January 17th, 2012

Whew, talk about an intense weekend! I went to Hazelnut's place on Saturday to meet her new pet parakeet, Sugar.


I read some tarot cards for her about finals since they start tomorrow, and I'll be excited to see how accurate my interpretation comes out to be, since I don't read them too often. Sunday morning, her dad took us to a river where several flocks of ducks and geese were staying, and a family of eagles was nesting in the area.


Some geese in flight.


The river and birds thereupon*.


Seconds after I took this picture, the ducks began catapulting themselves into the river.


Hazelnut and I chilling in front of a rather treacherous, now-unused train bridge.

Then yesterday, since we had Monday off from school, I went skiing with other high-schoolers from my parent's church. Not, perhaps, my preferred company, but I had fun nevertheless. Since finals are starting tomorrow for Hazelnut and I, here are some things to magickally increase your test scores, after you study, of course.

• Rosemary is associated with memory and education, so empower the herb itself or essential oil before the test. In the case of the herb, keep it with you on or near your desk during the test. If using the oil, rub a few drops on the pulse point of each wrist and rub together until a slight tingling or warmth is experienced.
  
• Yellow is also associated with memory, so the night before testing, light a yellow candle while sitting next to any notes, textbooks, etc. pertaining to the subject you are to be tested on. You could even add the rosemary in by lightly dressing the candle with rosemary oil.
• If burning candles is not an option for you, wear some yellow the day of the test. This could be anything from a shirt to a hairclip, or even an armband or socks. Be creative. Creativity is, after all, the root of all thought.
  
• The element air is likewise associated with intellect and memory, so during or before the exam, call upon air to add some elemental backing to your mental prowess. Incense is a representation of air, so burning your favorite kind (or rosemary, if you were so inclined) could be another great meditation experience for the night before.
  
• If all else fails, and you're quietly (or not so quietly) panicking five minutes before the test begins, take a deep breath, relax, ground, and center. I can say from personal experience that the easiest way to bomb a test is to get worked up while taking it. Panic releases adrenaline, which makes it difficult for the brain to focus. So visualize all that negative worry draining away, and your concentration will improve immensely.
  

*Just for the record, as I was sitting here typing that sentence, the song "A River of Birds" started playing. o.O