15. A scent that invokes a magical atmosphere for you.

Burning dragon's blood resin. The various dragon's blood oils and candles I've tried have all skewed too sweet, but the resin, smoking on charcoal? SO PERFECT. It's like amber, but deeper, and just a touch sweeter. Like synaesthesia velvet. And it helps that dragon's blood is pretty much an all-purpose magical ingredient... I get to use it a lot.

16. Something magical you do all the time, but no one knows it's magical.

Ummm, I'm not really sure. Aside from the fact that I often light candles for intention and not just cosmetic purposes, I can't think of anything.


ETA: From Free Will Astrology.

Virgo: The autocorrect feature sometimes distorts the text messages people send on their smart phones. It tries to fix supposedly misspelled words that aren't really misspelled, thereby creating awkward variations that can cause a ruckus when they're received, like changing "I don't want to leave" to "I don't want to live." Damn You, Autocorrect! is a book documenting some of the most outrageous examples, many NSFW. Be vigilant for metaphorical versions of this wayward autocorrect phenomenon, Virgo. Be sure that in your efforts to make things better, you don't render them worse or weird. Consider the possibility that stuff is fine just the way it is.

It's like he KNOWS ME.

Virgo:: An Oregon man named Don Wesson stopped his truck by the side of the road and took home a 40-pound rock that caught his eye. That was more than a decade ago. For years he used it as part of a border to prevent his dog from messing up his garden. Then he saw a TV show about meteorites and brought the rock to scientists. They told him it was a 4.5 billion-year-old meteorite that fell to earth long ago and originally came from the asteroid belt. Other experts told him he could probably sell the exotic artifact for as much as $40,000. I predict a metaphorically similar development in your life during the coming year: the discovery of a valuable old thing from far away that you will underestimate at first.

A day of relaxation. It was supposed to be 100% optional, but now that my uterus is in full rebellion, kind of less so. I have to wrap Jason's gifts, but that is where "have to" ends today. I hope to get some laundry done and maybe start attacking the giant pile of boxes that need to be broken down in my office. My office needs a DEFINITE cleaning, as it's all cluttery. But if I don't do that today, I am not going to worry. I deserve a day to laze around and do nada.

Had a good Bean-cuddle this morning. It was a good start to the day. Well, that and the Victoria's Secret Semi-Annual Sale. Bras for $25! Bras IN MY SIZE for $25! I snagged two.

Have many LJ entries percolating. I think I'm only going to get to one today, which is the Day One: Confession part of the meme. It'll be friendslocked. Sorry.

Virgo: I want to see your willpower surge and throb and carry you to a ringing triumph in the next two weeks, Virgo. I hope to be cheering you on as you complete a plucky effort to overcome some long-standing obstacle... as you put the finishing touches on an epic struggle to defeat a seemingly intractable foe... as you rise up with a herculean flourish and put the stamp of your uniqueness on a success that will last a long time.

How perfect for what I'm dealing with right now. I needed that.

Virgo:: In my dream last night, the High Priestess from the Tarot deck came to life and gave me the following message: "Tell Virgos that when their deep hunger starts to stir, they should not eat from the bowl of delicious seeds. That meager meal would not satisfy their deep hunger. Rather, they should plant those seeds and let them grow up. The resulting harvest will satisfy their deep hunger."

Pretty sure that I know what this means.

Today is going to be a good but busy day. The morning will be spent in the office, working, with a late afternoon trip to the P.O. I will likely have a fun item to post later, plus this month's guess the gemstone contest.

And this morning, I am drinking my coffee out of my cool new see-thru glass mugs.

BPAL Yule update was totally overwhelming.

Still haven't been able to shake the headache I've had for a few days. I imagine it's just post-wedding exhaustion.

Virgo:: No more rotten dessert, Virgo. No more silky danger or juicy poison. No more worthless treasures or empty successes or idiotic brilliance. Soon all those crazy-making experiences will be gone, blasted, dead. By this time next week, the bad influences that were trying to pass themselves off as good influences will have fallen away in response to your courageous drive for authenticity. You will be primed to restore your innocence and play in places where purity is the rule, not the exception. Already, the wisdom of your wild heart is regenerating, giving you the strength to overthrow the sour, life-hating influences that were threatening to smother your spirit.

marinatempest and I have been getting back in the swing of things with rehearsals for the last month. It feels so good to be moving again, and I can't wait until there's a good improv-based tribal class in Baltimore that's accessible to me. I need the experience of group dancing on a regular basis-- it keeps me focused, it keeps me honest. Because I hadn't been doing a whole lot of leading while I was out in ABQ, my leading skillz got a little rusty, and I've been working on cueing and making my transitions more smooth (esp. since I hadn't been performing a whole lot of my Verve vocabulary and was all "oh crap, how do I cue that one again?"). But overall, things are good, and we've talked about maybe doing some performing after I'm done with wedding madness. That'll be nice, and I also like having a good long time to get back in synch so I don't look sloppy.

