A Happy Ending

Last night, I decided to stop by my friend Fran's to drop off Pepsi's bed and to see how he is adapting to his new home. I am extremely pleased, to say the least, to report that he is doing wonderfully! He is happy and loving his very warm and spacious environment. He absolutely adores Fran and the feeling is definately mutual!

When I arrived at Fran's, she had also had a little "surprise" for me as well. As a way of saying, "Thank you" for taking care of Pepsi, she had given me a beautiful mermaid holding a real seashell lined with pearls and decorated with starfish. (I know what you are thinking - "There she goes again with the mermaids!" LOL). Not only is the mermaid thoughtful, but these are the kinds of gifts that hold a special meaning to me because they are always given from the heart and I can not thank her enough.

I would also like to say, "Thank you" to everyone who helped see me through Pepsi's transition with your very kind and caring words. I can not tell you how much it means to me to know that you all care so much.

Blessings!

~ Kim

That's What Friends Are For

I’ve known Fran, a.k.a. Lady Sabrina Rhiannon, for about 12 years now. I first met her while working for the same insurance company back in 1999. She is a Reiki Master/Teacher of Usui Shiki Rhyoho and Shamballa Multidimensional Healing, a nondenominational Minister for the ULC and a Registered Nurse whose specialty is OB/GYN-Maternal Childcare. She is also the High Priestess for her Eclectic Wiccan group, “The Coven of the Silver Moon Circle.”

 I consider her my High Priestess and the Pagan clergy to whom I can turn to when needed, she is my Reiki Master, my confidant and my close friend. Goddess knows, we have seen each other through good times and bad through these many years. She is like family to my sister Robin and I. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for this woman for she has always been there for me and I know that no matter what, I can always count on her as much as she can count on me.

When it comes to friends, I have been very fortunate in that I have always managed to surround myself with good people. Today, I just wanted her to know how much I appreciate her and how grateful I am to have someone as special as her in my life. The following poem is dedicated to her and our long-time friendship.

My favorite pic taken on Fran's birthday - August 2002



Touched

She came into my life,

Goddess-sent from above,

With her kind, caring ways

I was touched by her love

My teacher, my friend

She’s taught me so much,

From her true Wiccan ways

To her soft healing touch

A spirit so strong

A soul with a heart,

She gives of herself

Her knowledge impart

How grateful I am

To know her as such,

And so shall now be

Forever touched

 ~ Lady Caer Morganna

Practical Magic - Crystal by Stevie Nicks

Who doesn't love the movie, "Practical Magic"? I know that I do and watch it every chance I get. The ABC Family Channel ran it yesterday and the songs from the movie soundtrack have been running through my head all day at work today. I really wanted to post the cool video I found on You Tube of the memorable scene in the kitchen when the girls were dancing around the house singing the song, "Coconut" whilst kicking back a few "Midnight Margaritas" but, unfortunately, I wasn't able to. So I ended up with this video clip featuring the beautiful Stevie Nicks song, "Crystal." Hope you enjoy it - this one is for all my fellow "Practical Magic" fans out there - Blessed Be!

Saying Goodbye to a Friend

Today is a rather sad day for us. For the sake of Pepsi's happiness and emotional well-being, we had to give him back to his "Grandma" Fran. It is especially difficult for me because I am the only one he chose to bond with and knowing that I have to let him go just breaks my heart more than words can ever say.  It was such a hard thing to have to do, but I know in my heart that it was the right thing to do for Pepsi.

Fran does not have any other kitties living in her home and the only critter she does have is a beautiful, loving Yellow Lab named Ginger. This will definately make Pepsi a lot happier - not to mention that Fran and her husband have a much bigger house in which he can roam and feel at home in. I am also sending along with him the comfy kitty bed he likes so much, his blanket we bought just for him and the catnip toy I made for him.

We will miss him terribly, but fortunately we will still be able to visit him any time we want and I know that he will make Fran as happy as she will make him by welcoming him into their loving home!

