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Daily OM for Thursday, April 26 – Life as It Is

Life as It Is
Making Life Work for You

 

 

Running your life and your household is a bit like running a business for which some things can easily be delegated. 

Sometimes we have so many varying responsibilities in our lives, ranging from work obligations to caring for children to running a household, we feel we cannot possibly make it all work. We may feel overwhelmed in the face of it all, ending each day feeling hopelessly behind schedule. However, regardless of how frustrating this can be, these are the parameters that make up our lives, and we owe it to ourselves to find a way to make it work. Rather than buckling under the pressure of an impossible to-do list, we might take a moment to view the larger perspective.

Like the president of a large organization, we must first realize that we cannot do every job ourselves. The first step to sanity is learning how to delegate some of the responsibility to other people, whether by paying someone to clean our house or trading childcare duties with another parent. In addition, we might find places where we can shift our expectations in ways that make our lives easier. For example, expecting ourselves to create a healthy home-cooked meal every night after a full day of work, errands, or caring for an infant or toddler may be a bit excessive. We might allow ourselves to order in food once in a while without any guilt. Accepting the adjustments needed to make our lives work is an essential ingredient to being at peace with our situation.

At the end of the day, we must come to terms with changing what we can and accepting what we cannot change. Sometimes the laundry piles up, a sick child demands more of our attention than usual, and we temporarily get behind with our schedule. Accepting this momentary state of affairs and trusting in our ability to get back on track when the time is right, we gracefully accept our life as it is, letting go of perfectionism and embracing life as it stands.

To Overcome An Enemy

To Obtain An Enemy

Take a brown candle and write your enemy’s name three times on it. Place it in a bowl filled with brown sugar. Light the candle and affirm:  “Your hostility, I’ll overcome. In day of nine, your friendship is mine.” Do this before you go to bed. Allow the candle to burn itself out while you sleep. In the morning take what is left of the candle wax and the brown sugar and throw it in your enemy’s yard. Do this for nine consecutive days without fail.

Water Magick – Fast Money Wash

Fast Money Wash

  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 5 cloves
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest
  • 1 teaspoon ginger
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 3 drops pine essential oil

Combine all ingredients, empowering them one by one by stating aloud the specific function of each. Bless the ingredients on your altar. Put the mixture in a dark area for a week. Take it out once a day, shake the mixture, bless it and then put it back. It would be best, if at all possible, to bless this mixture under the Full Moon. After a week, you can add the mixture to a bucket of warm water.

The mixture smells fantastic, so be prepared for a very pleasant cleaning experience.

Magickal Kitty of the Day for April 19th (Love this one!)

Bella, the Cat of the Day
Name: Bella
 Age: Six years old
Gender: Female
 Kind: European Short Hair
Home: Vicenza, Italy
This black beauty is our Bella. And this is Bella’s story. Bella was a cat that was abandoned in the corn fields behind our house. She was only about six or seven months old when she started coming around. She was tiny and thin so I decided to start leaving food out for her as she sure could use it. She was super skittish and would watch me from under the terrace when I would bring her food out. She would wait until I had left and she heard the door close before she would come out to eat. She was ok with me watching her from the window even if the window was opened. After several weeks she started showing up at random times and would jump up into the kitchen window to let me know she was hungry and to greet my cat Vixen who has since gone on to the rainbow bridge. Over about a three month period she got less skittish and allowed me to stay near her while she ate. She even started playing with a catnip mouse and would approach me to give me headbumps against the leg and rub against me but would not allow me totouch her. By the way, she named herself. I would always say to her ‘ciao bella’ which means ‘hello pretty’ in Italian. One day she started coming to me when I would say it. So, by the time I could touch her it was too late … she was with kitten.

She was only ten months old when she had her four babies. She had them outside under our terrace in a window well for the basement window. We allowed her to remain with them outside for a little while as they were in a safe, warm and dry place. Once they started opening their eyes we brought them all inside. I set up my husband’s work studio for them. Everything progressed fine and we found the babies great homes. All but a little blue boy which we decided to keep the moment we saw him. Bella was spayed and introduced to the household which consisted of my beautiful RB baby girl Vixen, another black rescue named Phoenix and our border collie puppy Artica. She smoothly slipped into the family. She has been with us ever since.

