February 11th, 2012

Today is a beautiful day. We had some snow yesterday afternoon, and now the sun is shining off it and making everything seem brighter than usual. I redecorated for Ostara, and found some great cloth place-mats we never use. They have two bunnies on each and a few irises. I've dusted them off, and now they're making lovely replacements for my pink altar cloth, which was really just a scrap of torn fabric. I've also cleaned up a bit, as things were getting out of place, and was throwing off the energy of my room. It's attuned very specifically to me, and I can always tell when something is wrong. Even now, things don't seem quite right, and I suspect it is due to my reading corner. I've had my Amaryllis and Nick's Paperwhites there, and for some reason, they started acting up the other day. I suspect too much water is the cause, and I've tried to rehabilitate them properly, but so far there hasn't been any improvement. The Amaryllis in particular is doing poorly; some of the leaves have started to yellow and turn droopy. I moved her out into the kitchen where the light is better, and I'm trying to regulate her water more carefully, so hopefully she'll feel better. I don't have too much (successful) experience growing plants, so if anyone has any idea what to do for a sick Amaryllis, please let me know! Even having made these changes, I think the area has gotten over-cluttered, so I'm going to do some work today getting things straightened out physically. Astrally speaking, I really need to redo an energy-cleansing spell I came up with a while ago, and clean the atmosphere through the whole room. I've had kind of a rough two weeks, and some of that negative energy has seeped into my surroundings. Anyway, here's my Ostara altar (video to come later):

January 20th, 2012

Yikes, finals week. As far as I can tell so far, my magick/study combo has paid off, and of all the finals that have been graded thus far, I've gotten an A. I didn't do anything too fancy magickally, but I've been wearing yellow and doing affirmations for memory at night. Good luck to everyone still testing, and Goddess bless. In other news, my brother's Paperwhites began blooming Wednesday night, and by now the two largest stalks are in full flower.


Here they are Thursday night (you'll notice my Amaryllis has grown too).


A close up of the flowers. Aren't they gorgeous?! They're very fragrant. When I got home from school yesterday, I walked into my room and spent a full five minutes trying to figure out what this very floral scent was, before realizing it was the Paperwhites.
The flowers may be blooming indoors, but outside, it's as cold as ever. We're getting a snow storm now, and it's just beginning to pile up. While I'm very pleased that the weather has gotten itself back into its normal pattern, I'm quite happy enjoying the winter wonderland from indoors, thank you. No need to actually go out in the cold, is there? ;)

January 10th, 2012

I can't decide if it's simply that my room gets enough light and is at the right temperature, or if they just like the energy in here, but my Amaryllis and Nick's Paperwhites (which he's keeping in my room) have been growing like gangbusters! Both plants have positively doubled in size over the past week, and, though still small, are a lovely shade of green that makes me smile every time I look their way. Sometimes I swear the little guys grow noticeably just while I'm school!


Nick's Paperwhites.

And my Amaryllis! It's so nice to have living things in my room; I have a bunch of silk flowers, but this will be my first time having live plants. Since I shared a bit of etymology about the name and magickal usage of the Amaryllis the other day, today I will share some Paperwhite info. It's always good to know your plants, after all, particularly when they're residing in one's bedroom! The Paperwhite is the most popular kind of Narcissus flower, and is in the same family as the Daffodil and Jonquil (they are still separate species, however!). The name "Narcissus" comes of course from the Narcissus of Greek legend, who, after his death, was turned into a Daffodil by Apollo. The legend further says that Daffodils bloom in the afterlife. The Greek name for Daffodil is "Asphodelos", similar to the phrase "Asphodel Fields", where those who were neither good nor bad went after death. The Chinese believe that the blooming of any of the Narcissus, Daffodil, or Jonquil plants at New Year's ensures good luck throughout the next 12 months. These plants are used in magick as herbs of countermagick, protection, and purification. However, as with the Amaryllis, I highly suggest avoiding any type of ingestion of them, whether eaten or inhaled (don't burn them!) due to to toxins within the plant.

Amaryllis

My brother gave me an Amaryllis bulb for X-mas, and I'll be growing it over the coming months. The word "Amaryllis" comes from Greek mythology. Legend has it that Amaryllis, a nymph, was in love with Alteo, a shepherd who loved only flowers. So, every night for 30 days, Amaryllis stood outside his home and pierced her chest with a golden arrow. On the 30th day, Amaryllis died, and Alteo opened the door to find a beautiful crimson flower that had grown from her blood. Amaryllis' magickal uses are primarily for determination, innocence, pride, and beauty. However, a note: if you intend to use Amaryllis in any kind of a ritual, do not burn or ingest the plant, as it is poisonous!

January 8th, 2012

Today has been a day of tidying. It is tradition, of course, to intensely spring clean before Imbolc, but this was really more of a rudimentary fixing up of my bedroom. Over the last week, things had gotten strewn all over creation, and my Yule tree was still up. Much as I love my tree, Yule is well and passed, and 'tis time to think of the future. I took my tree down and got my reading chair back in place, before having to find homes for everything I acquired over the holiday season. I can say now that I'm very pleased with the result. If you can recall that whole Feng Shui business I wrote about a few months ago, then you'll know just how much moving some furniture around can change the feel of a room. I definitely feel much calmer, almost languid, and I can be pretty darn sure that I'll sleep well tonight! :) I'll leave you with a last thought: my brother and I each received some flowers to grow, and I found a sweet little garden blessing on the 'net just now. If you have or will have a garden, even if it's just a pot of herbs or flowers, give it a go! Plants need love too.

"Lovely yarrow is known as the wise woman's herb,
Elements four, gather round at the sound of my words.
Bless this garden with growth, health, and bounty, I pray,
Bringing wisdom, magic, and joy, day after day."