homage: the sage cauldron

Blog-dom!

So it’s been quite some time since I have posted anything remotely related to Goddess Group and/or my Pagan-esque ways.
And well…
It’s time!

***A little fyi – I have hyperlinked some of the terms in an effort to save time by extensive explanantions. Plus I am far from an expert about anything and certainly do not want to give false information – and in this realm – the information is VAST. So I have linked to a website I think best describes what I am talking about even in a round about way -- we are a pretty liberal group and tend to do things in a more casual way – but these websites will give you a general idea.

I am a very lucky gal…
Not only do I get to congregate with a group (our ah-may-zing Goddess Group) of awesome like-minded women where we can be ourselves and discuss whatever topics we like without being given a disapproving side eye – but the group and the metaphysical shop where Goddess Group is held is the brilliant original idea by my best friend Angela (and I gotta give props to her hubby James too).
Yeah – how cool is that?
For those who are not Pagan – trust me, finding like-minded people is hard enough – but a place to hang, talk, purchase magical/metaphysical items, and just be is far and few between!
The Sage Cauldron (link to their website – please check them out.) is all that and more…

You ever walk into somewhere and just feel all cozy & homey?
That’s how I felt the first time I stepped foot in their shop.
(love her coolio ecclectic corkboard – recognize any babies on there? yup, that would be Skylar!)
The smells of herbs, handpoured oils, & incense and the overall aura is just (for a lack of a better word) pure goodness.
Added to the goodness is Goddess Group of course and the classes they offer – I am currently in the midst of a tarot class – plus I have taken classes on herbal magic, candle magic, how to build an altar, and moon magic.

So last night at Goddess Group we had a semi-formal Full Moon Circle as it was the Hunter’s Moon and all.
(here is the moon – although I never have good luck getting good moon shots…)

We made our altar in celebration of the fall – each of bringing decorations as well as personal item to charge with the positive energy of the circle
(here is the altar – and yes, that little blue book is my Weight Watcher weigh-in record – I need all the positive energy I can get!)
(here are some fun photos I took – a little swirly to protect the identity of my fellow goddesses.)
I also took some random photos throughout our evening in hopes of possible catching some orbs -- which I have during previous events held at The Sage Cauldron. And last night was no exception. I had many more photos but they include my goddesses and well, I am not the type to ever post photos without someone’s permission.
(you can see the orbs varried throughout the photo – this area, which is where we conduct Goddess Group, is typically where I get some of the best orb photos in the shop.)
(this photo was actually taken before we cast the circle and invited spirits to join us.)

It was a special evening with a lot of positive energy – as always.

I am so fortunate to have my friend, Angela Lou, Goddess Group, and The Sage Cauldron!
(Ange & I taken 10/7/2011 – our nite out & about!)

Oooh – and next Tuesday for Goddess Group, we are going on a ghost hunt to a local cemetary.
Cool Beans!!!

Blessed be…
♥cyn♥

decorating for halloween...

the power of girlfriends -- meet ciao mama

day: 35
bloggerhood!

so last monday i was graciously asked to write a post about women and our friendships for ms. daffy @ batcrap crazy in conjuction with friends you l♥ve -- a month long blog celebrating & empowering women and other women closest to us.

friends you l♥ve hosts a blog hop every monday where you select a friend from the blogosphere to guest post at your place and come on back and link up to the blog hop! all blog hop participants (guest posters included) are eligible to win prizes from eyedews!
(this is just one of many really cool events they have going on this entire month!)


okay phew – with all that being said, you guys know i am all about spreading the bloggy l♥ve & what better way than to pass the torch on. without a thought i asked ciao mama from the fabulous blog mommy bags to guest post and what follows is simply lovely and the perfect example of why i chose her…
she is real, raw, hysterical, sincere, stylish, and if we weren’t on opposite ends of this country – i can guarantee we would be besties and having some mad misadventures of our own!
without further adieu … ms. mommy bags herself!


It was set up to be just another week until I received an email from Cyn over at Misadventures of a Chunky Goddess one of my favorite all time blogs. Besides being a kick ass gal the girl is just friggin funny and has quickly become a really great bloggy friend.
Ms. Cyn asked me to do a guest post and I was what the f*** are you serious? Like…. I am about to gag ova here…I was so stoked and so honored the first thing I did was freak out…What would I post…how about if I sucked donkey balls and would have to hide my pitiful self from the bloggy world forever? I snapped out of it and I decided I would just be me and just write the way I write. The post was supposed to be about women and friendships this is all in conjunction with friends you love - a month long blog/site that celebrates & empowers women through discussing our bonds with other women. Again, thank you so much for the honor Cyn.

Quality over quantity any day. I used to be vice versa just a few years ago. I felt the more “friends” I had around me the better. I felt I needed a bunch of people around me in order to feel accepted. It was so high school it was ridiculous. As you grow up and get older you realize what the meaning of true friendship is. I discovered who I thought were friends of mine {and ours} were just really “acquaintances” at best. I discovered that women I thought were sisters were actually just fakes – I know you’re like…… this is supposed to be about great friendships between women - I am getting to the point I swear.

