An Open Letter to my Third Baby

Dear 3rd,

I found out about you two days after Christmas.

I wasn’t sure that I wanted you. I was scared and exhausted and it was horrible timing.

After weighing all my decisions, thinking it through, the thought of ending your little life and it being my decision was heart wrenching. Yes you were only a clump of cells, but you were MY clump of cells.

I fell in love with you and decided that if fate wanted me to have another baby I WOULD have this baby.

I told your brothers and your oldest brother, Jaxson, eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. For the most part I told no one else though. Not even family.

I was worried about being judged. I didn’t know how to explain why I would have 3 kids so close together.

I was terrified of what the next few years had in store...

Our house wasn’t big enough, I needed a new car. I basically wouldn’t be going back to work at this point. Would I get any sleep? Would I ever get to travel with my husband again? Even have a night off with him? Would I ever be myself again? 2 kids was hard but manageable. Would 3 completely change things for us/me?

So many things decided for me in an instant.

I love being a mom, but I also love being me. The paradox that is a mother. 

One thing was certain though I knew I loved you and wanted you. I’d always wanted 3 kids and a big close family of my own. Something I didn’t have growing up. 

I knew you would be a girl. I had your name picked out and everything. 

I got a midwife! I was so excited for a different pregnancy and labour experience. I got a birth photographer! Never did I do maternity photos with my boys and knowing this would have been my last pregnancy I wanted to document everything. I planned for a milk bath, and an in depth birthing photography session. I was so excited to do it all.

I should have known when I was having the easiest first trimester ever. No morning sickness, no exhaustion, I could hardly tell I was pregnant at all. I was working out almost every day. Something I was not able to do with my other pregnancies, and they were easy pregnancies.

As horrible as the timing was finding out I was having you, it couldn’t have been worse timing finding out I lost you. 

In Kelowna, alone, on one of the biggest days of daddy’s career. What a ride that was. 

And just like that you were nothing but a memory, a piece of my broken heart and a “what could have been.”

It’s been months since that day. Today was your due date. It’s crazy to me that you would have been born any day now (likely later since both boys were) and our family would have been complete. 

Like I said I left it up to fate whether you would be my third baby and I guess the universe had other plans for you. 

I think about you everyday. Who you would have looked like? If you would have had hair like your brothers? Blue eyes like the boys or green like mine? Was I right in thinking you were my baby girl? My little Virgo princess. They say your children inherit your zodiac signs and my Virgo moon can attest. 

I see you on a dreary day. I see you in the Mountains. Really I see you anywhere beautiful, untouched and in nature. I see you in Monarch butterflies. Something that is becoming rarer to see these days. But every time I see one I always think of it as a sign from you and you telling me you’re where you are meant to be.

Some days have been a lot easier than others but I can for certain say that this has been one of the hardest years of my life. Also one of the best years in a lot of ways, but the vulnerability, anxiety and hormonal roller coaster I have been on is way out of my normal realm. You truly flipped my world upside down and changed things for me. 

You also lit a fire inside me. You made me strong enough to pursue my dreams and passions. Things I’d always wanted to do but put off forever, I now felt I could do because of you. I started writing again, I started my own business. All inspired by you. Losing you, my baby, gave me the courage to start my creative baby and in a way it’s been the most amazing and beautiful thing. Despite the hardships it’s been the most personal growth I have gone through in a long time. 

I know how to put my foot down now, whereas before I would have let people walk all over me. I know how to protect my space and keep toxic relationships at a distance. It doesn’t mean I love these people any less, but I know what is right for myself and my own personal mind/body/spirit. 

It is all because of you. 

You made so many things possible for me that I had only dreamed of doing. And I thank you so much for all the lessons you taught me. 

Today we celebrate you. Who you would have been, the person you would have blossomed into. Despite you not making it earth-side your spirit will carry on and continue to guide me. 

One day I hope to have a daughter and I hope you will watch over both of us. I will feel less fear knowing that your sacrifice was enough to allow me time to be ready for a third. 

Although I am not healed from this experience, and I don’t know if I ever fully will be, I am grateful for it. And we love you so much. I’ll see you on the other side of the stars baby. 

Love, 

Mommy

Full "Sturgeon" Moon in Aquarius Ritual

There is a full moon in Aquarius coming up on August 15th at 7:31am CST, which is Thursday coming up next week. The energy is heavy and electric with 4 planets also currently retrograde including the most recent, Uranus which rules Aquarius. This is an amazing time to do a full Moon ritual. Full Moons are a time where emotions and sensitivities are already heightened, it is a good time to ground yourself and release some of the negative emotions you may be feeling and toxic ties you may be attached to. There are some really ancient rituals that have been done for 1000s of years. A lot of different astrologers and healers use these types of things to help people with the difficulties of life. You can do a ritual for all kinds of different things but some popular times to commit to doing a ritual is during new Moons, full Moons and during the equinoxes and solstices. If you really enjoy doing them then you can start to do a ritual for other things you need in life. It can be very therapeutic. The power of manifestation is a crazy thing and that’s why these rituals are important.

The full Moon will be in the air element of Aquarius. Full “Sturgeon” Moon, known as sturgeon Moon because this is the time of year when sturgeon are more easily caught. Aquarius is ruled by Uranus the planet of freedom, revolution, chaos, unique expression and change. They are typically unconventional souls. I always think of Aquarius as my little weirdo alien friends. Analytical, original, humanitarian and very independent. They are a fixed sign however and because of this are prone to stubbornness but also incredibly loyal to those they love. Despite their loyalty to the ones they love they can come across as cold and aloof. Emotionally detached, they are not ones to express themselves very well in matters of the heart. Use this full Moon to celebrate your eccentricities, challenging the status quo, thinking outside the box, starting a revolution, owning your genius and sharp mind and innovative action. Letting go and cutting toxic ties are always the number one theme on full Moons. Truths and lights will be illuminated as well.

Whereas we perform new Moon rituals to set wishes and intentions for the month ahead of you, the reason we do a full Moon ritual is to let go of things that no longer serve you. This could be attitudes, emotions, personal relationships, bad habits, illnesses. Anything you can think of that is negatively impacting your life. Things that have been hidden can also be revealed. Revelations and people being exposed. You can count on it for a full Moon. I like to burn my full Moon ritual intentions. It can be very symbolic and healing. You can also interpret the way your paper burns, so if your intentions light up instantly and burn the paper completely you have truly let go or maybe the fire fades quickly and only burns off a corner, what do you think that is telling you? Focus on the flames and how the paper looks at the end of it burning.

You have 3 days before the new moon to perform this ritual or 3 days after.

1) Gather any and all supplies that you will need for the ritual. Incense such as You can use sage to smudge beforehand, I will be using White Sage for this full Moon. You will need some crystals (amber, amethyst, amazonite, angelite, aquamarine, hematite and moonstone), a pen, a journal to write, a bowl to smudge in or burn intentions, a bowl of water and a white or black candle.

2) Create yourself a special alter space for all the items that you have gathered. It doesn’t matter where your alter space is, it can be any table in the house or on the floor, wherever you feel most comfortable. Decorate with items such as crystals, plants, candles, things you find outside in nature like leaves or feathers, decorative table runners, anything you can really think of that seems appropriate. For the Aquarius full Moon I will be using lots of amethyst, my creepy doll head candle holder, Oogie Boogey Man and my Moon succulent planter that I recently purchased. I really wish I could use something alien or extraterrestrial like but unfortunately I do not have anything like that. So I used Oogie Boogey Man instead, bonus points to you if you can guess where he is from (leave me. comment and let me know). I also really wanted to use my own personal smudging bundles but they aren’t quite ready yet so next month.

3) Start by smudging your alter space and say a little prayer. It can be along the lines of “I respect mother Moon and all she does for us. I plan to release that which no longer serves me. I do this to heal myself from past traumas and to fully let go and move forward.“ Write down your traumas and the things that we wish to let go of focus on them, meditate on them. What do you wish for your life? Can you actually picture these things happening to and for you in your life? Letting go WILL NOT work if you truly don’t believe it. It’s important to be clear on what you want. You can doodle and make your intentions “pretty” or it can be as simple as writing a list. This is a good time to set intentions for letting go of limiting thoughts and beliefs, letting go of what isn’t working for you and reevaluating a new plan. Even if your ideas are eccentric and out there don’t be afraid to be unapologetically you. Think outside the box and look for radical solutions to the problems you are facing. This can also be a time to let go of toxic people and attachments in your life, or negative mindsets in general not just to do with Aquarius. If you are going through a rough time now would be the best time for you to perform a full Moon ritual.

4) Light your candle and put your crystals in the bowl of water. You want to charge the water and cleanse yourself after burning your intentions. Hold your intentions over the other bowl and using the candle light them on fire. Like I have already said you will want to analyze how they burn, even take a picture or video to look back on later.

5) At this time you can take some time for yourself however you wish, write down your interpretations of the flame burning, further meditation, possibly a tarot reading if you do that, you can even enjoy a glass of wine. Tell the Moon you love her, clean up your space and now is a good time to put your crystals in a window sill to charge under the light of the full moon. You have just completed your full Moon ritual. Now can be a good time to take a detox bath. Use bath salts, flowers, crystals and maybe even a charcoal mud mask to help detoxify and destress.

I hope you guys enjoy doing this ritual and can find some peace or healing that you may be needing in life. I also hope you can take some time to appreciate all that is good in your life. Just like the oceans’ tides that ebb and flow as does the moon wax and wane and although emotions can be heightened during the full moon you will soon feel back to your normal self and ready to tackle a whole new month/moon cycle. On the 15th I will put out my Full Sturgeon Moon in Aquarius blog post. There is also a new Moon in Virgo on the 30th of August so stay tuned for my blog post on what to expect and how to perform a new Moon ritual. Also stay tuned for a blog post on how to protect your space and your heart from energy vampires. This is knowledge I feel everyone can use.

Jupiter Retrograde Over, Uranus Retrograde Start

Hey all. I am sorry for my lack of writing. I love to write and have tons of ideas but I also have recently started an at home business that kinda goes hand in hand with my blog and find I have less time for writing now. Especially as some of my work requires me to type up documents that can be quite lengthy and take up a lot of my time. On top of that I am not going to lie, this summer has been incredibly heavy for me. I am so happy and fulfilled in a lot of ways but there has been some personal things that I have been going through that have been really hard for me. The biggest one being the baby that I lost in February. We are quickly approaching what would have been my due date, August 25th. There is a lot I have not personally dealt with and I feel a sense of anxiety the closer we get that date. I think about that little baby every day and I don’t know if it is something I will ever truly get over. But I do believe it has contributed to some of my vulnerability and anxiety. I will write about it again one day soon, maybe as a form of therapy, or maybe as a tribute to that baby but either way stay tuned for an update soon.

Back to what this original post was intended for, yet again we have another planet about to be retrograde. Luckily Jupiter and Mercury have gone direct so the intensity that has been this summer because of 5 retrograde planets will be lessened slightly. Jupiter actually has gone direct today meanwhile Uranus is now retrograde all in the same day. Refer back to my Jupiter retrograde post back 4 months and see if there is anything you can relate towards, or if there is anything you learned. Uranus however, the planet of revolutionary enlightenment, the planet that is associated with change, revolution freedom and inventive power. The planet that helps us grow and develop into the people we are supposed to be. When this planet goes retrograde it can really shake things up for us, on a personal level and on a global level as well. Think changed beliefs, reassessing our personal values, independence and truths. A personal and inner revolution. Uranus is currently in the earth sign of Taurus. This sign is in its detriment in Uranus. Taurus does not like change and is slow moving. The unexpected changes that are associated wth Uranus do not sit well with fixed and stubborn Taurus. These two conflicting energies will clash no doubt, but also causing us to restructure existing commitments. Retrogrades as always are a period of resetting, reflection, reassessing, personal growth and as always confusion associated with that planet. Because this retrograde is Uranus in Taurus we will certainly be reassessing matters of finance and security/relationship (Taurus) and expect disruptions, upheavals, a need for freedom and enlightenment. Look to where Taurus is in your chart for further information on what to expect. Not only those with Taurus placements but those with planets in fixed signs will be most affected by this retrograde period, Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. I would definitely anticipate the removal of toxic relationships, this can even include something as serious as a break up or divorce. But also some good may come from it like creating a budget that works for you and thus bringing more income and money flow to you. or the realization that you no longer need to hold on to toxic attachments thus removing people who no longer serve a purpose in your life. Uranus, the 7th planet of the sun, will not hit as intensely as say a Mercury or Jupiter retrograde which are both closer to Earth and faster moving planets. The effects will be more subtle but still be mindful of this period of time. Uranus will go direct on January 10th, 2020, five months later and an entirely new decade. As always do not fear retrograde periods rather use them to your advantage and really thoroughly think about what it is you actually want during this period of time. You have the time to think it through.