Bella is a dream. She rarely makes a sound except to purr. She wants no part of outdoors aside from watching the birds through the windows who she will chatter to quietly. She gets along with our now large furfamily very well. She loves the warmth of the marble window sills in the winter when the heat has warmed it. And she must sleep on my pillow every night. Bella thoroughly enjoys her comfort and has become the perfect house cat. Hard to believe that she was the same scared, shy, skittish kitten that showed up here one day. She was smart though as she knew this was the place to come to get her tummy filled and lots of unending love.

Bella, the Cat of the Day
See more images of Bella!
Bella, the Cat of the Day
Bella, the Cat of the Day

Special Kitties of the Day for April 17th

Solange, Simone, the Cat of the Day
Name: Solange, Simone
 Age: Two years and a half years old
Gender: Female
 Kind: Siamese
Home: Québec, Canada
Introducing Simone and Solange, Siamese cats … and real Siamese twin sisters! You cannot think of Solange without Simone or the inverse; they are just glued to one another! Those two little sisters are the most loving and precious cats in the world (from an objective point of view!). We first go them for the children but surprisingly, I got very attached to them. Truly, when I wake up with the two of them, sleeping inside my blankets against my stomach, looking at me with the look that says it all (the * I love you so much and I don’t need to speak to tell it to you* look), I feel so much love for those two cats that I could think possible. it is really hard to take a good picture of them as they are camera shy and always close their beautiful blue eyes!

Being an anxious person, it happens that I feel stressed, in my bed at night. Then the cats arrive, they start to purr, they literally cuddle me … and my respiration slows down, my breathing gets better, I start to feel more relaxed … no meditation needed with those two. They have helped me in a way that many people would not understand and for that, they are my cats of the day every day.

Chant To Hecate for Justice

The chant below brings swift justice to those who treat you unfairly. Take caution in using it, though, especially if you have also behaved inappropriately. Hecate’s justice knows no bounds. She sees to it that all involved get precisely what they deserve.

Hecate, Dark One, hear my plea.

Bring justice now I ask of Thee!

Right the wrongs that have been done,

Avenge me now, oh Mighty One.

Turn misfortune back to those

Who cause my problems and my woes.

And heap upon them karmic debt

Lest they all too soon forget

Their wrongful actions, words, and deeds

Don’t let them get away scot-free.

Bring them forth from where they hide.

Bring swift justice–wield your knife.

Hasten, Dark One; hear my plea–

Do what it is I ask of Thee.

 

Everyday Magic

Dorothy Morrison

Daily Motivator for April 16 – Get it finished

Get it finished

When you have to choose between getting it perfect and getting it finished, get it finished. Even when it’s inconvenient and uncomfortable, get it finished.

Are there other things you’d rather be doing? Go ahead, finish what you’ve started, and then you can more fully enjoy moving on to those other things.

Don’t waste your time wishing for it to be easier, or resenting that you must get it done. Stop fighting against your own effort, and put all your energy into getting the job finished.

Give your perspective a positive boost with some effective, productive effort. Follow through on your intentions and commitments, and get it done.

It was important enough for you to start, so go ahead and get it finished. Get it finished, and bring new value to your world.

Accomplishment feels so much better than idleness, wishful thinking or resentment. Make the effort, tackle the challenges, get it finished, and enjoy some good, solid, fulfilling accomplishment along the way.

— Ralph Marston

The Daily Motivator

Calendar of the Sun for Monday, April 16th

Calendar of the Sun
16 Eostremonath

Iduna’s Blot

Colors: Green
Element: Earth
Altar: Upon cloth of green place a bowl of apples in different colors, a horn of mead, a polished stone, a bowl of nuts, and many gardening tools such as hoes and spades.
Offerings: Today’s work should concentrate entirely on gardening, even in inclement weather. If there is an orchard, special care should be taken with it.
Daily Meal: Vegetarian. Serve fruit and nuts.

Invocation to Iduna

Hail to you, Lady of the Sacred Orchard!
Hail to you, gardener of Asgard!
Let the other gods quarrel
About who may sit higher than whom,
About whose sword is sharper
And whose spear is keener.
You, Lady, know your place,
And that place is indispensable.
You are the One Who Works,
The one without whom all the plans
And grandiosities of the others
Would simply come to nothing.
Giver of health and immortality,
Keep our bodies sound and strong!
Keep us healthy, that we may, like you,
Get up each and every morning
While the rest of the world quarrels
And go quietly to our tasks,
Working the Earth that you love so much,
Knowing that ours is the real work
And the real life, not some shell
Of unbodied, distanced work
Whose products we will never see.
Help us in our daily round of sacred labor,
Lady of the Sacred Orchard,
And may our gardens bloom as yours.

