Firstly, I'm sorry I've been MIA. I had a great Mother's Day and Birthday weekend at the Greenbelt GreenMan Festival and the Maryland Faerie Festival and a delicious Birthday on Monday. After all of that my back seized up and I have been on muscle relaxers when not at work... and no one needs to read me on those!
So I had an MRI today and a Neurosurgery appointment for next week to check out wtf is up, but it's much less painful so I'm back. I plan on getting caught up on all my posts by next week, so keep an eye out.
Today for you I have the honor to present a unique crafter of beautiful and personalized pendulums. Brandy of Pendulums by Marlaina takes time and care in making magical tools designed with the witch in mind.
Not only did I have a chance to ask Brandy some super fun questions, she has also been gracious enough to offer one of my lovely readers their choice of pendulum, including the 'Create Your Own' option. Read through to the end and then use the Raffle-Copter form to enter.
Q: What is your favorite part of the Etsy selling experience?
A: My favorite part of the etsy selling experience for me is adding a
new listing to my shop. Out of all the planning, the time it takes to
create each piece etc. Its always exciting to see another item in my
shop so that others can see and enjoy too.
A: What I make and how it supports the craft: I make pendulums. I hand
make them and try to make them unique and use natural, organic and
handmade supplies. I feel that they heighten our spiritual growth. I'm a
visual person and I need to be hit on the head with a brick to see that
something isn't a coincidence. lol. So pendulums have helped me to
communicate with my spirit guides, angels and have helped me through
particular problems with clear and precise yes or no answers to my
questions. Pendulums are a division of your subconsciousness and your
likes/dislikes etc. That's why I was so excited to offer these unique
pendulums. I offered the Design Your Own feature so you may pick and
choose certain charms, fillers and pattern of the chain that your most
drawn to, so that your pendulum can help you attune your spiritual and
psychic ability. I also have the pre-made ones for everyday use.
A: My favorite holiday is Samhain. It always has been even since I was
little. There is always a certain mystery and magic about it. The minute
I wake up I know its Samhain because i can feel this certain energy and
excitement going through me. Anything goes on this day. I feel closer
to my ancestors. I always feel with Samhain I have time to enjoy this
holiday and take time to decorate, participate in sabbats and rituals
make traditional meals and take part in many of the festivities. I love
the colors, sights and sound of the holiday.
A: I have a lot of favorite mythical animals and beings so I couldn't
never choose just one. I love the mystery and magic of Dragons and will
be putting out a dragon pendulum collection hopefully in the near
future. I also love the beauty and playfulness of fairies and have a
pendulum for a wish granting fairy and I'm excited to add more to that
collection soon as well.
You can learn more about Brandy and her crafts through her facebook, twitter, pinterest, and etsy shop. Oh, and enter the giveaway below:
This giveaway
ends in two weeks at midnight on 25th May 2012 . Open WorldWide! All
winning entries will be verified. If a winning entry cannot be
verified a different winner will be chosen. The Winner will be
notified by email and has three days to reply or another winner will be
chosen.
***Please note that I received no form of monetary compensation for
this post. Please note that I am not responsible
for the delivery of this prize and can not be
held accountable if, for any reason, is it not
received. Furthermore, I am in no way liable
for any injuries that may result from the use or
misuse of this product. **
As I continue indulging my tarot card habit collecting beautiful and meaningful decks, I find more and more I am fascinated and drawn to decks released by independent publishers. There's just something extra special about buying a deck from the creator and it feels like 'back in the day' when almost everyone had their own hand-made version of a deck of cards, due to lack of a printing press. I recently ran into a new deck that I just had to feature here, The Tarot House, which is a collaboration between a mother and daughter and employs a combination of Reiki and Tarot.
The Tarot House by Tricia and Jenny House
The passion to create this unique blend of Reiki and Tarot began with the younger member of the team, Jenny, who wanted to bring the intuition and guidance of the Tarot into her Reiki healing sessions to help expand the experience for the people she was helping. Once this decision was made she searched for a deck that fit her needs; something beautiful, positive and created with love and came to the conclusion that the artwork of her mother, Tricia, would make the best possible deck.
Each card has been induvidually painted by Tricia, the meanings described in detail by Jenny and, after four years of work, the finished deck is a beautiful tool.
You can find images and meanings of the Major Arcana, Swords, Wands, Cups and Pentacles on their website, The Tarot House. The deck can be purchased on etsy as well as through their website directly and has recently been reduced to a (more than fair) price of $24.99 (£14.99) that includes a lovely brocade bag (choose from six wonderful colours), a spread card with layouts of Celtic Cross, Past Present and Future and Chakra spreads, a leaflet with short divinitary meanings, and Reiki healing for harmony.
The beautiful artwork is also available as greeting cards from Etsy and ArtistPublishers.
I love a couple of things about this deck. The images themselves feel so real, I think because they are not digital creations but instead digitized versions of paint and love on a canvas. I love that the color pallet is bold but not distractingly so. The texture and details in each of the pictures just add more possibility for a nuanced reading, and I am very jealous of the creative talent required to paint 78 individual images.
Tarot House Spread
In wandering about their website I also came across a spread that I may have to start using as it just looks like an interesting way to have the cards relate to each other, and after all... isn't that what reading cards is all about?
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PS: All these images are used with permission from the artist. Please take a moment to click through and check out her other wares.
PPS: Enter to win a full set of printable BOS pages from a pagan-run small business here.
PPPS: Enter to win a Tarot Tips Sheet just for spreading the word about a Pagan Publisher here.