Take care of yourself friends and I promise to write more in the next few weeks. Thanks for all he continuous love and support as I have hit over 1800 views on this blog. Which makes me happy that despite not writing for 2 weeks I still have people coming and viewing what I have written in the past. I love to share some of the wisdom I have gained over the years with things that I am incredibly passionate about and also little tidbits of our lives. Thanks for continuing to read and support. Love always and remember for this retrograde period to set yourself free.

New Moon in Leo Ritual

There are some really ancient rituals that have been done for 1000s of years. A lot of different astrologers and healers use these types of things to help people with the difficulties of life. You can do a ritual for all kinds of different things but some popular times to commit to doing a ritual is during new moons, full moons and during the equinoxes and solstices. If you really enjoy doing them then you can start to do a ritual for other things you need in life. It can be very therapeutic. The power of manifestation is a crazy thing and that’s why these rituals are important.

The new Moon moves into Leo on July 31st at 10:12pm. We have what is referred to as a New Black Moon which basically is the second new Moon of this month, and is something a bit more rare than your typical new Moon which we usually get once a month. It is also the culmination of both Mercury Retrograde and eclipse season which has deeply been affecting those of y’all with Cardinal signs (Cancer, Libra, Capricorn, Aries). Things may have seemed heavy for awhile now but from this point on we should be moving forward and feeling a sense of relief and renewal. We set intentions for the month on the new Moon to be clear and concise about what we like to achieve. The new Moon in Leo asks us to focus on self care, ourselves, our creativity, our wants and desires, self confidence and the pleasures in life that make YOU truly happy. Not anyone else but yourself. The focus should always be on yourself during Leo season. There is also a somewhat childlike quality to Leos and this is also a really good time to get in touch with your inner child and do something fun. Leos are the fire, fixed sign of the zodiac. They are outgoing, courageous, confident, playful, creative, passionate, cheerful and just overall positive. They make incredibly loyal friends and partners. Step out of your comfort zone, do something that will benefit you and overall have fun! July has been one helluva ride, especially for those of y’all with Cardinal signs. The next month ahead is going to be soooo much better I promise. Life can be very hard at times, and astrology, though it might not be able to take away the pain you go through, at least it can give you a heads up. Being better prepared can help with how you react to your pain. It was a tough month for me, even knowing how tough it was going to be. But this new Moon is exactly what I, and I think a lot of people, need. August is going to be great.

You have 3 days before and 3 days after the new Moon to perform this ritual. I am really happy to have some back to normal energy for awhile because I didn't really do any manifesting last month considering all the craziness of the eclipses. It is good to get back into my magickal work.

Handbook for the Recently Deceased - Amazon
Mystic Mondays Tarot Deck - Mosaic Books Kelowna, BC
Oracle Deck - Distant Caravans in the Forks Market
Crystals used: Citrine, carnelian, amethyst, black onyx, moonstone, optical calcite, hemamtite and selenite
Abalone shell - The Forks
Ceramic bowl for burning sage and paper made by my mother
Cedar Stone Heart Healing Space body mist - Marshall’s
White pillar candle - IKEA
Sage - Both from the Forks and a metaphysical store that is no longer open
Basil flowers, Salvia flowers and tomato leaves from my garden outside

1) Gather any and all supplies that you will need for the ritual. You can use sage to smudge beforehand, crystals you will need (amethyst, carnelian, citrine, howlite, labradorite and onyx), a journal to write, a bowl to smudge in or burn intentions, and a candle. I will be using the plants from my garden to sage this time just because it seems like a good fit for the last of the summer. I would recommend using a yellow or orange candle because yellow and orange are associated with Leo. If not a white candle will work.

2) Create yourself a special alter space for all the items that you have gathered. It doesn’t matter where your alter space is, it can be any table in the house or on the floor, wherever you feel most comfortable. Decorate with items such as crystals, plants, candles, things you find outside in nature like leaves or feathers, decorative table runners, anything you can really think of that seems appropriate. I will be using plants from my garden as this seems very appropriate for the time of year. I will also be using heart clearing mist because I really am needing it bad.

3) Start by smudging your alter space and say a little prayer. It can be along the lines of “I respect mother moon and all she does for us. I take this time to set honest intentions. I manifest all that is good and bright and light. I have the power to change my future. I will let go all that no longer serves me. I am totally and completely alined spiritually. I am in tune with my higher powers. “ Write down your intentions or wishes. focus on them, meditate on them. What do you wish for your life? Can you actually picture these things happening to and for you in your life? The manifestation WILL NOT work if you truly don’t believe it. It’s important to be clear on what you want. You can doodle and make your intentions “pretty” or you can just be as simple as writing a list. Some new Moon in Leo intensions would be: I will focus on my wants, desires and needs, I will focus on self care, my creative endeavours will flourish, I will strengthen myself mentally, physically and spiritually, I will take time to get in touch with my inner child and do something fun, I will find something playful and humorous in the mundane day-to-day. Use the word WILL, over and over, reiterate it. As I said before it won’t work unless you truly believe. There are of course the typical ones for manifestation as well; make lots of money, lose weight, be a better person, better mother, better friend, etc. You can manifest whatever your heart desires truly.

4) Light your candle. For this ritual I definitely recommend using fire as Leo is a very fiery sign. You will write your intentions down into your journal. You will start off by writing down the goals and desires you have for this new month ahead of you. You will ask for the guidance in doing this. Don’t let fear or ego hold you back any longer. Next you will write about your wishes for the next month. What do you desire above all else. This is the perfect month to focus on yourself and your true desires. Now is the time to be realistic and focus on the things you truly need to accomplish in order for your dreams to manifest entirely. You will light the paper on fire and watch how the fire burns your intentions. Maybe it burns fast or maybe it fizzles out fast or maybe it burns slow and smouldering. This seals your desires and puts them out into the universe.

5) At this time you can take some time for yourself however you wish, further meditation, possibly a tarot reading if you are into that, you can even enjoy a glass of wine. Tell the moon you love her, clean up your space and take the crystals to bed with you. You have just completed your new Moon ritual.

I hope you guys enjoy doing this ritual and can find some peace or healing that you may be needing in life. I also hope that you manifest your deepest desires and this Moon month goes exactly how you wish it to. Now is the time for action and to put forth effort into achieving your goals. Use this positive energy towards achieving so much more than you even think is possible. It was a really tough month for a lot of us but August is brand new and we have a whole opportunity to go forward and start fresh. Happy new Moon! The Full Moon will be August 15th in Aquarius and I will be posting an astrology update later on today as well talking about the end of Mercury Retrograde and eclipse season. Stay tuned for all!

The Signs, the Elements, the Modalities

I’ve been really inspired recently especially over astrology. There has been a lot going on in my life personally and I am not going to lie my mental health has been suffering slightly. For the first time in my life I seem to be getting these bouts of anxiety in which I have never really had them before. I am attributing it halfway to being much more aware of what is happening in the stars. The other half I attribute to being much more aware of my own self. That is beside the point but it inspired me to write this blog post. I talk a lot about astrology, full Moons, new Moons, eclipses, retrogrades. It’s all a lot of information and I know that I have many readers now (over 1500!) and I am sure some of what I say makes sense but a lot is quite confusing. Especially if you are not at all familiar with the terms I use. In this blog post I am going to do a brief overview of each sign, the elements they are grouped into and their modalities. So here goes.

To start off I want to talk about the signs. I will write down all 12 signs and then 3 adjectives to decribe:

Aries: energetic, optimistic, independent

Taurus: grounded, sensual, loyal

Gemini: expressive, adaptable, social butterfly

Cancer: sensitive, nurturing, mother of the zodiac

Leo: positive, proud, confident

Virgo: health conscious, organized, detail oriented

Libra: fair, harmonious, people pleaser

Scorpio: dark, mysterious, cunning

Sagittarius: adventurous, philosophical, charismatic

Capricorn: hard working, ambitious, money oriented, father of the zodiac

Aquarius: free spirited, intellectual, original/unique

Pisces: intuitive, compassionate, empathetic, psychic of the zodiac

Next I want to talk about the elements. There are four elements when it comes to the zodiac: earth, air, fire, water. This is very basic astrology and everyone should at the very least know this fact above all. All 12 signs are divided into these elements. Fire signs: Aries, Leo and Sagittarius. Earth signs: Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn. Air signs: Gemini, Libra and Aquarius. Water signs: Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces. I find the popular mix ups amongst the signs and element are that Aquarius is a water sign because it is referred to as the “water bearer” and Scorpio is a fire sign. Each of these signs has qualities that are associated with the elements. Fire signs are passionate, action oriented, quick tempered and generally positive. Earth signs are grounded, stable, loyal, dependable and chill. Air signs are intelligent, social, quick witted, somewhat emotionally detached and somewhat aloof. Water signs are highly emotional, sensitive, intuitive, creative, compassionate and nurturing, Not to say that an earth or fire sign can’t be sensitive and intuitive or a water and air sign can’t be grounded and dependable. It all depends on the full natal chart. And likely you have all if not most of the elements in your natal chart. Sometimes you will find you are lacking in some areas and these are the areas that you should work on in order to develop yourself as the best version of yourself you can be. For example, most of my natal chart is earth, air and fire. I am lacking water and despite being a very grounded and stable individual, I do have trouble expressing myself emotionally at times. It also, I think, is why I am so drawn to the water. I am making up for what I am lacking.

Now I want to talk about the modalities. This is something I often talk about and I am sure this one goes over people’s heads. As well as the signs being grouped into elements they are also grouped into modalities. There are three modalities: cardinal, fixed and mutable. This has nothing to do with the elements but rather groups similar characteristics of each sign together to form the modalities. Despite not being the same element they still have lots of similarities. Cardinal signs: Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn. Fixed signs: Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. Mutable signs: Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces. As you can see each modality has one of each of the elements amongst it. Each quality is linked to a particular point in the season. The cardinal signs initiate the season, fixed signs hold it steady and strong and the mutable signs finish things up, and prepare for the seasonal change ahead. Cardinal signs assert themselves and make really good leaders. They are really hard working, ambitious, insightful and self motivated. Fixed signs share the trait of being stubborn. Fixed through and through, it is hard for them to change when their mind have been set. Mutable signs are adaptable, flexible and very sympathetic. They can easily change and are not afraid of change.

That is basically the gist of this blog post. I wanted to do something simple that you would be able to understand. This is the best place to start if you want to learn astrology and understand your own personal natal chart. Do you see yourself in the descriptions that I described for the elements and modalities? What about your actual sign? Do you identify with it at all? Remember there are 10 planets in our galaxy and each of them was in a specific sign during your birth so this makes all the difference when identifying with your own personal horoscope. I will be making a post soon on natal charts. It is something that I personally have started to sell for people because I have gotten quite good at interpreting them with much practice. I do want to share some of my wisdom though if only to help and inspire someone else. Please comment your sign, element and modality and let me know how you identify with it.