(The horn of mead is passed around, and the rest poured as a libation to Iduna. Each takes an apple and some nuts as a snack for their work-hours, and then each takes a gardening tool from the altar, thanks Iduna, and goes outside to work.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Special Kitty of the Day for April 15

Frodo, the Cat of the Day
Name: Frodo
 Age: Nine months old
Gender: Male
 Kind: Cat
Home: Cochrane, Alberta, Canada
This is an adventure, not unlike Lord of the Rings … because this Frodo passed through death as well, only to live, and so the adventure began.

My husband and I decided we were ready to find a new cat, as we lost our beautiful orange boy Puffin in the fall. We traveled to an acreage where we knew there was a litter of kittens with an orange one. We arrived to find the kittens panicked and scared because the previous night their momma and a sibling had met their demise by wild animals. Those remaining kittens had survived by climbing to the highest part of the outdoor cat house they lived in, all the while hearing the terrifying sound of decimation below.

Frodo was the only orange kitten in a litter with two black siblings. We were told that because of his bright color he would be easy pickings for the predators that roamed the acreage. So I eagerly wrapped him in my coat and drove home with our little bundle, knowing he was not only a survivor but an adventurer, so he was aptly named Frodo.

Frodo quickly adjusted to life indoors, although he loves to sit in the window watching the world go by; he loves to climb to the top of our screen door and chases anything that moves, including his big sister Iggy, much to her chagrin. He is a delight every day, making our home lively with the sound of his thundering paws. But at night, when all is quiet, he loves to crawl right under our covers and sleep the night away, knowing he is safe and sound and loved.

Frodo, the Cat of the Day
See more images of Frodo!

Calendar of the Moon for April 14th

Calendar of the Moon
14 Fearn/Elaphebolion

Day of the Elm Tree

Color: Dull green
Element: Earth
Altar: Upon a dull green cloth set a vase of elm twigs collected earlier and forced to bud, a single dull green candle, a pot of soil, seeds, a bowl of water, and a bell.
Offerings: Plant seeds. Use your physical strength to do a task.
Daily Meal: Vegan

Invocation to the Green Man of the Elm Tree

Hail, Green Man of the Spring!
Elm tree of the spreading limbs,
Great in strength and stature,
Tree planted amid the grapevines
To be a living trellis
To support the uncounted
Legions of the Vine-God.
Backbone of Dionysus,
Patient and enduring,
Tree who takes its burdens quietly,
With trunk so great
The hardly can we reach around it.
Grandmother and protector
Of the new year’s wine,
In whose branches robins call.
We hail you, sacred elm tree,
Green Man of the Spring,
On this the day of your strengthening.

Chant:
In strength I rise
In strength I reach
In strength I touch the sky

(Each comes forward and plants a seed in the pot of soil, saying, “Hail Green Man of the Earth!” Water is poured onto the pot, and then the rest is poured out as a libation. Ring bell and dismiss.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies (I know this is unusual but…)

I have been aiming to share this recipe with you. These cookies, I absolutely crave. I mean it, right now, I am craving them. That is why I am posting the recipe to make me drool, lol! No, seriously, they are delicious and super fast to make. I hope you give the recipe a try. They are great cookies!

No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies

2 cups sugar

1 stick butter

1/2 cup milk

3 cups quick (instant, if you can find them) oats

3/4 cup peanut butter

In a medium sauce pan, mix the sugar, butter & milk. Heat to boiling. Let boil for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Mix in oats & peanut butter. Make sure the oats & peanut butter is thoroughly mixed in. When thoroughly mixed, put on waxed paper. The cookies will harden when cooled.

Takes about 10 minutes to make. And they are super YUMMY!

10 Ways to Reuse and Recycle Materials in the Garden

10 Ways to Reuse and Recycle Materials in the Garden

  • Shelley Stonebrook

A major goal of gardening sustainably is to cut off the waste stream, and one great way to do that is to reuse and recycle materials that others may see as trash. Here are a few first-hand ideas shared by gardeners.