Can't Get Enough of Mermaids

All you need do is simply walk into my home to know that I am a huge mermaid fanatic. You name it, I probably have it! I have been collecting mermaid and mermen paraphernalia since about 1990. Portraits, oil lamps, statues, jewelry boxes, lamps, jewelry, candles, clocks, figurines, books, etc. I probably have about 150 portraits (however our house is way too small to hang them all!), 80 statues and 20 pieces of mermaid jewelry so far. Here are just a few of my favorites from my repertoire I'd like to share with you ...

 Mermaid Athame

Goddess knows I probably have enough stuff to open my own mermaid store someday - that is if I can ever decide to part with any of them - LOL!

The Great Rite: Symbolic vs. Actual

With our next sabbat being Beltane, the Holy Day of Sacred Marriage and the Holy Night of Sacred Union, I have been thinking a lot about The Great Rite and what it means. Its' symbolic connection to the Goddess and God in ritual is indeed a very powerful act.


So what is the difference between the "Actual" Great Rite and the "Symbolic" version? Well to start with, the Actual Great Rite is exactly that - the "actual" act of the sacred joining of the Goddess and God through a coven's Wiccan High Priestess and High Priest. This can either be enacted inside the sacred circle in front of the rest of the coven members or it can be performed in a more private setting.

 The Symbolic Great Rite holds much the same meaning as the Actual in that it still symbolizes the sacred union of the Goddess and God, but it is done through the use of a consecrated athame (representing the "phallas of the God") and the chalice of wine or juice (which represents the "womb of the Mother").  


As a Solitary practitioner, I naturally incorporate the Symbolic version into my rituals and I much prefer it to the Actual with regards to my Wiccan group as well. Although it usually depends upon an individual's comfortability, I, myself, hesitate to participate in an Actual Great Rite (sacred or otherwise) with anyone other than my spouse and only if he were a member of the Pagan clergy (a High Priest or the like) albeit not in the company of others.

The Great Rite in itself is a very sacred act and I can tell you from my own personal experience that, sometimes even when only performed Symbolically with another individual, the sexual energy raised during this particular act can be quite intense and overwhelming! It is certainly nothing to fool around with and most especially not in the hands of anyone who does not understand its' true purpose in ritual.

Of course, depending upon the persons who are performing the Symbolic Great Rite, the energy may not necessarily be the same every time for everyone. For example, if both individuals happen to be female (or male) and have no natural attraction to the same sex, the experience may not tend to be as intimate as perhaps a male and female bonding in this way.

Personally speaking, I view The Great Rite as a very beautiful, sacred gift from the Goddess and God which should always be respected and thought through thoroughly before using in any ritual ceremony.

Project: Reiki Room

After spending the entire morning cleaning up the downstairs spare room in order to move my Reiki Room into it, my hubby and I went a-shopping for a rug we could use. We picked a dark green rug to match the little window curtain I bought a few months ago. My new Reiki bed came in a couple of days ago and I couldn't wait to use it!  I purchased it off of e-bay and it's portable so I can take it anywhere. I absolutely LOVE IT!

The Reiki Room is a work in progress and still needs a lot more fixing up, but my goal is to have it finished by the time I get my Reiki II certification in May. I am so excited!

A Weekend of Magick

It was a weekend full of magick! Beginning with Saturday night's breath-taking "Super" Full Moon ...

... and continuing with our Ostara celebration on Sunday. As you know, I decided to celebrate with Lady Sabrina Rhiannon's group, "The Coven of the Silver Moon Circle" in their Ostara ritual this year. Of course, I still performed my own little solitary ritual earlier that day as well - afterall, I am still a Solitary at heart (lol)!

"The Gang" - Laura, Lady Sabrina Rhiannon, Deb, Sara, me, Melissa & Robin

 Joining us was my sister Robin (Aurora Skye) and her husband Jim. My husband also came along but prefers just to watch and observe everything. He is an Agnostic, but he has always supported me and my decision to become Wiccan.