Full "Buck" Moon Lunar Eclipse in Capricorn

Hey y’all, here we are again. I find each month goes by quicker and quicker as it leads to the full Moon. Maybe I am just so much more aware but I feel like I was just doing my new Moon ritual the other day. The summers are always so crazy energetically because every summer we usually deal with multiple planets retrograde, the eclipses and of course you add a full Moon into that mix and its an explosion of energy and emotions. Today at 4:39pm central, the Moon will reach peak fullness in 24˚ of Capricorn. Technically it is not exactly a full Moon however because of the impact of the lunar eclipse which severs the lunar cycle slightly. As I have come to learn, do NOT manifest during an eclipse. This will not affect your full Moon ritual because this is actually the optimum time to release negativity and toxic ties. Check out my other most recent blog post on how to perform a Full Moon Ritual for release. Capricorn is the Cardinal, Earth element sign of the zodiac. Ruled by Saturn which represents commitments and responsibilities. They are extremely hardworking, with focus on drive, money and of course responsibility and commitments. They are strong, steady and grounded. A bit pessimistic and melancholic at times. Can come off cold to others or emotionless at times but they are actually quite warm especially to those they are close to. This energy is a nice balance to all of the crazy and emotional Cancer and eclipse energy. The earthy energy will definitely help to ground things slightly despite the eclipse and retrograde planets. We may have a nice little 2-3 day break from the emotional overload we have been experiencing. But this isn’t to say to let your guard down completely because there is eclipse and retrograde energy coming at us from all angles. I will not sugarcoat it, there can be some really intense and difficult times during astrology. This is all a part of life and the process. Right now we are going through it. Especially for you dear Cardinal signs: Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn. Think intense anxiety, irritability, mood swings. Some of us are having extremely dark thoughts or fears that may be due to previous experiences. Intense anxiety. Do not latch onto the past because of how afraid you are of the present and especially the future. The anxiety is normal and it will pass. Practice grounding techniques, use crystals and essential oils for healing, and if need be accept you may need stronger and medical help if your anxiety is out of control. If you are not personally feeling this energy, that is amazing, again like I said it will likely be Cardinal signs. But you may find that your loved ones are going through it and in this case you must definitely be there for them. Eclipses always trigger circumstances that you otherwise wouldn’t expect until months down the road. Time becomes skewed and speeds and distorts our perception which is why coping during eclipses can be difficult. This will trigger you to let things go, which also goes hand in hand with full Moons as well. This doesn’t even necessarily mean people, but let go of your fears, anxieties and worries. Especially in Capricorn I find this is an amazing time to do this. Responsibility and commitment are at the forefront right now. Often times a lot of anxiety comes from these 2 things. My recommendations, especially if you are going through it, do a full Moon ritual for releasing negativity and toxic ties. Make sure to take care of your body, do some self care and of course remember to eat and drink lots of water. Take a cleansing bath or submerge yourself in some sort of water. The water will help to ground you. Practice other grounding techniques such as meditation, deep breathing, yoga, painting. Whatever it is that helps you feel sane in trying times. Lots of naps! Eclipses are either a very sleepy time or the opposite and you will be suffering from insomnia. Either way make sure to get enough rest. Remember that both full Moons and eclipses expose what we wish not to see. It exposes our fears, our neglect and nightmares. There are a couple rough transits currently happening as well which doesn’t make any of this any easier. Pluto and Venus Saturn conjunct which makes our trust in others lessened and hinders our ability to ask for help or support. Isolating ourselves can be very real, especially in difficult times when you need someone the most. Despite the hardships during this time your feelings are completely valid and you must feel through it and process it in order to grow. Growth happens when we deal with our pain. Check on your friends and loved ones, especially those with Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn placements. Even if you are not feeling it, chances are someone you know is and even just showing up for someone else can make all the difference. Practice grounding techniques, do a full Moon ritual and take care of yourself and others. This will pass and soon enough things will be back to the way they were. These 2 weeks in eclipse limbo have been a trip and this is the end of eclipse season for now. This too shall pass. And soon. Take it all in stride and do whatever you need to get through. And on another note I would also like to add that this lunar eclipse will not be visible unfortunately in Winnipeg. Mostly Europe and Asia. But it will still affect us. Take care you beautiful souls and please look after yourselves during these difficult times. Happy full Moon.

Full "Buck" Moon in Capricorn Ritual - July 16

There is a full moon in Capricorn coming up on July 16th at 4:39pm, which is Tuesday coming up next week. It is also coinciding with a partial Lunar eclipse. The energy is heavy and electric with 5 planets also currently retrograde. Buckle up because this one is going to be one crazy ride. This is an amazing time to do a full moon ritual. Full moons are already a time where emotions and sensitivities are already heightened, it is a good time to take to ground yourself and release some of the negative/toxic emotions you may be feeling. There are some really ancient rituals that have been done for 1000s of years. A lot of different astrologers and healers use these types of things to help people with the difficulties of life. You can do a ritual for all kinds of different things but some popular times to commit to doing a ritual is during new moons, full moons and during the equinoxes and solstices. If you really enjoy doing them then you can start to do a ritual for other things you need in life. It can be very therapeutic. The power of manifestation is a crazy thing and that’s why these rituals are important.

The full moon will be in the earth element of Capricorn. Full “Buck’ moon, known as buck moon because this is the time of the year when deer would start to grow their antlers. Capricorn is ruled by Saturn the planet of rules, commitments, structure and responsibilities. They are hardworking, grounded, stable and loyal. They can come off a bit cold, distant, melancholic and pessimistic at times. They are very concerned with their financial position but will work the hardest out of any of the zodiac to achieve their goals. Work horse of the zodiac, Capricorn is known as. The best way to channel this energy is to put it towards work and financial matters. If there is any sort of toxic work situation, or debt weighing down on you, now is the time to let that shit go. Do not let money worries drag you down no longer. It it a good time to fully embrace your dreams, see the truth of every matter at hand and absolutely always protect our hearts from negativity. Letting go and cutting toxic ties is always the number one theme on full Moons. Truths and lights will be illuminated as well.

Whereas we perform new moon rituals to set wishes and intentions for the month ahead of you, the reason we do a full Moon ritual is to let go of things that no longer serve you. This could be attitudes, emotions, personal relationships, bad habits, illnesses. Anything you can think of that is negatively impacting your life. Things that have been hidden can also be revealed. Revelations and people being exposed. You can count on it for a full moon. I like to burn my full moon ritual intentions. It can be very symbolic and healing. You can also interpret the way your paper burns, so if your intentions light up instantly and burn the paper completely you have truly let go or maybe the fire fades quickly and only burns off a corner, what do you think that is telling you? Focus on the flames. For the purposes of this full moon I will also be adding an element of water to include the Scorpio symbolism. Using my bowl of water while I chant to the moon.

You have 3 days before the new moon to perform this ritual or 3 days after.

1) Gather any and all supplies that you will need for the ritual. Incense such as You can use sage to smudge beforehand, I will be using Palo Santos as I was recently gifted some and it seems very fitting. You will need some crystals (black tourmaline, amethyst, fluorite, garnet, onyx, malachite or tigers eye), a pen, a journal to write, a bowl to smudge in or burn intentions, a bowl of water and a white or black candle.

2) Create yourself a special alter space for all the items that you have gathered. It doesn’t matter where your alter space is, it can be any table in the house or on the floor, wherever you feel most comfortable. Decorate with items such as crystals, plants, candles, things you find outside in nature like leaves or feathers, decorative table runners, anything you can really think of that seems appropriate. For the Capricorn Buck Moon I will personally be adding some greenery from West Hawk Lake, and also some Canadian Shield slates that are located all around the property. I will likely use a couple other things that I can gather from outside, and I will be doing it at the cabin which I think is appropriate for this time of year.

3) Start by smudging your alter space and say a little prayer. It can be along the lines of “I respect mother moon and all she does for us. I plan to release that which no longer serves me. I do this to heal myself from past traumas and to fully let go and move forward.“ Write down your past traumas and the things that we wish to let go of focus on them, meditate on them. What do you wish for your life? Can you actually picture these things happening to and for you in your life? Letting go WILL NOT work if you truly don’t believe it. It’s important to be clear on what you want. You can doodle and make your intentions “pretty” or it can be as simple as writing a list. This is a good time to set intentions for letting go of any money or career issues that are currently happening in your life. Take control of your financial situation. Let go of any debt that is weighing you down

4) Light your candle and put your crystals in the bowl of water. You want to charge the water and cleanse yourself after burning your intentions. Hold your intentions over the other bowl and using the candle light them on fire. Like I have already said you will want to analyze how they burn, even take a picture or video to look back on later.

5) At this time you can take some time for yourself however you wish, write down your interpretations of the flame burning, further meditation, possibly a tarot reading if you do that, you can even enjoy a glass of wine. Tell the moon you love her, clean up your space and now is a good time to put your crystals in a window sill to charge under the light of the full moon. You have just completed your full moon ritual. Now can be a good time to take a detox bath. Use bath salts, flowers, crystals and maybe even a charcoal mud mask to help detoxify and destress.

I hope you guys enjoy doing this ritual and can find some peace or healing that you may be needing in life. I also hope you can take some time to appreciate all that is good in your life. Just like the oceans’ tides that ebb and flow as does the moon wax and wane and although emotions can be heightened during the full moon you will soon feel back to your normal self and ready to tackle a whole new month/moon cycle. On the 16th I will put out my Full Buck Moon in Capricorn blog post. This will also be coinciding with the eclipse, affecting those with cardinal signs the most, Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn. There is also a new moon in Leo on the 31st of July so stay tuned for my blog post on what to expect and how to perform a New Moon ritual.

Horror Women Fridays - Winona Ryder

I have been wanting to do a blog post on Winona Ryder ever since I started doing my little Horror Women Friday series. She is not really so much a jump scare horror actress, more so fantasy and sci fi but I do still consider her lumped into this category. It’s been a while since I have done one of these, of course life gets in the way but also I have been saving and compiling for this one. It seems fitting with the new season of Stranger Things out and how quickly I binged that lol. This one is really important to me because she is legitimately my favourite actress. I know I have said that with each of these posts but I truly adore her so much and so many of the movies she has starred in are my top favourite movies. Her story is very interesting considering how Hollywood iced her out for so many years before she made her comeback not too long ago in Stranger Things. She also is absolutely beautiful. Not the typical LA beauty, in fact she is opposite of the blonde bombshell with her pale skin, short pixie raven hair, big dark eyes, under circles and grunge/alternative style. She is always perfect for those weirder, darker and sometimes crazier roles.

She was a household name in the 90s. Child actress who blossomed before us on screen. Literally in some of the best movies ever made (at least in my opinion). But they were the 90s alternative angel couple. Think Jennifer Anniston and Brad Pitt but darker and in my opinion cooler. She got her start in a movie called Lucas (1986). I have never actually seen or heard of this movie interestingly enough, I am sure it is good if she is in it and I will potentially check it out if I have time. Her second movie is probably where I fell in love with her all those years ago. She was the main star of Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice (1988), arguably one of my most favourite movies. Or at the very least top 20 (I have many favourites). Beetlejuice she stars as the goth daughter, Lydia Deetz, to the new owners of a haunted home, she quickly makes friends with the ghosts who live in the house, because of being open to spirits. She has the most infamous line “I myself am strange and unusual” this is probably every spooky ghoul’s favourite line in a movie ever. In the same year as Beetljuice she also starred in the cult classic Heathers alongside Christian Slater. It is such an amazing movie, if you haven’t watched it I thoroughly recommend. Shortly after both of those movies, she starred in the movie Mermaids (1990) alongside Cher and Christina Ricci who are both also favourites of mine. Cher is just the most iconic. And Christina Ricci is in her own way as well. I have talked about Mermaids before with Christina Ricci’s blog post but Winona’s character is sooooo funny, ultra religious but a horny and hormonal teenager, the thoughts she has are very conflicting. It is not a horror movie at all but I think of it definitely as a Halloween movie and a cult classic. After Mermaids was Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands also in 1990. As you can see there is reoccurring role that she typically picks, but he nails it every time. She starred alongside Johnny Depp in which she plays his love interest. Incidentally they fell for each other while filming and shortly became engaged. They were the 90s beautifully alternative, dark, grunge prince and princess. Celeb royalty for sure. She lost her virginity to him and is very candid about how he Wass her first everything, she was quite young at the time, only 18 years old while him, 27. He infamously got a tattoo “Winona Forever” which he then had changed to “Wino Forever” after their breakup, and somewhat prophesying his own future. Ultimately they did not get married and eventually broke up, but both of them still speak fondly of one another. Of course we all know of Johnny Depp’s somewhat decline, I am still a fan but also weary of him because of all the horrible stories circulating about him and Amber Heard. It’s hard which story to believe and thus has somewhat left a sour taste in my mouth when it comes to him. I do still have a soft spot in my heart for him though.

After their breakup she starred in a bunch of really amazing and popular movies in the 90s.Francis Ford Coppola’s, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, an absolute masterpiece of a movie. She plays the beautiful but quiet and shy Mina Stark. An absolute legend of a role and she killed it, I think at least personally. If you have not seen this movie I strongly urge you to watch it and luckily it is currently on Netflix. She then went on to star in The Age of Innocence, Little Women, Reality Bites, How to Make an American Quilt, Alien Resurrection and then Girl, Interrupted. Of these films I have seen Little Women, Reality Bites, Alien Resurrection and Girl, Interrupted. Alien Resurrection is amazing, she is like a Ripley 2.0 and seeing her and Sigourney Weaver act alongside one another is awesome, also I just love the whole Alien franchise deeply. Reality Bites is for sure a cult classic, it’s good I have seen it a few times, not a favourite of mine. though. Girl, Interrupted is another favourite of mine. Her and Angelina Jolie are a powerhouse together. This is really horrible of me to say but when I was younger this movie made me want to go into a hospital and meet my potential new bff. Horrible, I know. Somewhat glorifies mental illness, especially to someone young, but the story is really beautiful. She was nominated for Academy Awards for both of her portrayals in Age of Innocence and Little Women. This boosted her notoriety even further and she was on top career wise in the 90s. After ending her engagement to Johnny Depp she dated a slew of men, including Matt Damon.