1. I use an old plastic mesh bag to round up leftover slivers of soap. I rubber-band the bag so it’s tight and hang it next to the hose. The combo of the slightly abrasive bag and the soap scrubs off garden dirt.

2. I made row covers out of tomato cages, old rebar I got free, and used blankets I got at the local thrift store.

3. Instead of purchasing expensive weed-blocking landscape cloth, I use free old tarps from my local lumber store that they used to cover wood during shipping.

4. I gather pieces of concrete to use as stepping stones in my garden.

5. I recycle drink cups to grow tomatoes from seed. When they’re ready to transplant, I simply remove the bottom inch or so of each cup and plant directly in the ground. This prevents cutworms from making a meal of my transplants.

6. I was given some heavy-duty metal “for sale” sign frames, and I placed them in my raised beds to support bed covers in early spring.

7. Old pantyhose are my friends: They make garden ties, and I use them to “bag” cantaloupes growing on trellises so the melons have extra support.

8. I make all my garden fencing with scrap wood and build my veggie trellises and arbors with fallen branches and saplings.

9. My plant tags are twigs with a shaved-off area to write on.

10. For a cold frame in late winter, we prop old windows against straw bales. When I know we’re in danger of a frost, I take old bean poles and jab them into the ends of my beds, throw old sheets over them, use stones or bricks to hold down the edges, and voilà! I have a makeshift tent in my garden.

Special Kitty of the Day for April 5

Panda, the Cat of the Day
Name: Panda
 Age: Six and a half years old
Gender: Male
 Kind: Manx mix
Home: Gatlinburg, Tennessee, USA
Here’s a picture of my Pandabear lounging on top of the hot tub. We call him Panda for short. He’s a great cat, and is obviously a Manx mix, as he’s got luxurious medium-length fluffy coat, but just a bit of a tail, as you can see. It’s good that he has that tail, small as it is, as otherwise Manx can have some spine problems, especially the “rumpy” ones with no tail. Manx cats with his length of tail are called Stumpy Manx, but he doesn’t let that bother him at all. He’s a great cat with a soft, pettable coat, and we all love him.

Four Thieves Vinegar

Four Thieves Vinegar

2 quarts of vinegar
2 tablespoons each:

  • lavender
  • rosemary
  • sage
  • rue
  • mint
  • wormwood
  • garlic

Soak and shake all of the herbs for two weeks and strain.

Legend has it that during the bubonic plague four thieves were caught stealing from houses where everyone had died from the plague. When the judge asked them how they were able to do this without contracting the plague, they claimed they drank and washed with this vinegar every few hours. In return for the recipe, the thieves got their freedom.

Take some 4 Thieves Vinegar and put it in a small bottle. Write the name of the person you want out of your life on a piece of paper and put it in the bottle with the vinegar. Seal the bottle tight and then throw the bottle into “moving” water (river or??) where it will be carried away from you.

As you throw it in the water, visualize the person moving out of your life and far away from you.

FREEZER BINDING SPELL

FREEZER BINDING SPELL

Piece of paper and a pen Black thread or string Small water tight container
It’s best done just after the Full Moon, or at least while the moon is waning, and needs to
be renewed every month or when the person starts bothering you again.
Write the name of the person you wish to prevent from harming you on a piece of paper.
Gaze at the paper and visualize the face of the person in question; see their face vividly
imprinted on the paper. Then, fold the paper three times. Tie it up with black thread or
string, and put into a small watertight container (baby food jars are ideal). Fill the container
with water, and place in a nook of the freezer where it’s unlikely to be disturbed, saying:
Stay there and freeze as long as I please.

Business Success Infusion

Business Success Infusion

 

Use this infusion either as a soak added to your bath, or soak a washcloth with it and lay it across your forehead while you meditate on being successful in your work life. Try to focus on a specific event or project instead of on a general feeling.

If possible, use this infusion at your work, Try wiping down your desk with it, sprinkle droplets on the floor, or water plants in your work area with it–as they grown they will release the magic into the air.

1 cup magnolia blossoms

1 cup chamomile blossoms

½ cup Balm of Gilead

1 cup bergamot leaves

½ cup tangerine peel

½ cup sage leaves

¼ cup peeled ginger root

3 cinnamon sticks

½ cup basil leaves

1 TB. Juniper berries