farewell 2008.....

"authentic as you have become, full of wisdom, beauty and grace, enriched and enlightened by all you have experienced....." (Simple Abundance)......

have I? during 2008 & my journey this year, have I become full of wisdom, beauty and grace. Have I become enriched and enlightened by all I have experienced?. I hope so. Maybe not always but I pray that sometimes this is so. And where I have stumbled, I always have 2009 to try again.

will be doing my blessing jar today.... Krissie asked if it had worked.....

I believe it did.

on my note for 2008 I had written:

"I wish to be free from anger, I wish for joy, peace & happiness. To be open to my intuition, to let go of fear, to be healthy and to be open to my wise woman" - I do believe that these wishes have come true..... I also put on my note that I wished for "abundance, purification, vision, grounding, freedom, unity, truth, memory, love & choices......" and those, I believe have manifested as well.

I have had a wonderful 2008.. oh yes, there have been hiccoughs, I have stumbled and sometimes been in despair and wanted to give up this journey.... but with the support of each of you, my blogging kindred souls & sisters... I have persevered and I thankyou for being my friend. I have so much to be grateful for.....

1. the birth of Harry, my absolutely gorgeous grandson...

2. Soul Coaching. where I met many delightful women who were travelling similar paths to mine

3. my garden.. *sigh* what more can I say. It is truly Heaven on Earth

4. Joe. my soul mate. my rock. hard as I am on him, he continues to support and love me. Poor guy, I give him such a hard time sometimes with my anger & bitterness.. but he lets me rant and rave, patiently, silently. .... I sometimes think I am like Hyacinth "Bouquet"... and he is my ever suffering Richard.

5. YOU. I am grateful that you my dear kindred spirit have crossed my path this year. Thankyou for being you.

NAMASTE..........

and so we journey into 2009.

forget the New Year's resolutions !!

they only make you feel guilty....

last year I posted a ritual for a Sweep, Smudge and blessing Jar (by Cindi) to be placed at your door & I thought i would share it again .... mine will be taken down tomorrow night and the contents burnt... then on New Years day, I will create another for 2009.....

Sweep your main living area, entryway, or porch, to sweep out the old and allow the new to enter. Smudge around the room using a sweetgrass or sage smudging bundle and feather. Say prayers of your own choosing, in each of the four directions, east, west, north and south:

East represents "illuminocity", giving individuals the ability to see all that is around them from a spiritual perspective.
West represents the inner heart and soul.
North represents knowledge, wisdom and purification of the heart, mind and soul. South represents the physical self.

Say a prayer of thanksgiving, and ask your spirit guides for safety, security and direction for the coming year.

Make a blessing jar...
Into a vase, jar or bottle (which symbolizes protection) put a small bag of soil (for abundance), a coin (for prosperity), a fabric bag of salt (for purification), a crystal (for vision), an arrowhead (for guidance), a tiny fabric bag of herbs (for grounding), a left over candle (for focus), a cross (for balance), a feather (for freedom), a clipping of hair from each family member (for unity), an old key (for opportunity), a small mirror (for truth), a piece of red paper (for memory), a small fabric bag of raw rice (for fertility), a ring (for love), a runestone (for communication), a shell (for choices), a small fabric bag of loose tea (for awareness), a small paper folded fan (for healing), a rubber band (for flexibility), a letter that contains this list and what you hope to accomplish this year, sealed inside an envelope (for happiness)

You need not have everything on this list, select what is important to you.

Seal the jar with the lid, or cover the bottle or vase with a piece of fabric and a rubberband or string. Place your blessing jar either just inside or outside your front door until next New Years Eve...

