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Acupuncture

that's me!

Thursday I had the opportunity to receive a free acupuncture treatment. It was very interesting. In my eastern wellness class (which I aced with a 100%, go me!) we learned about the meridians that run through our bodies, the points in these meridians and what they can be good for, and  a lot more. After answering a series of questions, way more in depth and personal than what your average doctor would have time for, my therapist decided on a good treatment for me. I had about 26 needles in me all together. 3 in my head on the right side above my ear, 2 in each ankle, 1 on each of my hoku points (the meaty part between your thumb and index finger), 2 on either side of my spine right at the start of my sacrum, and a bunch in my upper back/shoulder/neck area.

While she was putting all the needles in, it was really like flies landing on me. However when she got to my right Hoku point my hand felt like every muscle was spasming at light speed and it felt tingly. That sensation lasted even after the needle had been removed, though not as noticeable. I also could not lift my head while the needles were in. My back felt like someone was pushing on trigger points (one of my issues we were working on) with all their force when i tried to lift my head. This was not painful though, it was very relaxing and i could almost feel the tension in my shoulders melting away. I just laid their motionless for a while. When she took the needles out, i didn't really feel it at all.

Afterwards I felt very relaxed. I came home and slept for about 3 hours, without waking up a single time which is huge for me. Then when i woke up i was full of energy and felt great! If you ever get the chance to have an acupuncture treatment done, I highly recommend it. The practitioner takes time to ask questions and  discuss what ever issues you may be having. Its relaxing and definitly got rid of my stress. And who wants to pass up a chance to destress?

Positive News

If you are sick of turning on the news and seeing more reports about murdered children, shootings, political corruption, celebrity scandals, and overall depressing stuff, then I have GOOD news for you! haha i sound like a spokesperson. anyways, I found this awesome site called HappyNews This site shares only good news articles and is a great way to start the day. Also, another good news site is GoodNewsNetwork which has a cool feature, it shows you good news from this day in history. so just a short post to "share the news" hahaha. Have a peak and hope you enjoy!

Hydrotherapy, Reiki, and Eastern Wellness

A new set of classes has begun again. My first Weekend class was reiki and i am now certified in level 1 reiki. The class was life changing really. I learned a lot in that class, as well as learning about myself. I have been doing reiki all my life, i just never knew what it was! I am definitely incorporating it into my massage routine now. My other weekend classes will be deep tissue and reflexology. But my every day classes are hydrotherapy and eastern wellness. I absolutely love these classes. I feel so in my element and am learning a lot of valuable information. I am a long time sufferer of migraines and tension headaches, i now know that an ice pack on the head and soaking your feet in warm water draws the blood away from the head and eases the pain. not much works for my migraines but this does. I also took a test in eastern wellness to find out my element (out of wood, fire, earth, metal, water) and I am fire. Oddly enough my test results showed i was only one point higher in fire than water. And i am a fire/water zodiac, leo/cancer. That was just interesting to me. Overall, i am loving this semester, despite some rather toxic personalities in them. but they are easy to ignore!

My blog stats show that there are still people reading what i post so i hope whoever you are its helping you, entertaining you, keeping you from dieing of bordeom, whatever lol. If you are interested in learning more about natural remedies, rather than taking a pill for every little ache or sniffle, here are a few good sites:
Home Remedies For You
Herbal Home Remedies

Also you may want to learn a bit about hydrotherapy as it is basically healing with water. Thats the thing i used to help with my migraines. The romans, greeks, egyptians, and so on all used hydrotherapy to heal a lot of things. just do a little research and see what you can find. Also if you have a smart phone, like an android (guilty!) there are a lot of interesting apps out there for those of us who want a quick go to guide for simple alternative cures or treatments. just search around for natural remedies, or herbal remedies, or natural medicine, etc.. I have a few good ones. there really is an app for just about everything. of course, keep in mind that western medicine is not all bad, and please do not refuse to see a doctor when you break your leg, or need to have your appendix removed because some herb is said to help. Basically, just use common sense. If you have a sore throat drink some honey and lemon tea. If you have a throat that is swelling to the point you cant breathe, go to the ER!

