Summer Solstice - Card for the Season

Happy Summer Solstice to all those in the Northern Hemisphere. The sun peaks today as it shows its face for the longest day of sunlight before the days slowly being to shorten.

This morning I pulled a tarot card to reflect on the theme for this season of enlightenment. I first pulled from my Rider-Waite deck and then a second card from my World Spirit deck. As the universe would have it, both cards pulled were the World (or Universe) card! How could I ignore that powerful synchronicity?

The World card highlights the end of a cycle and a time of integration. We're on the threshold of a whole new cycle as our next step will be that of the Fool. I cannot ignore that it is also a New Moon tomorrow - another opportunity for new beginnings. Personally I love the World card as it is a reminder to me that all lessons, no matter how mundane or painful, can be integrated into the larger tapestry as you move forward.

At Solstice, it is clearly the end of the sun's cycle of coming closer to the earth as it shines on us a little longer each day. On a personal level, I married on Beltane so this season has been an intentional ending of my "single" life and much integration of heart and hearth. On a national and international scale, we can see the end of cycles and eras in the uprising in Iran, the end of Republican rule in the U.S. and an increasing awareness that the way we've treated the earth is not just nor sustainable. We're on the threshold of something new and unseen.

What have you completed this season? What are you integrating as you approach the next phase?

Wedding Bliss

My beloved Alexander Azi and I were married last weekend on May 2nd, a rainy Beltane afternoon outdoors in Tilden Park.
I had been fretting for days about the rain spoiling our outdoor ceremony plans. In the end, the rain made for a beautiful, mystical wedding under two intertwined California oak trees.













Our family and friends surrounded us in a circle as we took our vows, including being handfasted. We felt loved and supported and I did not want the day to end. For more photos, visit our wedding website.

Wedding Brain

It's official - 6 weeks out and I'm a total wedding brain! I am walking, talking, breathing details for Azi and my wedding on May 2nd. Some of it is a lot of fun - ring shopping, talking about which of our single friends we can match-make - and some not so fun, especially finding "foundation wear"! Anyway in the midst of all the flurry of planning, I have neglected blogging for quite some time. This may continue over the next few weeks, but I intend to post pics of my stitching in the interim.

Here is the most current status of Colonial Wedding from By The Bay Needlearts. I have changed out the colours to reflect the warm Beltane tones of our wedding.


Hope you are all enjoying the lovely Spring weather. This weekend is Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere - perfect time to find balance once more. Till next time, love!

Stitching Update

Just a quick update on my latest stitching project, Colonial Wedding, designed by By The Bay Needleart. It's turning into a really quick stitch.



I changed the recommended colours somewhat to be brighter. When I first started the floral bower, a number of people commented that the flowers had a very 70s feel to them. They meant 1970s not 1770s as the design would suggest - yes, I am a child of the 70s!

Poem to Brigid, Imbolc 2009

In honour of the Fourth Annual Brigid in the Blogosphere Poetry Slam, here is my poem to Brigid, Celtic Goddess of Poetry, Smithery and Healing.

Brigid,
Warrior of heart and craft

You inspire and urge me
To cast off the cloak of modesty
To get dirt under my fingernails again

Grubby and breathless
Quickening and flowing
Emerging into form

Brigid
You inspire and urge me
To delight and revel
In the sweetness and the joy
In the truth and the bliss
That is mine
That is my life.


P.S. My pledge to Brigid this year was to relax into my life!
Ahhh, sweet wisdom.

Stitching in the New Year

After stitching up gifts back-to-back in the Fall and early winter, I decided to start the New Year with a few stitching gifts for myself!

My first finished piece is Spells & Potions, one of three designs in Spell Binding from Plum Pudding Needlearts. I took the liberty to change the design somewhat ~ using colors that are less Halloween and replacing the spider on the cauldron with an eight-pointed star, a symbol of my matron goddess, Inanna. I also stitched it over one on 28 count linen to enhance the adorable factor!


