August 27th, 2016

It's been a pretty good week back at school. I like all my classes and professors so far, which is a plus. As usual, it's been hectic, but I'm hoping to take some time this weekend to get a bit more crystal research done.

Walking back from a meeting Thursday night, one of my friends spotted this little baby snake sunning themself on the pavement. They look good-sized in the photo, but were actually only about seven or eight inches long. Another of my friends identified it as a Prairie Kingsnake, and said they're a sign that fall is on the way.

I looked them up, and I guess Prairie Kingsnakes are known for eating other snakes, as well as small rodents, lizards, etc. They're constrictors (their bite is harmless), and they're actually immune to Copperhead venom. That being said, baby Kingsnakes are sometimes confused with Copperheads because the markings on their backs are similar. Kingsnakes have round markings, while Copperheads' are hourglass-shaped. Additionally, Kingsnakes have a more oval and less triangular head.

It seems that during the summer, Prairie Kingsnakes are nocturnal, but during the spring and fall, they turn crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk), so I can certainly see how coming across one at twilight could be a sign of autumn.

Not long after seeing my reptilian friend, I saw this little Red Admiral butterfly sunning their wings.

Altogether, it was a good evening for wildlife!

May 7th, 2016

I had a lovely day today! There was a free community event at Touch of Nature, and I got to go kayaking for about an hour. There were a bunch of turtles on logs, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. I'm a little red on my forearms, but hopefully they're not too badly burned.

After kayaking, I hiked up the trail where we built our Woods project.

At the end of the trail, I sat for a bit and stuck my feet in the lake.

I also spotted this little blue feather.

And then a snake!

And lots of lizards! This one was sitting on the step up to the deck I worked on.

April 22nd, 2016

The school year is finally winding down, but it seems I have as much to do as ever. This month has been particularly action-packed, as we finally got into the build phase of the project we began back in February. It took us four and a half days spread over a couple of weeks, but we finished it, and it looks great. It'll be a really functional piece of work for the environmental center's programs

When we first arrived for our last build day on Tuesday, we found this dragonfly nymph exoskeleton on the trim of our deck. In the words of our professor, our project has already started breeding life. Personally, I took it as a good omen, and things continued to go well as we finished things up.

Here we are adding some finishing touches...

Our final product; we built a deck, two tables, and a net rack for a macro-invertebrate dipping station. Originally, there was also meant to be a kiosk for signage, but as we discovered, there are a lot of subterranean rocks on our site, which meant that that piece could not be built at this time. However, the center has our drafted plans and materials, so if they later on feel like relocating that component to a different area and building it, they can do so.

Our deck, from a different angle.

We saw this lovely (and large!) snake on Tuesday, plus a water snake I couldn't get a picture of.

Later that day, I found this little guy sitting on a campus sidewalk - they were only an inch or two across!

August 8th, 2015

What an exciting day! I bought my first laptop this morning, and also restocked on poly pellets for my weighted blanket. I had requested Athena's help in finding the right laptop for the right price, and I was able to get exactly what I needed.

As a thank-you offering, I actually painted this picture frame last night and am adding it to her shrine (temple?) today.

As you can see, I still need to make a picture to go in the frame, but I was very pleased with how it came out. It shows many of Athena's symbols, including olive trees, an owl, a dove, a bowl of gems, Her golden helmet, spear, and Aegis shield, a snake, a spindle, and tiger lilies. I also have quite a bit of Turquoise, which is Her stone, so I plan to put a piece of that on my shrine as well.

Playing Catch-up...

Hello, ladies and gentleman! I'm back! It's been a crazy month here, so let me fill you in on everything.
My family, grandpa, and Aunt C all went camping in Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness for a week. We left home on June 29th, and returned July 7th.

Here's a pretty sunset - isn't it gorgeous? We saw a plethora of wildlife, including turtles, toads, snakes, eagles, and a mink or a weasel.

We stayed in tents, of course. Aunt C and I were in this one, grandpa was in his own, and everyone else slept in a larger tent. I was asked upon my return what it's like to sleep outdoors. I was rather dumbfounded by the question; it' hard to describe. For readers who have never had the experience, it is hot and muggy, even when it's cool outside the tent, and if it rains, it's damp. You can also hear everything through the canvas, so you get woken up by the birds in the morning, and you go to sleep hearing the drone of the mosquitoes.

Our street had a block party last weekend, which was a lot of fun. A fire truck and police car stopped by to visit and give demonstrations; the little kids (and some of the bigger ones) all got to spray the fire hose. We grilled out, got to know each other, and the dozen or so younger kids raced each other on tricycles and played on the water slide.

I got dragooned into helping with my mom's church's annual Vacation Bible School, but luckily, I got to avoid all the religious drama by volunteering in the Arts and Crafts department. Over the course of a week, the kids made swords, shields, tunics, catapults, and more, in accordance with this year's Medieval theme. I've been doing art with VBS for years now, and usually I'll make a couple of the crafts for myself. This year, however, I didn't really care for a lot of the designs. Yesterday, though, they made lanterns, complete with little electric candles. I thought it'd make a nice altar addition, especially because I'm not allowed to burn my real candles, and since there were extra kits, I made one.

