Deviant Moon Tarot

I received this delightful tarot deck from my beautiful sister Justin. The artwork by Patrick Valenza is amazing with a dark and morbid flair to it. The pentacle suit has a steampunkish style to it that I love. I have had some amazingly accurate readings with this deck and along with The Tarot of Vampyres deck it is now one of my favorites.

 This is an image of the Major Arcana. The backs of my cards are different from the ones shown here and are completely reversible. This deck is so much fun and full of imagination. The images used are easy to read and I often just use my intuition instead of reading the meanings in the little white book that is provided. I tend to do that a lot with all of my cards, whether oracle or tarot.

Here is the description from the back of the box~

Illuminated with the haunting glow of moonlight, Deviant Moon Tarot dares to explore the darker places of our inner psyche and the outer limits of our imagination. Set against surreal backdrops of abandoned buildings and graveyards, the traditional tarot characters are given a stylized new twist. Deviant Moon Tarot delivers the profound messages of tarot with the evocative symbolism and compelling imagery.


You can find out more about the deck and the artist here.

Thank you to both of my beautiful sisters for the wonderful gifts given to me this Christmas.

Fairy Faith

I received this book in the mail, along with some other goodies, from my sister Beth. I have this book on my Kindle but just couldn't get into it. I find having it in hard copy is much better. I feel that it is easier to read and navigate through the chapters. This book was written in 1911 by W.Y. Evans Wentz. The pages are filled with stories he collected from many people living in the Celtic countries at the time. I find the stories to be both intriguing and educational. I orriginaly bought this book on my Kindle so I could learn more about faeries. I want to know if they are spirits of the dead, spirits of the Ohterworld or maybe even the faeries of yesteryear are the aliens of today. The many abuction stories of past and present are sometimes very similar.

The Fairy Faith of Celtic Countries is just over 500 pages long. It will take me a while to get through it but I hope to have a better ubderstanding of the Fairy Faith. I will be putting my thoughts here on this blog from time to time. For now I would like to share some interesting quotes I highlighted.

"Are city-dwellers like these, Nature's unnatural children, who grind out their lives in an unceasing struggle for wealth and power, social position, and even for bread, fit to judge Nature's natural children who believe in fairies?Are they right in not believing in an invisible world which they cannot conceive, which, if it exists, they- even though they be scientists- are through enviroment and temperament alike incapable of knowing? Or is the country-dwelling, the sometimes 'unpractical' and  'unsuccessful'. the dreaming, and 'uncivilized' peasant right?"


I find it amusing that when you tell someone that you believe in ghosts or even Big Foot they are usually okay with it. But if you tell them you believe in faeries they think you are nuts and a little childish to believe in such things. Well, call me nuts, because I believe. Maybe not in the Tinker Bell types, though they may be real, but in the spirits of the land, the spirits of other worlds, the spirits that live in our homes. I believe. Maybe instead of a ghost hunter or a Big foot Hunter, I'll become a Faery hunter. I think that could be dangerously fun.

"In the beauty of the World  lies the ultimate redemption of our mortality. When we shall become at one with nature in a sense profounder even than the poetic imaginings of most of us, we shall understand what now we fail to discern." ~Fina MacLeod~

This little faery picture was given to me by my sister Beth as well. I just love her little pigtails(they remind me of mine) and the fact that it says "Blessed". I feel blessed to have such a wonderful big sister. I feel blessed to have all five  of my sisters. I feel blessed to have had a wonderful big brother for the time that he was here wiht us. I feel blessed to have such a strong mom. I feel blessed to have two of the most beautiful and loving children in the world. I feel blessed to know that I will teach them to be strong independent women. I feel blessed to have the power to learn to say no to the things and people that are bad for me. I feel blessed to know how to love myself and others. I feel blessed to have respect for myself. And i feel blessed to have met so many kindred spirits in blog-land. Most of all, I feel BLESSED that I can live freely and believe in anything I want. We only get this life once so live well, be strong and have fun!!


I hope this New Year will bring many blessings to you and your families. May we all learn to BELIEVE!!!

P.S. My spell check is not working. I tried to fix all of my mistakes. Let me know if I left any big ones. I got all excited thinking that I just wrote a post without any mistakes. Oh well.

