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 ...

Around noon, a thunderstorm rolled in.  Hard and heavy.  I gave an apple to Thor for protection and galdred runes over our leaky-too-small-for-frame-screen-door that maintenance installed not too long ago.  In return, Thor instructed me to collect some storm water.  My eldest quickly put a bowl outside for a few minutes, and then collected it.   I brought the bowl into the kitchen and asked for Thor's blessings over the storm water.  He did. I dipped a Mjolnir pendant into it 9 times, and set it on my ADF altar to dry.   I traced a Mjolnir with this blessed Storm Water on myself, my cat, and my kids. I poured most of it into a bottle, with a label, and Thor showed me one of my plants to pour the remainder. Now I have some Thor Blessed Storm Water to be used....soon, I imagine.  It won't keep forever.  Storm Water is very potent, and good for protection and cursing.  It can be mixed with other waters for a boost. Guess we'll see...

Christmas Eve 2025 - When the Uno game battled on for two hours and Mistress Ventress decided that we were done! One of my favorite New Year traditions...or perhaps chores...is filling out the new calendar.  2023 was foxes.  2024's calendar theme was deer.  2025 was baby goats.  This year, I was able to get a Witches Calendar--a favorite of mine that I usually go for. This year's chore had me re-evaluating my Sacred Year--my holy days.   Paganism is a very DIY path, and being eclectic, very  DIY.  Lots of trials, errors, adopting, tossing, tweaking, and self evolution.  My spiritual path is very different than it was 10 years ago, 5 years ago, and even a year ago.  Which is good.  We're supposed to heal, question, and change.  We're supposed to evolve.  My Sacred Year has gone through many changes since I was a witchling. Wiccan to eclectic to spirit work to moon heavy to hearth focused to Hellenic to Norse to a mixture of...

Boo!  I've been sick this Vestalia and haven't been able to do my usual stuff, minus a deep spiritual cleanse of my home and a re-warding.  First I cleansed my home by asking the Norse Solar Goddess Sunna to cleanse my property and vehicle with sunlight.  Then I went inside and opened the windows and curtains for that spring breeze and sunshine.  The weather has actually been pretty nice this Vestalia, with temps in the 60's-75F.  I've been spending a lot of time outside resting, reading, and crocheting. Inside, I lit the sage bundle by saying, " In the names of Hestia-Vesta and the Vestals, I light this sage to cleanse my home of all unwanted energies and entities.  You are not wanted here and must leave! "  I walked my home counterclockwise to banish those unwanted energies.  Then I declared what energies and entities are welcome. I cleansed the home again with energy, to get those pesky nooks and crannies, like under my trailer. Next, I re-ward...

The Vestalia is a Roman festival honoring the Hearth and Home Goddess and the Living Flame Vesta; I also honor the Greek Hearth and Home Goddess Hestia and the spirits of the Vestals.  I've been celebrating this holy time for a few years, since learning about it back in the early 2010's, when I was exploring Roman and Greek Paganism.  The festival is from June 7th or 9th to the 15th.  This is one of my most important holy times, especially now as a Priestess of Hestia-Vesta (a Hearth Keeper for Hestia and a Vestal for Vesta--Their words, not mine).  You may notice that I often hyphenate Their names, because sometimes They appear as one goddess and other times as two, purely a personal choice, not a historical one. My Vestalia Shrine. June 9, 2023 Starting in the back, left to right: a statue inherited from my grandmother representing family love, a satchel of my kids' altar stuff, a red protection satchel sitting in a bowl one of my kids' made, a Vestal, Vesta (at He...