In the 2000s is where things took a turn for her. She starred in the melodrama Autumn in New York, alongside Richard Gere. This movie is okay. It’s a chick flick, which we all know is not really my thing but it s sad and does pull at the heartstrings. She was in the amazing comedy alongside Adam Sandler, Mr. Deeds. She is blonde in this movie which is a really interesting look for her. I much prefer her dark, raven hair though. Really funny and an instant classic especially if you like Adam Sandler movies. Shortly after this movie was filmed she was arrested for shoplifting. This was the turning point for her. The media labelled her crazy, unstable. I remember hearing stories that she was a total kleptomaniac and despite her wealth and status she loved to steal because she loved the thrill of it. There were also rumours about her sobriety. She was a drunk, she was on pills. It was really sad around this time because she wasn’t acting and Hollywood and the media was not kind to her. I missed her during this time and wished often for a new Winona Ryder film, the splendour of her past roles. She did star in some indie films during these years, butt mostly obscure films and they were not as frequent as her previous roles.

I would say in the late 2010s to now is when she has really found her place back in acting and has made a complete comeback. The things with Hollywood is they love to tear someone down and ice them out, but they love even more if they can redeem themselves and make a good comeback. in 2013 she was reunited with Tim Burton and voiced Elsa Van Helsing in the Disney movie Frankenweenie. This movie is so highly underrated I doubt most people have even seen it. It is Jaxson’s favourite movie currently, and we watch it almost daily lol. But I love it also so I am okay with that. The Movie is a black and white animated film about Victor Frankenstein bringing back his dog Sparky back to life when he gets hit by a car. Super cute and well done. Quite possibly my favourite of his animated movies. In 2016 Winona Ryder got an amazing gig when she landed the role of Joyce Byer in Netflix’s Stranger Things. In the first season you are introduced to here, and she certainly plays that crazy lady very well, but after having her son sucked into an alternate dimension and learning to communicate with Christmas light bulbs I don’t blame her. She plays the role very well and each season she improves and becomes stronger. I love seeing her character develop. I have such a strong love for this show, it is everything I ever wanted in a tv show. Suspense, horror, fantasy, sci fi, amazing acting, amazing graphics. I have nothing but good things to say about Stranger Things. I just finished season 3 a couple days ago and was sobbing uncontrollably at the end of the final episode. Definitely watch Stranger Things if you haven’t , or at least catch up on the third season if you are not caught up yet.

You can tell she just has a quirky an fun personality. She definitely has aged over the years but I think she has aged gracefully and tastefully and she is still just as beautiful. Her style is the epitome of cool. I love and admire her so much. There are several movies that she did star in from the 2000s to now that I did not mention. I have not seen a lot of her work during this time, I think not all of it was very good. But Stranger Things and Frankenweenie 10/10 recommend. I look forward to hopefully seeing her act in more of her style films in the future. And definitely more seasons of Stranger Things. There is this iconic gif that now exists from her, I think it was at the Teen Choice Awards and they were accepting an award on stage, her and the entire cast. The puzzled facial expressions she makes while on stage is absolutely hilarious and basically sums up her personality I feel like. That’s just who she is. I hope I have inspired someone to watch a Winona Ryder film, I promise you will not regret it. Winona Foreverr!

Visit to a Ghost Town, Ste. Elizabeth, Manitoba

Jesse and I have been talking about going to a ghost town for years now. We have been doing research into many different spots that we want to travel to, some are further away, which is basically why we haven’t made the trek yet but this is something we have had in the works forever. it’s hard to find information on Manitoba ghost towns. There is a website that does have a good deal of info but if you don’t know where to start or to look then you can for sure become lost in your ghostly pursuits. Which is why I wanted to write a blog post on our little adventures so there would be information out there on the world wide internet. For all you other ghost town seekers this one is for you.

The town we have really wanted to visit for some time now is called Snowflake, Manitoba but it’s about 3 hour drive which isn’t terribly far but the timing has never been perfect so for now it is still on our to do list. Ste. Elizabeth was recommended to us by one of Jesse’s coworkers. She grew up in Morris, MB which is where this little town was near by. We also chose it because of it’s close proximity to both Winnipeg and St. Malo Beach. It was only an hour away and then 25 minutes away from St. Malo. We made a day of the whole thing, visited the ghost town and then went to the beach. Ste. Elizabeth is a little French town that included French settlers and eventually Mennonite and Russian immigrant folk as well. The town started in 1898 and the church was founded in 1901. Many French familiar names that you will see or hear of today: Marion, Ayotte, Desaulniers, Collettes, Labossiere and Fontaine among them. I am sure everyone knows at least someone with this last name. At one point the little town had the church, houses, a barbershop, bank, general store and a town hall. I have done a bit of research on the town but there is not too much information out there aside from about the church and parish. I read a long historical blog post on Ste.Elizabeth but it didn't really offer much insight into what happened to the town and why it became abandoned. My guess or assume is something to do with the highways growing and changing or the train stopped going through. Something to do with the roads out there becoming less important and other communities developing faster and bigger. This is usually the reason for abandoned towns anyway. If I ever find out or if anyone knows what happened to Ste. Elizabeth leave me a comment!

We were able to visit 4 abandoned buildings while we were there. The abandoned church, which also had a really old cemetery attached to it. There were three abandoned houses facing the church, across the street. As we were leaving we did notice a whole section of further abandoned buildings that we never even got to explore.

The church was in immaculate shape. It had handmade poster signs all over the walls that had pictures of parties/gatherings/church bbqs. It started from the year 2001 on the left hand side and made they’re way all the way around to the right hand side to the year 2017. I imagine that’s when the church was officially abandoned. At first you couldn’t really tell it was abandoned because everything was intact and mostly clean, the outside was still in perfect condition, but after further exploring we did indeed discover that it was abandoned. There were animals that visibly had been living there, a bird was flying around while we were exploring. Jesse went up to the attic and a very large bird swooped close to his head, my guess was an owl. There was a trap laid out for some sort of rodent sized creature and there was an actual piece of fried chicken inside of it. I almost wondered how old that piece of chicken was. The confession booths were old and unkempt. The pews were extremely dusty after further inspection. There was a room with all of the towns history. It contained newspaper articles and other pieces of historical facts about the town. One of the articles was dated May 13th, 1901 which I thought was odd because that is my birthday. The guest book at the entrance of the church is the only way you could really tell that people still visit that church as there had been recent signatures and dated for sure only a few weeks prior to our visit. The cemetery attached to the church was old, some gravers dating back to the late 1890s. All very French names. We all know I have an affinity for cemeteries and this one was tiny, rustic and felt very comforting.

We visited the three houses after the church. There was a large and unwelcoming no trespassing sign on several of the trees, but there didn’t seem to be anyone around so we ignored them. They basically got more and more decrepit as we visited each house. The first one was a two story with a porch in the front It was pretty easy to get inside and there was even a broken open basement window if you wanted to crouch down in the long grass, risk tick bites and then probably come face to face with some unlikely creatures in the basement, I did not however so we did not explore the basement. All houses were covered in graffiti and it was very apparent when you walked into the first. I googled “support 81” which was graffiti’d in numerous places and I came to learn that this is Hells Angels so that was definitely creepy. You could tell people go there to party, empty beer cans and liquor bottles, and all the graffiti as well. You could go up the stairs but neither of us wanted to really risk walking around upstairs. The second house I feel like I had more personal homey touches. You could tell 2 bedrooms had been children’s bedrooms, you could very visibly tell it was a bathroom. This one was also fairly easy to navigate but three were large holes in the ground and you needed to be careful where you stepped. Grafitti in this house was daunting, “I killed them all” with can arrow pointing to a very destroyed old bedroom and more “Support 81.” The third house was the creepiest of them all. Grafitti’d on the front was “Death Count; Visitor Count:” You had to navigate yourself on a wooden 2x4 across to the door because the porch was broken. It was a little like walking a tight rope. The house was falling apart, you really had to be careful where you stepped because large chunks of the floor was missing. This house had an upstairs that I do believe is still very much used. Tons of beautiful and creepy grafitti could be found throughout this house, “stay in drugs, eat your school, don’t do vegetables” the third eye with ‘trust no1”, “blood”, “our wild hearts”, “you will regret it” and “ghost alert,” The energy in these houses was kinda off. The cemetery had good vibes, the church and houses gave off weird and unwelcoming energy to me. Despite the nice day and sunny atmosphere. I feel like if you explored at night it would be immensely creepy.

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We were there for about 2.5 hours. We got there explored the church and cemetery, went and had a little picnic on the dirt road in his truck and had a couple drinks, explored the houses and by the time we had finished that it had been close to 3 hours and we were off to our next destination. Had we known there was more to explore we might have stayed but I will say the one thing that kinda sucks about exploring this area is it has very long and I am sure. tick infested grass. I would definitely suggest wearing pants if you can, even if it’s hot. We went to St. Malo provincial park afterwards and went to the beach. I dove right into the water and swam a good 1000 meters in the lake, then we laid in the sun for a bit and went home. By the time we actually got home it was still early enough and we were able to go out and do more exploring around the city and neighbourhood. It was honestly the most perfect time spent together and I encourage everyone, especially childless, to get out and adventure as often as possible with their favourite adventurin’ partner.

I recommended this spot to a good friend of mine because I know she is just as into this stuff as I am. Her and her sister were able to visit and she got also got some really amazing pictures. She actually told me this super creepy story about how when they entered the second house there was a group of birds. Three in the shape of a triangle, with the 2 on the bottom lying still, and the one on the top staring at them. There was also a bird in a nest just staring at them. Super creepy and cult like. #justwitchythings right lol?? Anyway the story disturbed me and she talked to me about how much it disturbed her so I can only imagine in real life.

I definitely would go back again, I think a trip in the fall would also be sooooo cool. When it’s all moody weather, cooler outside and everything just seems a little creepier. Anyway I hope this inspires some of you to get out and do something a littler bit different. You gotta add some spice to your life to keep things interesting and this would be a perfect way to do that.

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Mercury Retrograde in Leo, July 7th, 2019

Well, it is here, another Mercury Retrograde is upon us! Last one was in March and seemed to last forever at the time. You might be feeling the energy already. Mercury the planet of communication, technology and travel. Mercury goes retrograde on July 7th until July 31st. What is a retrograde? When a planet is retrograde it means it’s orbit is spinning backwards and spinning slower than usual. Mercury is fast paced and not used to this energy at all and prone to going haywire. Mercury will be movie from Leo back to Cancer (this move just occurred) and then back to Leo again by the end of it. This is going to bring us drama, emotions and more drama. Expect some sort of spectacle in your life. Also expect confusions, miscommunications, travel delays, technological breakdowns, and hold off on major purchases, decisions and contracts. People from your past may pop up and it’s a known thing to expect a text from your ex during Mercury Retrograde. This is a good time to focus on your intuitive nature and dreams. This is a time to get in touch with your third eye and psychic abilities. Open up to the unknown. Always follow your gut and intuition it’s crazy the things it can lead you to. Expand your mind! Take baths while getting in tune with yourself and drink lots of water. As always we must slow down and not make any rash decisions, in communication and personal matters. Please back up your computer and all of your work!!! Expect there to be confusion and make sure to triple check all forms of emails, social media and texts, even when you are speaking and listening in person. Do not speak irrationally. Deception and gaslighting may be a thing that happens as well as unnecessary fights over nothing. Mercury will go direct on July 31st so we have a few weeks of this retrograde energy. Get ready friends! Not only this but this will be coinciding with the full Moon in Capricorn on the 16th and the lunar eclipse also on the same date. Let’s get in touch with ourselves and our emotions and flourish but also remember to be mindful of how we communicate and receive.

