Blessed Mabon!

This morning I was blessed to awake to the sound of rain falling and the birds chirping. I had fallen asleep with the bedroom open, so the bedroom was brisk and I could tell I had slept VERY hard. As I lay there, stretching and listening to nature, my cat joined me and we watched the birds in the Fig tree outside my bedroom window.

When I heard the coffee finish brewing its morning elixir, I finally got out of bed. What a lovely start to this wonderful day! For breakfast, we had pears from the garden with toast. Yum!

I've spent the day thus far editing for the Pagan Times October issue, writing my October article (which I will publish here with more photos once the issue is published), washing clothes and enjoying the 70 degree rainy day. The windows are open and airing out the house from the stuffy summer air.

I look forward to the upcoming season. It is my most favorite half of the year. The dark half. The time for baking, keeping warm in front of the fire and losing weight. I always gain weight in the summer due to being confined indoors... I don't do hot!

Tonight I'll celebrate with a ritual with my online Archaic Temple of Arcere friends. The hubby and I will have Roasted Chicken breasts, a Pear Pound Cake (I don't have apple trees), corn on the cob (this was store bought) and a roasted butternut squash. Writing that made my belly rumble, lol!

May you all have a very lovely celebration.

It's Beginning to Smell a Lot Like Autumn!

Well, Mabon is right around the corner. Summer is coming to an end. The grass has slowed its growth, the summer flowers have begun dying back and the fall crops are coming in. All in all the garden didn't do as well as it did last year, although I did get enough produce to sustain me all summer long. Goddess bless, I got what I needed... really, what more could I ask for?


     As I prepare for Mabon, I have begun gathering my herbs to allow them to dry. My jars are getting full. This weekend, I'll make my sage smudges with sage, rosemary and thyme. I'll also start trimming my grapevines and begin making wreaths to give to friends for Yule. This year, I'll even make pentacles out of the vines to have in the center of the wreaths.


     I'll also begin working on pinecone feeders for the birds... a perfect decoration to hang around the yard. I also have loads of saved grease to start making homemade suet blocks. Birds are affluent in my yard due to the fact that I leave blueberries on the bush, grapes on the vine and figs in the tops of the trees. There really is no need to fill the feeders until December or so. I did grow sunflowers this year, so they too will be placed in the yard to feed the Cardinals that we hold so dear!


Here's some action on our hummingbird feeders!

Rosemary & Heartnut Tree Cuttings Started!

Before I work in my garden, I always cleanse, release and ask Goddess to guide my hands and my heart to benefit my projects. Today's project was to start some cuttings for both my Rosemary and the Heartnut tree that started itself in an inconvenient area. Rosemary is pretty straightforward  but the Heartnut is another experiment, so here's hoping it goes well!

My Rosemary grows at the entrance to the house. Rosemary is well known for its cleansing and purifying characteristics. It is used for protection, exorcism  healing, to aid sleep, to increase mental & intellectual powers and to bring love. It is one of the oldest incense, and when burned it helps to rid a place of negative energy and is especially useful prior to performing magick. 

Rosemary has medicinal properties too! It helps to aid the digestion of fat and helps with migraines. You can make a tea to use as a mouthwash for bad breath. It is also said to be useful for eczema, wounds and sores. Rosemary is useful in relieving symptoms of the common cold and when smokes along with coltsfoot, it is said to relieve asthma and other lung conditions. NEVER exceed more than one cup a day when used as a tea or you'll put yourself at risk of fatal poisoning.

The Heartnut tree is native to Japan and is a relative of the walnut tree. They have no listed magickal uses but are yummy and good for you!!! I really hope I can get the cuttings to go. If not, I am sure there will be more baby trees this year again. This time, I'll keep my open for them so I can dig and relocate them before they are too well established!

How to do softwood cuttings (from http://www.freeplants.com/soft%20of%20decid.htm):

Preparing a softwood cutting is easy. Just clip a cutting about 4" in length from the parent plant. Take only tip cuttings. In other words, just take one cutting from each branch, the top four inches of each branch. This is the newest growth. Strip the leaves off the lower two thirds of the cutting, leaving just a stem and a few leaves at the top.