Last but not least, our town puts on an event called Summer Celebration at the end of July every year. Among other things, one major attraction is the town parade, in which different clubs and companies enter floats. My mom and I are members of our local choral society, and have been working on the society's parade float. Since the parade's theme this year is Broadway, it was right up our alley. I can't post pictures of the completed float yet, but here's me with the topper for the giant Tony award we're using as the proverbial icing on the cake. I drew the design on both sides and painted it. Quite the production.
You can also see in this picture that my arm is in a splint. I've had tendinitis since March, and am now seeing an Occupational Therapist to get my wrist healed up. Send positive energy, please; I want to get back to having full use of my thumb ASAP!
Whew! I think that's about everything. On with the regularly scheduled program!

May 6th, 2013

Whew! I had my first AP test today, out of the three that I'm taking this year. It was on Environmental Science, and I think it went okay. I got tendinitis or something similar in my right arm a few months ago, though, so as I was doing the extended response, all the writing was making my arm burn. 'Twas not fun. As they say in Japan: "Shikata ga nai" - "It can't be helped".
In addition to visiting a prospective college on Saturday, my family stopped at the Field Museum. True to form, I expanded my now quite extensive collection of rocks. Kindly bear with me as I expound upon a few of their properties over the next few days, yeah?

Amazonite

 

Physical Characteristics: Amazonite is a blue-green variety of Feldspar, named after the Amazon river, though it is not actually found in the Amazon basin. Apparently, the Spanish explorers got even more wrong than we thought.

In Nature: Feldspars are also microlines, types of minerals that are important in the formation of igneous rocks. Microclines like Amazonite are typically rich in Potassium and Sodium.

Chemical Composition: KAlSi3O8

Mohs Scale Hardness: 6 (middle)

Can be Found: The USA (especially Colorado), Brazil, India, Kenya, Madagascar, Namibia, Russia, and Zimbabwe

Healing Properties*: This stone assists in stopping self-destructive behavior, both physical and emotional, and alleviates stress and exhaustion. Additionally, Amazonite soothes the nervous system and supports the processing of information. It also improves posture and may protect against snakebite, though in modern times, unless you own a grumpy pet snake, you're probably better off working with your stone to protect against bites from other types of animals.

Magickal Properties: Allegedly, the deeper the color of the stone, the more powerful it is; though this is usually true, there's also no need to blow your food budget to get a gigantic piece of gem-quality crystal. Work with what you can get, and the stone will respond to the energy you put into it. Amazonite is a stone of self-respect, confidence, grace, and self-assuredness. Use it to increase understanding and smooth cooperation with others. Another application is to heal emotional trauma and to balance the male and female (or yin and yang) energies in the body. Furthermore, Amazonite draws forth the motivation to reach your goals, and can be used in matters relating to the truth, trust, and integrity. Due to its blue-green color, the stone brings monetary success, while opening the psychic centers. Those performing rune or tarot readings may find the stone's assistance helpful.

Chakra Association: As it deals with emotions and communication, Amazonite is connected to the Fourth (Heart) and Fifth (Throat) chakras.

Element: Earth

Energy: Receptive

Planetary Association: Uranus

*Magickal healing should never take the place of seeing a doctor and following any recommended prescriptions, actions, or other advice. Magick works best in tandem with physical efforts, anyway, so don't skimp on those check-ups!

March 17th, 2013

I can never decide whether to say "Happy St. Patrick's Day" or not. While I have no problem celebrating Irish culture - I am distantly Irish, after all - I have something of an issue with a holiday that is blatantly anti-Pagan. Do I hear exclamations of shock and surprise? Most people are unaware of the actual history of March 17th and why it's celebrated. The story goes that a Christian monk visited the Green Isle to drive out the snakes, and thus there are no longer legless reptiles there. The story, however, is metaphorical - the snake imagery is indicative of Paganism. Though Patrick didn't persecute Pagans the way some Englishmen did, he did such a good job converting them that Ireland quickly became almost exclusively Catholic. While it is true that snakes are hard to find in Ireland, as a fellow Pagan put it, "this may well be due to the fact that it's an island, and so snakes aren't exactly migrating there in packs".
Many Pagans thus choose to wear a snake pin or similar on St. Patty's Day, but I personally like green, and I like clovers, so I'll wear my shamrock socks and tee-shirt. Celebrating the secular aspects of the holiday are fine with me (my mom always makes dinner out of solely green food), but I'm not about to go sit through a Catholic church service, either.
Snakes could potentially figure in seasonal altar décor, or in decorations around the house. The image is just as appropriate for Ostara as it is for the 17th, especially as snakes lay eggs and have long been considered fertility symbols in many cultures.

