Yay!  I'm glad that the First Day of Fall is gloomy, wet, and in the 60s.  AC is off, windows are open, and its Black and Orange Cat season.  As well as Apple and Pumpkin Picking Season.  As a month with an R and a Ber, it's hot chocolate season (because of Sheldon from Big Bang Theory, I only drink hot chocolate in months with an R--I know super nerdy).   Today or tomorrow I plan on making a spice cake.  I was going to make a stew, but our fridge is stuffed with left overs. This year--I believe when it started--Rev Vic started a High Day Pen Pal project and I've been enjoying it.  I just got two letters yesterday.  This High Day the prompt was a favorite equinox dish, so I knew I was sending a recipe--I've never been to one of those recipe sharing gatherings, but I have memories of older relatives getting together and swapping recipes.  Might as well share my favorite recipes!  I messaged my sendee to check for allergies and ...

 Over the weekend, I went camping with my kids.  A ton of fun, but very tiring.  It was a chilly sleep on a cot on an incline.  I've been resting my sore muscles and getting my sleep.   On Monday or Tuesday, I came across post from Brigid's Grove/Molly Remer about a September Class she's teaching called Replenish at the Hearth , featuring Hestia.  Of course I'm interested, but with Halloween coming up, I can't afford to take it (and it's not expensive, but it ain't in the budget).   However, Hestia tapped my shoulder wanting me to do a Hearth Replenishing ritual with Her.  Sure, yall know I could use some rest and energy.  Then yesterday, Virtual Fire was looking for someone to host the weekly ritual.  I volunteered, and wrote a ritual with Hestia's guidance, inspired by Molly Remer's class title and some of the poem/prayers she has on her FB page.  I didn't know much beyond the title and the prayers.   I knew...

 Tonight at 10pm, on zoom , I'm doing my Midsummer Honeysweet Ritual for Virtual Fire Proto-Grove .  We'll be honoring Bees and Apollo.   The working is a Gratitude Jar and starting to fill it with good things that can sustain you through your dark times and/or SAD, as sweet nourishing honey sustains bees through the cold months. For it you'll need: -A jar, a little box, an envelope, or crochet a hive or a hive cell pouch. This will be your Gratitude Hive to store your honeysweets. -Paper -Something to write with -Draw a Hexagon–6 sided shape–a hive cell. Make it large enough to write or draw inside of it. -Start thinking about things that bring you joy, healing, hope, courage, strength, and peace. Things the can nourish and heal you. -If it helps, ask yourselves and/or divination: -What am I grateful for? -What sweetness is in my life? -How can I gather this sweetness? -What does this sweetness offer me? You can write out sentence or even make a sigil, bindrune,...

  Happy Vestalia (June 7-15th)!  Hail Vesta and the Vestals! On the 9th, a red fox crossed my path, which was very cool.  Then later that night, I had ritual with my online grove.  Although Tuesday was a bit of a struggle, by then I still hadn't reworked my ritual and I was battling a headache.  We've been having a lot of storms lately, and it's normal for me to have one until the storm arrives. However, my joints haven't been hurting!  For about a month and a half, give or take, I've significantly cut down on my sugar--minus the good sugars found in fruits.  I haven't gone cold turkey because that rarely works for me, I just cut more than half down on what I was eating and drinking.  Boy, have I been losing weight!  I haven't even started swimming regularly yet!  Less weight = less joint pain.  I haven't needed my cane in a couple of weeks.  I've also been eating more fresh raw veggies, too.  Gotta replace that processed ...

 On the 15th, my Kindreds nudged me to sign up for a ritual on Feb 17th.  Non-COoR style.  Focusing on Love, Friendship, and Healing--with oneself.   Monday I had a weather-caused migraine.  Tuesday I realized that the ritual was that night, not today.  Actually, writing went really smooth.  I'm glad it was Non-COoR, because I really wanted to focus on Self-Love.  Although my COoR rituals tend to be long, you can do them quickly. Druid in the City: Minimal ADF Core Order Ritual Last night, after I wrote the ritual and was working on my sigil (because I was opening a well of source energy, I wasn't going to be able to do my sigil with them), I was possessed by the Kindreds who wrote a message for the Druids.    Basically it was telling us to Shine Brightly.  Be not afraid.  Use our voices.  To let our power flow. Because of that, I was tired going into the ritual an hour later.  I was worried that I wouldn't be ab...