When propagating softwood cuttings, wounding the cutting slightly can help the rooting process. You can wound the cutting by scraping the side of the stem lightly from the bottom of the cutting up 1/2".

It is always beneficial to treat your cuttings with a liquid or a powder rooting compound just prior to sticking them. Rooting compounds are available at most garden centers and do help to stimulate root development. It really doesn't matter whether you use a liquid or a powder. There are different strengths available in the powder formulas. Hardwood cuttings require a stronger formula than softwood cuttings.

Most liquid rooting compounds are sold in concentrate form and must be diluted with water. I like the liquid because all you have to do is adjust the amount of water you add depending on whether you are propagating softwood or hardwood cuttings. There are instructions on the package.

Picking My Wiccan Name Using Numerology

I'm curious how many people out there have delved into any form of studying Numerology. I've been reading and playing with it for years and find it quite fascinating. My first lesson in Numerology came from "A Collection From Mysteries of the Unknown" with 1989 as the date on the back of the book. If memory serves me right, I found that book while cleaning a house out after someone moved. They had left it behind. That would be around 1993 that I got that book.

These days, the book binding is torn and the corners are squished but the book is still in order. In this book there is a detailed chapter on Charting the Four Basic Numbers. I have used this book for interpretations for nearly 20 years! Wow. That was a bit odd to write, but I digress...

The lesson is quite detailed and very in depth. When I chose my Wiccan name, I used my Life Lesson number and worked on a name that would include natural elements that meant something to me. I tried a bunch of names that I liked, but none calculated out correctly. I kept working until I found a couple that I liked. It took me a few days to finally decide because I didn't really think it was "right" to include my birth name.

After reading and meditating on it, I finally decided that my name is natural and the Lily is one of my favorite flowers (they are tied with Irises for #1) so why not. There it was.

Blessed be!

Useful Medicinal Wildflowers

As you read in my prior post, I have been out in the garden today. I spotted some very common and quite pretty wildflowers in the yard and decided I needed to find them and see if they had any use. I was searching the internet and asked my mentor, Sinnan, to help me search the names of these weeds that we often see. It didn't take long to find them, like I said they are SUPER common! 

Once I knew what they were, I did the research to see if, and how, they fit into my spell crafting or Shaman healing. Do you have plants in your garden that you cannot figure out? It looks like the new case my husband made me will be full before long! 

Purple Deadnettle is a healing herb which is also an annual. It is said they get quite large if nurtured and not mowed so I've asked the husband not to mow them. Let's see what these do! They have a lot of health benefits and are useful in spell work to represent tenacity, cheer and strength.

The photos above and below are of chickweed. It is full of vitamins and minerals  as well as discouraging obesity (according to Scott Cunningham's Book "Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen"). I really love the story about Zed, and how chickweed was used to clear up chronic conjunctivitis!

These photos are what I think is Ground Ivy among the chickweed. If so, ground Ivy also has health benefits and magical properties! This one is used for divination and hex breaking.

Can you name the herbs found here? I have more research ahead of me. Yeah! :-)

The Useful Weed
by James McIntyre

Do not despise the humble weed,
For the Lord He first sowed the seed,
Perhaps it bears most precious fruit,
And useful leaves and potent root.

Though it seems now a useless weed,
Countless millions it yet may feed,
Or future ages it may prize,
Finding in it beauteous dyes.

Or a valued healing balm,
Will make the heated pulse beat calm,
And the future men of science,
May place on it strong reliance.

And it may play important part,
In advancing skill and art,
And no person now doth know
How useful are the weeds that grow.

Weeds we now look on with loathing,
They may yet be used for clothing,
Producing silken glossy coat,
Or paper fine for the bank note.

But you at present must take heed,
And do not grow the cumbrous weed,
Either in garden or in field,
Where plants with profit now do yield.

Retrieved from http://www.readbookonline.net/books/McIntyre/1315/

The First Day of Planting!

