… The Witch of the Forest Grove called 101 Syndrome. Please read her entry first before carrying on here so what I will write makes sense to you.

I hold my hand up high and admit that I am one of those people trapped or surrounded by 101 books knowing fully well that they don’t get me were I want to go. Did you read the part where I said: were I want to go???? I don’t see a problem with 101 books if that is what fulfills your spiritual path and need. End off! For me, I have been running in circles for quite some time, but still carry on buying 101 books hoping for the next step on my path which never comes. Somehow staying in my comfort zone instead of broadening my horizon by venturing into the deep.    

The funny thing is that I have got two of the books mentioned on Sarah’s list for quite sometime, but I am honest to say that I have not read them yet. The Golden Bough fell into my hand a couple of months ago when I went to our local library. I am waiting for the White Goddess to be returned, but so far no luck. When looking around I found the Golden Bough in th same area, grabbed it and what do you know, it is a withdrawal that I can keep. Woo Hoo! Since then it is standing on my shelf gathering dust. Well, like so many others, but their time will come.

I keep banging on about the fact that you don’t need to buy any tools to walk the path, but then again, these are not tools but little treats. As you might have guessed, this is more work of the talented Carolina Gonzalez.

This lady is Called Santisima Muerte and is a Holy Death Altar Doll. For more information on this lovely lady please refer to Carolina’s site here

And to round it off I also bought a print of one of her original drawings called The Horned Goddess. More of her work can be found at The Hoodoo Shop

For now this is my little set-up in the bedroom away from prying eyes. It is not set in stone but always changing depending on what I find. This can be bought, made or found in nature like all the stones that you can see on the bottom shelf. Although, if I carry on like this it will end up as Carolina Gonzales shrine to her work before you get the wrong idea .     

I am watching my family from the balcony while they are flying a kite. They take their turn to play with it before it hits the ground (mainly for my daughter).

The weather this week has been an extreme up and down from days like spring to stormy days for kites. Now heavy rain is hammering against the house leaving behind a rice field in the garden.

I survived yesterdays party and tried to make an effort to at least sit with some of the others. Luckily the music and kids were to loud so I just read one of the magazines lying around. I am sure the next party will follow soon .

Otherwise not much has been happening. Santisima Muerte moved in this week , but more about that for a later entry. Also for a later entry, I would like to start a category called ~ Back to Basics ~ and who knows, maybe some of the blog readers will participate.  

I promise these are the last photos I will place here showing 11.11 in any way shape or form. I guess you get my point.  

I have to keep a record of attendance for the ladies that take part in my classes. Yesterday it hit me that it was the 11.11. and I have to admit it freaked me out slightly.  

I got a small glimpse of what it is like to get worked up about something like this. At one point I even thought that I don’t want to drive at 11:11 on the 11.11. wondering if I have an accident or something like that. Poppy cock! I pushed that thought right out of my head and just carried on with things. And what do you know, nothing happened.  

I guess this is a similar situation to tarot reading. Some readers lack sensitivity and the way they read the cards can be frightening to the client. The client walks away with gloom and doom on their mind and instead of changing the outcome because it is in their hands, they walk right into it. Their thoughts revolve around the negative outcome attracting exactly what they fear.  OK, I did not think something really bad would happen all this time, just simply wondering what it is all about.

But, that is not what the AAAAAAHHHHH! stands for. This morning new invitations have been handed out to another birthday party. Same place, same people. I feel like crying, but I already said that she will be going. I could send my husband, but I would feel really bad for him as well because it is only moms that stay. With the last party only a few moms stayed anyway and I was told this morning that I could just drop her off. She is only three and I don’t feel comfortable with just dropping her of. I never did that with my son when he was younger so I don’t think I will be starting it now. OOHHHHH, I don’t know. The next parent I see sticking an invitation into my daughters tray will be beaten up. Just joking! Honest !  

… when looking for a “label”. An excerpt I like to quote from Edain McCoy’s book – If you want to be a Witch page 7:

Two thousand years ago, Europeans did not define themselves as Witches or Wiccans. Even the word “Pagan”, derived from the Latin paganus, meaning “people of the earth,” wasn’t one people applied to themselves. The labeling of various cultural Craft traditions as Wicca, Wicce, Wita, Witta, or Wice is a twentieth-century addition to the Craft. In the clan and tribal societies of old Europe, religion and spirituality were woven into the fabric of everyday life. One might be said to possess wicca or have witta, meaning that he possesses a special skill or knowledge, but such a person would not label his religion that way. He would have been more likely to say he was a follower of a particular patron deity or was a priest of a deity within a specific cultural pantheon.

…

Well, two things really to contemplate. Labels and “woven into everyday life” rather than a set apart entity to MAKE time for.

OK, that was an experience and a half. Not bad enough I had that birthday party on Saturday that I “had” to go to, but I also struggled with a caffeine overdose.