I have the perfect spot for it - above the little doorway to my witchy herb closet that is just off my kitchen. The herb closet is in the eaves of the roof so the doorway is only about 4.5 feet high. So every time I need one of my jars of herbs, I have to bend down to fairy level - so very witchy cottage! I use herbs for their medicinal and magical properties. I do most of the stitching of my magical herbal sachets at my kitchen table, so having the herbs close at hand is ideal.

My next project is a wedding sampler, Colonial Wedding by By The Bay Needleart. I have picked out a 32ct linen and most of the threads so just need to get started. With Azi and my Beltane wedding fast approaching (May 2nd - eeck!), I hope I can squeeze in enough time to finish this one off soon. I may need to put this project aside for a while as I am also stitching our ring pillow and embellishing our handfasting ribbons with symbols and words that reflect our vows and, hopefully, silk ribbon embroidery. I'll post pictures of those projects closer to the date.

Solstice Blessings

Last night was winter solstice night - the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Having winter solstice in December still befuddles my Southern Hemispheric self. I was born in June, just a few days shy of winter solstice on the other side of the equator. So seasonally this feels like my birthday month while my associations with yule time are still long, sunny days, beaches, swimming, bbq's and summer holidays.

As a pagan, shifting the wheel of the year to be seasonally-appropriate to where I'm geographically located makes sense magically. So my ritual plans involve introspection and staying close to home. But my body memories remain that this should be a time of celebration rather than turning in. So as I danced and cuddled with my beloved during solstice night, I held space for the light and expansion of the south. By summer solstice Azi and I will be wed and that will be even more cause for celebration!


May this winter solstice bring you closer to the light of your hearth fire.

May your darkest nights always be filled with beauty of the shadow and hope in the emerging light.

May the coming year keep you in hope, abundance and with lightness in every step.

Stitching Gifts

Yule may be just around the corner but this entry is about the stitching gifts that are not Yule-related! A few entries ago I showed a snippet of the sampler I was stitching for a close friend's new baby. I finally finished stitching this cutie, found a simple frame and mailed it off to her this morning. Almost 6 months after Noah blessed us with his presence, but I'm delighted with the results. Aren't the tiny animals for the ark, so adorable?


Noah's Baby
Designer: Hillside Samplings
Stitched on 28ct Lambswool Wichelt Linen using recommended DMC floss

Click on image for close-up view


My next gift was for Storm and Chas, the owners of The Mystic Dream, where I read tarot twice a week. I've owed them a wedding gift since they wed over the summer before the passing of the backward Prop 8 here in California. I stitched them a talking board similar to the one's that Chas has been woodcrafting and selling through Carnivalia. It seemed like a great fit for these magicians of note and they loved it!

The Talking Board
Designer: The Primitive Needle
Stitched on 32ct Belfast Picture The Plus Linen with Sampler Threads Dark Chocolate

Click on image for close-up view

The more I stitch for my friends and community, the more I feel the threads of connection between us all.

Psychics make the NY Times

A recent New York Times article highlights what I, and other psychics have been seeing in recent months - an upward trend in those seeking tarot and psychic readings being open to turning the economic crisis into an opportunity to change their lives fundamentally. What better time to regroup and embrace your long-lost passions than with a tarot reading. YAY for us mystics making the mainstream media!

Love, Jobs and 401(k)s by Ruth La Ferla
On a good day last summer, Thomas Taccetta, a stock trader, might have checked his financial charts before plotting the day’s investments. Today he is likely to check in with his psychic as well. “I’ll play the broadest index, the S.&P. 500,” Mr. Taccetta said, “and if she tells me she is getting a negative view, I will sell.”

Read more...

Gratitude

I awoke this Thanksgiving morning to the New Moon in Sagittarius and a sense of optimism and hope. With the media focus on the economic downturn, it is easy to get swept away with fearful feelings of scarcity. Today I'm reminded that intention is everything and I'm focusing on the abundance in my life.