Feel free to share this ritual - the more blessing jars, smudging and rituals performed around the world the stronger the positive energy is for all...

so this is christmas.. Boxing Day... the ramblings of a bitter old woman (tongue in cheek)

Boxing Day. I am thinking that this day got its name because the day after christmas, I feel like boxing everyones ears. I am so over it, bah humbug, yes call me Scrooge

I have absolutely no idea what christmas is about. at all. getting together with family is wonderful at any other time of year... take my mother for instance. Love her of course. But I do not like her chosen partner at all. Not my dad.. he died many years ago, but the pompous, arrogant, old man who she took up with 20 years ago. And please do not say to look at him and see what he is mirroring to me. Because i won't take one bit of notice of that train of thought at all. Plus, when he goes to the toilet, he wees all over the seat... lord, that is more than anyone needs to know.
but not only is he arrogant and pompous, he is also, well just an awful man. He constantly belittles my mum and makes her feel inferior. I hate that. But I bite my tongue so that he won't take it out on her.

I always do a breakfast for friends on christmas morning.... all very civilized, Usually. but not this year, because my mother and her 'friend' decided to come up........so I set the table as I usually do...

I served my usual christmas breakfast: fruit compote that I cook the night before, yoghurt, fresh fruit platter and scrambled eggs, field mushrooms and vine ripened tomatoes... along with juice, tea and coffee and of course eggnog with brandy and nutmeg.... but I forgot the marmalade and I did not hear it once.. I heard it many times... until dinner time... where I served baked leg ham, lamb, sweet potatoes in brown sugar, a layered salad and smashed potatoes....pavlova for dessert topped with raspberries, blueberries, passionfruit and banana... but I did not serve plum pudding and he complained to anyone who would listen. every one went home and i was left to wash up, vacuum the floor and wash it as well... maybe I am anal but I could not stand to go to bed, leaving the floor like it was. People seem to miss putting the food in their mouth on christmas day. The run around like demented people, spilling their drinks while i am in the kitchen with water if I am lucky...... waking at 5am this morning, I immediately sent a text message: next year christmas will be celebrated at a local restaurant. not argument will be entered into about my decision. thankyou xo -

I am totally over it. I am. 34 years I have done this. And i am finished. done.... yes, I think right now could be the star in "bitter Old Women" - but truly, I am laughing about this... all of my ramblings are tongue in cheek & I am laughing at it all... it is just all madness......

that all said and done.... this morning I was woken with the delightful song of the blackbird... all is really well in my world

Happy Holidays!

yes, I can say Happy Holidays.. no seasonal conotations at all and it is OUR summer holidays down here, so I think it is the perfect greeting for me to say...
today I run round like a mad woman, not the wise woman that I strive to be... I run to buy Brandy Butter, more cream. Vegetables and fruit. Yoghurt to go with the fruit compote that I serve at breakfast on Christmas day. I go to the butchers to collect my ham, I finish wrapping presents and i order one dozen sausages just in case the 9kg ham is not enough. Just in case.....

a little corner of my world brings peace back into my soul every time i walk in the back door.....
yesterday I had my hair coloured... my youngest daughter Sophie is now a hairdresser and has just passed a hair colouring exam receiving top marks.. so I asked her to colour my hair... it is still dark but now I have purple foils... love it.. kind of goes with the tattoo... no photos yet....

blogging without obligation, another award! and a little bit of 'christmas' from Inglewood.....

first of all.. blogging without obligation... right now, each and every one of us is busy, frazzled and some of us, near demented... I am trying to visit blogs but I may not get to visit all my friends.. so please don't think I have forgotten you.. I am just busy.. as well as getting ready for 'christmas', I also have to look after my garden in this summer heat & rain that alternates lately.. and I know every one of us is busy so if you can't get to visit.. that is ok. Don't stress. We will all catch up after the silliness is all over xoxo ....

Jamie gave me an award - I am so honoured that this wise woman chose my blog thankyou Jamie xo a blog award from the gorgeous Jamie - who to pass this on to? I am thinking.....

and last but not least, I will leave you with a couple of photos... more to come tomorrow, I hope. but for now, here is my token 'christmas' - 'tree' :-

I just cannot bear to even wrap in a yule tide theme.. so I searched for something summery & bright... lime green paper and brightly coloured ribbon.... and a card that simply says 'have a magickal Midsummer'..... most of my friends here, just don't get it.