Plastic Free July: 7 easy ways you can reduce your plastic consumption this month (and forever)

I have written a blog post on this before, this is not the first time. If you follow my blog or my social media you will know that I am actively making more conscious choices into our food and waste consumption. July is Plastic Free Month which is something that originally started in Australia. It eventually turned into a global movement that millions of people now partake in to reduce the amount of plastic consumption and waste the world now faces. The basic concept of it is that for an entire month you use no plastic at all. This blog post is going to be about my tips and tricks for going plastic free for the month of July.

1) One of the most important ways to reduce plastic this month that I feel is very simple is ditching the bottled water. Buy yourself a Brita filter, an insulated tumbler or a good water bottle. There really is not excuse in this day an age why anyone needs to be drinking plastic bottled water. There are so many good and easy to find alternatives. At the very least I feel as thought everyone could not drink bottled water for the month of July. This one is easy for sure.

2) Switch to non plastic forms for beauty and hygiene products. Buy a bamboo toothbrush, use shampoo and conditioner in soap form, attempt to make your own homemade toothpaste and deodorant. There are tons of different ways that you can help reduce in this department. I have recently tried the local Winnipeg brand Made of Star Stuff Body Care, her rosemary and mint shampoo bars are heavenly and work fantastic. I still have yet to find a good brand for conditioner soap bar. This one is tricky for me personally because I swim in the pool at least once to twice a week. This for sure takes a toll on my hair and the conditioner bars from Lush are not cutting it. I am not really too much of a fan. I have heard that the Unwrapped Life conditioner bars are amazing and blow the Lush ones out of the water so I definitely am thinking about making the switch. Even using bar soap in places of things like body wash and hand soap would make a huge difference if everyone did this.

3) in the kitchen there are many ways you can reduce your single use plastic consumption. We have switched over to beeswax wraps instead of Saran Wrap and plastic sandwich bags. There is a local company named Leabee Wraps and hers come in the cutest designs. I bought a pack of 3 from Black Market Provisions and absolutely love them. I also have a couple other different brands, I have the Etee ones and Beeswax Brand. I love them so much and I found it has been a really easy transition switching over. Another item that I have been using instead of sandwich bags are the silicone storage bags. I use them in place of sandwich bags or Saran Wrap. You can use them in the freezer or the fridge and they are simple to clean. I found mine on Amazon. I bought a scrubbie made entirely from recycled materials with 0 plastic. It can be used forever and never goes bad and I use it in place of a plastic sponge or plastic scrub brush. Another way to reduce plastic is to replace all your storage to glass containers. This can make it really easy to bring your containers to go with you when you do shopping at your favourite 0 waste stores.

4) For laundry detergent you can bring your own soap bottles to Generation Green where they will refill them for you. You can also make your own detergent or you can use soap nuts to wash your clothe. Using soap nuts is basically as natural as it gets and you can purchase them from Bulk Barn so it can be very easy to not waste while using them. Soap nuts is the one I will be experimenting with this month, to use all you do is put 4-6 soap nuts into a muslin bag and then throw into your laundry. You can also add essential oils and Sage Wellness makes a really amazing “laundry scent”. The nuts leave 0 scent and they totally remove stains. It’s a very ancient form of cleaning that’s been used for 1000s of years and a lot of people clean their clothing exclusively with soap nuts for that complete 0 waste. Even making your own detergent still leaves wastes so this is a nice option. They can be composted when you are finished with them. After your load is done remove them and leave them to dry. They can be reused several times until they start to become soggy and grey, then you can compost them. I have been using dryer balls from Sage Wellness with essential oils instead of dryer sheets, again the “laundry scent” and I am really enjoying them. I don’t notice a difference at all between the balls and the dryer sheets. I feel both of these are really simple switches.

5) Shopping at Bulk Barn for dry goods. This one for sure is a bit of a change from your traditional day to day life. I think why people don’t do this on a regular basis is because of the relearned behaviour. We have always lived in a plastic world (at least my generation has) so everything we have been taught now needs to be retaught. Instead of buying tons of plastic or other material wasted items in the grocery store you can go to Bulk Barn and stock up on all your essentials: pasta, rice, legumes, baking items, cereals, oats, whatever you need you can typically find at Bulk Barn. This way you can bring your own containers or shopping bags and fill your stuff own your own. No need for plastic bags or cardboard boxes with more plastic waste on the inside. St. Leon’s Garden is a wonderful place to buy produce that does not come wrapped in plastic or in a plastic container. Bring your own containers or use their compostable ones to get all your fruit and veggie needs. On top of St. Leon’s Garden which is open all year round, we are not in summer which is Farmer’s Market time. Head to any of the countless markets that offer local, and waste free produce. South Osborne Farmer’s Market and St. Norbert Farmer’s Market are a couple of my favourites.

6) Reusable grocery bags. This one I feel like most people are pretty good with already. Bring your own reusable bags to the grocery store. Bring your own containers or market bags for produce. No need for plastic bags at the store, leave the bags in your car, whatever you have to do to always have a reusable bag on hand. This one is easy, remembering can be difficult but it is a super easy switch. Black Market Provisions sells some really beautiful market and produce reusable bags. Check them out.

7) Reusable straws. This one is also very easy. I have a gorgeous copper straw that I purchased from Shakti. I carry with it me wherever I go so I always have it when I need it. Coffee shop, out for dinner, at the lake, out for drinks. There are many places you can buy reusable straws now, Shakti, Generation Green, Parlour Coffee, Amazon, Costco. You name it they likely have it.

So there you have it. Super simple and effective ways you can make a difference in reducing your plastic waste consumption. If you did even one or a couple of things on this list I feel like that is a good start and at least it is something rather than nothing. The key to going 0 waste I feel like is starting small and the good feeling you get from making those little changes. It becomes somewhat addicting, finding new ways to reduce where you can. Of course I am not perfect at all and it is hard in some ways with 2 kids especially but that is what it is even more important that I make an effort. Happy plastic free July everyone and I hope these tips have inspired someone to make even the smallest (or biggest) change! What are some ways you reduce your consumption. Comment below!

New Moon in Cancer Eclipse

Hey y’all I wanted to come here quickly and talk about the energy that is surrounding us heavy for the next few days, and I am sure you are also been potentially already feeling it. There is a full solar eclipse in Cancer that also coincides with the new Moon in Cancer. It will not be visible here in the Northern Hemisphere but will be to those in South American countries. We will not see it but we will still feel it. The emotional, nurturing, intuitive and creative water sign of Cancer is the mother of the zodiac. She is feminine and Cardinal. She is family oriented and a major homebody with love for creature comforts. Cancer had a tendency to cling to the past and can hold a grudge for a lifetime. I love Cancers so much they are great to have in your life. The family and home theme are going to be incredibly present for this eclipse. Especially with the new Moon in Cancer as well. Especially with Cancer being ruled by the moon. It will be intense. This Eclipse will be affecting those with Cardinal signs the most: this includes Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn. I am sorry my friends, ride the waves and expect intense feelings and potentially life changing experiences. Eclipses often times signify fated turning points and incredibly transformation. A time to shed your old life and leave behind old paradigms. We are being highly encouraged to move forward and to embrace a new way. This is absolutely necessary and must be integrated into our very being and consciousness. For some people this eclipse season will be painful and hard but you must trust in the universe giving these hardships to you because it knows you can handle it and it knows that whatever changes are coming will be necessary and you will grow exponentially from these experiences. You would not be thrust in a new direction if you can’t handle it. With the new Moon and solar eclipse both in Cancer the family and home themes will be very present. Maybe you are moving houses? Reconciling with an extranged family member? Going through issues with your mother? Planning a big renovation for your home? Starting a new creative endeavour? Going through family issues? Processing childhood trauma? Dealing with your emotions for the first time in a long time? There are many ways this eclipse can present itself. Just know that if you are feeling anxious, or have that heavy feeling in your chest it is completely normal. The anxiety may be your intuition on feeling what is coming. Or maybe you’re already going through it and things will climax during the next few days. Eclipses may manifest themselves in a person in several ways: the anxiety, sleepless nights, overtired, sleeping too much, crazy dreams and visions, upset stomach, dehydrated, overemotional and overwhelmed. You must disengage when you can, rest up if you feel the need to rest and be very conscious of your actions and your reactions. I suggest sleep well and drink lots of water over the next few days. Spend time in the safety and security of your home with loved ones and spend time nurturing those you love and yourself. Self care will be key to getting through this tricky time. Ground yourself with crystals and cleansing/relaxing baths. Take care of yourself and also be very weary to not overreact and potentially create something out of nothing. I definitely suggest not performing any sort of magick or manifestation work until this energy passes for the next few days. I normally would be all over a tarot reading during this time but I will probably continue to give my cards a rest for at least the next day. Expect may regular scheduled tarot posts shortly. And in a few days Mercury Retrograde starts which will add even more confusion to this heavy eclipse energy. I will be posting about Mercury Retrograde very shortly as well. In the meantime please take care of yourself and those you love dearest. Just be comfy and enjoy some cozy, home time. If you feel anxious just know, this too shall past.

New Moon in Cancer Ritual

There are some really ancient rituals that have been done for 1000s of years. A lot of different astrologers and healers use these types of things to help people with the difficulties of life. You can do a ritual for all kinds of different things but some popular times to commit to doing a ritual is during new moons, full moons and during the equinoxes and solstices. If you really enjoy doing them then you can start to do a ritual for other things you need in life. It can be very therapeutic. The power of manifestation is a crazy thing and that’s why these rituals are important.

The new moon moves into Cancer on July 2nd at 2:17pm. We set intentions for the month on the new moon to be clear and concise about what we like to achieve. The new moon in Cancer asks us to focus on family, and home life. Cancer, the nurturing water sign of the zodiac, in the shape of a crab. They are the mother of the zodiac and ruled by the moon. Highly emotional and intuitive. They are the homebodies of the zodiac as well. It would be a really good time to make intentions to focus on your family. It could be a good time to reconcile family differences and make things right with issues you have amongst your family. You could also focus on projects around the house that you want to accomplish. Set intentions for caring and nurturing not only the people in your life but the projects and goals you want to accomplish. Nurture your own creativity. This new Moon also happens to land on a full solar eclipse in Cancer. Not visible to us here in the Northern Hemisphere and will be able to seen in South America. Check out my blog post on what to expect for the Full Solar Eclipse in Cancer tomorrow.

You have 3 days before and 3 days after the new Moon to perform this ritual. I would like to add a disclaimer here as the more and more readings I have been doing on eclipses, it highly suggests to not do any manifesting, intention or magick work during an eclipse. It basically will cancel out any sort of manifestation, or you may get what you want but it will end shortly and usually savagely. I think this is highly debated amongst both people who practice magick and astrologers alike but I am going to take this advice and not do my new Moon ritual until the Moon moves into Virgo on Friday. This is unusual for me as I typically do my new Moon ritual on the day of or even the day before, but I don’t want to risk it.

1) Gather any and all supplies that you will need for the ritual. You can use sage to smudge beforehand, crystals you will need (opalite, carnelian, moonstone, rose quartz and coral), a journal to write, a bowl to smudge in or burn intentions, and a candle. Another thing you could use in place of a bowl is an abalone shell which are very much associated with Cancer. I would recommend using silvery blue candle because silvery blue is associated with Cancer. If not grey or white will work.

2) Create yourself a special alter space for all the items that you have gathered. It doesn’t matter where your alter space is, it can be any table in the house or on the floor, wherever you feel most comfortable. Decorate with items such as crystals, plants, candles, things you find outside in nature like leaves or feathers, decorative table runners, anything you can really think of that seems appropriate. I will be using the Canadian flag as this new moon is very close to Canada day and I will likely be doing my new moon ritual tonight.

3) Start by smudging your alter space and say a little prayer. It can be along the lines of “I respect mother moon and all she does for us. I take this time to set honest intentions. I manifest all that is good and bright and light. I have the power to change my future. I will let go all that no longer serves me. I am totally and completely alined spiritually. I am in tune with my higher powers. “ Write down your intentions or wishes. focus on them, meditate on them. What do you wish for your life? Can you actually picture these things happening to and for you in your life? The manifestation WILL NOT work if you truly don’t believe it. It’s important to be clear on what you want. You can doodle and make your intentions “pretty” or you can just be as simple as writing a list. Some new moon in Cancer intentions would be: I will make things right with so and so family member. I will be a more patient and nurturing mother. I will nurture my creative spirit and so and so project. Spend more time at home with the family. Spend more time on a home diy project. Focus on my relationship with my mother. Focus on my role as a mother and being the best mom I can be. Nurture yourself and others. Express yourself creatively. Establish emotional security. Heal childhood wounds and trauma. And follow your intuition above all else. As always you may make intensions for anything but it is mice to focus on what this new Moon represents.