After Christmas Clean-up

Today is the perfect day for the after Christmas clean-up. It is cold and snowy outside. I slipped out long enough to take a couple of pictures of the beautiful snow. The snow flakes are really big and fluffy. We are not going to get much snow but I will enjoy it while it lasts. I have figured out that if sit on my bed I can hook up to someones wireless Internet. I only hook up long enough to upload a few pics from my phone to my Face Book page. I would feel too guilty to stay on any longer.

I will be taking down all of my Christmas decorations in the next few days. I took my outdoor decorations down this morning in the cold snow. Good thing I didn't have much to take down. I know some people like to keep their decorations up until New Years or sometimes even longer. Not me, I want my down as soon as possible.

When will you be taking your Christmas decor down? Do you do it as soon as possible like me or are you one to hold off for as long as you can?


Coming up this week if I can get my daughter away from the computer long enough to hop on for a bit~ I will tell you about some of my fave Christmas gifts.

Happy Clean-up, V.

Merry Christmas

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas filled with love and laughter. I am working tonight and will be alone when i get home. My girls are with their dads. We had a wonderful Yule. It was very quiet and peaceful. The girls claimed it was the best Christmas ever. It was just the three of us and I think that is what made it so wonderful.

I have invited two very hunky guys to spend Christmas Eve with. A couple glasses of wine and a visit from these two should make a very wonderful evening for me.

Thor

Conan

I think I'm set for the night.


Merry Christmas to all, V.

A Blessed Winter Solstice To All

image found here.

Getting Ready For Yule

Sorry I haven't been on blogger for the past few days. I have been very busy getting ready for Yule and sending Betty(my car) of to the car doctor to see what is ailing her. Hope she won't cost an arm and a leg to fix. At least i will be getting more hours at work to help pay for her medical bills. There have been some wonderful things happening besides the lack of a love life and a sick car. I received a generous food basket complete with turkey and even some gifts for the girls from a local charity. They know us through my girls and know that we have hit hard times. The lady who dropped it off got a huge hug from me. My ex-mother-in-law dropped off some gifts from Santa to my girls and even a few gifts for me from the girls. How cool is that. She is really pissed off at her son right now so she seems to want to do some nice things for me. I'll take it while she's got. We don't always get along. I also received some gifts from my sisters but i will blog about them later. One is a book and the other a tarot deck. You know how I love tarot and books!!!


My girls and I will be celebrating Yule(Christmas) tomorrow. They will both be gone Christmas Eve and Day. Tonight we will be doing a lot of baking and "partying". I am sharing a recipe that I got from my brothers wonderful wife.


Colorful Cookies

Flavored gelatin makes the dough and the glaze colorful


1 package(3 ounces) fruit flavored gelatin
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup margarine or butter, softened
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Colorful Glaze (below)

Heat oven to 350. reserve 1 tablespoon gelatin(dry) for the glaze. Mix remaining gelatin, the powdered sugar and margarine. Stir in flour and salt. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until set but not brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet. Cool completely.

Prepare Colorful Glaze. Dip tops of cookies into glaze. Decorate with coconuts, colored sugar, small candies or chocolate shot if desired.

About 4 1/2 dozen cookies.

Colorful Glaze

Mix reserved 1 tablespoon gelatin and 3 tablespoons hot water. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in 2 cups powered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth and of desires consistency.



These cookies are very flavorful and are fun to make. It makes for a messy good time spent with children.

I know we all will be very busy this week and I hope to catch up with every ones blogs soon.

Have a Blessed Yule. Love and Hugs, V.



image found here.

Aspects of Yule

Aspects of Yule

~Zephyr Lioness~

Time of deepest darkness

The God is born anew

Seedling in the frozen earth

Awaiting springtime dew.

The ground, an icy wasteland,

Though neighbors hearts are warm

We share our goods with everyone

So no one comes to harm.

Snow lies on her shoulders.

Frosted mantle for her hair

Winter's Queen is giving birth

The goddess, always there.

The sun is growing brighter.

It happens every year

Promising return of light

For sod and oak and deer.

Stag King, his mighty antlers

Rising from a drift

Leaps for the hunter's arrow

Just as strong and swift.

He knows his time has ended

He is heading to the plain

Where joy caresses memory

Like softly summer rain.

New fawn takes his first step,

The buck he will become.

After the time of knowing

A new year has begun.

image found here.

poem found here.

Traditional Irish Blessing

~for Judy~

May we live in peace without weeping.

May our joy outline the lives we touch without ceasing.

And may our love fill the world, angel wings tenderly beating.

This and more Celtic Blessings can be found here.

Image found here.