Anyhow, after tiring of much of the current fusion on the scene, I think I am finally buckling to go the mostly-ATS route. Or ITS, as it's being called. Traditional-- a shared language. I was a total magpie coming into bellydance, where everything was just so SHINY and NEAT, and now, a few years later, I want something grounded and earthy and you know, more tribal, less schtick. I am putting all the Fat Chance DVDs on my wishlist for after-Wedding funds, and I really want to do General Skills next year. Like, you guys. I'm even starting to like Helm. What is up with that? That's the direction I'm heading-- so I guess Uncle Rob is right up there. I am yearning for more authenticity.

After rehearsal today, we're having a costuming and munchies evening. I have a bra to decorate-- I'm taking all the decor off my old black bra and putting it onto the new bra-base I brought from Tadasana-- with the comfortable criss-cross back straps, so no more achy neck! I'm also going to play with fun new combos of color, since I've added a saffron-colored jaipur skirt to my wardrobe and can expect my red choli from L. Rose Designs any day now. I think I'm going really bright for the wedding itself. Reds and yellows and oranges-- a distinct departure from my standard black and burgundy Faire outfit or the olive greens I like to wear.

Speaking of Faire, I'm going on opening day. I'm excited like a kid before Christmas. I just did a rundown to see what I can do with my newly-short hair (grumble grumble) and am going through all of my shinies. God, I love faire. Lots and lots and lots. I'm practically bouncy. What's the 411 on CDD? I want to hug people! I want to dance to bagpipes. I want to listen to Baebes. I want to eat various foods on sticks! Granted, opening weekend is BOUND to be hot and sticky omg, but I would not miss it for all the world. I only wish I were rich so I could go every weekend. Alas, I am poor, and with the wedding coming up, I'll be lucky to go twice before the wedding on the 17th of October, where I'll be in bride-mode and not up for general carousing. So God, if you see fit to send me a windfall that's not ill-gotten anytime soon, I'd so appreciate it. Love, Christina

Virgo:: First of all, my friend, you don't need any second-hand anything, let alone second-hand love. Second of all, dearest, you are hereby ordered not to hang around any third-rate situations where you feel like a fifth wheel. You understand? Thirdly, wonderful one, keep in mind that any eight ball you may fantasize that you're behind is just a figment of your own delusions. Fourthly, lover, I assure you that your sixth sense can now lead you -- if you cleanse it of its excess superstition -- to a place that is, if you have a good imagination, a suburb of the seventh heaven.

( My Meyers-Briggs Personality Test result.Collapse )

Today, I have lots more to do. Pumpkin earrings, ahoy! It is going to be a solid day of work, and I only pray I can keep Nox's nose out of my tea. I love the little man, but his curiosity and need to be constantly up my nose is wearing on me, since I have so much to do. He's a baby, I know, but don't babies nap? Also, he has crazy sharp claws, which we just trimmed and cannot trim shorter because we don't want to risk cutting the quick. And he keeps trying to lovingly pet my face-- but he hasn't yet figured out how to do that while retracting his claws. In short- ow. Also, Olive decided that 4am was "lick daddy and mommy's face" time.

Alas. Alack.

Virgo:: You're hereby relieved of your responsibility to keep everyone's illusions afloat. (You might want to sink your own illusions, as well.) Consider yourself armed with Ernest Hemingway's "built-in, shock-resistant bulls--- detector." Beginning immediately, be an elegant but in-your-face Reality Check. Don't just tell the truth. Tell the lush, pulsating, up-to-the-minute truth. And be aware that even the dry facts may be evolving pretty fast. What seems like incontrovertible evidence today may be puny propaganda tomorrow.

Well, in light of today's events, I find this pretty timely.

I did screenshots, and I'm archiving all correspondence both here and on Etsy should this need to be taken to Etsy authorities.

I also requested that either insurance be placed on my pending order or that the order be refunded in total, as it was not shipped as of today, nor have I received the shipping notification from the shop the way I have for my previous two orders. I'm just covering my butt should the package go "missing in the mail." I'd rather be overly cautious than duped twice.

ETA: Got a CNS for my order at 9:48; there is a tracking number included. No response to my last two messages, though.

Virgo:: O ye of little faith: Do ye not understand that the events of mid-July through mid-August of 2009 are but the fruition of seeds ye planted in September, October, and November of last year? Do not thank or blame the gods, but only thyself, for the destiny that is upon ye. Now please prepare to assume thy new goodies and perks, O favored one, as well as thy new temptations and headaches, with full knowledge that ye are receiving the exact rewards and responsibilities ye earned many months ago.

