And so it begins...

I usually begin my magickal workings by really thinking about the issue and what it is that I want/need to accomplish. I'm pretty terrible at meditation so this is usually done while I am preforming tasks like folding socks, ironing, and is especially fruitful while I am painting. My first realization was that I needed to reaffirm my trust in the goddess and that all would turn out well no matter how frustrated I was feeling. That alone made me feel a bit better and helped me to see the signs around me.

There is a person from my past whom, I believe, was preforming some magick of their own. I'm not sure why this person felt as they did, but they did not have the best of intentions as far as I was concerned. I haven't seen or thought about this person in quite some time but yesterday someone mentioned them to me and today I saw them under very unsual circumstances. I also saw signs of someone else that were too hard to ignore. To me this suggests that some serious cleaning, clearing and protection needs to be done.

Perhaps there are times when it's not necessarily the direct situation that needs to be dealt with but rather the bigger picture. Maybe, at this point at least, I'd be better off clearing my space and protecting my family than trying to summon Ms. Poppins.

** Update: I started cleaning my house and already things are looking up. Way up! I'm so grateful to the goddess for her guidance and I'm so very lucky to be on the path that I am on.

Daycare Woes

I'm having a really hard time understanding how people with children manage to maintain a job. I thought that when the little D started school that things would somehow be easier. I was wrong.

D starts junior kindergarten at 8:50 and finishes his day at 11:20. There is no afterschool care at his school. There is no transporation from his school to his current daycare. His daycare will pick him up but stops at another school first which means being unsupervised for 10 minutes until he is picked up. We have looked at other caregivers in our area and they were frightening (cat pee, dog and cigarette odors... and that was one house!). I have placed an ad for potential caregivers and they want almost the same pay as I am making (not that they don't deserve it). My only option at this point is to start my 'day job' late in the day. In other words, I am losing 3 hours of work because of the 10 mintues it takes to walk my kiddo to the daycare after school.

We are fortunate. We have jobs that are demanding at times but afford us a great deal of flexiblity. To be able to say to my employer, "Listen, I need to start at noon, not 9" and for him to say "I don't think that will be a real problem" is a lifesaver. How many people have to quit because they don't have care for their children? I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like for people who need to find subsidized care. I'm really at a loss.

My co-worker told me I must be a pretty crumby witch if I can't work some magick on this issue. I think she's right. It's time to pull out the wand. I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to do but I will post a spell when I come up with something and we'll see how it works.

I wonder what spell the Banks children used on that Mary Poppin's letter?

The Sad Truth About Bargain Hunting

As a proud member of craftster.org I have quickly become obsessed with craft swaps. Basically you find a topic that interests you, get a partner to swap crafts with, and end up with a load of great handmade items.

At the moment I am signed up for a "Bargain Hunter Swap". I have $5 to make my partner something wonderful and pad out the package buying treats with the leftover moolah. It's pretty amazing how far you can make money go if you have the time, and are willing to put in the effort. It's a fun swap with little financial obligation.

One of the reasons I joined this swap is my love of finding treasure in second hand and junk shops. While on the hunt for swap items I have found loads of great things that I have picked up for myself (a bookshelf, sewing basket, pirate mug, frames, books, puzzles, games) but have to find a treasure for my partner.

Searching through all that stuff can sometimes be pretty depressing. It never fails to shock me when I see an item that has been signed "With Love, from Grandma". This past weekend I found a great little nick-knack shelf that had the following written on the back "To my wonderful father. I (heart) you so much. Lots of Love. Fathers Day '03" It breaks my heart to think that someone just tossed that away. I know you can't keep everything (I have every little bit that my son has ever made or given me and it's reaching ridiculous proportions.) but how do items from Grandma make it into the trash heap? I can't imagine.

Ah well, the shelf is getting a new life. Funny thing about timing ... I just happened to find a 50 cent piece that my own father (whom I haven't had a relationship with in over 16 years) gave me when I was young. I'm going to include it in my little creation. The pic above is the work in progress ...

