A Magickal Weekend

The winter months for me are always a time of study and hibernation. I normally love winter but this year I am really looking forward to the arrival of spring. Part of that I am sure is the fact we are back in a single home and I have a garden to play in. This afternoon I am going to wander about the yard and do some planning as to what flowers, herbs and veggies I would like to plant. I am very anxious to play in the dirt!

This past weekend cabin fever was cured by attending two really wonderful workshops that gave me a chance to learn as well as see folks I knew and meet a number of fun and interesting new folks of like mind.

Saturday I attended a Pendulum Workshop at Alta View Wellness Center in Harrisburg. Melody Bishop (Runes By Melody) led this class. I have worked with a pendulum from time to time and this class gave me new ways to develop my skills further. Melody is a wonderful teacher and provides a lot of material to her students. In addition to the crystal pendulum (on the right in photo) we got a book and a folder full of handouts as well as hands on exercises in class. There are a number of events coming up that I am looking forward to attending at Alta View, one is Melody's Automatic Writing Workshop next month.

The amethyst pendulum on the left in the picture is one my husband gifted me some time ago. I hung both in the window last night to absorb some Full Moon energy and will do the same tonight. I feel very comfortable working with them both. I have a hematite pendulum that a friend gave me that is currently in hiding somewhere here in the house. Maybe I can use the other two pendulums to find the lost one!

While in Harrisburg I visited Heaven and Nature Store and adopted a few more crystal children. My Sacral Chakra is in need of a boost and I selected a nice piece of orange calcite. From left to right the smaller ones are Unakite, Carnelian and Rainforest Rhyolite. I lined up these and other crystals on the windowsill to moon bathe last night. They are singing this morning so I know they will enjoy another round of moon bathing tonight as clear skies are forecast.

Sunday was spent exploring Essential Oils. This was fairly new territory for me. I have used fragrance oils to dress my candles but that was pretty much the extent of my knowledge. This is something I have been wanting to explore so I was thrilled to have had the chance to attend The Practical, Medicinal and Healing Applications of Essential Oils, a workshop given by Sharon Bibb. She is a walking encyclopedia on this topic. I loved how we were greeted when we arrived. The table was carefully set for each student. A tray to work on along with a baggie filled with notebook, flower pen and bottles and carrier oil for our hands on part of the class were ready and waiting for us. A little shot glass of coffee beans had me curious. Discovered this was to cleanse your nostrils. Came in very handy when we were exploring all the wonderful scents of the essential oils.

In addition to what I learned during the workshop, I came away from class with a folder full of great handouts and the goodies shown in the photo above. Starting on the left is Jojoba that we used as our carrier oil. The glass bottle is the Spiritual Healing Blend I made from Frankincense, Vetivert and Ylang Ylang Essential Oils. I made this to wear for ritual and when working with my divination tools. The small brown bottle is a Four Thieves Blend to ward off sickness. We all followed the same base recipe but then added an oil of choice to our own bottle to personalize it. The tiny vial is a sample of Sharon's "Green 2013" Blend that has a wonderful clean, citrus aroma. Finally the large spray bottle in the back is an aromatic room spray I made. We were allowed to pick what we wanted for this. My blend is Lavender, Tea Tree and Ylang Ylang. I have this on my desk to give me a boost when I need it.

It was a lovely workshop. Sharon was the only person I knew so it was fun getting to know all the other very delightful and interesting ladies. Sharon will be offering The Practical, Medicinal and Healing Applications of Essential Oils again on April 7th. Click the title for a link to the facebook page with details. I highly recommend this to anyone nearby who would be interested. Looking forward to future workshops she may be offering!

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My crystals and pendulums weren't the only ones taking a moon bath. I went outside a little after 2am and enjoyed soaking up a few moonbeams myself. It was a bit chilly to stay out too long, especially since I was in my nightgown! Thinking of adding a swing to the yard this spring, next to the planned Fairie Garden, for future moon baths and meditation.

This past weekend certainly was a magickal one and I am still buzzing a bit from it! Next weekend should be equally as magickal. On Friday my husband is taking me to the Pennsylvania Garden Show of York. Can't wait to see some green and colorful blooms as well as gather ideas for my own yard. Saturday I will be attending the second part of a Crystals Workshop at New Visions and it is a pretty safe bet I will be adopting a few more crystal children while there.

Full Moon Blessings!