Today I bring you a spell to Inanna, the Sumerian goddess of sexual love and war. Remember we are all part of the divine and we all carry the power and beauty of the Earth within us. This spell was inspired by a fantastic witchy friend who helps to remind me "I AM the Beauty of the Earth!"
This spell is best
performed during the waxing or full Moon.
The waxing energy of this moon phase helps bring things in to your life.
Use a pin to carve the eight
pointed star of Inanna and your name or personal symbol into the candle;
keeping your intention in your mind. Hold
the candle between the palms of your hands and direct all of your energy into it. Using blue ink, write out a petition paper.
Include things like motivation to grow, confidence, increase of positive
thoughts, courage within the self, and faith.
You can add runes or your own symbols to increase the power of your
intention. Light the candle saying:
Inanna, Star Goddess,
Lady of power and beauty
As the light of this
flame grows let confidence grow within me.
Inanna, walk with me,
keep my will and magic strong
As I hold the divine
within my self, I AM the Beauty of the Earth
Burn the piece of paper with your written words on it and place the
ashes into a bowl. If possible, focus
and meditate on your desires until the candle is almost burned out. Combine the ashes and left over wax together
and bury it in the earth near your home.
PS: This goddess drum is from an amazing etsy.com artist who has been notified. If you are so inclined, please click through and check out her other wares.
PPS: Enter to win a full set of printable BOS pages from a pagan-run small business here.
PPPS: Enter to win a Tarot Tips Sheet just for spreading the word about a Pagan Publisher here.
Apologies for the late postings, sometimes life gets in the way. Please stop by here and give a shout out to help an independent pagan publisher keep the works of the elders of this time in print. And now to the letter I.
Ireland and Italy are the lands of (most of my) ancestors. While my personal praxis does not typically include work with ancestors, I do feel a deep pull to both of these lands. When people talk of them or when I see pictures I feel a call, deep in my spirit, to go to these places, walk the earth and touch the waters. It's like they call to my memory.
The cliffs of Ireland call my name every time I see them, every time I hear them sung of and every time I see the white of water crashing along her edges. I remember the way the air tastes and the smell of the old ocean along her shores. I've never been there in this lifetime, but I remember the sound as the sea hits the land, and the smell of fire on the wind. Does Erin call to you too?
Can you taste the excitement in the air mingled with the dust? Can you hear the roar of the crowd above the ringing of metal? Can you see the knowledge of death or glory in the eyes of those called or driven to fight? I remember it all and every time I see the Colosseum it comes back. The gods of Rome are familiar to me but they are not what calls, it's the city itself. Do ancient walls speak to you as well.
PS: All product images are from amazing etsy.com sellers who have been notified. If you are so inclined, please click through and check out their wares.
I enjoy participating in giveaways. It's so exciting to get mail and I have won some beautiful items by amazing crafts people, just take a look.
This beautiful 5x5 moon art photo traveled across the Atlantic and now resides on my living-room wall. Suzi of MoonDreamin was amazing and so generous to send some extras along too! Please check out her shop, she has some amazing prints and items available!
Here is some more artwork that I won from Andralynn.
I love her style and color choices! My munchkin and I actually sat
down together to pick out what she wanted in her room and I think my
munchkin made perfect decisions.
Speaking of my munchkin, this is my absolute favoritest ever prize won to date. Franchesca of SmallBirdStudios did an amazing job taking one of my most loves pictures of me and the munchkin and transferring it on to distressed canvas. Now I will have this moment forever and I think $22 is so worth it.
These vinyl wall decals from CherryWalls are so super cute and they came carefully packaged with detailed instructuions, an applicator and super cute extras! You even have lots of colors to choose from! These silver butterflies are going to a special set of twins for their birthday!
When I look through my plethora of Tarot and Oracle (and other) decks, I am fascinated by how differently each idea comes across in the art works. In the age of internet publishing it's easier to find variations from a variety of talented artists, some of which I am happy to share with you today.
The BlueDogRose Tarot by Nakisha is full of beautiful domestic animal images created in ink and watercolor and professionally printed on playing-card stock. This 2011 deck is a full 78 cards made up of 22 major and 56 minor arcana. Swords are represented by Cats,
Cups are Birds, Pentacles are Rodents and Clubs are Dogs while the Major Arcana also have goldfish, guinea pigs and rabbits. I love the vibrancy and personality of this deck! Check out some of Nakisha's other decks, such as the TaRat, for beautiful are with some standard Tarot imagery. She can also be found at her blog and facebook page.
The Steampunk Tarot purports to "builds a rusty metal bridge to the edge
of your subconscious" and looking at the listing I believe the artist, Charissa Drengsen of curly-cue design, has achieved this. This digital collage tarot deck is a full 78 cards that blends "post-modern and tribal, ancient and contemporary, traditional and
subcultural" images and themes. The deck is available in multiple sizes and has a large or pocket sized companion book. I have a soft spot in my hear for steampunk and it looks like this deck does a marvelous job of cohesive digital collage and filling the cards with meaning. Swing over to the shop and check out some of Charissa's other work as well, such as paper dolls and steampunk patches. She can alse be found here.
This Oracle Tarot Deck by Lisa Chow is stunning in it's intricate simplicity. I love the stark contrast of the pen against the paper and I appreciate that she pulls in just a touch of color when it counts. The artist was drawn in by the classical and intricate art work of the tarot and rose to the challenge of imparting her own spin on the standard imagery and this full 78 card deck is the result. The prints that color the rest of her shop attest to her artistic eye for color, line and space. More about Lisa can also be found here.
Thanks so much and please don't forget to enter my current giveaways here and here!