As we gather in our homes across the country today, let us honor this national ritual of gratitude as we give thanks for the bounty we already have in our lives ~ the roof over our heads, the food on our table, the warmth of our family, friends and community, our upcoming change in government, our willingness to help each other out in times of need and our faith that the universe will provide all that we truly need to live and feel alive.
This Thanksgiving I am staying close to home. Azi and I are spending the day together - our last Thanksgiving before we marry in May - we will cook, eat and make magic together. I am grateful for much in my life and this Thanksgiving I am especially grateful for:

* Azi's love
* my loving & supportive friends
* a healthy body
* making a living doing what I love!

What are you grateful for? I'd love to hear...

Tarot readings at The Mystic Dream

Last month, I wrote that I'd extended my Thursday hours at The Mystic Dream and now I'm writing to let you know that I've added an extra day of reading! I'm happy to let you know that you can now book tarot readings and ritual consultations with yours truly every Tuesday (noon - 7PM) and Thursday (noon - 8PM) at The Mystic Dream in Walnut Creek. To book your appointment, call ahead to the store at 925.933.2342. Hope to see you there soon!

Voting & the Smell of Oranges

As an immigrant, voting in today's historic U.S. Presidential election was quite a landmark for me. I became a U.S. citizen in early 2006, after almost 10 years as a "green card" holder, partly so I would have the right to vote today. While the Democratic Party is far too centralist for my liking, voting for an African-American candidate, Barack Obama, felt right to me. How, as an African woman, could I not vote for the son of a Kenyan?


This morning, I got up early with my sweetie, Azi, to vote at our local poll station. Our neighborhood polling station is just a block from our house at the local branch of Berkeley library. As we left the house we heard the news that the voter turn-out was unheard of with long lines at many polling stations across the country (see picture to the left). I had goosebumps as we went to vote. YAY!

The last time I voted in a major election was back home in South Africa for the first democratic election in 1994. That was an exciting election - change and hope was palpable in the air. The lines were long (see the picture to the right) - so, so much longer than the lines here in the U.S. today. I'll never forget that the first time I cast a vote was in such an important, historical election. It felt powerful and healing, as a white South African, to cast my vote for the ANC (with Nelson Mandela as the party leader). The South African political climate has changed dramatically in the last 14 years, but I hold onto the reverence for real transformation of that time.



In the South African 1994 election, to counter voting fraud, our hands were sprayed with this special invisible ink when arriving at the polling station. I remember clearly that the ink smelt strongly of oranges. I recently looked up the magical meaning of oranges as a herb ~ they are a powerful drawing herb, used to attract luck, fertility, love and prosperity. How apt! To this day, whenever I smell oranges, I have this visceral memory of casting my ballot at Mowbray City Hall, Cape Town, with the hope of change in the air.

Samhain Blessings

It is early Samhain Eve - the beginning of the Witches New Year. I am catching up on blogging before settling in for the night with some personal ritual work. The little ones of my neighborhood are still stampeding up the stairs from time to time for trick-or-treating. Soon it will quieten down...


I spent Halloween day working my day job at Needle in a Haystack where we had our fair share of trick-or-treaters - mostly in the 2-6 year range - so, so cute. I also offered quick one-card tarot readings to customers. Cathe, the store owner, was gracious enough to be into the idea of a witchy tarot reader on staff - how fun for me! There were not too many bites for readings today, but the readings I did were direct and to the point. How I love the clarity of the cards!

In the next few hours I plan to spend time at my altar, contemplating the past year - what has passed and what has been birthed this year. It's been a heavy year for me - much upheaval in work, community and relationships. I recently had a fabulous transit reading from a very talented astrologer, Jamie Kahl, that put it all in perspective. She was able to explain that I've been in the midst of a Pluto transit on my ascendant (which squared my natal Pluto and opposed my natal Sun & Venus - for those of you who keep track of these things).

Suffice to say, transformation has been a major theme for me over the past year or two. Last year at Samhain, I aspected Inanna and her descent into the underworld during a public ritual. I feel it's time for me to emerge into the light once more - with reverence for the depths and joy in each step. How I love the lessons that Inanna brings me - so life-affirming.

