#MotivationMonday

Yup, been awhile. I know. Day job and such.

So, I found something out while researching how to build a Reiki business…I can’t. I mean, I can, but it would cost more than 6 months of rent.

Each state has it’s own regulations regarding anything and everything even remotely medical. As well there should be. In the state of Arkansas, I would need the following:

• Minimum completion of Massage Therapy course (even for hands-off Reiki)
• Subsequent exams to become state-licensed
• Multiple applications for licensure, business permits, etc
• Continuing Education seemed appropriate by the state

That’s about $7,000.

Plan moving forward: Work on friends, do distance sessions and take more Reiki courses on Udemy.

Second plan moving forward: Utilize the ordination I got in February and build on that. I’m considered independent and can pursue as I see fit.

#MotivationMonday: Wellness, Again

How many of you just go until you collapse? You work and spend your days off doing more work? And then your body says, “Nope. Not happening.”

That was me last week.

I went so hard for so long that my body said it and landed me off work for a few days.

Tuesday I ended up at urgent care, thanks to a 6-day tension headache that turned into a migraine. This got me a doctor’s note for no work, followed by having Thursday and Friday off, anyway. She told me, “I hope you don’t have plans, because you’re going to be sleeping and resting.” I took that to heart and didn’t do much (cat box, empty dishwasher) until Friday – I rebelled and did laundry *gasp*

Mostly I’m just tired. But it just shows that I don’t pay as much attention to my body as I should. Something I desperately need to work on, especially since I spout about taking time for yourself and doing self-care activities. Being tired isn’t a bad thing; I just need to actually rest. Not constantly be going from task to the next to get things done.

Pacing is key, and life is not a NASCAR race.

#Pagan Friday: Litha Edition

Happy Summer to y’all in the northern hemi, and Happy (?) Winter to our southern friends!

So above is the Litha altar I set up yesterday. There are some continuing elements (feather star, owl, ball, bunny on a mirror, little goddess, silver goblets, tiny bowl of oats and acorns, angel) from previous altar photos. For Litha I added the blue harmony pillar, blue chime candles (lit), lapis, amethyst, sunstone, jar of carnelian (my bracelet broke a couple weeks ago). There is also a small lid with cinnamon, rosemary and sage.

I also did a tarot spread using the Thoth Tarot Deck (based on Aleister Crowley’s work, with paintings by Lady Frieda Harris).

The layout I found via Google at Ethony There are a ton of spreads and lots of info on the site. Definitely should check it out. The link will take you directly to the Litha spread. This is how my reading went:

1. 5 of Cups > Disappointment. It would seem I’ve got a bunch of disappointment in myself and there is some in the world around me. I feel like there’s a general cloak of it on the world these days. One look at the media will tell you that. Yay, empath. Go, me.
2. Knight of Wands > My power card. The passion part of fire. Basically, I like to get shit done, but it can cause a swell of pride so I need to slow my roll and not go “Look what I did!” all the time.
3. Knight of Cups > The strength card. The fiery part of water. The ying-yang of tarot. My energies should be put into seeing things through. I’m hearing you, universe; I know there’s projects on the table.
4. VI Trumps – The Lovers > Abundance card. There really is a lot of love and intelligence, here. But, I need to be careful it isn’t influenced by indecision. I see you up there, Knight of Cups.
5. XXI Trumps – Universe > Literally, the world is my oyster. What I give out, I give back. I need to use the gifts given to me by the Universe and share them with whomever I can/wants them.

So how am I interpreting the spread? I think it was successful, didn’t really tell me anything I didn’t already know and helped inspire me a little. It also kicked my ass and said “Pay attention to your body better!”

Yes, Universe. I hear you.

#PaganFriday: The Ancestors and Visitations

Yesterday something happened that freaked me out a little.

Most of you know my mom passed a little over 2 years ago, and I have her cremains with me. Her “house” is a beautiful wooden box, which as been on a small hutch in the hall leading to our bedroom. My grandfather’s flag (military veteran – Army) is there, as well. He passed about 30 years ago.

Now, here’s what happened yesterday.

I did a bunch of stuff in the morning (thanks to the Kallie waking me up at 4am) and had a nap after. During the nap I had a dream.

In my dream I was driving a stretch of road that I traveled a lot for a previous job in Maine. I was on the phone with my mom and she sounded distracted, so I asked her what she was doing. She said, “I’m watching the fish.” Dream me thought “you don’t have any fish, but whatever”. So I’m talking and she’s distracted by the fish. And my dream brain clicked and I asked her if she was really gone or if she was just fucking with me. There was a pause, and I said “Mom”. An older man’s voice said, “I’m sorry, honey. You know you can call us anytime you want,” and I started crying. I woke up in tears.

I told Mike about it when he got home and he pointed out that I had moved the hutch with her ashes from the hall to beside the discus tank before the nap. Literally, she was watching the fish. And chances are good that the older man was my grandfather.

I think they were reminding me that they were still here, still watching over me. That I could, indeed, call whenever I needed to.

It should also be pointed out that Mother’s Day was 2 days before the anniversary of mom’s death (May 15), that gramp’s birthday was June 6, and mom’s birthday is June 25th. Clearly, they’ve both been on my mind.

June 26th will be 6 months since my grandmother passed. I’m hoping she stops by for a visit.

 

#WriterWednesday: Info and Stuff

Wednesday! Yay!

Here’s a few things for your perusing pleasure.

