Where's my hipster glasses?

I've noticed a trend in a number of personal style blogs lately - wearing heels and pants that are slightly too short, leaving your ankles showing.  Someone explain to me how flooders suddenly became cool?  Not only do they make you look dorky, they make you look shorter.  Maybe this is the goal - tall girls want to look like a short dork.

Wait, I already am a short dork.  I was trendy before it was trendy.  Aw yeah.  Now if I could just find my hipster glasses...

Anyway, Renee from Another Pagan Blog has been posting v-logs lately.  I really liked her video (below) about her new altar table, which she re-tiled the top of.  I rather like hearing about other people's altars - it's a nice way of finding out a little more about them and how they approach their practice.  You may remember that a while back I posted pictures of my altar.  I think I may come back and talk more about individual things on my altar, like my favorite item (my chalice) or my most used item (my wand).

How do you set up your altar?  Do you have a favorite item on your altar, or something on your altar you use frequently?

Whaddya want?

Hey there cats and kittens!

As part of my effort to make my blog more awesome and increase readership, I'd like to find out what sorts of folks are reading my blog, and what sorts of things you would like to see me post about.

Right now I have 1 whole follower (hi Tanya!) and an average of only a few hits per day.  Although I don't expect to ever get thousands of daily hits like some of the popular fashion and lifestyle blogs I'm mildly obsessed with I like to read, a little more discussion on the posts I work so hard on would make my day :)

If you read via other means (an RSS reader, etc.) I'd love it if you left me a comment to let me know.  And please tell me, what do you want to see more of/less of?

Blog hops?  Book reviews?  Information on magickal techniques?  Deep introspective posts about my struggles with depression and anxiety?  Reflections on my spiritual work?  A link wrap-up?

Pictures of mushrooms?

Mushroom, mushroom!

This inquiring mind wants to know!

Snow, and a spectacular Ravens failure

Damn. The Ravens lost to the Patriots today. I was really rooting for my boy Joe Flacco, who went to my alma mater (University of Delaware). They were so close...I can't even believe the kicker blew that last field goal. OMGWTFBBQ.

My friend Dakota and I have decided that if the Giants go to the Superbowl too, we are rioting. BURNINATE THE COUNTRYSIDE.

(For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, watch this and giggle. And those of you who do, watch this and giggle and enjoy the throwback to Homestar Runner :)

Anyway, football aside, it snowed yesterday. Well, to be more precise, it snowed, and then we got lots of freezing rain.

This sad little stone swan planter came with the house we're renting.  The sedum growing in it is actually very pretty in the summer.

Last night for the dark moon, I meditated some on the energy of the dark moon and the quiet of a land covered in snow.  It was very peaceful and helped re-energize me after a long, tiring week at work.  Then I got out one of my tarot decks and pulled out the 7 of cups.  Yes, this is the same card I pulled 2 months ago during  a full moon.  I'm still mulling that one over.  I tried asking for more information about that in my dreams, but instead I had a baffling series of dreams about bar fights, a Mexican restaurant called Lupy's (a figment of my imagination who name I remember very clearly), and wolves.  I have no idea.

Follow Friday #4: Pop culture imagery in spiritual work

The Domestic Pagan is having another "Follow my blog Friday!"  I'm a bit late jumping on the bandwagon, seeing as it's now Saturday, but this topic interested me enough to participate anyway.

FF#4 Question: Have you ever used a fictional character as a archetype or patron goddess?

The short answer is no, I haven't used a fictional character in my spiritual work.  I would find it hard to work with them on the astral, since I would always *know* the character isn't real - even if the image is just used to represent a god/dess.  

I have used pop culture imagery in my spiritual work, though.  Or in some cases, a god/dess has used some of the imagery from tv/movies/music that is stored away in my brain, and used it to show me something important.  It's often sci-fi/fantasy imagery, since that tends to have more overlap with my astral work than, say, America's Next Top Model.  I figure it's their way of using imagery I'm familiar with and will easily understand the meaning of, despite where it came from.


Take for instance last night.  I was meditating with Gwynn Ap Nudd, and suddenly in front of us a stargate appeared, complete with an event horizon.  We traveled through the stargate (I even heard the sound they use on TV for that) and emerged in another place, so that I could meet a particular goddess face-to-face.  When I saw the stargate I thought to myself, "Ah, I see what he's doing here by using this stargate imagery.  I'll just go with it and see what happens."  

And it turned out rather well, I must say - I finally met the Lady of Reflections face-to-face.  She showed me her appearance to help me figure out who she is.  She was wearing a veil over her head and across her face, and had a string of jewels running down the center of her face.  The primary colors were white, red, and gold.  She was also carrying a large flute.  To me she is the goddess of light reflecting (like the light of the moon reflecting on the surface of water), and comes across as somewhat of a love goddess.  Has anyone ever worked with a goddess like this?

This image by Domino Visual Art (whose work is absolutely gorgeous) reminds me a lot of how she appeared to me last night:

The Lion's Mane by dominovisualart.wordpress.com.  Used according to the principles of fair use.

I'm wondering if she is an aspect of Kali / the Cailleach:  According to various interpretations,“caillech” meant either an old woman, or a hag, or a nun, or a “veiled one”. This last apparently referred to the Goddess’s most mysterious manifestation as the future, Fate, and Death--ever veiled from the sight of men, since no man could know the manner of his own death.   

Perhaps she is Parvati, the maiden aspect of Kali: She lifts Her veil to reveal Her beauty, shining like the Sun rising over the mountain of Anapurna.

I've been trying to figure out who she is for 2 years.  I have been looking online all day, but I am still left pondering for now.