It's 65 outside and the sun is shining bright! I moved my big hanging spider plant and my geranium that is down to two tiny plants from the winter (honestly, I'm surprised it went that long through the winter). They like that temperature and that LOVE bright light. After watering my indoor plants and  thinning the dead parts off of my strawberries, I really wanted to start working on my two new garden beds.

So, on with the boots and grabbing the shovel. I stopped to release, charge and asked to be guided through today's project. I want these two new beds to be focused on honoring nature. I want them to be built with a lot of intent on healing and general positive vibes.

I go to area one. I pause to reassess how everything is planned. The Mr. Lincoln Rose will be perfect right where I want it. It likes bright light and well-drained soil. It will do quite well there. Now, I realize that the bed will need to come out just a bit more than I originally thought. I ask my husband to come out and tell me what he thinks. After he agreed that it would be okay (he mows the lawn so I don't want to create an obstacle for him) he tells me he thinks he will have to move the gate! The cement porch is in the way to make the gate 4x4 sturdy and ensure it is set right so it doesn't come lose in 2 years (again). So, I decided to wait until he figured that out over the next week.

On to area two. I again reassess the current plan. All will work very well along the fence line. By the time the heartnut tree is big enough to block sun we will have moved and there will be a few part sun perennials that will be very well established. As I go to grab the shovel to begin turning the bed, I realize I have NO IDEA where the water line is. I decide it's too large a bed to dig out by hand so there is no way I can dig today. I really need to make sure I know where the water line is so I don't break a pipe with the tiller... I can't afford that fix! I'll call the water department tomorrow to see if they can help.

I was a bit disappointed that today wasn't the day to break ground but there must be a reason. Inside I go to check out what the Old Farmer's Almanac has to say about planting today. Well, there you go. Tomorrow is a New Moon and I am not putting any root crops in. It looks like I'll be planting next week and that the Moon will be in the perfect phase to support my growing efforts!

As I walked back to the back garden, feeling a bit disappointed, I noticed a bunch of dandelions. Eureka! I get to pull weeds and it's the perfect time for the young and tender roots! I proceeded to carefully pull them out of the ground. Once I was finished, a quick rinse, pick out the dead leaves, then pick the flowers and lay the roots & leaves out to dry. I love to use it in my spell work due to its ability to support wishes, promote visions and spiritual communication and I absolutely adore its Shamanic health and healing benefits.

I have big plans this year for my Enchanted Garden and I'm happy that Goddess lite a fire under my bum to follow through with my dream. I work full time but found out I may be furloughed for up to 22 weeks. That is a big change to my home and already challenging financial lifestyle so it is a big incentive to try.

Lillie's Enchanted Garden

Well, here we are the 3rd of March! I am so excited to get this growing year started. It has begun! I have drawn out my plan and begun purchasing seeds and a couple of plants. It's going to be an interesting year, financially, so I am doing my best to do this on the cheap. My house needs some TLC but that will have to wait until there is more income or the house is paid off in 2 years to get the high dollar work fixed.

I already have figs, grapevines, pears, blueberries, asparagus, lavender and strawberries outside. This year I will be adding: a red rose bush, raspberries, more lavender, more asparagus, cauliflower, sunflower, sage, thyme, as well as my veggies. The veggies will include: peppers (mild, bell & jalepeno), tomatoes, peas, bush beans, spinach, pumpkins, zucchini  and butternut squash. I'll also be planting chamomile, gernium, snap dragon, purple cone-flower  lemon grass, marigolds  lilies, tulips and foxglove. I am attempting everything from seeds except the rose, raspberry, lilies and tulips.

It's bound to be an interesting year as I am putting in 4 new planting areas in hopes to produce herbs enough for my workings and veggies to live on. With the financial hardships we are all going through if I am blessed with enough of anything to sell it I hope to do so. I'll be blogging my adventures as it is all party of my magical journey. Having land to work again has encouraged my spirituality to grow and I am really enjoying the journey.

Here is the outline of my plan. I'm not sure how much you'll really understand it, but it'll make more sense over time!