• The Talent Myth by Rose Andrews
• 7 Websites to Fuel Your Creativity by Karen Krumpak
• The Five Emotional Stages of Publishing A Book by C. Hope Clark

 

 

 

Images found on Google using “writer woes” as search terms 🙂

#MotivationMonday: Side Hustle pt. 3

Seriously…

Udemy is having (as always) a huge sale on their courses. The majority of them are $10.99, with is maybe 5% of original course cost in some cases.

The Reiki Master/Teacher course I took was originally $200, and paid $9.99.

And no, I’m not affiliated with Udemy, or the course instructor, in any way. Just sharing information.

So, imagine my surprise to find the business-building course – by the same instructor – is listed right now for the $10.99 instead of $49.99. Totally onboard! Just bought it, the supplemental materials, etc.

There are 3 other Reiki-related courses I plan on taking through the rest of the year and hope to have everything in place to officially open a small business by January 1. I did have more ambitious plans, but they weren’t feasible. It’s all about timing, and I have to listen to that. For now I’ll learn, soak in all the info I can, and eventually be able to do this thing.

Til Wednesday 🙂

#Motivation Monday: Hiatus

Hi!

Just a heads up the blog will be quiet until the #Pagan Friday post for June 1. There will be some fun news and maybe a photo or two to share!

Thanks!

#Motivation Monday: #Wellness Edition

Okay, everyone. Time to get real.

I feel like crap. I’m exhausted, achy, emotions are fence-wobbling. Some may say “Oh, you’ve turned the corner of 40; it’s to be expected.” No, I don’t accept that.

 

Here’s what’s physically going on:

• My left shoulder and arm have been killing me for about 3 weeks now. So, sleep is a bitch.
• My sugar won’t balance no matter how well I try to manage it. I bottomed out in the 50s on Saturday and ended up calling out at work. It took the rest of the day to get it under somewhat under control. And last night I finally felt normalish.
• I’m female – enough said.

So, what am I going to do about it all?

Shoulder: there’s a chiro center downtown. Sugar: micromanage my diet like an unskilled office worker. Femaleness: treat the cause, not the symptoms.

The only problem is the diet management. I like to keep track of everything I eat. At home, it’s no problem. I’ve got an app on my phone. At work it’s a bit harder and the only solution is to write everything down to add to the app later. I forget to do that a lot or I just don’t have time – not an excuse; truth.

As for making good food choices, I do pretty damn good 99% of the time. It’s no secret I like ice cream and chips. I don’t drink soda but maybe once a week, and then it’s limited on how much. I genuinely like salad. In fact, if it weren’t for red meat I’d be a lacto-ovo-pescatarian. Yes, that’s a thing. It means I eat dairy products, eggs and fish in addition to as much veggies/fruit as possible. And chicken.

Here’s an example: for breakfast today I had a hardboiled egg, banana with peanut butter and some grapes. Fast-forward 3 hours and my lunch was a small slice of mexican lasagne and some grapes. Fluids so far: 2 cups of coffee with creamer, and water. A lot of water.

Ugh, I need a nap…

#Writer Wednesday: Reading List

Hi, there.

Since I haven’t really been writing, and have no update to give, I thought I’d share my current reading list. Thanks to college, I can read several books at one time. (Shout out to UMaine-Machias!)

Here’s what I’m reading at the mo:

• Bel of the Brawl – Maggie McConnon; mystery paperback
• The Devil’s Half Mile – Paddy Hirsch; historical thriller ARC (coming June 2018)
• RitualCraft – Amber K & Azrael Arynn K; pagan and wiccan reference
• The Women’s Small Business Start-Up Kit – Peri Pakroo
• iPagan – Trevor Greenfield; a lot of info for pagans and wiccans, kinda heavy in places

I can say this: my job allows me to get free books. Both McConnon (small paperbacks like this are called “strips” when due back to the publisher) and Hirsch (advance reader copy, y’all) books were free. I also get a really sweet employee discount, which could potentially get me into trouble at some point. Because, books.

There are a few more books that I’m in the middle of, but I haven’t picked them up in a while so I’m not counting them. And, by “a while” I’m talking at least a year.

What are you reading? Have recommendations? Comment!

#Pagan Friday: Altars, Full Moon and Beltane

Welcome to May, everyone!

I had a conversation the other night with a girl I met at work (she’s very new to the path) regarding stones and symbols. She asked why I chose those particular stones, and why I put them into the shape of the star. I explained my intention for this month is “balance” and each stone has a property to help with that intention. Also, the placement of them in a star shape helps me focus on that intent. Her response: “That’s so cool!”

From top, going clock-wise: Agate, Fluorite, Snowflake Obsidian, Amazonite and Clear Quartz

And here is the updated altar for Beltane, with the intention of balance set.

The row of stones under the blue candle are (not in any order): Blue Quartz, Amethyst, Blue Howlite and Sodalite. These are Sagittarius stones – my birth sign.

This is not the best Full Moon picture I’ve ever taken, to be sure. But I had to get it. The last few full moons have been obscured by clouds and rain. Not optimal moon picture-taking weather.

I like that I have someone local (whom I do not work with, although they’re all pretty chill about my path) who I can gab and share info with. She recently went on a weekend away and found 2 things: a gorgeous piece of opalite, and a book about crystals and stones. These finds were key for her in the moment and they called to her.

Isn’t that often how it goes?

If you’ve got a story or pictures to share, please do in the comments. I’d like to hear/see what y’all are doing with your path.