Cleaning House

I've been cleaning like a mad woman this evening. In my mind, if I can just manage to get my house sorted I'll somehow gain a few hours a day, my life will run more smoothly and all will be well with the world.

I really, honestly and truly believe that cleaning your house can do wonders for your life magickally. It's sort of like fluid meditation ... does that make any sense? So many people want to get rid of the negativity around them but so few think to start with actually cleaning the clutter around them. In no way shape or form is the Knickertwist household a model of cleanliness, but sometimes a good cleaning can give you just the boost you need to get things flowing your way.

In addition to cleaning I've managed to finish a quilt for the newest member of the brood as well as a Fairy Godmother shadow box for the wee lass. (see above)

I went a tad crazy and did in fact buy a boatload of shadow boxes to paint. I just know if I didn't grab them up that there would be none left when I needed another. Now if I can just find the time to make them!

Shadow Boxes and Fairy Godmothers

Here are my latest works. I'm sort of obsessed with the idea of shadow boxes and shrines. At the moment I have three more waiting to be completed and I'm off to buy a slew of blank boxes today to be sure that I don't run out before my obsession does.

I usually start with an idea, theme or look I want to achieve but I'm often surprised that my work decides differently and chooses it's own fate. Hmmm, next time I will show the progression of one of my little works and you will see how clearly I allow my art to run in whatever direction it chooses. It must be like how some writers claim their chacters pop into their heads fully formed, chart thier own destiny.

Speaking of characters. I've also made these three little ladies. Mister K found the frames at a local thrift shop and they've been hanging around the house waiting for something to do. I liked the idea of doing a triptic (I love things in groups ... especially groups of three) but nothing seemed to fit. Then after a new baby arrived in the family I began to think of godmothers. Fairy godmothers are some of my favourite "people". I just love the whole idea of them. Anywho, here are my three lovely ladies.

Inspiration

I've been neglecting the 'business' terribly but I have to say that it's been nice to create simply because an idea strikes. I believe that action breeds inspiration. The more I do, the more I want to do, the more rapidly the ideas flow and churn and develop.

There are some people that just seem magickal to me. There are people who may not be witchy in the least, might not believe in any sort of god or magick, but turn my thoughts to faeries, pixie dust, la luna, other realms and make-believe. Kate Bush, Stevie Nicks, Nina Simone, Chet Baker, Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Vivaldi, Fellini, Artemisia Gentileschi, Klimt, Waterhouse, Pee Wee Herman (yes I said Pee Wee) ... all of these people inspire me. These people have awakened something inside my head (and heart) that needed a nudge.

It's one thing to be inspired by creative people but sometimes just looking faces from another era can be inspiration enough. I've been looking at photographs to use as studies for several paintings I'm working on and it's really quite interesting picking out which people would make good faerie godmothers or which ones would be best suited to the job of wizard. Some faces just scream "Look at me! I want to be a wizard! Pick me! Pick me!" and others glare out of the photograph "Don't you dare even think of working your funny business with me."

I love being inspired. Thank the gods there are so many creative souls and sources of beauty and enchantment!

Happy Lammas!

We, as a pagan family, don't celebrate every festival of the Wheel of the Year. While we do celebrate Yule, Halloween, May Day, Midsummer and the Autumn Equinox, Lammas is not one of those festivals that we are drawn to. Generally those days that we do celebrate hold some sort of deep meaning for us and make sense for us celebrate.

Lammas is a celebration marking the beginning of the harvest season. The harvest is a very important time of year for the Knickertwist family. Mister K. is a winemaker and the harvest quite literally rules our lives for approximately two months of the year. Everything revolves around the grape harvest and making wine from mid-September until ... well, until the job is done. While Lammas marks the begining of the harvest for some, for us the Autumnal Equinox truly means that the harvest is upon us.

While we may not share in this celebration I hope that all of you who DO hold today as a special occation are blessed with all the goodness the harvests brings.