I struggle to drink a liter a day, but sweating a lot with training (sure you wanted to hear that ) I really have to start drinking a lot more. Most programs recommend a lot of water and herbal and/ or green tea. I am neither a coffee nor tea drinker so caffeine has never been an issue for me. Over the last week I had some green tea and on Friday night I sat down and had about 1 1/2 thermos flask (about 5 -6 cups) of green tea and started to feel all shaky and hyper. Why did I drink that much? It was all cold and windy outside so the tea tastes even better. I poured the rest down the sink because that is when I realized what I am actually doing to myself. I was worried that I won’t be able to sleep that night, but I passed out as usual. I woke up in the middle of the night with a headache and took some tablets. The times have well and truly gone where I was just able to sleep headache off, now I have to take something or it will get 10 times worse.

In the morning my resting heart rate was raised, I was still shaky and hyper, headache and felt nauseous. WOW! And people drink this stuff (coffee …) on a regular basis????? OK, I admit I went over the top, but I am sure there are a lot of people out there that drink this amount on a daily basis easily. I am now wondering if I was still on caffeine that caused all my problems the next day or if it was my withdrawal from it.

Now I am not really sure what to do. After this episode I know I can do without caffeine in the future, but at the same time everybody goes on about green tea and the health benefits associated with it. Well, at least in moderation and not like me drowning in the stuff .

I had a look in my tea book to see what they say about the tea and there is a long list of positive effects, but as usual, take everything with a pinch of salt. I guess you also know that green tea should not be used with boiling water or it will taste bitter. Let it cool down a bit. What was new to me is the following which I found quite helpful:

For a stimulating cup of green tea you let it steep for 90 seconds. I never leave the leaves in longer because I don’t like the strong taste of the tea. 5-6 cups of stimulating green tea certainly explains why I was hyper .  

For a milder cup you let the leaves steep for 5 minutes. 

For less caffeine you steep the leaves for 90 seconds, pour the tea away and then use the same leaves to steep for 5 minutes.   

Sounds like worth a try. I am just wandering if the healthy benefits get poured down the sink as well which makes it pretty pointless to drink it in the first place.

I guess I suffered from a different kind of hangover the next day. Things you do for your health or is it just me ?

My daughter brought home the schools newsletter with the following thought:

“Keep your mind curious, your heart pure, and your enthusiasm twelve inches taller than you are” 

Have a good week

I had to go to a birthday party yesterday that my little daughter was invited to. The whole class went so I did not want my little one to be the odd one out. I do these things for her entertainment and certainly not for mine. I really struggle to sit down and make small talk because I am just not interested in doing so. I am approaching 40 next year and had about 3 good friend in my life. Two have moved on due to army life and one is actually an online friend for the last years. Am I sad? Am I picky? I don’t know, but I rather be by myself than put up with gossip, bitchyness or chit chats about the latest boob job in celebrity land. I tried my best yesterday to be part of it for about half an hour and then just walked away and sat around the corner watching the kids for another 2 hours rather than sit and chat. It can be a very lonely life especially with husband on exercise as well, but I rather do this than force myself to be social.

The radio keeps going on about making sure to have a “flu friend” just in case we get hit by the swine flu. This way your friend can get some shopping in or medication while you are housebound. Well, I am dipped and hope if it does strike it will hit me and my husband at different times so we can look after each other and the kids.

In all my life I have never managed to be part of a group that I feel comfortable with or like being with. That might makes you wonder why I give fitness classes, but these are not social gatherings. If you manage to talk throughout, you are obviously not working hard enough and we have to change that . So, this is not down to me being to shy, but just down to the fact that I am not interested. The solitary path is therefore the obvious choice for me although I am not sure if a pagan group with shared interests would make a difference. Honestly? I don’t think so. It is just the way I am.

I got a packed of eggs out of the fridge earlier and checked the date to see if they are still ok. Look at the numbers at the bottom left.

 11.11

Coincidence? Again? I think not!

In case you are wondering what I am talking about, refer to the entry below this one.

Now here is one that always leaves me wondering and I am not even sure when it started. Maybe a year ago or is it already longer???? I noticed that I seem to look at a digital clock every now and then when it says exactly 11:11. What a funny coincidence, but just left it at that. These moments where/ are getting more and more to the point that this is not just coincidence anymore. Now before you think I sit next to the clock and wait untill it turns 11:11 then I have to disappoint you. As a matter of fact, I only see these number when I am not thinking about them. You turn around and there they are again. I have been meaning to ask about this so many times, but I keep forgetting about the number untill I see it again. This time, yes it happened again today, I do not want to let this matter go again. What the heck is it all about? What the heck is it trying to tell me. Who the heck is trying to tell me something?

I now had a quick look online to see what the net has to say. Well, I have found the following site: 1111 Spirit Guardians, but find it a bit of the hook. I am therefore open to any other suggestions, ideas, input … that are a bit more down to earth. I am also wondering if it suppose to be a date. 11.11. next week, or is it November 2011??? Who knows, but it is starting to freak me out because it is just to many times that I see the number.   

I also just found this one: 11:11 Digital Time Code. The explanations further down on this page sound a bit more plausible.  

Please feel free to insert the X-files tune here ….. .