May your Samhain be blessed - may those who have passed this year find peace and those who have been born continue to bring us such joy.

Evening Hours at The Mystic Dream

I am happy to announce that I have extended my hours at The Mystic Dream in Walnut Creek to accommodate those of you who work the usual 9-5. I am now available for appointments at The Mystic Dream every Thursday between noon and 8PM. To schedule an appointment, please call the store at 925-933-2342.

A Contra Costa county spiritual mainstay, The Mystic Dream (formerly Dolphin Dream) has recently undergone a complete physical (and metaphysical!) makeover thanks to owners and newly-weds, Storm Faerywolf and Chas Bogan.

I love reading at The Mystic Dream and being part of this community. The owners, staff and other intuitive readers are welcoming, authentic souls who I'm happy to know. The reading rooms sparkle and I trust my readings are deep here. So if you are in the Walnut Creek area, stop by the store for your spiritual supplies, gifts, books and on Thursdays, a reading with your truly!

Current Stitching Projects

My favorite piece to stitch recently has been Tree of Life by La-D-Da. I carry it around with me and pull it out to stitch whenever I can - between tarot readings at my regular gig at The Mystic Dream as well as at the Golden Gate Renaissance Faire last month. I even stitched a bit while in line at the DMV! It's become my formidable stitch-to-go piece. Only problem with that is that sometimes I get distracted and I have obviously miscounted the border along the way, so now have an oopsie in the upper right hand corner to contend with!

And can you keep a secret? I'm stitching a surprise baby sampler for the first born of my dear friend, Anu. I found this adorable chart called Noah's Baby by Hillside Samplings that seemed perfect as they named their son, Noah. I love the chart but it is proving to be quite the challenge as the little animals are stitched over one. I'll keep posting pictures of this work in progress.

New herbal sachets at Swankety Swank

Just yesterday I dropped off a new shipment of my herbal sachets and amulets at Swankety Swank in San Francisco. The latest stock includes some new sachets that smell of the season...cinnamon & cloves...yummy!

I stumbled across Swankety Swank earlier this year and am delighted that they have become the sole stockist of my sachets in San Francisco.

Swankety Swank, owned and run by the delightful Yabette Alfaro, is a cute, funky store full of artistic treasures. Yabette has a keen eye for edgy design and color and has done a wonderful job of showcasing functional art pieces from local designers and artists. The store and gallery space is brimming with treasures small and large - from furniture, to clothing & jewelry to housewares.

So stop by Swankety Swank at 1808 McAllister Street(at Baker) to have a look at my latest sachets and other goodies on offer. Perfect for gifts (especially for yourself!) this festive season.

My first counted cross stitch

I have been an embroiderer for much of my life but working at Needle in a Haystack has inspired me to try my hand at other techniques. I just finished my very first counted cross stitch piece as a gift for my sweetie, Azi. I had intended to give it to him at our wedding in May but the quaintness of the piece won. I gave it him as a surprise anniversary gift earlier this month instead and it now lives on our relationship altar.


The chart is Always & Forever by Little House Needleworks, one of my favorite designers. It is stitched over two on a 28 count hand-dyed linen from Lakeside Linen with one thread of Bella Soie silk from Crescent Colors.

Stitching as Meditation

I've been thinking a lot about stitching lately ~ how it has become part of my daily routine and how antsy I feel when I haven't made time to stitch for a day or two. It's been dawning on me that stitching has become an integral part of my daily spiritual practice. Just as sitting at my altar for silent meditation once brought me back to center, stitching clears my mind, calms my breathing and relaxes me to my core.

Sitting mediation was always hard for me - my nervous energy struggling to settle down. So with my hands busy stitching, I find I am present in the moment. When I'm not present in the moment (and the stitch), I miscount stitches or stray from the chart. What a simple reminder that if you're not present, you'll loose your path. So each time I have to unstitch a piece, I am reminded to slow down, breathe into it, see the beauty of what I'm creating, remember the threads of my life that have brought me here and BE HERE NOW!