Solitary confinement

Life is one big busy schedule! I have clinic now, 12 hours a week. On top of my 15 hours of classes. Throw in izzy's classes and online classes, and vincent's preschool, AND our room mates two jobs and school and clinic, and you realize you forgot to schedule time to breathe.
I'm really enjoying the fast pace of everything though. its challenging and fulfilling and setting me one step closer to my dream. and also to a more open schedule lol!
Our new place has a fire pit along with a giant back yard. I am excited to use it, perhaps for yule? I also have space now to have all my "Pagan stuff" out, and not stuffed into a giant bin(s). While i don't have much time to do anything or finish reading any books, I do manage to meditate on occasion, which helps me to stay focused on the main goal: graduating. I also get a few prayers in here and there, and practice with energy work gets thrown in there too! Unfortunately its all been solitary. I miss being with a group. It seems the gods just don't have that in the plan right now. I emailed a friend of mine last night, the high priestess for a coven i have been interested in working with, to let her know I just didn't have time. She told me that was alright and I could still take part when i had time. I was excited, then she posted that coven activities are now post-poned til further notice as she has some personal issues going on.
I also tried to join 2 different groups in my area, and even tried to start one. One group has pretty much ignored me, and another had not so great planning and then shut down. The group I tried to start never got further than an idea really.
Oh well, perhaps this is just meant to be a time for me to work by myself. Perhaps there is some lesson I can learn before joining with a group? Or perhaps time is just against me right now?
No matter what, I know if i stick to whats important and graduate, life will get MUCH better :)

School and Moving

I am finally through the first 16 weeks of massage school! My massage theory and practice practical, where i had to massage an LMT (Licensed massage therapist), was passed with a 97! I would have had a 98 but I need to practice more with my SOAP notes. My LMT said she will be coming back to see me once I'm on the clinic floor, which of course has me grinning from ear to ear. I also passd my Anatomy and Physiology final with a 158/157. I got the extra credit lol. I'm very proud of myself. Next classes start November 1st. Refresher math and Kinesiology. I also get to start my clinic hours then. I need 180 hours of massage to graduate. That seems like a lot but time will fly by.
This set of classes actually ends tuesday. And wednesday I will be moving! Closer to college and farther from negative family. This weekend is being spent packing rather than celebrating my wonderful test scores lol. But its all for the better! I have a few things I want to post about but no promises. Life has certainly been busy since starting school!

New books

I'm still making an attempt to post. I know, I know, its been a month since my last post. I still have plenty I want to post about, just rarely do I get the time to. Luckily I think I have gotten the hang of things and everything has begun to slow down a bit. Our oldest is in preschool now and loving every minute of it. Izzy and I are getting A's and B's and have managed to get some sort of schedule down, however hectic it may be.
I've also taken on two new books to read, Wicca the Complete Craft by D.J. Conway and The Element Encyclopedia of Birthdays by Theresa Cheung. I have heard a lot of great things about D.J. Conway's books and so I look forward to reading this one. As I have said before, I am not wiccan. That doesn't mean I don't wish to learn all I can about different pagan paths. It's always better to study a wide variety and decide your own beliefs than to read one book and decide its your new bible!
So far the Element encyclopedia has been very interesting. I enjoyed reading about my birthday and various family and friends, and Izzy and our friends all had fun looking up their own birthdays. There's also a nice introductory section.
Border's is currently going out of business, so the stores all over the country are having huge sales. Now is the time to buy books if you have always been unable to due to the high cost of some books. I believe the end of september is when they close their doors for good, the closer it gets to that day the better the sales get. But remember, the selection will be pretty sparse the closer that day gets too!
Hope everyone still has some interest in this blog. And good luck to all those of you who are back in school now or will be starting school very soon!

My guilty pleasure



Blue, gold, red, gold tigers eyes

In class the other day we were talking about things people tend to blow money on. That one thing, that you just have to buy even though you don't really need it. That cup of coffee from starbucks every morning (No, you do not NEED it), going out to eat more than occasionaly, buying shoes even though you have twenty pairs at home. At the time, I couldn't think of anything. I like to spend money on my kids, when i have money that is. Though I can tell myself no because I don't want them to be spoiled (They have grandparents for that).
Then I went to The Next Millenium, the pagan shop in town. Now, I strongly believe that you do not need fancy tools to cast a solid spell. You do not have to have a 300 dollar robe, 100 dollar wand, and every essential oil imaginable to "be somebody" in the pagan community. With that said, I still can't resist wanting every crystal/rock/gem in that store.