4) Light your candle. For this ritual I definitely recommend using Moon water as Cancer is very much a water sign. I will be using my own charged Moon water. You will use the Moon water to charge your crystals. You will write your intentions down into your journal. You will start off by writing down the goals and desires you have for this new month ahead of you. You will ask for the guidance in doing this. Don’t let fear or ego hold you back any longer. Next you will write about your wishes for the next month. What do you desire above all else. This is the perfect month to focus on family and home life. Now is the time to be realistic and focus on the things you truly need to accomplish in order for your dreams to manifest entirely. You will light the paper on fire and watch how the fire burns your intentions. Maybe it burns fast or maybe it fizzles out fast or maybe it burins slow and smouldering. This seals your desires and puts them out into the universe. Use your Moon water that has been charged with crystals to mark your 7 chakras, or even just a chakra that needs work. The Third Eye is often associated with Cancer, located in between both your eyes and on your forehead. Mark this space with charged Moon water.

5) At this time you can take some time for yourself however you wish, further meditation, possibly a tarot reading if you do that, you can even enjoy a glass of wine. Another thing you can do is enjoy a cleansing bath which would be highly recommended because of the water sign Cancer and the eclipse that will be falling on the same day. Tell the moon you love her, clean up your space and take the crystals to bed with you. You have just completed your new moon ritual.

I hope you guys enjoy doing this ritual and can find some peace or healing that you may be needing in life. I also hope that you manifest your deepest desires and this moon month goes exactly how you wish it to. Now is the time for action and to put forth effort into achieving your goals. Use that comforting and nurturing energy to heal your family life and possible wounds from family trauma. Focus on your home and creative endeavours. There are several intense aspects happening in the next month so I truly recommend this new Moon ritual above all else. But as I stated above, hold off on doing your ritual for the next few days and ride out this eclipse energy. Happy July and Cancer season!

Asher's 1st Bee-Day Celebrations

It was our youngest’s first birthday a week ago. We had a very low-key day on Monday. We took him to buy a new toy and then spent most of the morning and afternoon walking around the Manitoba Museum. We had pasta for supper and picked up cake from Baked Expectations and then the boys had baths and story time then bed. Lovely little family time.

Our double stroller is a Joovy Sit’N’Stand. I am still deciding whether I like it or not but the wheels do not function the best especially when you are using the bucket seat for an infant.

Mustard and grey raglan - Quinn and Dot size 18-24 months

Our real plans for his birthday party were this past Saturday. We originally wanted to have his birthday party at mine and Jesse’s favourite park in this city, Crescent Drive Park. There is a lovely canopy there with picnic tables and it truly is the nicest hidden gem in Winnipeg in my opinion. You cannot rent the canopy there. It is one of the only picnic spots/shelters you cannot rent. It is first come first serve. I did a baby shower for my good friend Jerrica under the canopy a few years ago and it was such an amazing little spot. We liked the idea of the canopy being there in case of rain or other bad weather. It’s a really nice shelter. I made the invitations and sent them out. Of course while driving by one day I noticed the whole thing was under construction. Then another friend told me “Oh yeah by the way they’re demolishing the whole thing and rebuilding a brand new canopy and the project is going to take weeks.” Of course just our luck.

Originally last year I had decided that I wanted to do his birthday party at McKittrick Park. It is the cutest little park in our neighbourhood, South Osborne. They have the best wading pool and from July to September the kids and I love to visit just up the street. The park has cute little picnic spots, a grill, playgrounds for the kids, a pretty forested area and this little mini track perfect for biking or riding a scooter. They do not have any sheltered area which is why I ended up ultimately picking Crescent. It’s hard to do a birthday party outside because you never know what the weather will be like. We had no plan B so it would have been really nice to have a shelter in case of rain. But ultimately we did end up deciding on McKittrick Park because we had no choice. Jesse was able to get a tent from his work which was a great help. Of course the weather was calling for rain all week on Saturday. We debated multiple times on just cancelling the party but ultimately I decided to remain positive and hopeful that the weather would turn in our favour.

We decided instead of an afternoon barbecue we would do aa morning brunch instead. 10-12:30 and in hindsight I would have rather done the birthday from 11-1:30 but it all ended up working out anyway. I worried about the weather all week. In the end it did rain but by the time the party started the sky was turning blue and not a drop of rain in sight. We decided on cured meats, cheeses, pickles and mustards, Dill Pickle Hummus from local company Happy Dance Hummus, veggie chips, pineapples with blueberries (think a striped bumblebee) on skewers, assorted muffins, pastries and cinnamon buns from local bakery Tall Grass Prairie, Honeycomb cereal mixed with chocolate Teddy Grahams for the kids, assorted mini quiches we bought from Costco, homemade lemonade, the honey cake I made for Litha, a veggie tray and a bunch of different local honeys and jams. I wanted to make Deviled Eggs but Jesse has a giant hate for any sort of cold egg, it’s the only thing as a Chef he absolutely despises I find it funny. But that’s why we compromised and did the quiches instead. I picked up a party pack of Tim Horton’s coffee which ended up being the perfect touch because I knew it was early and everyone loves coffee. My mom made the most incredible bumblebee cupcakes and smash cake for the party. She is an amazing baker and they were incredibly delicious and adorable. We got Jaxson’s cake from Chocolate Zen for his birthday and although it was sooo nicely decorated, my moms cake was way tastier.

The decorations were relatively simple. I looked for bumblebee decor at several party stores in the city and surprisingly all I could find was for a baby shower. You could find really expensive decor on Etsy for bumblebee theme but I was trying to be on a budget this time. I made the invitation myself on Canva. I picked up some generic yellow and black decor from Party Stuff and I had some leftover yellow paper plates and cups and table cloths from another party a few years ago. I ordered some bumblebee balloons off Amazon and was hoping to get them filled from Party Stuff but apparently there is a helium shortage and any place that fills helium will only do it with their balloons. So I ended up buying my own helium tank from Michael’s. Let me tell you, it was a struggle to figure out that helium. For the life of me I couldn’t figure out why the bumblebees woudln’t go straight upwards, but in the end they just needed more helium. In the end it didn’t even matter because the wind blew all the balloons sideways basically lol. But I eventually did after a few tries. I got the balloons blown up on my own. I likely used half the tank of helium and am thinking about selling the rest of it on Kijiji or Facebook Marketplace. The mason jars were my own that I brought from home. I picked up the flowers that morning from Safeway, they actually had just what I envisioned and the flowers in total cost me $20 with 3 different bouquets. All serving platters were ours.

The day of the party arrived and the rain was just trickling off as we woke up. I knew the weather was going to improve so I didn’t even think for a second about cancelling the party. Jesse went early to set up our tent and bring all the decorations. He came back and I went on my own to set up. Some of the smaller details that I added as a nice touch were yellow Gerber daisies, white carnations and Baby’s Breath in mason jars on each table. In two mason jars I added Honeycomb cereal with chocolate Teddy Grahams as a nice tribute to the bumblebee theme. The balloons I tied to the tent because despite the lack of rain it still was quite windy. I bought bubbles, sidewalk chalk and water guns for the kids to play with and as the party favour for the kids.

I got everything set up in time basically as most off the guests started to arrive. There were about 30 people coming and I knew everyone wouldn’t be on time which is okay with me since I felt slightly frantic with how close the timing of everything was. It was right to the minute. But phew, it all worked out perfectly. Everyone showed up slowly but surely. We were worried there was way too much food and we were going to have a ridiculous amount of leftovers but it ended up being okay. We hardly had any leftovers in the end. Everyone enjoyed the food, the park grounds and enjoyed each others company. It’s nice after too many years of weird tension between my family (split up parents) everyone can be in the same place and get along. No weirdness and everyone just coming together to spend time celebrating our beautiful baby boy.

Jaxson ran around basically the entire time. The other kids had an amazing time playing on the structure and running around and kicking the soccer ball around. There is a bathroom but for some reason it is only open when the wading pool is open. The kids were drinking juice boxes and lemonade so of course everyone had to pee. Luckily there is a firehall across from the park so several of the kids went to use the washroom there. Some of them even got to take photos in the firetrucks and meet the firemen. How cute. Just an added element of fun to picking this spot for a birthday party. We did the smash cake, and just like Jaxson, Asher didn’t understand that he was supposed to smash into it. What can I say? Both my kids are just really tidy eaters. I thought for sure Ash would dig right in but it is okay. After cake we did presents and Asher was soooo spoiled. He got mostly clothes which honestly was perfect and just what I needed for him. But he also got a couple of really awesome new toys. Mickey Mouse Fireman Track and Firehouse set made by V-Tech and a train set by Duplo. He also got some other toys and some money to put into his RESP. People wrote a bunch of bee puns in his cards and this made me so happy. The whole bee theme overall was so cute. It was nowhere near the explosiveness of toys and gifts that Jaxson got for his first birthday but that was so excessive. After that the party basically unwinded. The kids were playing with chalk at this point and made some really cute drawings. I was sad but also relieved it was over. Kids parties can be stressful lol. Our families helped us clean up and we were home with the kids napping by 1pm. It really was the loveliest day despite the stress. And everything worked out perfectly in the end. I only wish I had spent more time with the kids and gotten some awesome photos of them playing together, but of course I was hosting so this wasn’t really a possibility.

Vans t-hirt - Size 4/Small
Distressed jean shorts - H&M size 3T
Star Wars slide on sneakers - The Gap size 10

Some things I would recommend would be I would definitely recommend having a birthday party in the park during the summer, although I would try to have a backup plan for bad weather or make sure to rent a space with a shelter. Definitely do the baking yourself, if you can. If you are a good baker or someone offers to, just accept it. It will taste so much better and save you some money. If you are planning to do Bumblebee theme you may need to do way more DIY stuff. I was running out of time so I wasn’t able to completely fulfill my vision, although I am still happy with what I accomplished. Never worry that it is too much food. People will eat it and if they don't , you will eat it at home for leftovers. Don’t stress the little details because all that really matters is everyone there to celebrate your baby, things will come together on their own.

I wanted to give a shout out to everyone who helped with the birthday party. My mom made the cupcakes and smash cake and did an absolutely amazing job. Not only did it taste good but the cakes were soooo moist, which is something you don’t always find with bakeries. May dad bought the pastries, muffins and cinnamon buns from Tall Grass Prairie and his partner Cori brought the veggie tray and baguettes. Everyone who came and brought a present I have got to give a shout out to because it’s really nice to have such amazing friends and family who care so much not only about you but your family. Incredibly heartwarming. It really was the best day and I couldn’t ask for anything more.

Black button up full length dress - American Eagle size Medium (it is stretchy)
Kimono - American Eagle

Litha, Midsummer, Summer Solstice - 8 ways to celebrate

Litha also known as the Midsummer Solstice, is known by most people as the summer solstice, the longest day of the year and the shortest night of the year. It signifies the light and fertility and life and the culmination of The Oak King. The Oak King embodies the spirit of nature and the sacred male principle. He is at his peak strength before he is cut down and then sacrificed in order to symbolize the necessity of death in order for life to continue. This is anticipating the coming harvest. Litha, like Beltane is a Sabbat strongly associated with the element fire. A good way to celebrate like Beltane again is with a huge bonfire celebration. I would love to have a crazy bonfire party tonight but unfortunately it is supposed to rain and also I need to be well rested for tomorrow because it is our youngest 1st birthday party. I will consider that our big Litha celebration, there will be good food and company. Anticipate a blog post on Asher’s birthday celebrations. For Litha this year I am going to do some of the more low-key ways to celebrate.

8 ways to celebrate Litha are the following:

1) Make honey cakes. This is a staple for Litha. And so absolutely delicious. A delicious treat to provide for yourself or friends and family. This was my Litha activity amongst other things because tomorrow is Asher’s birthday party and I don’t want to stay up all night with a bonfire and watching the sunrise because it is a big day tomorrow and I want to be well rested for it. I would love to dance, by the fire and under the moonlight but I also think it is going to rain and it just isn’t in the cards for tonight. Anyway if you want the recipe for my honey cakes I made let me know but it was mega delicious. I used local Manitoba honey from Queen B’s Manitoba Honey which I purchased from the South Osborne Mother’s Day Farmer’s Market. The recipe requires orange juice and I used my own freshly homemade squeezed orange juice. I used BC Wildflower local honey and vegan margarine for the “icing”. The kids and I enjoyed a slice this morning with some grapefruit and berry spread. The rest of the cake is going to be served tomorrow at Ash’s birthday party.