Correllian Shaman's Rattle

Blessed Imbolc!
For this week's Correllian Shaman assignment, I needed to make a Shaman's Rattle. A rattle is used for healing, cleaning space, to open blocked energy, focus energy and to assist meditation. The rattle is an important tool for a Shaman, so this took a few days of meditation to decide what materials I wanted to build it from and what I wanted inside it. Below I have included a sound byte of my rattle. 

After I decided I wanted a glass rattle, I walked through my house to pick one out... I have a collection of over 100 antique bottles and wasn't sure which one I should use. One of my newer bottles is a pretty little glass bottle that I had saved as it had a pretty gray spiral on it and thought I might find a use for it in the future. I decided that bottle was the one to use as it had the spiral and I wouldn't be heartbroken if, for some reason, it happened to get broken.

I painted the bottle with 6 coats of white paint and saved the gray spiral, as it worked well into the purpose of this assignment. The white paint was chosen for its ability to purify, consecrate, give spiritual strength, exorcise and support divination. I was happy with the spiral color already on the bottle as gray supports balance, to neutrality, usefulness in erasing, canceling and returning to the universe without repercussion or destructive energies. 

Once the paint dried, I added a small silver pentacle and three spirals on the bottom of the bottle. It just felt like the right thing to do. I chose silver paint due to its lunar power, its ability to purify and charge of female energy.  I then combined all the materials below and placed them into the rattle. I sealed the bottle with the lid it came with. It has quite a pretty sound and will come in handy when I need to consecrate my ritual space. 

Ingredients:
Rice was chosen mainly for sound assistance but it is also a purifier. 
Sea Salt was chosen for its purification properties.
Dragon's blood was chosen due to its ability to empower, purify, protect, consecrate and develop ritual energy. 
Basil was chosen due to its ability to protect and exorcise
Bay to protect and cleanse.
Lavender was chosen due to its ability to cleanse, consecrate, for psychic protection, to support magic and rituals. 
Rosemary to protect, concentrate, cleanse, exorcise, psychic protection, bless and support energy. 
Quartz was chosen due to its ability to transform an imbalanced energy field.
Copper conducts energy and inspires balance and good foundations. 

I hope this was a helpful article for you!

Correllian Shaman Mojo Bag Assignment

So today, I am going to tell you about how I made my Mojo bag. A mojo bag is a small spell bag that you make with intent and wear where no one can see it. They can be custom built to meet your needs. For mine, I included herbs, oils, crystals and chose the color of fabric, thread and ribbon based on my intent.

A mojo bag is full of magical power. You will want to wear it close to your skin the first week of use. This could be in your bra, undergarments, etc. After that, you can store it in a dresser drawer, in your purse or on the altar, but be sure to keep it out of sight. You will need to recharge it regularly.

Mojo bag for healing, protection and strength.

Ingredients:
Sea Salt - to protect
Dragon's blood - for protection and spell potency
Dry herbs:
- Basil - to protect
- Bay - to heal, strengthen & protect
- Lavender - to heal & protect
- Rosemary - To heal & protect
- Sage brush - To heal
- Mint - to heal
Oils:
- Lavender
- Cedar - To strengthen, heal & protect
Crystals:
- Amethyst - to heal
- Tigers eye - to strengthen
- Hematite - to protect

Brown, white and light blue fabric - stability, lunar magic & healing
Green & yellow thread - stability & stimulate nervous system
Red ribbon - protect and defend
Silver paint pen - lunar power

I began by cleansing and grounding. Everything was in my ritual area so that I could cast a circle and work this spell. The first step was to cut the fabric in a 4" circle. I used pinking shears to prevent unraveling. I then used the thread to make loose stitches around the circle.

 Next, blessed all of the materials and began mixing everything up. In the bag went the stones, dragons blood and salt. As I placed them I spoke my intentions. Then, I mixed up the herbs until they were in little bits, while speaking my intentions. These items then went into the bag.

 My final addition was the oils. I placed 3 drops of lavender and 1 drop of cedar on the mixture. I then pulled the thread tight wrapped and tied it seven times.

 After trimming the thread I then wrapped and tied the end of the ribbon around the bag three times. Then, the second end was wrapped and tied three times. Finally, the two ends were tied together once more.