Blue lace agate. moonstone at side

I have all kinds of stones. Blue tigers eye, red tigers eye, gold tigers eye, amethyst, rose quartz, rutilated quartz, bloodstone, jasper, red goldstone, blue goldstone, pyrite, howlite, onyx... Maybe I shouldn't list everything. I'm no expert on the subject, but it is a subject very close to my heart. Over the years I have gathered a nice little collection. Friends and family know that a rock is a great gift. Especially if its one i dont already have!
Walking into that store, and seeing the huge selection of stones always makes my pockets burn. There are just so many uses for them. Meditation, spells, charms, jewelry, etc.. I love wearing different stones as a necklace. The different properties come in handy for different situations. Like quartz for healing, or pyrite for luck.

Stones have so many uses and properties. I won't share them all here as that would take a while. You can find some good books on the subject though. Or look online for crystal properties.

Snowflake obsidian

If you want to get some stones but don't have a lot of money to spend, head down to the water and look at rocks around there. Go hiking and pick up a few that call out to you. Explore a cave or two. You may just end up finding something you never thought you would. And If you don't know what you found, look it up. What color is it? where did you find it? Ask someone or look in a book or online. There are some jewelry stores that may be able to tell you what you have, though they tend to be the smaller stores. Think outside the box and be open to things. You find a dirty blackish blue rock and think its probably nothing. You rinse it off and notice there are sparkles on it! You may have just found a blue goldstone. Congratulations!

-Lynx

What a week!

So i have survived my first week of massage classes! I absolutely love everything about being back in school. Its fast paced, fun, everyone is so friendly, and I love that I'm finally doing what I've always wanted too.
Despite having a migraine for the last two days, I toughed it out. nothing is gonna stop me from being in class everyday, especially since if i miss more than two classes its an automatic fail. I also have my portable massage table now so everyone in my house is being spoiled as my practice dummys. I'm sure that once I start to get more of a time plan worked out I'll be able to keep up with this more.

So I'll end this post with a question, How do you keep up with hectic schedules?

Time passes by

Vincent with sparklers

Been a while since my last post, and by awhile I mean like a week or so. Sorry for the time lapse folks, life has gotten rather busy for me. There was the fourth of july which is more of a weekend event, and once that was said and done, I had orientation and school stuff to take care of before monday. YAY monday!! That's when my classes will be starting!

But now to the nitty gritty.

Fireworks! Izzy took this picture.

Writing a blog like this requires a few things. First, a good main topic. My main topic is just my everyday pagan life. Things I found useful, articles I stumbled across that I felt like sharing, recipes and spells I think would come in handy. I also throw some posts about my family and LGBT issues in there too, as these are important things to me. My blog has variety, a wide range of topics, without being completely scattered, at least I like to think so!

I took this. It looks like a dragon.

Second, it needs flavor. I'm talking humor and fun. I dunno about you guys but I can't stand reading something that is just: here are the facts. done. I want to make my readers smile, maybe even chuckle a little. We pagans tend to have interesting lives, why not bring out that color in what I write?

Finally, it needs readers. While I have gathered quite a few readers in just a short amount of time, I like to have some interaction and hope to gain more readers. So don't forget that this blog has a page on facebook! The more likes the page gets, the more I can do with the blog. I want to start doing giveaways and contests. I'd like to have discussions about topics my readers find interesting. I'm also going to start doing tarot readings for anyone that asks, of course this might not last long because as the numbers rise, I wont be able to do readings as much. and yes the readings will be free! I need the practice and don't see a reason for charging money.

Izzy did this one too :)

So just reminder, share this with friends and family, plaster the link on walls!

Also, another reminder, My classes are monday-thursday in the afternoons. I won't be able to write as much, but I'm gonna try and keep up with this. If I don't get to post a blog, I'll at least try and post some links on the fb page so you'll have something to read til I can post again! Hope everyone enjoyed their fourth of july, and my firework pictures!

~Lynx

Tarot madness

Tuesday my aunt asked me to do a tarot reading for her over skype. We used to do readings all the time when I lived closer so I was happy to do it. The next day I felt like someone else needed a reading done. I often get these "feelings" and though i dont know exactly how to explain them, I just know things. So, i posted on my facebook that i was willing to do tarot readings for anyone who needed one.