We all had a great time both during and after the ceremony as we reconnected with Nature and eachother. I haven't seen my friends from Lady Sabrina Rhiannon's coven since last May at Beltane. I love getting together with them as they are such an awesome group of gals! As with my own group, The Old Path Enlightener's Circle, everyone contributes something to the ritual whether it's helping with the calling of the corners or volunteering in a special planned ritual activity. I am usually asked to assist Lady Sabrina Rhiannon with invoking the Goddess and God and the symbolic Great Rite - which I am always more than happy to do!

Our Ostara Altar and cauldron with tea lights - symbolizing the Goddess turning  the Wheel of the Year back to Spring.

     Posing with my sister Robin

Thoughtful gifts for all from Lady Sabrina Rhiannon and Sara for Ostara!

     Delicious food and refreshments!

After a few hours of fun and chit-chat, it was time to go home and get some rest for Monday to start the work week all over again. Hope everyone had a Blessed Ostara!

A Wonderful Day at the Faire

My husband and I had an awesome day today at The Life Celebration & Holistic Faire 2011 in Reading, PA with my dearest friends and Wiccan family Rhiannon, Draco and their son, Richard.

The Faire is held every year and has so many great things to offer! You may have Reiki performed, cleansing & balancing, aura photography and readings, tarot  & psychic readings, and there are a number of places you can buy crystals of all kinds, herbs, candles, books, you name it!

Of course I couldn't resist getting my aura read as I do every year.  Lucy, the Aura Reader, hooks you up to an electric aura machine that takes your picture and prints out your reading at the same time and then she sits down with you afterward to go over everything. She looked at all of the yellow and orange in my aura and said, "You're reiki, aren't you?" because of all the reiki energy I was radiating. I just had to smile and reply, "Yup, I am!"

Richard's Aura pic

 I also bought a couple of other items as well. Since I am working on revamping my Reiki Room, I picked up an adorable Maneki Neko to place on the Reiki Altar. Maneki Neko literally means, "beckoning cat" in Japanese.

Because I am "mad about mermaids," I decided to buy this really cool mermaid box. When it comes to mermaids, "You name it, I got it!" 

And last but not least, I bought yet another item this year for my Ostara altar. A lovely statue of the Goddess Eostre ...

Rhiannon and Richard also had their auras read and Draco picked up a beautiful Bloodstone pendulum that was just calling his name! Overall, great day!

What's in a Holiday?: St. Patrick's Day

What does Wicca have to do with St. Patrick's Day? There are some Celtic-Irish Wiccans who may be opposed to St. Patrick's Day as it may be seen by some as a day of celebrating Pagan oppression by the Christian faith. St. Patrick is the man whom many Christians give credit to for converting the ancient Irish Pagans. However, the truth is that converstion of Medieval Pagan populations to Christianity was never a sudden and complete transformation. In most cases, local folks were so deeply connected to their ancestral beliefs and deities that the Christians had to adapt their teachings to better fit Pagan traditions.

In Ireland, Pagans worshipped many different pantheons of Celtic deities - above all, the Devine Triple Goddess representing love, fertility and wisdom (Maiden, Mother & Crone). Although it is said that St. Patrick attempted to convert Pagans by showing the three leaves of the clover to them explaining the Christian Trinity and therefore making it the symbol of Ireland, the clover originally was (and still is) very much an ancient symbol of The Triple Goddess.

Even though today some Wiccans oppose St. Patrick's Day, there are still others who actually enjoy the celebration because they know of its' "hidden" meaning and perhaps may smile at the thought of devout Christians wearing a symbol of the Goddess. (I am one of them!)

It is important for us, as Wiccans, to remember that a majority of the contemporary holidays which we as Amercians celebrate today, including St. Valentine's Day which began as the Roman Pagan festival of Lupercalia, have their roots set in Paganism.

Celebrating St. Patrick's Day

As some of you may already know from reading my Facebook page, I have been working for The Travelers Insurance Company for almost 7 years now. Today, there was a post about St. Patrick's Day fun facts on our website from our Travelers office in Ireland.