2)Take a spiritual and cleansing Litha bath. For this you will need a yellow or white candle, a citrine crystal and your own homemade blend of bath salts. Use Epsom salts mixed with calendula, lavender and citrus essential oils. Once you have made your mixture, light your candle and place your crystals beside the candle or in the actual bath water. Add your bath salt mixture and mix it around in a clockwise motion. Get in the bath and just enjoy the salt and oils on your body. Pick up your crystal and visualize the warmth of summer and welcoming it back to life.

3) Go berry picking. This may be difficult here in Manitoba because I don’t believe the berries are ready to be harvested but in certain climates I am sure there are berries that are ready to be picked. Traditionally they should have been ready by now, I have strawberries growing in my garden that are ready to be picked and they are so delicious.

4) Do a Litha Tarot reading or meditation session. Tonight after the kids go to bed I will be doing a Litha reading. There is something big that I need help finding clarity and guiding my path, I won’t get into it but it’s going to be something huge. So my tarot reading will be perfect for this. If you don’t read tarot this could be a good time for meditation or setting intentions especially surrounding fertility, abundance and baby making.

5) Have an amazing bonfire with friends. Like Beltane, Litha is traditionally celebrated with a big crazy party and bonfire usually involving a group of people. Lots of wine flowing, dancing under the moonlight and enjoying the longest day of the year. If you can manage it it is also customary to stay up all night and watch the sunrise. I would love to celebrate this way but I don’t think it’s going to happen with the weather and also with everything I need to get ready for Ash’s party still. Next time.

6) Have a picnic in a park or on a hiking trail. The boys and I visited the flower garden and duck pond at St.Vital Park this afternoon. We ate snacks and drank water and milk and enjoyed the grounds. We watched the ducks and the people. We admired the flowers and sat by the river. It was a lovely way to spend an hour of our day.

7) Mindfully gather flowers, leave fairy offerings, build a fairy garden or terrarium. Make a flower crown or make your own little flower arrangement. Yellow and white come to mind with Litha

8) Spend time outdoors soaking up all that nature has to offer. Walk barefoot in the grass and allow yourself to become grounded with the earth. Even if you can’t get to the beach, the lake or the park, even just spend time outside in your backyard and soak it all in. Especially in Winnipeg, we have very little nice days and we must enjoy them regardless if you “believe” in Litha or not.

Full "Strawberry" Moon in Sagittarius

There is another full Moon upon us today at its peak at 3:31am. This full Moon is in the fire and mutable sign of Sagittarius. Dubbed a “strawberry” full Moon from Algonquin tribes because now is the time of year when berries would have been harvested. Sagittarius are the truth seeking, adventurers of the zodiac. They are philosophers, lively, joyous and extremely blunt. Their bluntness comes from, again their constant truth seeking. They don’t mean to be blunt and hurt others they just say what they feel and know to be real. Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, the planet of luck and expansion. Optimism will be high and despite some negative aspects you will be able to easily brush aside negative feelings. There are several negative aspects that will be coinciding with this full Moon. Jupiter will be opposite the Sun in Gemini. Venus square Neptune. Mercury and Mars are opposite and conjunct Saturn AND Pluto. You may have felt this nervous, anxious, and somewhat combative/angry energy in the air. With Mars opposite Saturn you may be experiencing delays, restrictions and an overall feeling of helplessness. Use this energy instead to something specific and productive. Physical activity will definitely help out. This oppressive force may have us feeling like doing things others want us to do in order to embrace a more “normal” or “safe’ life. With Jupiter square Neptune there is a chance of overindulgence so remember everything in moderation. Embrace universal love and truth but avoid excessive spending and drinking. This full Moon in Sagittarius will help allow us the energy to overcome the fear and anxiety from some of these more negative aspects. Sagittarius will allow us to discover the life that we want to live, our way, unconventionality and all. With Sagittarius’ influence this is a good time to speak your truth and speak it proud.

There will be opportunities for owning our passions, exploring our sense of purpose, philosophizing deeply, standing up to injustices, wild adventure and celebration. Find your truth and speak it. Don’t hold back. The truth will set you free, especially with the full Moon. I can say for damn certain that you need to adventure during this full Moon. Do something fun and different. Not only did my husband and I head out to Lockport today for Father’s Day to the Half Moon Drive Inn (a baby adventure) but we also visited a ghost town and went to the beach the other day and if that doesn’t say adventure then I don’t know what else. We also noticed lots of just weird and wacky things like a tractor parade and then a couple huge car accidents. It made our normal half an hour drive to my moms close to an hour. I always notice these weird little events go down on full Moons. I am sure you have heard that people act crazy on a full Moon, it’s definitely true. Do something fun and adventurous tonight.

As always full Moons signify endings and new beginnings. Light is shed onto things that have been hidden in the shadows and depending on what sign it is in incredible transformation. It is also a time of heightened emotions. Be cautious of your reactions because you may act or think irrationally. This is a good time to use crystals to keep you grounded, balanced and steady. Some crystals you can use are Lapis Lazuli, Topaz, Peridot, Smoky Quartz, Sodalite and Turquoise. This is also an amazing time to do a full Moon ritual which month by month I will be posting on how to perform one. We perform full Moon rituals to release and let go of toxic and negative energies and feelings. It is very therapeutic and if you can get 4 in your group, Earth, Air, Fire and Water you are a force to be reckoned with. Full Moons are also a time of deep healing and can be overwhelming. Take the time to rest if you need. People often find they are either insomniac or extra sleepy during full Moons. If you are feeling tired or not well definitely take the time to rest and recuperate. Happy full Moon friends and remember to take this time for yourself whichever way you plan to.

8 Last Minute Father's Day Plans in Winnipeg

Looking for some unique and last minute Father’s Day ideas?? Well I have just the fun little recommendations to treat that special man/men in your life. I also want to give a shout out to all the single mommas out there who are grinding it out hard and also partaking on the whole father’s role and responsibilities. This day is also for you too and you are badass women.

1) Take a trip to the Half Moon Drive Inn. This is what we are doing today. Jesse is working as is normal for him on special holidays but he will be home early around 2pm and then we are going to go for an early dinner. I have been hearing that they have the Beyond Meat burger and sausage so I am super happy to get a plant based hot dog.

2) Driving Range at the Golf Dome. Dads love golf and its something that the whole family can enjoy. Especially if you have older kids. There is mini golf also. Get snacks at the concession stand and get in some active, fun, family time.

3) Father’s Day at The Children’s Museum or at the Assiniboin Zoo. There are events at both locations. Dads get half off regular admission at the Children’s Museum and Dad’s receive 25% off admission at the zoo. There is a new sting ray exhibit at the zoo that I would really like to check out, although I do hear the wait to see it is very long. Get snacks at the zoo concession and maybe even check out the rest of Assiniboine Park while you are there.

4) Hop aboard the Prairie Dog Central and take a trip too Grosse Isle. Visit the beautifully restored Heritage Village, get goodies or bring your own picnic lunch. You can still make this as it doesn’t depart until 11am and goes until 2:45pm. Tickets are $30.95 for adults and $23.95 for kids. Children under 2 are free.

5) Brunch at Leo’s, Oakwood Cafe, Pancake House are all amazing local options. Leo’s has an awesome brunch deal where you get one of their delicious breakfast items and a drink included for $15.99. incredibly deal. I had the chicken and waffles and Caesar recently and omg it was sooooo mouth watering. Really good and I would definitely recommend. Oakwood Cafe also has chicken and waffles and theirs is very delicious as well. Pancake House is always a classic and there are several options in the city to visit. Pembina, Kenaston, The Forks and Polo Park. All make for a great stop on the way to something else like visiting the Forks or going shopping with dad.

Chicken and Waffles and a Caeser from Leopold’s Tavern. $15.99 for both.

6) Father’s Day BBQ at Fort Whyte Alive. There is an awesome free event at Fort Whyte. You just need to pay for the admission into the grounds. The Buffalo Stone Cafe is whipping up traditional BBQ/picnic fare and you can eat it in the cafe, on the grounds or go for a picnic on the trails. How nice to get outdoors, get active and enjoy some good food with dad.

7) Head to the Cube in the Exchange District for Jazz Fest. This could be enjoyed with the kiddos but also could be something you do one on one with your dad later in the evening. I absolutely adore Jazz Fest. It is one of those events that continuously makes Winnipeg so awesome in the summer. I look forward to it every year. It can be both family friendly or more of an adult activity. You pick how you want to experience it. Take the kids and do some dancing in the square. Or go at night and visit the beer garden tents. Either way you will enjoy live music from both local artists and people who have travelled here to perform. There are tons of food trucks and restaurant options so grab food and soak in some of the best of what Winnipeg has to offer. This is also nice because there is no admission to enjoy Jazz Fest.

8) The Red River Ex is currently on as well. This could be lots of good fun. Carnival food, games and rides. What could be wrong with that? Take the kids, take your dad, everyone can enjoy the fun going on there. Advance Gate Admission is $12 for all ages and 6 and under are free. If you go tonight Bif Naked is performing a 8pm on the main stage. BIF NAKED! Does anyone remember them or is that just my 90s girl dreamy memories?

I realize it is not the nicest day out there today but I still think it is really important to get out there and enjoy the day! Spoil your dad and let him know that everything he does is much appreciated. Spoil the lady in your life who is both the mother and father because goodness knows this holiday can be triggering and painful for many different scenarios. I really hope these recommendations will inspire some of you to do something really fun today and enjoy your time as a family.

Full "Strawberry" Moon in Sagittarius Ritual

There is a full moon in Sagittarius coming up on June 17th at 3:20am, which is Monday coming up next week. This is an amazing time to do a full moon ritual. Full moons are already a time where emotions and sensitivities are already heightened, it is a good time to take to ground yourself and release some of the negative/toxic emotions you may be feeling. There are some really ancient rituals that have been done for 1000s of years. A lot of different astrologers and healers use these types of things to help people with the difficulties of life. You can do a ritual for all kinds of different things but some popular times to commit to doing a ritual is during new moons, full moons and during the equinoxes and solstices. If you really enjoy doing them then you can start to do a ritual for other things you need in life. It can be very therapeutic. The power of manifestation is a crazy thing and that’s why these rituals are important.

The full moon will be in the fire element of Sagittarius. Full “Strawberry’ moon, known as a strawberry moon because this is the time of the year when berries would be harvested by the Algonquin tribe Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter the planet of luck and expansion. They are joyous, artistic, creative, free spirited, adventurous, constantly seeking truth and whatever sort of knowledge/philosophy you can learn in life. This full moon will be fiery and positive. The best way to channel this energy is to keep an open mind and be ready for adventure. It it a good time to fully embrace your dreams, see the truth of every matter at hand and absolutely always protect our hearts from negativity. Letting go is always the number one theme on full Moons

Whereas we perform new moon rituals to set wishes and intentions for the month ahead of you, the reason we do a full Moon ritual is to let go of things that no longer serve you. This could be attitudes, emotions, personal relationships, bad habits, illnesses. Anything you can think of that is negatively impacting your life. Things that have been hidden can also be revealed. Revelations and people being exposed. You can count on it for a full moon. I like to burn my full moon ritual intentions. It can be very symbolic and healing. You can also interpret the way your paper burns, so if your intentions light up instantly and burn the paper completely you have truly let go or maybe the fire fades quickly and only burns off a corner, what do you think that is telling you? Focus on the flames. For the purposes of this full moon I will also be adding an element of water to include the Scorpio symbolism. Using my bowl of water while I chant to the moon.

You have 3 days before the new moon to perform this ritual or 3 days after.

1) Gather any and all supplies that you will need for the ritual. Incense such as You can use sage to smudge beforehand, I will be using Palo Santos as I was recently gifted some and it seems very fitting. You will need some crystals (black obsidian, lapis lazuli, smoky quartz, sodalite or turquoise), a pen, a journal to write, a bowl to smudge in or burn intentions, a bowl of water and a white or black candle.