The final product extends down to my breasts. This will allow me to wear it comfortably during the first week when I cannot just tuck it into my bra.

I ended by running dragons blood incense around it. Closed the circle, cleansed and grounded.

Pagan Fitness Challenge Update!

I am participating in the "Winter Pagan Fitness Challenge" I found at Pagan Health & Fitness. As I posted previously, the author asks us to come up with 5 things to go with the diet to represent the elements. The goals I chose were: 

Status Report: 

Air~ Breathe more intently. Do yoga to practice healing breathing. --> I did yoga ONCE this week... moving up a bit!

       
Fire~ Feel the burn of working out! --> I did do toning exercises twice this week, went walking twice and played basketball with the kids at work. Woot! I met my weekly goal! 

       

Water~ Drink more of it! --> I drank 8 glasses of water EVERY day this week. 

:-)

Earth~ Focus on being more grounded in life. --> I did ground and shield every day this week. It was a great week. I didn't let things get to me and I noticed my coworkers were also a bit more relaxed. 

Spirit~ Work on my attitude and accepting me. Goddess made me a beautiful person now, I just have to own it! I am working on this and think I am making very good progress. 

Week 4 goals: 

Water~ Keep drinking the water and this week I do not want to drink ANY diet soda. 

Air~ Do yoga twice this week. Focus on breathing and meditation. 

Fire~ Do toning exercises twice this week. 

Earth~ Focus on being more grounded in life. -- Goal is to ground every morning and evening. 

Spirit~ Work on my attitude and accepting me. Goddess made me a beautiful person now, I just have to own it! NO negative self talk. I know this one is not any different, but this is one of my biggest challenges. 

Organized Ritual Space

Okay, so I'm going to be totally honest here. My Ritual room (aka my bedroom) was a total wreck. I woke up Saturday morning and said "holy shit! I just can't live like this anymore." I tried to talk my husband into giving up his bedroom and moving into the dining room, but that didn't work! Since I couldn't be a total meanie, I compromised. My room had to be totally reorganized so I didn't feel totally stressed out just being in my room.

The photo above was after I moved a couple of things around. I didn't think to take proper "before" photos!

So, then the work began. My husband was kind enough to build me a shelf to mount my TV & dvd player, so that cleaned up some space. Then, it was time to figure out how to store all of my "witchy" equipment. I was fortunate to have a hutch that housed my bottle collection, so that was repurposed into a Witch's Cabinet.

Everything now has a true home. I can find things without digging through piles and guess what? I can sleep in peace and wake up without being stressed out!

I could tell immediately that it was better this way. The dog came in and relaxed and the cat hasn't left the room since I made the bed. The vibe is better AND I have space to do yoga in private. I feel more motivated and creative too. The lesson here is that you need to keep your space organized. It will benefit you in the long run. Have a lovely day all!

Reorganizing complete

Nine Waters, Nine Plants... Correllian Shaman Assignment

I finally finished my waters this morning.

All of my waters began as rain water.



1. Yule water: I blessed this water on Yule eve and kept it out under the moon until the morning of 21st. This water is being used on my Poinsettia plant. I bought her before I went on vacation and she died back a bit while I was gone. As you know, Poinsettia's are a bit finicky with there care. She seems to be coming back nicely now. I am trying not to bug it too much while ensuring she is evenly watered on a regular basis. I see some new leaves coming in, so that is a great sign.

The remainder of the waters were made blessing the rain water and leaving it out to charge under the Full Cold Moon the evening of 27 December and left it out until the morning of the 28th. My sister's birthday is the 28th, so it seemed even more meaningful to do it during that Full Moon phase. I then waited until last night to finish the final step as I wanted the water to have elements of the first New Moon of the year as well. Last night, I did another blessing of the Cold Moon water and left it until this morning to add each individual element. Each element was blessed prior to addition to ensure all elements contained within the water were blessed. Also, the mint, basil, rosemary and lavender used were grown by me.

2. Patchouli water: Added 2 drops of Patchouli Oil to the water. This will be used on my Pathos ivy. This Pathos has been attempting to grow for over a year! I thought using Patchouli's fertility power might help her out a bit.