We all know that St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17th, which is believed to be the day St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, died in 461 A.D. But did you know that as early as the 1600's, March 17th was a religious holiday? That St. Patrick's Day didn't become an official public holiday in Ireland until 1903? And that it wasn't until the mid-1990's that the traditional one-day feast evolved into a week-long festival in Ireland?

In Ireland:
~ The first St. Patrick's Day parade held in Ireland took place in Dublin in 1931.
~ The first St. Patrick's Day Festival was held on March 17, 1996. In 1997, it became a three-day event. By 2006, the festival was five days long; more than 675,000 people attended the 2009 parade. Overall, 2009's five-day festival drew almost one million visiters.
~ The shortest St. Patrick's Day parade in the world takes place in Dripsey, County Cork. The parade lasts just 100 yards and travels between the village's two pubs.
~St. Patrick's Day is seen as a day on which Irish Catholics can break their Lenten fast.

"St. Patrick's Day is now a major festival in Ireland, with week-long celebrations," said Paula Hodson, Assistant General Manager, Agency, Sales & Marketing of the Travelers Ireland office, "People around the world and especially the U.S., have been celebrating the Irish on St. Patrick's Day for much longer than we have!"

La Fheile Phadraig shona dhaoibh go leir! -

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all of you!

The "Pepsi" Challenge Update

Well, I am beginning to think that Pepsi has the wrong name. He has so much spunk that he should have been named, "Sprite!"  He is still having some trouble adjusting to his new life but, much to our surprise, he is gradually getting better each week. Still not sure if he is going to be happy with us, but at least I know that he is giving it "an old college try." He follows me around the house and lays aside of me when I am watching TV or on the computer. He really is a little lover.

Yesterday, my husband took this pic of he and Midnight ...

We have decided to keep him  for 2 more weeks to see how he does. I know that if it doesn't work out in the end, he will still have a good home with his grandma Fran. She would love to take him and this way her daughter (Pepsi's previous mommy) could visit him all of the time. It is good to know that everyone has Pepsi's best interest at heart - what a really lucky kitty he is!

Reiki Room

Lately I have been working on my Reiki Room.  Since I have been getting more reiki clients, I need to fix things up a bit downstairs. I would eventually like to set things up in our spare bedroom instead once I acquire an actual Reiki bed to use.  At the moment, I am using an inflated mat which serves the purpose for the time being.

My Reiki altar consists of my 7 Chakra candles, crystal quartz pendulum, pure sage oil,  my God & Goddess candles and so forth. Hung above the altar, I have a Prayer Rug which my husband brought back with him many years ago from Turkey.

My Reiki room it isn't fancy, but it does the job just fine!

My Cotton-tailed Friends

Since we will soon be celebrating the sabbat of Ostara, I thought it only fitting to remember all of my special cotton-tailed friends that we have had the pleasure to have shared our lives with over the years. They were all rescue bunnies including our most recent Dwarf bunny, Sam.

First there was Sir Barney, our black and white Mini Lop, whom we took in when he was just a little buck. We found
him abandoned in an old apartment. He was the most awesome of all our rabbits. I actually litter box trained him using the book, "Hop To It" for training house bunnies. He lived to be 7 years old which is the average age for a Mini Lop.

Our Maine Coon, Sabrina snuggling with Barney

   Our cat Maggie saying, "I love you!"

"Right back atcha, baby!"

Then came Choloe, a sweet little gray and white speckled bunny who found a home with us after a friend of mine found her outside his neighbors house - she kept escaping from her cage! Rather than see a dog or car get to her, we took her in. She also lived to be about 7.

Now we share our home with Sam, a tiny brown and white Dwarf bunny that someone decided to drop off  in our yard last Fourth of July (they must have known the right house to pick - lol!) Sam is such a character and my cat Midnight loves to keep him company sometimes by laying aside of his cage in the cat's room.

Sam (left) posing with his buddy Sidney, who belongs to a friend of mine

As you can see, our cats have always gotten along really great with all of our bunnies. This post is dedicated to all of them!