2) Create yourself a special alter space for all the items that you have gathered. It doesn’t matter where your alter space is, it can be any table in the house or on the floor, wherever you feel most comfortable. Decorate with items such as crystals, plants, candles, things you find outside in nature like leaves or feathers, decorative table runners, anything you can really think of that seems appropriate. For the Sagittarius Strawberry Moon I will personally be adding lilacs from the tree outside, forget me nots, some strawberries and appropriate crystals of course.

3) Start by smudging your alter space and say a little prayer. It can be along the lines of “I respect mother moon and all she does for us. I plan to release that which no longer serves me. I do this to heal myself from past traumas and to fully let go and move forward.“ Write down your past traumas and the things that we wish to let go of focus on them, meditate on them. What do you wish for your life? Can you actually picture these things happening to and for you in your life? Letting go WILL NOT work if you truly don’t believe it. It’s important to be clear on what you want. You can doodle and make your intentions “pretty” or it can be as simple as writing a list.

4) Light your candle and put your crystals in the bowl of water. You want to charge the water and cleanse yourself after burning your intentions. Hold your intentions over the other bowl and using the candle light them on fire. Like I have already said you will want to analyze how they burn, even take a picture or video to look back on later.

5) At this time you can take some time for yourself however you wish, write down your interpretations of the flame burning, further meditation, possibly a tarot reading if you do that, you can even enjoy a glass of wine. Tell the moon you love her, clean up your space and now is a good time to put your crystals in a window sill to charge under the light of the full moon. You have just completed your full moon ritual. Now can be a good time to take a detox bath. Use bath salts, flowers, crystals and maybe even a charcoal mud mask to help detoxify and destress.

I hope you guys enjoy doing this ritual and can find some peace or healing that you may be needing in life. I also hope you can take some time to appreciate all that is good in your life. Just like the oceans’ tides that ebb and flow as does the moon wax and wane and although emotions can be heightened during the full moon you will soon feel back to your normal self and ready to tackle a whole new month/moon cycle. On the 18th I will put out my Full Strawberry Moon in Sagittarius blog post. There is also a new moon in Cancer on the 3rd of July so stay tuned for my blog post on what to expect.

3) Start by smudging your alter space and say a little prayer. It can be along the lines of “I respect mother moon and all she does for us. I plan to release that which no longer serves me. I do this to heal myself from past traumas and to fully let go and move forward.“ Write down your past traumas and the things that we wish to let go of focus on them, meditate on them. What do you wish for your life? Can you actually picture these things happening to and for you in your life? Letting go WILL NOT work if you truly don’t believe it. It’s important to be clear on what you want. You can doodle and make your intentions “pretty” or it can be as simple as writing a list.

4) Light your candle and put your crystals in the bowl of water. You want to charge the water and cleanse yourself after burning your intentions. Hold your intentions over the other bowl and using the candle light them on fire. Like I have already said you will want to analyze how they burn, even take a picture or video to look back on later.

5) At this time you can take some time for yourself however you wish, write down your interpretations of the flame burning, further meditation, possibly a tarot reading if you do that, you can even enjoy a glass of wine. Tell the moon you love her, clean up your space and now is a good time to put your crystals in a window sill to charge under the light of the full moon. You have just completed your full moon ritual. Now can be a good time to take a detox bath. Use bath salts, flowers, crystals and maybe even a charcoal mud mask to help detoxify and destress.

I hope you guys enjoy doing this ritual and can find some peace or healing that you may be needing in life. I also hope you can take some time to appreciate all that is good in your life. Just like the oceans’ tides that ebb and flow as does the moon wax and wane and although emotions can be heightened during the full moon you will soon feel back to your normal self and ready to tackle a whole new month/moon cycle. On the 18th I will put out my Full Strawberry Moon in Sagittarius blog post. There is also a new moon in Cancer on the 3rd of July so stay tuned for my blog post on what to expect.

8 Ways to Protect your Energy and Dispel Negativity

The other day I wrote about a spiritual attack and some crazy energy that is happening out there in the universe. If you want to know more head over to my astrology post from June 1st, 2019. I wanted to do a quick little blog post on ways that you can protect yourself from spiritual attacks and how to protect your energy. You may not even realize you are being attacked especially if you don’t necessarily believe. Even if you don’t believe you still can be attacked. These things, the moon, astrology, it does count for a lot more than you think and it truly does affect what is going on. The more I learn the more I cannot chalk it up to coincidence. Energetically there is quite a lot of change in the air. I wanted to share my favourite ways to protect yourself from negative energies not only from yourself but from others as well and stress and worry. These are how spiritual attacks manifest in real life.

1) Smudging - Smudging is one of my favourite ways to dispel negativity and cleanse your spaces. I use sage and Palo Santos but you can pretty much use any herb that you have lying around. I smudge when I do tarot readings, I smudge when I have guests coming over and I even smudge if I am feeling even the slightest bit anxious, worried or just negative overall. Smudging is the best and its super simple.

2) Crystals - crystals for healing are incredibly useful. They have tons of different uses but one of my most favourite ways to use crystals is for grounding and dispelling negative energies. Black tourmaline and hematite or some of my favourites. You can wear them as jewelry which is my personal favourite. I have both a black tourmaline pendant necklace and a hematite bracelet. But you can also carry it around in your purse or pocket or even just have lying around. Some other crystals you can use are clear quartz, smoky quartz, fluorite and many others. Check out my shop @mommabatapothercary on Instagram for more information on crystals.

3) Cleansing bath - this one is fun especially fr those who like to take baths. Spiritual cleansing baths I always dress up the most extra. Flower petals, bath salts, coconut oil, bath bombs, crystals, sage or incense. Although you can dress up your bath to be pretty and relaxing you won’t protect yourself unless you put intention into setting up your bath.

4) Intentions - everything you do put thought and intention into protecting yourself and your space. If you think negatively then you will attract negativity into your life. Manifestation is a very real thing I have seen it in my life many times and I have seen it in the lives of others. Protect yourself with positive thoughts and intentions. Call it a little prayer, an intention or even just a thought. It doesn't matter what you call it but the point is to attract positivity and abundance to your life. You can also do this for protection. Something as simple along the lines as “I protect myself and my space from negative energies and energy vampires have no affect on me.”

5) Sprays - I have recently started using essential oils and sprays and this is a good alternative to smudging if you don’t like the smokiness. I have this beautiful Heart Space Mist that was gifted to me for my birthday and I not only spray myself but I also spray my house. Try to find something as all natural as possible if you can

6) Practice meditation - This goes along with intention and manifestation. Visualize a protective forcefield around you. This also can just help you to calm, relax and let go of any tension you may be feeling. Focus on rhythmic breathing and fully turning inward.

7) Jewelry - As I previously mentioned, jewelry is a fun and fashionable way to not only protect yourself but also express your own creative style. Use crystals as pendants, or certain charms like the Hamsa Hand, Evil Eye or Lotus flower.

8) Reconnect with nature - This one is always huge for me and I always feel better after spending some time outdoors. Especially now with summer in full bloom you must take advantage of the good weather while we have it. Take your shoes off and put your feet in the grass, feel the ground beneath you and in turn you yourself will become grounded. Sit by the river, go to the lake, natural water is an incredibly rejuvenating and healing thing.

These are just some of my favourite ways that I protect myself. Of course mental illness is a very real thing and I am certainly not a doctor and wouldn’t recommend anyone using these in place of medication or therapy if that is what they really need. You can use this in addition to those things however and it will certainly help you in this crazy, beautiful, amazing, sometimes harsh and cold life. I hope this will inspire others to find some peace they may be looking for.

I also wanted to add some crisis links and urge anyone who is really struggling, in mental distress or struggling with suicidal thoughts to please reach out and get some help. All Manitoba links:

https://www.gov.mb.ca/health/mh/crisis.html

http://klinic.mb.ca/crisis-support/

http://www.rupertsland.ca/wp-content/uploads/Mental-Health-Resources.pdf

http://www.adam.mb.ca/counselling-resources

New Moon in Gemini Ritual

There are some really ancient rituals that have been done for 1000s of years. A lot of different astrologers and healers use these types of things to help people with the difficulties of life. You can do a ritual for all kinds of different things but some popular times to commit to doing a ritual is during new moons, full moons and during the equinoxes and solstices. If you really enjoy doing them then you can start to do a ritual for other things you need in life. It can be very therapeutic. The power of manifestation is a crazy thing and that’s why these rituals are important.

The new moon moves into Gemini on June 3rd at 5:02am. We set intentions for the month on the new moon to be clear and concise about what we like to achieve. The new moon in Gemini asks us to focus on communication, truth, creativity and self expression. Gemini, the flighty, duality, talkative and intelligent air sign. Geminis know various subjects on the surface but when it comes to honing into one subject and learning it in depth they may lack focus. Some good intentions to set for his month could be about communication and focus especially. Work on your own personal truth and being clear on how you express yourself. If there is something we want to speak up on and communicate this Gemini new moon will bring it all to light and give us the strength to express ourselves.

You have 3 days before and 3 days after the new moon to perform this ritual.

Ceramic bowl - Made by my mother Janice Naven
White candle - IKEA
Yellow candle - Amazon
Handbook for the Recently Deceased - Amazon
Crystal Grid - Shakti
Opalite, Dalmation jasper, blue lace agate, moss agate, clear quartz.labradorite, selenite and aventurine
Mango calcite wand
Mystic Mondays tarot deck by Grace Duong - Mosaic Books
Universe Has Your Back oracle deck by Gabrielle Bernstein - Amazon
Crystal grid - Shakti
Sage - Shakti
Mini ceramic planters - Made by my mother Janice Naven
Succulent - Lacoste Garden Center
Dandelions from my backyard

1) Gather any and all supplies that you will need for the ritual. You can use sage to smudge beforehand, crystals you will need (opalite, Dalmatian jasper, blue lace agate, moss agate), a journal to write, a bowl to smudge in or burn intentions, and a candle. If you have a yellow candle I would recommend using yellow because yellow is associated with Gemini and the summer months coming up.

2) Create yourself a special alter space for all the items that you have gathered. It doesn’t matter where your alter space is, it can be any table in the house or on the floor, wherever you feel most comfortable. Decorate with items such as crystals, plants, candles, things you find outside in nature like leaves or feathers, decorative table runners, anything you can really think of that seems appropriate. I used dandelions for this months new moon ritual. It seems very fitting because summer is coming and the dandelions are in full force bloom.

3) Start by smudging your alter space and say a little prayer. It can be along the lines of “I respect mother moon and all she does for us. I take this time to set honest intentions. I manifest all that is good and bright and light. I have the power to change my future. I will let go all that no longer serves me. I am totally and completely alined spiritually. I am in tune with my higher powers. “ Write down your intentions or wishes. focus on them, meditate on them. What do you wish for your life? Can you actually picture these things happening to and for you in your life? The manifestation WILL NOT work if you truly don’t believe it. It’s important to be clear on what you want. You can doodle and make your intentions “pretty” or you can just be as simple as writing a list. Some new moon in Gemini intentions would be: not bottling up emotions, instead expressing them in a healthy way. Working towards focusing on one thing you are really passionate about instead of brushing the surface on various subjects. Listening better as well as communicating more effectively. Speaking your truth and being confident in how you approach this.

4) Light your candle. For this ritual I definitely recommend using fire and burning your intentions. You will write your intentions down into your journal. You will start off by writing down the goals and desires you have for this new month ahead of you. You will ask for the guidance in doing this. Don’t let fear or ego hold you back any longer. Next you will write about your wishes for the next month. What do you desire above all else. This is the perfect month to focus on communication and focus. Especially right after Taurus season which mainly focused on stability, indulgence and family time. Now is the time to be realistic and focus on the things you truly need to accomplish in order for your dreams to manifest entirely. You will light the paper on fire and watch how the fire burns your intentions. Maybe it burns fast or maybe it fizzles out fast or maybe it burins slow and smouldering. This seals your desires and puts them out into the universe. You can either bury the ashes into the earth outside or you can pour them down the sink,

5) At this time you can take some time for yourself however you wish, further meditation, possibly a tarot reading if you do that, you can even enjoy a glass of wine. Tell the moon you love her, clean up your space and take the crystals to bed with you. You have just completed your new moon ritual.

I hope you guys enjoy doing this ritual and can find some peace or healing that you may be needing in life. I also hope that you manifest your deepest desires and this moon month goes exactly how you wish it to. Now is the time for action and to put forth effort into achieving your goals. Use that airy and dual energy to put in the thought and effort to building your dreams, focusing on communicating more effectively and being completely honest. Take this time to focus intently. Happy June and enjoy this Gemini new moon!