3. Orange water: Added 3 drops of Orange Oil to the water. This will be used on my orange trees. The orange trees were a fluke sprout from one orange seed that happened to do something when I tried to start a plant. I figured it may benefit from more luck, one of the traits oranges hold since it has already given me two baby trees!

4. Cedar water: Added 2 drops of Cedar Oil to the water. This will be used on my Spider plant.This plant sits near my front door, so I thought Cedar may add a protective element to our entryway.

5. Lavender water: Added dried Lavender flowers  to the water. This will be used for Christmas cactus. I chose lavender for this plant as it also sits near our entryway. I want it to help to promote protection, peace, happiness and longevity in our home and in the plant.

6. Rosemary water: Added dried Rosemary leaves to the water. This will be used on my Aloe plant. The Rosemary mother plant grows outside our front door, to help protect our home. I chose to put Rosemary water on the Aloe to protect the Aloe as its healing properties are important. The Aloe is in the entryway as well to drive away evil and bring us good luck!

7. Basil water: Added dried Basil leaves to the water. This will be used on my Banana plant. I chose Basil water to protect the Banana tree... it is said to increase prosperity in the home.

8. Mint water: Added dried Mint leaves to the water. This will be used on my Arrowhead plant. I like to keep mint by the front and back doors to help protect the home and to attract positive vibes.

9. Sage & Sweet grass: Added dried Sage and Sweet grass to the water. This will be used on my Pineapple plant. Sage was chosen to help protect the longevity of my Pineapple plant. The pineapple was begun from the top of an actual Pineapple some months ago. It seems to be doing well. The Pineapple Plant is said to increase luck.




Please let me know if you have any questions!

Week 2 Report: Pagan Fitness Challenge

Week 2 Report: Pagan Fitness Challenge

I am participating in the "Winter Pagan Fitness Challenge" I found at Pagan Health & Fitness. As I posted previously, the author asks us to come up with 5 things to go with the diet to represent the elements. The goals I chose were: 

Status Report: 

Air~ Breathe more intently. Do yoga to practice healing breathing. --> I did not do any yoga this week. I'm not sure why, BUT I did set up a DVD player in my room last night so I am better equipped this upcoming week to get this done. 

           +0 
Fire~ Feel the burn of working out! --> I did do toning exercises twice this week. Woot! I met my weekly goal! 

         +2 
Water~ Drink more of it! --> I maintained 7 glasses on all but two days. I did meet my weekly goal of 8 glasses on two days as well. Not too shabby!

         +2 
Earth~ Focus on being more grounded in life. --> I did ground and shield every day (actually twice a day). But, the week was especially stressful and it didn't really feel like I did this as well as I should. I am working through something right now that I believe will help me to better focus. 

        +0 
Spirit~ Work on my attitude and accepting me. Goddess made me a beautiful person now, I just have to own it!  --> Although I did well accepting myself this week, I had an external contributor which really sucked my emotional energy and made me feel quite negative towards another. I cannot, in good faith, accept any points for the week since I do not like having negative feelings towards others. I will continue to work on this. 

      +0 
For the week I have earned +4 points, for a total of +11 , which is still pretty good!!! 

For week 3 goals, I am not changing any since this past week was such a challenge. There is no sense in stressing through this experience!

Water~ Drink more of it! -- Goal is eight glasses every day next week (1 point each)
Earth~ Focus on being more grounded in life. -- Goal is to ground every morning (1 point each)
Spirit~ Work on my attitude and accepting me. Goddess made me a beautiful person now, I just have to own it! (no negativity to self... half point each day successful)

points goal for the week 3 is: 24.5 points!

Blessed be! 

An Opossum in the Piano... An Answer to a Question

Nice title, eh? Well... we have a piano on the back porch that 'came with the house'. We tried to give it away to no avail. We tried to move it to take it to the dump and it is WAY too heavy for the two of us to move. So, there it sits. It serves as shelter for our outside feral cat "Buddy" until we can find a solution to the problem.