June 12th, 2012

Strange things happen sometimes, and I for one do not believe in coincidence. Yesterday, after typing up the information about this Celtic Tree Month, Oak, my mom, Nick, and I went on a half-hour hike at a local forest preserve. It was almost time to turn around and head back, when we came upon a place where the trees hung over the path and formed a tunnel. Nick declared that it was a "portal to another world", and said that we must go through it. We did so, and nothing out of the ordinary seemed to happen. However, turning back, I looked up and realized that the trees creating the tunnel were varieties of Oak. I was instantly reminded that the Fey protect Oaks, and wondered for a moment if Nick's claim that the tunnel was a portal was as far-fetched as it seemed. Then later, my dad said, totally out of the blue, that if something were to happen to one of the trees out front, he would replace it with an Oak tree. I feel as though I am being told something here....

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In other news, mom and dad decided to take a vacation this summer - we're going to Niagara Falls! We will go hiking, and also take the Maid of the Mist boat out to see the falls up close. Naturally, the Native American tribes who once lived in the area had legends about the falls, and indeed, the name "Maid of the Mist" comes from that folktale. 

The Ongiara people had lived peacefully along the falls for many years, when suddenly, many villagers began to sicken and die. The people thought that they had angered the thunder god Hinum, so they began to send canoes of food over the falls in offering to him. When that failed to stop the sickness, the chief's daughter, Lelawala, was to be sent over instead. As she fell over the edge of the waterfall, however, the sons of Hinum caught her, and wished to marry her. Lelawala agreed, on the condition that she be allowed to tell her people how to save themselves from the sickness. The youngest son told her that it was not Hinum's anger killing her people, but rather, a great water snake that was poisoning the water, and then eating those who had died. Lelawala was then allowed to appear to her people as a spirit, and tell them of the terrible snake. The villagers hunted it down and killed it before it could do the people any more harm. The river swept away the body, and Hinum turned the snake's remains into the Horseshoe Falls segment of Niagara. Henceforth, Lelawala has reigned in the cave behind the falls as the Maid of the Mist.

I am not yet sure, but I think that we are to hike to the cave behind the falls, and if so, I should like to pay homage to Lelawala, who, after her marriage to the youngest of Hinum's sons, became a goddess of the Ongiara tribe. She is said to wear a white doeskin robe, with a wreath of flowers in her hair. 

April 15th, 2012

First, a personal update: last night marked the final performance of my high school's spring musical, so I should be home a great deal more now to write up my blog posts. Huzzah!

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In other news, I shall continue my monthly saga of the Celtic tree months. Today begins the month of Willow, called Saille (Sahl-yeh) by the Celts. The Willow belongs to the genus Salix (from Latin sal-, meaning near, and -lis, meaning water), which includes approximately 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs. They grow in moist soil, are found primarily in the northern hemisphere, and are extremely cross fertile, meaning that both natural and cultivated hybrids are common. The most popular example of such is the Weeping Willow, which is a cross between the Peking Willow from China and the White Willow from Europe. All Willows have sap heavily charged with salicylic acid (similar to the active ingredient in aspirin, and used in many acne treatments), and the roots are typically stoloniferous, or runner-producing. Indeed, the roots of the willow are extremely tough, and in some varieties will happily grow even from parts of the plant well above the ground. With regard to flowers, the willow produces catkins that are both male and female, and are generally purple or orange.
The Willow is prevalent in mythology and legend from across the globe. In Japan, the tree is associated with ghosts, and the Japanese believe that wherever one grows, a ghost may appear. Similarly, the Willow is frequently planted in or near European graveyards, and in China, the branches of the Willow are employed during the Qingming, or "tomb-sweeping", festival. At this time, the god of the underworld allows the dead to return temporarily, and as these spirits may not always be welcome, the Willow is said to ward them off. Some Christian churches in northern Europe use Willow branches instead of palms on Palm Sunday, and in Wicca, the Willow is mentioned in the Rede as being one of the Nine Sacred Woods, and is used to guide the dead to the Summerland. It is also common in rites of fertility. In ancient Greece, for example, willow leaves were placed in the beds of infertile women, which was believed to call mystical snakes from the underworld to cure them. In later times, the association was switched, and willow was used to drive snakes away. Today, a pregnant woman may place an article of clothing under a willow tree, and if that night even a single leaf falls on the cloth, the woman will be granted an easy childbirth by the spirit of the Willow. The tree is also sacred to poets, as the wind whistling through the branches is said to inspire the mind.
Because of its connection to the dead, Willow is commonly associated with the element Spirit. Burn Willow to help ease the spirit of the deceased, and use it to bring new energy to the elderly or sick. Since the tree deals with the cycles of life, change, and will, it can be employed in magick dealing with those things. It is also associated with the element Water, and is an excellent wood to use in making a water-dowsing rod. Further, it is tied to feminine energy, and can be employed in love spells, or spells to aid in womanly matters. According to tradition, willow bark is to be used to bind sacred and/or magickal objects together. A besom, for instance, will traditionally have an Ash handle and Birch twigs for the broom, bound with Willow. It is also a popular wood in carving wands and talismans.
Willow bark is edible, and is frequently made into teas to reduce rheumatism, indigestion, and whooping cough. To make a willow decoction, useful for soothing inflamed tonsils or gums, soak three teaspoons of willow bark in cold water for two to five hours, before boiling. Then strain, and drink a glass daily.