Books & More Things

So, I went to see my good friend, Cliff who was at Little Mysteries this past Saturday doing a booksigning for his latest book, An Ogham Wood. This is a story that is going to be told in a trilogy with this being part one. It is a mythical fantasy full of beautiful imagery, dialogue, etc. I just started reading it, so I haven't gotten very far into it, but I love what I am reading so far. It was great seeing Cliff, as the last time he was up, he was busy doing his mundane work in the city & I didn't get a chance to see him. One other time was brief, as he was recording a radio show & his lovely wife, Lady Daphne and myself had a visit, full of girl-talk. Just seeing Cliff & hearing stories of the Hollow made me miss it even more & I am in the process of figuring out what weekend to go for a visit (Yes, it will be very soon).

At his book signing, I got to meet more faces from Facebook that are on my friends list. Krista and her bff, Krissy came along with Krista's 2 children. They made the hour long trip from the Valley to come up to get their copies signed & to bring Cliff a huge bag of Jerusalem artichoke roots for his garden. They were so nice & funny. After the book signing, we all headed down to the Old Triangle ( a local Irish pub) for some lunch. I had my Little Man with me, as well. The conversation over food was great. I learned about a series of books that I must check out, The Dresden Files, as if I don't have enough books on my plate to read and got to share a few laughs with friends. It was a great day, in spite of the piss-poor rain.

Also, while I was at Little mysteries, I managed to pick up a few more treasures, some new patchouli incense, Circle Magazine, the 2011 Llewellyn's Magical Alamanac (which I thought I already had, but didn't) and Fairy Tale Rituals. There were a few other books I wanted but they will have to wait til I have read all the other books. I am also reading American Gods by Neil Gaiman...all I have to say is the I love, love, love this book!! If you haven't read it, do so before it becomes an HBO series next year.

Anyway, that is all for now. I have some reading to do.

~Rowan
)O(

Mediaeval Babes "Undrentide"

Rowan Faery ~ Teresa Moorey

The rowan faery is strong and protective, yet feminine and very magical. Norse myth tells that the first woman was formed from a rowan, while the ash formed the first man. Rowan is reported to have saved the life of the god Thor by bending over a swift river where he was drowning and enabling him to pull himself out. The Druids used incense made from rowan wood to conjure spirits, yet the rowan faery has such a grounding influence that she can connect you with the Otherworld while keeping you firmly in this world. Rowan protects against superstition and fosters a positive attitude. The rowan is planted near homes, for protection and insight.

The rowan faery is one of the most helpful of all, for she values the matters of this world and seeks to establish a connection with the subtle realms. She repels intruders firmly, yet invites interchange between the realms of being. Rowan is very powerful near stone circles and barrow-mounds, for her abilities are enchanced in these places. Her power will come with you if you carry rowan berries in your pocket, to where the water meets the land--and this can inspire you to write poetry.

**Courtesy of Margaret Mullins**

My Solstice Day

Well, I went on a Pagan mini-roadtrip with my 3 new friends, Lisa, Heddy & Julia. We packed into Lisa's car & headed off on out little adventure to some cute little Pagan shops that I never knew existed. First, we went to a cute little shop called Sarah's Spiritual Treasures. It's about 15 minutes outside Halifax in a community called Lower Sackville. It is a small shop, but filled with wonderful goodies!! I was happy that finally found my fav. vanilla incense. I've been looking for it since last Ostara & no one was carrying it. Lisa found a cute little treasure, incense matches. She bought Frankincense, as there was no Sage. She had an idea to smudge her car with it. It smelled so yummy!! I found a good size chunk of clear quartz, it's about 2" big and it was only $8.00. I'm going to use it a my want topper after I charge it.

After departing Sarah's, we headed onto the highway for another 20 minute drive outside the city to Whimsical Cottage Soaps (not to be confused with the Etsy shop, The Whimsical Cottage). It was another small shop, located in the house of a very nice lady, Lori. She makes handmade soaps, lotions, etc. Her shop was filled to the ceiling with alot of awesomeness!! She has so many crystals, books, etc. She's also a Shaman, so there was a lot of native Mi' qmaq (pronounced Mig maw) drums, dream catchers, rattles. She treated us all to some chocolate, she must've sensed that we were getting hungry, as we didn't start our trip til after lunch. She had the cutest little salt & pepper shakers, they were cast iron cauldrons!! I fell in love with this store. I didn't get anything here, as much as I would have love to, but being jobless, my funds are tight for the time being. I will be back to this little gem of a shop. There were a few Faery necklaces that I loved, soaps I want, ok, I want the whole shop...lol!!

We headed back on the road to the city. It was time to eat so we headed to a cute little diner for some grub, before going to Into the Mystic. They were doing tea leaves until 4pm. By the time we ate, it was after 4 and getting darker. We decided that we will go there another day...yay, another road trip!!! We dropped Heddy off at her place then I came home with Julia, as I lived near her bus stop to get her home in the "Darkside".

She hung out with me for a few hours. We talked about everything, from Paganism, to guys, stuff. It was really nice. Time flew by so fast & before we knew it, it was close to 10pm & she had to bid me & my 2 kitties farewell. All in all, it was a great day. We shared some laughs, chocolate and camaraderie. It was nice to be in the company of other Pagans who are genuine with their friendship, not deceitful, as others I have met were with me. I am glad to have my foot in the door to the local Pagan community here in Halifax. I'm meeting so many wonderful people who share a common spirituality with me. I feel the Goddess is blessing me in so many ways recently. I thank Her with my whole mortal heart.