To Be Eaten By A Vulture

My blogger friend, Keith, over at laughing scared, sent me a wonderfully morbid poem. I had made a comment on his post about being obsessed with not dying that reminded him of this poem. I had stated that when i die i want my body to be put in a tree so the crows and vultures could pick me clean. My bones can be worshipped afterwards by those who care. LOL. It is the truth, I would rather feed the Earth than to be put in a metal box to just lie there and rot. What fun is that. I want to soar in my next life.

Thank you Keith, for introducing me to another great poet. By the way, you have one of the best headers for a blog. My oldest can't even look at it.

Hope you all enjoy the poem as much as I do.


Vulture by: Robinson Jeffers

I had walked since dawn and lay down to rest on a bare hillside
Above the ocean. I saw through half-shut eyelids a vulture wheeling
high up in heaven,
And presently it passed again, but lower and nearer, its orbit
narrowing,
I understood then
That ii was under inspection. I lay death-still and heard the flight-
feathers
Whistle above me and make their circle and come nearer.
I could see the naked red head between the great wings
Bear downward staring. I said,"My dear bird, we are wasting time here.
These old bones will still work; they are not ready for you." But how
beautiful
he looked, gliding down
On those great sails; how beautiful he looked, veering away in the sea-light
over the precipice. I tell you solemnly
that I was sorry to have disappointed him. To be eaten by that beak
and
become part of him, to share those wings and those eyes--
What a sublime end to ones body, what an enskyment, what a life
after death.

Awesome News

I just received a call from my boss last night asking me if I wanted to go full time.  Of course I said "Hell Yeah". The awesome part is my youngest can walk with one of her friends to the store after school. My bosses are very cool and let my girls sit at work with me until the someone can pick them up. They are letting my daughter stay with me for the last two hours of my shift. How awesome is that? My oldest will be walking home with one of her friends and I will pick her up after school. Now with more hours we might just be able to afford cable. Of course I will have to see what our heat bills are first.

So, that is my awesome news. I think my girls and i are going to make it. No, scratch that, I KNOW we will.




Now if only I could find that lumberjack that just wants to have fun. No mushy relationship for me. No marriage, no boyfriend, no man living in the house. After two failed marriages I don't want that anymore. I want to prove that I can make it on my own.

Oh, and my girls walked to school without me today. How very sad for me. They are growing up. (sniff, sniff)

Hope you all receive some awesome news as well,V.

Winter Spirits~ The Ice Queen

The Ice Queen, aka The Snow Queen, is the faery seductress. With her ice-cold stare she seduces young men only to steal her soul. She is a little like the Green Faery only she doesn't bestow creative illumination before she steals your soul, she just wants sex.

To me The ice Queen is more than just a 'soul stealer', she is the embodiment of a woman who is control of her own life and will answer to no-one but herself. She is confidant in herself and she knows what she wants and how to get. She is strong and self resilient.

I might try to mold my after this very strong Queen of Faery.  I don't want the souls of men I just want to be in control of my destiny with men.

Are there any other women out there who feel a connection with The Ice Queen? Don't worry, I'm not turning all bad on the world. I just think it's time I embrace the "dark side" of myself once in awhile. I say it's time to KICK ASS in this world!!!

Okay, now back to my normal mellow self.

Winter Blessings, V.

image found here.

Three Little Scarecrows

Three little scarecrows all in a row
Dressed for Winter from head to toe.


I mentioned in a previous post that my poor scarecrows were looking a little sad i being left in the snow. I was going to put them up for the Winter but Akasa gave me the wonderful idea of dressing them up in hats and scarves. My girls thought that was a grand idea and got to work digging through our old Winter gear.
I think they did a fabulous job!!! The three little scarecrows look as if they are enjoying the snowy weather now.


Thank you all for the fun wishes for when I went out for the first time in years. I had a blast. I danced so much that every muscle from the waist down is killing me. My head thinks that I had a wee bit too much beer. My soul feels absolutely wonderful though. i didn't find Mr. Lumberjack (that's the type of man I told my sister and her friends I was on the prowl for). Most of the men were quite young and all of them had been struck mad by the full moon. I'm not kidding. The women in the dance club were laid back compared to the men. The men were absolutely crazy. i don't think i have ever seen so may of them on the dance floor dancing wildly. I got many laughs that night.

I ended up having a fantastic weekend! How was your weekend?

WOO HOO!!!

