin to recognize it in colognes and perfumes.  The popularity of sandalwood over the centuries has led to its endangered status in India, the motherland of incense.  International treaties have reduced the trade in sandalwood from India to the realms of bootleggers.  For some years now the only sandalwood from India that was legally available in the USA was from existing stockpiles.  It is now virtually impossible to get real sandalwood from India in the USA, although there are many imitation products sold under the label of “Indian sandalwood”.

Silly cowans.

Back around solstice I went over to a friend's house to put her air conditioner in the window. She lives on the first floor of a big, solid old place, built back in the 1890s.

The first item on the agenda was to prop open the big, heavy oaken sash. It has a tendency to crash down unexpectedly when unsupported.

Last summer someone tried to break into her house. When she got back home, she found the air conditioner on the floor and the sash slammed shut.

There was blood on the windowsill.

Ouch.

Saturday, June 8, 2017 is International Tarot Day!  Trivia is celebrating by participating in the worldwide blog hop.  When you are done dancing with the Devil at the Crossroads, please be sure to hop backwards to enjoy Kimberly's post (also) about the Devil, and hop forward to take a tryst Janet in the Tower.  How are you celebrating tarot today?  What's your favorite way to enjoy the cards?  You can also check out the master list of blog hop participants over at Falcon Cloak Tarot.  Finally, Much love and thanks to Bree Ferguson at Nym’s Divination for putting this blog hop together!

They say that the god of the witches has two faces.

Bifrons, they call him: old Two-Face.

Ianiformis, they call him: shaped like Ianus, the old Roman god of Time.

Two faces, fore and aft. But of course what's before and what's behind is all a matter of where you're standing, isn't it?

For this, Margaret Murray named him Dianus = Ianus, lord of beginnings and endings, like the month that bears his name.

Two faces, and when you arrive at the sabbat, you greet him with a kiss on both sets of lips.

Stories about monsters lurking in deep lakes abound worldwide. Noted cryptozoologists (Note 1) Loren Coleman and Patrick Huyghe have collected these stories and analyzed them. They believe that the 1933 sighting of the Loch Ness Monster (Note 2) ignited the public’s interest in Lake Monsters. Now sightings of these beasts are reported regularly worldwide. Meanwhile, “Nessie,” as the Loch Ness Monster is now known as, has entered popular culture as an endearing character.

Loch Ness is a tectonic lake that lies on the Great Glen Fault Line. Long and narrow, it was gouged deep by receding glaciers. This area is seismically active, which makes searching for any Lake Monster difficult. Add to this difficulty is the deepness of the lake that hinders extensive searches.