The cosmic tarot deck. The deck I use!

Boy did I get what i asked for! Yesterday alone I did 9 readings. And every time the person would tell me how eerily accurate it was or how helpful it was. Well, I was on a roll, so this morning I offered to do more readings, bringing the tally to 14.

Normally, I don't put much stock into tarot. I always looked at it as simply a random drawing of cards that could pertain to any situation in ones life. Of course, i still loved doing readings. Its a great way to put thoughts in order and get some perspective. You may feel like you are making the wrong choice, so you do a traot reading and while reading the cards, whatever they may say, you focus on your issue and are able to solve it.
I didn't really believe that it was much more than that honestly. But after doing all those readings, and hearing from others, some even strangers, how exact it was. Well, im starting to think maybe there is more to it. I think I'll start studying more and try to learn the cards better so i dont have to glance at my book every so often anymore. Im also going to try and memorize the medicine cards as those are my favorite!

What are your experiences with tarot? Would you rather give a reading or recieve a reading?

Late night walks

These past few days have been particularly rough on me. So after having a bad day, and Ember screaming for an hour in a defiant strike against sleeping, I had enough. I got dressed, threw on my favorite blue leopard print flip flops and went for a walk outside. Isabell came with me since it was so late at night, and her parents agreed to keep an eye on the kids in case they woke up. Yes, we are all night owls here!

We walked up to the park and I sat on the swings for awhile. The stars were absolutely beautiful. Everytime I look at the night sky I think of the goddess Nut looking down on all of us. Sometimes just staring at stars helps me to clear my mind. We even put glow in the dark stars all over the ceiling above our bed. Its so relaxing. Whatever problems of the day can be solved with a clear mind under the stars and a little fresh air.
Life is pretty tough right now, but I'm a tough cookie, I'll make it through. Gotta keep a positive mindset! How do you clear your mind after a rough day?

Pagan Enough

I know I promised you all a story, sadly I haven't had as much time to work on it as I would like. Also, I know its sunday and I don't normally post on sundays, but browsing facebook I stumbled upon something that made me want to post.

A question was posed about how you know someone is "pagan enough". I find this a little tough to answer. I was under the impression that pagan is an umbrella term. Many religions fall under this, and not all of them believe the same. Take for instance, Wicca. Wicca is a new religion all about do good, don't do harm, love, light and all the good stuff. Then you have Asatru, a very old religion. Yes thats the one with the vikings. Obviously, vikings weren't against killing people, so "harm none" probably wasn't in their vocabulary. Two different religions, both falling under the title "Pagan".

I don't fit neatly into any pagan religion and I'm okay with that. My beliefs are my own. I don't try to sell them, or shove them down bunny throats. I don't try to get famous or rich off of my beliefs. I don't advertise my actual beliefs, though I write this blog and label it as a pagan blog, my own beliefs are not plastered everywhere for you to view.  I am not wiccan, or asatru, or egyptian or anything specific. And I won't tell you my exact beliefs either.

Some people may say I'm not pagan enough, it doesn't bother me. So, why then do so many people worry about being pagan enough? If you are comfortable in your own beliefs thats all that should matter, right? After all, your beliefs are between you and your deity(s), not you and the world.

However, if you go around claiming to be wiccan yet don't follow the wiccan rede, you may have some soul searching to do on the right religion for you. This would be "wiccan enough" though. What are your thoughts on being "pagan enough"?

Rainbow cakes

I love cake, and I love color, so bringing the two together is only logical! I decided to make rainbow cake in a jar (My inspiration) and rainbow cupcakes. Last night I had quite the adventure trying to get the recipe right.

Doesn't it look yummy?

So after looking at the picture, I'm assuming you want to make these. Here's what you'll need:
1 box of white cake mix
the ingredients the cake box tells you
different colors food coloring
Cake pan or cupcake tray (with cupcake papers)

Betty Crocker white moist cake mix

Mix all the ingredients on the cake box. Just follow the instructions.

mix mix mix

Its a rainbow of fun!

Once the batter is all mixed, pour it into individual cups and add the desired food coloring. 

is that slime? haha

Color by color, pour in a little batter. Do this slowly so it doesn't just all mix together.