I am going out with one of my sisters tonight(I have five sisters). It has been almost 9 years since I have been out dancing. I love to dance and have been know to dance around the house when no-one is home. We are going out to celebrate her birthday.  My girls are a little upset with me. They would rather I stay home. Hopefully they won't stay mad at me for long.

On another note. I can't upload any pictures. My camera is on the fritz and to cut down on costs I don't have Internet and facebook on my phone. Just a plain old phone. I am hoping to get a new camera after Christmas. I really want to show my scarecrows all dressed up in their winter gear. The girls did a fab job on them. Thanks AkasaWolfSong for the tip.

I hope everyone has a fab and magical weekend. Stay safe and warm, V.


image found here.

Wish Upon A Hero

Christopher Carswell

My fellow blogger and Sister/Friend AkasaWolfSong has brought to my attention a story of a young boy who has had medical problems since the day he was born. His Christmas wish is to receive as many Christmas cards as he can from around the world. You can visit his blog here.

Christopher's address is:

Christoper Carswell
145 Myers Hill Road
Brunswick GA 31523

Please join me in wishing this young boy a Merry Christmas with by sending him a card.

Blessings, V.

A Celtic Blessing

May you have~

Walls for the wind

And a roof for the rain,

And drinks beside the fire

Laughter to cheer you

And those you love near you,

And all that your heart may desire.

Winter Spirits~ La Befana

La Befana Nursery Rhyme

(Italian)

La Befana vein di notte
conle sharpe tutte rotte
col vestito all "romana"
viva viva la Befana!!

Porta cenere e carboni
ai bambini cattivoni
ai babini belli e buoni
porta chicchi e tantidoni!


(English)

The Befana comes by night
With her shoes all broken
With her dress in Roman style
Up, Up with the Befana!!

She brings ashes and coal
To bad nasty children
To the nice good child
She brings candies and many gifts!


La Befan, the Chritmas Witch , the Christmas Faery rides through the skies on her broom stick carrying gifts for good little girls and boys. She does not come on Christmas Eve like our dear old Santa Claus, but on Twelfth Night. Twelfth night is on January 5 and is the eve of the feast of the Epiphany.

I like the idea of a Christmas Witch. to me she is the female counterpart to Santa. Plus she comes on a different night so if you aren't good for Santa maybe, just maybe you can be good until Twelfth Night so la Befana will leave you a few gifts.

Unlike the milk and cookies we leave Santa, la Befana like a other foods. She seems to like cake or bread and some wine. Who wouldn't like wine? Sounds much better than milk. Just don't leave her to much. she is flying on her broom stick and we don't want any accidents. In The Book of Faeries by Francis Melville it states that la Befana likes sausage and broccoli and a glass of wine. I think that sounds like a fine Twelfth Night meal to share with la Befana.

I hope you are all good little boys and girls so la Befana doesn't have to leave ashes and cola in your stockings. Please be good so the wonderful Christmas Witch can leave you some yummy treats and magical gifts.

Winter Spirits ~Jack Frost~

Jack Frost
by~ Eric Kincaid

Jack Frost~ Author Unknown

A pretty brook was running at play
With little Jack frost on a cold Winter's day.
It stopped to rest at the foot of a hill
Making a pond all quiet and still.
"Aha!" Said jack Frost, "Now isn't that nice?"
And quickly he turned the water to ice.



To most, Winter begins December 22, but to me it begins as soon as the winds turn cold, blowing snow and ice across the land. I like to go by how the Earth feels, not what a calender says or where the sun is. Just like to me, Spring doesn't start on a certain day, but when my Tulips star to sprout from the cold, hard Earth.

There are many Winter Spirits and Jack Frost is one of them. He blows his icy breath across the barren land, freezing everything in it's path. I love the way his breath glistens when it freezes on windows, like millions of tiny diamonds spread across the glass. Jack might be cold and harsh, but I see the beauty in his frozen lands.

Happy Winter to all, V.


Picture and more info on Jack Frost found here.

Free Read!!!!!

Beth Ciotta

Hi everyone. My wonderful sister Beth Ciotta has this awesome book out on Kindle and Nook for free download. This offer is for one week only so hop on over to her blog for more info and links.

All of my sisters books are  awesome reads and a few more are offered on Kindle and Nook. She also has two new series coming out. The Cupcake Lovers and a Steampunk romance series. I am  patiently awaiting for  both. Ok, maybe I'm not that patient. You here me Sis, I want to read them soon!!

Please help spread the word on my sisters book. Love and Light to you all and Thank You!!!