So, I'm going now to welcome the sun, as it will be rising soon over the horizon. Have a Blessed Solstice/Yule. May the Goddess be with you in your journey.

Love & Light!! )☼(
Rowan

Dance of the Wild Faeries

Busy, Busy, Busy!!

Well, so far November is going by without a hitch. I went to the Witch's Ball last weekend, met a lot of great folks there. See posting below about it. Had a really great time!!

Found a few more blogs to follow, as if I need to follow anymore, but I can't resist. I hope to be adding more Buttons to my new Button scroll thingie **Thanks, Bella** So, if you have a button,let me know, I'll add it. Speaking of Blog Buttons, I think it's time for me to update mine. Now that I have a more fitting picture up top, I should have a button that reflects that, right??


I found a new (to me) online Pagan shop. It's called Sacred Mists Shoppe. They have a ton of wonderful goodies for sale. From altar supplies, to clothing to bath & body, even mineral makeup. I want one of everything they have...no, seriously, I do. I ordered some silver & gold mini candles, as I find them hard to find at a good price, and I also ordered a Yule altar basket. They take PayPal, which is great. I also found while surfing on eBay, 2 Celestial mini candle holders and a purple & black Pentacle altar cloth. These are my Yule gifts to myself.

I've also been doing some major housecleaning in my BOS. You see, a while back I was given a lot of pages (a couple hundred, approx.) that my so-called "mentor" printed off for me. All she did was Google a ton of stuff and did it up in a 3-ring binder. I knew what she did, but being a nice person, I didn't call her out on it when I should have. So, for the past day, I've been going through what she gave me (what a waste of good paper, not very Pagan of such wastage to deceive) and tossing most of it in the recycling bin. A lot of it repeated itself, repeatedly. Recycle. Since I received this "gift" around Imbolc last year, there was a lot of Imbolc stuff that, again, repeated itself. With all that repeating, she should've been more careful proof-reading what she was passing off to me, right?? That was how I knew she was Googling. So about 80% of what she gave me is now going to be recycled & made into new products that would serve a better purpose than what she intended for me.

I found a great book over the summer that I'm finally getting a chance to read now. I got behind with my reading when I was momentarily caught up in an "eMance" with a guy I met online. I should've listened to my gut about him, but nooooo, I had to lose myself over a wee bit of testosterone. Anyway, I digress. This book is called "Faery Magick" by Sirona Knight. I love it so far, and I just started it last night. I'm about 1/2 way through it already. It has some really great ways to build a faery circle, spells, rituals to attract different faeries to you, as well as tales about the Wee Folk. If you're into the Fae, I do recommend this book.

Anyhoo, I have to get going, I have witchy things to do around the house, things to pick up at Little Mysteries and finish my errands I have to get done on my day off. No rest for the "wicked", huh??


)O( Blessed Be,
Rowan

My New Faery

Ok, been down in the dumps lately...between getting dumped and problems with my son at school, I needed a little pick me up. What better way than with a new Faery. I just love her!! Everytime I go into the shop that sells them, I say I'm just going to look, but always come out with a new one, go figure!!

Since starting my Faery collection last winter, I have about a dozen now. I find them in the oddest places, from drugstores, to gas stations. They seem to find me. They are all over my apt, except my son's room, for obvious reasons. Some glow in the dark, one is a trinket box, I even have a Witch Faery.

If you click onto the Faery label, you'll see my other faeeries I have.

)O( Blessings

Celtic Woman Fairies

The Seelie & Unseelie Courts

The Seelie Court is composed of different fairy creatures, all mainly benevolent, and with mostly beneficent intent towards humans. They are typically seen in the twilight or gloaming hour, and could be called upon for favors, which were granted if it suited them. Regardless, they are still prone to mostly harmless mischief, ad would be fairly quick to avenge any injury or insult. They were not above warning a human who might accidentally or unknowingly insult them, repaying human kindness with favors, or to occasionally seek help from humans.

The Unseelie Court was a wholly different aspect altogether. Usually, the fairies in the Unseelie Court came around only at night, and might attack a traveling as a troupe, or band. The Unseelie Court, unlike the Seelie Court, did not have to first be antagonised before they sought to punish humans. The majority if not all of the fairies in the Unseelie Court were malicious, and were known to be especially mischievous. They might as a group lead a traveler into getting lost, frighten cattle or eat them, destroy or cause defects in tools or machinery, among other various things.

**Credited to M. Mullins**

My new Faery I got today

My Faery Collection

Within the last couple of months, I have been starting to collect Faery figurines. The store where I usually go to get them had a few months where they didn't carry them, as a competitive store was also selling them (the store was right next door). I did find one faery at a gas station where they sell gifts, go figure!! One is a trinket box where I keep some crystals in it. There is a faery that I want that I will get tomorrow...she's a Witchy Faery, complete with a pointed hat & crystal ball. Actually, I want the whole damn collection!!! They have a couple of faeries with the Green Man.

So, here are my pix of what I have collected so far.

Pagan Faery & Nature Spirit Art