I like the sound of that.


-- Finalize guest list, get mailing addresses together for those who need them
-- Call that lady about the couch
-- Send out June commissions
-- Set up Pagan bookshelf and begin putting together altar
-- Pay bills (incl. Etsy bill!)
-- Call Flissy about restarting rehearsals
-- Put downpayment on new BOS
-- Send out Pagan swap assignments
-- Deposit check
-- Buy 5 ft silver chain, commission supplies for July
-- Pick up gem & mineral encyclopedia

In other news, the Pikesville library has THE SADDEST collection of metaphysical books I've ever seen. Sigh.

-- No internet until July 9th in the new place. LE SIGH.

-- The winner of the latest round of Guess The Gemstone has been announced.

-- I have been working diligently on the intent pendants. A smidge worried because a friend posted necklaces from another seller that have pendant bits that look eerily similar. I might change up the bottles to something different just so it doesn't seem I am blatantly copying. In any case, three of the six are completed already-- two in sterling silver and one in copper.


L-R: Faerie Sight, Beauty & Confidence, Lust & Sexual Energy, Prosperity, Joy & Optimism, Peace & Comfort

( A few more random shots.Collapse )

-- Been feeling very centered lately. I tend to usually feel this way right around Litha, and by Lammas, I'd like to possibly do an open ritual with a local group. Yes, the solitary is thinking about joining a group-- it's an impulse I don't completely understand, but I've been being nudged to find a group and work in shared energy. But if I needed a final push, it was my weekly horoscope:

Virgo:: According to my projections, you will not, in the coming weeks, meet a dark, secretive stranger who'll play you like a violin. Nor will you be lured to the warehouse district after midnight to pick up the "missing stuff." And I highly doubt that you will be invited to join a cult that's conspiring to seize political power following the events of December 21, 2012. No, Virgo. Your fate is far more mundane than that. In fact, it's more likely that you will soon meet a bright, forthright stranger who will play you like an accordion. You will be drawn to a convenient location at midday to pick up the "missing stuff." And you will be invited to become part of a group that has the potential to play a significant role in your quest for meaning in the coming years.

I don't know if I have a tradition in mind. I don't consider myself Wiccan per se, but a Wiccan group, if it's the right one, is not out of the question.

-- Really nice bath yesterday. Used a Lush bomb found while packing... blue on the outside, but bright magenta on the inside so the water was grape-soda purple. Lots of bubbles. Reading in the tub is one of my favorite pleasures.

-- Teavana's Imperial White Peach tea? Oh my lord. So tasty.

-- Got an email from Flo, my ABQ dance teacher. I miss her bunches and am sad we had to leave so early.

-- J & I are buying a mattress tonight, hopefully. I am not looking forward to moving his big 'ol bed tonight. I need to see what he wants to move this weekend so I can fill offerers in. I think we're going to go on a hike on Sunday because I need to be outdoors.

-- New fishie, to keep Sake company. ( Meet Ginger.Collapse )

-- It's chilly again! July in MD and I need a sweatshirt! Brrrrr.

Alrighty. Off to order some amethyst, then it's back home and more work.

Virgo:: When I was 19 years old, a so-called psychic predicted I would die when I was 24. As much as I scoffed at his careless quackery, his words subliminally worried me for years. On the day I turned 25 I celebrated extra hard. Partly because of that experience, I've always tried to be impeccably conscientious about how I conduct myself as a fortune-teller. I've vowed never to manipulate you with melodramatic prophecies that could distort your free will. So it's with a cautious sense of responsibility that I offer the following augury: The weeks ahead could be one of the most illuminating and successful times of the last five years.

Virgo:: A talent scout who has the power to change your course is drawing closer and closer. Find out why, and capitalize on it. Meanwhile, a chameleon who has always had your number just lost it. Find out the details, and take advantage. If that's not enough to keep you busy, I'll clue you in to the fact that a cool fool only recently realized you have something that he or she wants. Find out who and what, and exploit the possibilities. (P.S.: I should also mention that there's a wild thing out there who would love to lick your hand. Find out why, etc.)

So, I know that "success" does not equal money, despite what Western culture thinks. But, let me say, if this in fact means "money" or "lucrative part time job," I would be really happy. This month, with its absolute total craziness, is causing me to go prematurely gray. It's so much going on... and I know it's good stress, 'cause at the end of it, I'll have a new job, a husband, and a new place to call our own, but right now, while everything is up in the air, I am FREAKING OUT, YO.

There are times when I am very, very grateful to be the SuperVirgo with Super Scheduling Mojo. This is one of those times.

Also, I think that "wild thing" prefers the color Blue, no? :)