I saw the true colors of these friends when the shit hit the fan – when my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer I saw the light. I saw women who told me they would always be there for me and I thought were best friends run for the hills. No phone calls to see how my mom was doing, no support calls and just no calls. I will always remember the hurt I felt, here I am going through the most painful thing ever and there was no one around. In a way it destroyed the little trust I had for women. My first emotion was to go after them with fists flying but after calming down I decided they were just not worth the trouble and jail time. Through all this dark “muck” I was going through at the time quite a few bright lights of hope flashed through and showed me what true friendship is supposed to be. I received phone calls from friends that I had lost contact with because of all the BS of hanging out with certain members of the “group”. These women checked on me and my well-being and they called to see if they could do anything for me and my fam. They were there when my mom passed away. They showed up at the wake they showed up when I placed mom in her resting place. They were there when I cried myself to sleep for months straight and refused to leave the house because I felt so lost. They were there when I picked up the phone every day to call my mom and realized she was no longer here. They took me out, they helped me out and finally I started to feel better. One of my friends helped me build the crib and get the nursery ready when my hubby was too busy at work and I too prego to work the drill. These friends gave me a baby shower and sent many welcomes when baby was born. These friends have been around when I just needed a hug a glass of wine and a shoulder to cry on. These to me are true friends, friends that are in your life that make you feel special and loved and that you matter. There is only a handful in my life right now because I choose it to be that way. I would rather have a handful of really good jelly beans in a jar than a jar of so so jelly beans.
I love all of mine to pieces and you know who you are! I have learned allot during my 41 years and the one thing I did learn is that truly good friends are hard to find…Show them some love and let them know how special they are. Peace!



told ya see is fabulous… please stop by her blog -- mommy bags -- and give her a shout out!
she rocks!
thanks mb!

spread the bloggy l♥ve, eat your veggies, and love yourself!
xxoo
cyn

hunter's homecoming

tonight is hunter's homecoming dance & as i post he is off dancing (hopefully) the night away with his girlfriend dani.

seems surreal...
wasn't he just a little babe in my arms???

my gorgeous son hunter -- doesn't he look kickass in his spiffy duds?

hunter & dani...
and man oh man -- i thought my sons were horrible about posing for photos -- dani did this under complete protest... heh!
my sons know to just stand there and the more cooperative they are; the sooner the torture is over.

leaving for the evening...
ahhh young l♥ve & all it's new splendor!

sigh...
watching your child literally grow up before your eyes is one of those things you are never prepared for!

♥cyn♥

we ♥ the library!

our local library reading group resumed yesterday -- yay!
this year skylar is in the *big girl* 2 year old reading group!

super excited & ready to go!

the 2 year old group does crafts as well...

including a glue project -- skylar's 1st experience with the sticky stuff!

her fall leaf rocked!!!

amazing...

♥cyn♥

HoLLa: Update on Life vol. 6

Hello Bloggy-wood!

Okay yeah I know I have been totally ignoring this blog – did I mention I know write two separate blogs now? Yeah, so much better in theory than reality.
Plus I was invited to join triberrr which I have been fuddling/fumbling around on that site a lot lately.
Oh and my new twitter addiction!
And let’s not forget weight watchers…
Working out five times a week (I am soooo rockin’ the gym thing lately!)
My photography – I shoot something every day no matter what or how horrid they turn out.
And all that other life stuff – kids, kids, kids, brian, laundry, cooking, and the occasional moment to decompress!

But life is sooooo freakin’ good!
It’s not perfect (never will be) but it’s GOOD!

I have been feeling MUCH better – especially since seeing my doc (lurve her) last week and expressing my concerns (feeling like I was regressing on the meds and all). She seems to think my progress is better than most and in hindsight – it is! I think I have high expectations but when I compare myself to where I was --- it’s an extreme difference.
And it is so hard to explain to people.
Tonight at Goddess Group I was asked why I am taking the wellbutrin and I completely stumbled with my answer? I think because I struggle with the correct way to explain depression?

I think most people believe depression is just what it sounds like – being depressed/sad/blue. And it is – but it is SO much more.
It is (for me at least)…
The inability to function normally – whatever your *normal* may be.
Not finding joy in things that used to bring you joy.
Feeling like you are fumbling in a daze through your day, your week, your life.
Wanting to lock yourself up away and becoming this anti-social creature your don’t even recognize.
Letting yourself go physically. Not caring about how you look to the point where bathing can become a chore.
To name a few…
And ALL of these things are the polar opposite of what I once was.

My doc also prescribed me trazodone to help me with my insomnia. (having clarity does have it’s downfall – sometimes I cannot get out of my own head because I am so filled with thoughts and ideas!)
I havent taken it…
Because I am not sure how I feel about it?
Plus I want to wait until the weekend when Bri is off in case I cannot wake up for Skylar.
She also set me up to speak with a therapist.
Gulp
I am not opposed to it – I probably could use an impartial person to vent to – but where in THE hell do I even begin?
I guess I will find out on the 27th @ my first appointment?

I am trying to keep positive about the whole process.
Trust the process – my new mantra!
I think it applies to so many things in my life right now.

So with that being said…
Lemme leave you with a few of my fave photos from the past week…
Because one bracelet is never enough…
Daddy & Sky
A tech geek is born – she l♥ves the ipod!
Hunter on his way to get his fancy duds for Homecoming…
*sigh*


Toodles!
♥cyn♥

Wanna know more about my journey and/or Weight Watchers?
Check out my diet blog -- misadventures of a chunky goddess.

bragging rights!

ummm i don’t mean to brag (like hell i don’t) but …
you must (okay pretty pretty please) go check out the lovely ms. ducky’s fabu blog: batcrap crazy.
she asked me to write a post about women and our friendships and here is my take on the subject: the power of girlfriends.
yeah – i was featured – kinda sorta.

to say i am beyond stoked would be the understatement of the century! because well… i am beyond stoked!
truly honored – thank you daffy dear!
it was a blast to write & basically i would do anything to give a shout out to my girls!

this is all in conjunction with friends you love - a month long blog/site that celebrates & empowers women through discussing our bonds with other women closest to us! please check it out – follow – and participate in the contests, hops, & parties!


happy monday all!