Personal Commitments

For the next month on Prosperity Project(See sidebar for link) the focus will be on personal commitments.

At first I was considering fitness or skin care, but the more I thought about it, I realized that neither of them fit with the rules. Skin care didn't fit because it would require me to spend money and fitness didn't fit because it would take more then 10 minutes a day to be effective and to be completely honest it wasn't something I really wanted to do.

So I decided on meditation. It is something that I have let slip for a while now, but I really want to get back to. I miss the feeling of peace that resonates afterwards. It is also a great baby step to help with spirituality.

For thirty days (starting yesterday) I will spend 10 minutes meditating everyday.

If you would like to work on keeping a personal commitment to yourself head over to the prosperity project and join in.

Another Pagan Giveaway

Pagan giveaways are few and far between. That's why when I find one I always share it with you. Even the one's I really want to win!
The giveaway I found today is for a few Greenman items, including a mug, a magnet and a mask from Ramblings of a Newbie Pagan. They really are beautiful. It's always helpful to have reminders of the divine scattered throughout the house. Or you could use them to decorate your alter.

Goodbye Winter

I am surprised to find that I am a bit sorry to see you go. We had so much fun together this year. We made blessed water with beautiful snow you sent us. That snow also brought our family closer together, keeping my children home from school and my husband home from work.
Your cold winds gave me reason to cuddle a little closer to my beloved husband. It knocked out the electricity so that we had to find fun new ways to entertain ourselves.
Most of all I will miss the way you slowed life down for us. Gave us chance to rest and recuperate before we enter the hustle and bustle of the spring and summer again.
Thank you winter. We look forward to welcoming you back next year.

Communal Living

There are times when I get disgusted with society. The corrupt government, as well as the wealth and the greed that drives it. Children being raised not to think for themselves, and being taught not to question some of the most important things in life such as religion, and right and wrong.
To often a persons value is determined by either their wealth or their physical attractiveness. Those that are poor or disabled are seen as lazy and a drain on the economy. Society takes and consumes then takes more, giving almost nothing back, because they feel it is there "right". Anyone who thinks outside of the box is labeled a trouble maker.
So what is a person to do? Lately I have been considering communal living as a possible cure for the "human condition".
I would love to live in a mini society where differences of opinion were settled with meetings, not wars; where eating and living sustainably was considered the norm instead of "eccentric." It would be awesome if when my children wore hand-me-downs people realized that they were saving the earths resources, rather than seeing them as poor and therefore less than everyone else.
Communal living or co-housing enables people to be dependent on each other. Everyone does their share of the work and shares in everything else as well. It's a situation that can help people overcome their addiction to money, which I feel is the number one problem in America today. (Number 2 is addiction to power)
So that is my dream. To live out in the woods with like minded people providing for our own needs in as many ways as possible. Sharing everything we have including work and resources. So what's stopping me? My husband.
Now in his defense, he is supportive of me in almost everything from religion to spending twice as much money on organic groceries, but this one thing he just isn't willing to consider. I can't even convince him to visit.
He values his privacy way to much. Just having neighbors is a little to much for him.
He would however, love to own our own organic vegetable and dairy farm. It's not exactly my dream, but it's a lot closer than I am right now. And, after all, marriage is all about compromise. The only issue is that stands in our way is money. eek. There it is again. The driving force that apparently keeps the world turning.
So what do you think? Have you ever considered communal living? Have you ever tried it? Share your thoughts and experiences.

I is for Isis

Although ancient Egyptian culture has never been of any particular interest to me, I have always felt drawn to the Goddess Isis. Perhaps it is because she is such an all-encompassing Goddess. She is the Goddess of medicine, wisdom and magic. While many Gods and Goddesses are aligned with a certain compass direction, Isis is aligned with the center and rules all directions, as well as all elements.

Isis is the only Egyptian Goddess to walk among her people daily, teaching the skills like weaving and baking. Her husband Osiris taught agriculture. Together they had a son named Horus, who became known as the sun God.

I don't keep a permanent alter up in my home because I have no space, but occasionally when I want to feel more connected to my higher power I will erect an alter on top of my dresser. When honoring Isis, my alter is set up with a vase of lillys, a painting of an eagle, a stuffed lion and a few small quartz crystals. I also leave offerings of bread and wine. Isis is also represented by the woman's body, so I have been looking for some artwork of the female form to add to my alter.

Blessed Be

For more I posts visit ABC Wednesday

Last Week on the Converted Kitchen

For those of you interested in the real food movement here are the links to my posts from last week on the converted kitchen.

Sourdough Inspiration Giveaways
My First Attempt at Real Cooking (this one is funny)
Breakfast of Champions...or Maybe Not
Awesome Bubbleage

Happy Reading

Discussing Ferility Based Religion Without the S Word

At some point when discussing fertility based religion with children the topic of fertility is bound to come up. (Possibly around Beltane or the very near spring equinox.)

Now me, being the strong and independent woman I like to think I am, hate to ask my husband permission for anything (thanks for being so understanding sweety). But in all fairness he did play a part in bringing them into the world, even if I did all the work. And he's a pretty cool guy so it's not so bad. So before you discuss anything with your children I suggest you find out how your partner in crime (aka spouse, significant other or baby daddy) feels about the subject.

We decided that we would discuss everything we could with the children without using the S word. He was okay with talking about the birth process though. It's about time those kids realized what I went through for them.

I started out by telling them how the God and Goddess created life. We discussed the different type of life on the planet, plants, animals, people and how we were all children of the Goddess and as such everything that is alive is our brothers and sisters and should be treated with respect and love.

I emphasized the God and Goddess rather than just the Goddess, because in every form of life it takes both to create life, even if it both male and female aspects in the same plant or animal.

Then I told the children that the ability to create life was the greatest power that we have been given. We discussed how great power comes with great responsibility (thanks Spiderman!).

We discussed that people and animals and plants all had there own unique ways of creating life, and then we quickly discussed the birth process before any questions of S-E-X could come up. It went smoothly without to many questions.

We finished up by planting seeds. I told the children that while we didn't create this life (it's parent plants did) we can help it grow and become strong and beautiful by taking care of it.

It was a farely painless introduction to the birds and the bees talk that will inevitably come up later.

I do feel like it is important to discuss these things with your children before they hear it from school, or some other source that may not mesh with your beliefs, so this is how I handled it.

How did you or will you handle it?

Blessed Be