Anyhow... 

This morning at 0600 I wrote on our Shrine page how I have a person in my life who is a real live Vampire. This person, literally, sucks happy moods from everyone she comes in contact with. I promise I am not being dramatic! For the past two years I just thought I was being overly sensitive BUT in the past two months I have heard it more and more from people, who do not work under her, that she is overly critical and thinks she knows more than they do, even when it is out of her level of expertise. 

Well, this week my supervisor was on vacation. She left me in charge. Because of this, I had to work directly with the Vampire. Typically, my boss is there to act as a "buffer" for me. I made sure to cleanse, release, ground and build my shields every morning and every evening. Not necessarily because of her, but because it is a resolution to stay as close to Goddess as I can this year. But every day, by the end of the day, I have been sapped of energy, angry and had feelings of hate that I haven't felt since I decided to pursue my First Degree Priestess certification. My creative streak has been nil, which is quite unusual these days. 

So, I declared to my Shrine that I needed to work on building stronger shields. That I needed to figure out how to deflect her negativity. I give her props that she is so strong that she can get through to me, but damn it I really don't want anyone to have that much influence on my psyche. I don't want any human to have that much influence over me, especially when it makes me have negative feelings about myself , and others, when I have been working so hard. 

Tonight, I had a new experience. I let the dog out and heard an odd noise in the piano. I called Buddy, my outdoor feral cat (who responds when he is nearby) but he did not come out of the piano. I looked, but I could not see anything in the piano so I went in the house and grabbed a camera. I truly did not expect to find what I found.... a opossum! 

My very first thought was 'is that an omen? A message from Goddess?' But, I brushed it off and figured it was just a coincidence. I mean, we do feed a cat out there!

But once I came in the house and messaged my Shriney's of my unique experience, it was suggested that since it was my first thought perhaps it is indeed an omen.

Then, I was off to read about opossum symbolism.

I just 'Googled' it, lol, and found a site that discussed the opossum as a totem animal. Funny thing, I am currently studying Correllian Shamanism. Totem animals are quite important to Shamans. This goes back to the omen thoughts!

 

So, I of course read more about it. I found this site which discusses the opossum as a totem animal. The opossum, tells me I need to act in a particular way. That I need to behave or act in a strategic manner. It says that "... sometimes it is necessary to put up a particular front to succeed most easily and effectively." It can also be telling us that "...others are putting up false fronts and deceptions." The opossum has energy that "helps us to use appearances to our greatest benefit and that helps us to recognize when others are creating false impressions." It can "...help us learn to divert attention or to get attention any way we need."  

I think the cute little opossum is telling me that I need to appear fearless, despite how I may feel. I think it is telling me to appear a bit aggressive (because I am not good at submission) while also being caring. The Totem Library  notes that opossum is the supreme actor and that I need to I need to learn to work with this person. Hmmm... perhaps submission is the lesson? 

At the end of the post, the author notes the following: 

When opossum shows up as a totem, ask yourself some important questions. Are you acting or about to act in an inappropriate manner? Do you need to strengthen your own appearance? Are others putting up false appearances in front of you? do you need to divert attention away from some activity? Are others trying to divert your attention  Is it time to go into your bag of tricks and pull out some new strategy? Learning to pretend and act in ways and with realism is the magic that opossum teaches. 

I have thought about these questions. I am not acting in an inappropriate manner, yet (although I must admit, I have been on the verge of doing so). I do need to strengthen my own appearance. I do think others are putting up false appearances. I'm not sure about diverting attention away, but I will continue to think on this. I do think I need to figure out another strategy, which I did declare this morning on my Shrine. 

I will work on my ability to "pretend and act in <other> ways and with realism" in order to move past this challenge. I do think this was a clear message from Goddess and that opossum is telling me I need to step back and think about how to approach the situation. My mind is telling me I need to let it go, have fun, step back and say nothing. This means that I need to focus on building my walls stronger and learning how to not let Emotional Vampires get to me!

I just had to share this with you all! Let me know what you think. Am I being ridiculous or is this a very clear answer to my question? 

Blessed be!!!