This was the beginning of the cake in a jar. Little did I know what was to come...

into the oven you go!

Now pop everything into the oven, again, follow the instructions on the cake box. Just keep a close eye on it in case of ...

Rainbow Lava

THIS! Yes, I poured in too much batter. Though I must say this rainbow lava was pretty neat

As you can see, it got a little bit crispy, but it was a fun learning experience. And the cupcakes?

They turned out perfect!

mini cake for the kids with left over batter

I wasn't able to get the frosting on them fast enough before everyone was snagging them. I made the frosting too. Butter, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. I played it by eye though so I don't have an exact recipe to give. I'm sure you could find one or just buy some from the store.

I hope you'll enjoy these, I know we did. Here are a few more pictures from my rainbow adventure.

Vincent wanted to lick the bowl! MMM

The frosting. I don't think I did it quite right, but it tasted great

Cut off the top of the jar cake, and the lava flow.

I see you!

Curiosity made me take the cake out, this is what it looked like

add sprinkles and you have the ultimate rainbow treat

Solstice Celebration

Today is the longest day of the year. To celebrate the sun I was going to wake up early, watch the sunrise, and tonight watch the sunset. However, I stayed up most of the night and so was too tired to hear my alarm. Thats ok, theres always next year! and I still have the sunset to look forward to!!
I plan on going for a walk today, enjoying the fresh air, maybe seeing if I can find some useful tools after our big storm last night. I also want to make something special, and I found this recipe for a honey apple tea, along with some useful information on litha.

I think I'll make this tea, slather on some sun block, and drink it out on my front porch. What are your plans for summer solstice? Leave a comment.

~Lynx

Fathers day

My weekend was pretty busy. We had my father in laws birthday saturday and fathers day sunday. To celebrate, we just did a cookout saturday and had some super delicious bbq ribs. My sister in law made some AMAZING biscuits and I'm going to beg her for the recipe and post it here, with her permission of course.
We are trying to potty train ember also. She did really well yesterday. Told us everytime she needed to go, only had one accident, and was refusing to wear a diaper. Now today she has decided she wants nothing to do with the toilet lol. My daughter is very stubborn. Everyone says girls are easier to potty train, but im starting to wonder.
This week I plan on getting up the first segment of my story, probably more towards the end of the week. I will also be posting a how to for one of the hemp necklaces, and adding a bit to The Poor Witch's Guide. So, today's post is a bit short, but I have a lot going on and am working on some big things for the blog. I hope you can bear with me! Hope you all had a great weekend!

~Lynx

In the making

In an attempt to add some more structure to my blog, I will be starting a once a week posting of a continuous story. All I can say right now is that it will have to do with the gods and goddesses and is fiction. I hope it will be everything I imagine it to be! I'm also thinking about adding an occasional video. I still want to do some how tos, especially for my hemp necklaces, and I find videos are better for that then text and pictures.
I started a page on facebook, Witchy Mama Lynx. This is for anyone on facebook who wants an easier way to follow the blog. All updates are posted there, as well as links to things I find interesting and useful. Public posting is enabled, so if there's a link, picture, or comment you want to share, post away! I have a twitter as well, though I don't use it often, WitchyLynx. I'm not very twitter savy lol.
All of this is so that readers can be in contact, give me feedback, and discuss everything. feedback is a good thing!

Tuna Pasta Recipe

Eating the same thing gets boring sometimes, so I occasionally look for new recipes to test. This recipe I found, tweaked, and enjoyed! Its so quick and easy to make too.

Ingredients:
1 Can of tuna (or chicken)
1 large can of stewed tomatoes
A few squirts of lemon juice
a bit of garlic and onion for taste
Parsley
2 cups favorite pasta noodle (I used elbow macaroni)

Heat the stewed tomatoes, lemon juice, and garlic/onion in a pan. Boil the macaroni in a pot. (haha obviously) Once the sauce is heated up, add the tuna. Stir it all together. When the pasta is done, drain it and put some on a plate, top with the sauce and add a bit of parsley.

It has a sweet kind of taste to it. I enjoyed it. Oddly enough, my mother in law said it tasted like Filipino sardines, which she likes. Try it and tell me what you think.