Creating Under the Cancer New Moon

Sage & Rosemary Smudges

Ponderosa Pine Besom w/ Galveston Shell

Cempazuchitl _ Marigold

Common Sunflower

Marigold & Sunflower Oil Infusion

The Garden in late Spring

Todays energy had me gathering and creating. The garden has been very abundant in herbs and flora. The vegetables are currently under attack by a rabbit, caterpillars, and moles. Not much has been posted this year about "Strega Nona's Garden", because I have been busy being Strega Nona, Mom, Wife, and keeper of the grounds. I do consider myself blessed I get these precious moments and memories. {L} has graduated high school with her cosmetology license, and doing an amazing job at being a new Mom. I have one kid left in school, can you believe it? {M} is in Jr High when school starts up again. The older son & daughter are adults and have been on their own for a few years. Time sure does fly by, the memories remain full of nostalga and heartache as parenthood changes in stages and ages. Everything must grow, and with these hands I still create. 

I'm Still Here .... And There

  

A Note:

 I'm still here in bloglandia, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth just been orbiting around quite a bit. Summer is sizzlin and I plan to catch up with you all soon.

 

Let The Gardening Commence

2nd Yr. Asparagus 

Planting 3 Varieties of Onion

Last weekend I got back into the swing of working on the garden. There is plenty of green that survived during the winter such as chives, herbs, and plants in pots. The asparagus was harvested twice so far. The busy work was putting seeds in trays and pots for transplants in a few weeks. The weather is cold mornings , warm daylight, then back to chilly winter nights. The garden is getting an expansion. The Hubby is relocating the existing post and extending it to the trees in the back. It's crazy to think that the extra space I'm gaining is the size of our old garden at Casa Sol Y Luna. Every thing is bigger in Texas 😉 The extra space will allow for more pots, flowers, greenhouse, tomatoes, and I'm putting our wooden picnic table in there. As every year I strive to become more self sufficient with our own food harvest so fingers crossed this is a successful year of bounty and beauty. 

Green Blessings🌱

23 & Me

Welcome 2023, a New Year and my solar return.

Major Arcana pull for the year #2 High Priestess

I officially became a Nona!

Finally getting around to posting. January has been eventful so far with birthdays and transitions. December and Christmas were joyous and busy with doula care. I'm immersing into new roles that fill my spirit and deep rooted ancestral knowledge is emerging. I hope to get on here more this year and share the journeying forward of the Wise Wild Woman. 

When in Brenham - Blue Bell Creamery

1101 South Blue Bell Rd, Brenham TX 77833

Refrigerated delivery truck 1936

Beautiful stained glass panel in entrance to visitor center

Full of books, I had to look

Baseball Museum

Elevator to top floor, we used the stairs

Art on the wall

Ice cream parlor seating

Salted Caramel Brownie- the newest flavor & Cherry Vanilla

Ask any Texan and they will hands down say Blue Bell Ice Cream is the cream of the crop and the best ice cream in the country. Bluebells  are also the official state flower, and I've yet to do iconic photography during bluebell season, maybe next spring. The Blue Bell Creamery has been on our to do list for summer since we've moved here, almost five years ago can you believe it? We had a little time to kill before an appointment so we stopped in on a still very hot fall day. This museum and factory is pretty easy to do under an hr. We did a self guided tour, and then treated ourself to $1 scoops at the parlor. The observation deck was closed this day so that will have to be on the next trip.

Of Thrillers & Flowers

 

These floral sprigs were originally bought to make Renaissance garlands for this Fall. At last I will no longer be working in the realm. I can't stand on my feet for hours on end anymore due to my varicose veins in my right leg, and a prolapsed uterus. Also I'm my daughters doula and she's in her third trimester.  Womb care love on both ends.

No waste around here so I created two floral Halloween Fall buckets and a matching wreath for the door. We have since taken out our Halloween bins and decorated inside and out. This year it feels slight for some reason, but will have a layer of birthday Halloween decor thrown on it for {M} at the end of the month, my All Hallows Eve baby. The ofrenda is being started as well, the ancestors are always coming through and we want them to feel the extra honor and love this year.

I put a side list of the books I'm reading or rather being read to, on the right of the blog. Getting my Mexican / Latin literature on, traveling through time and spaces, sacred and connective. I have Audible with credits through Prime and have been enjoying poetry and stories through headphones while doing housework and outdoor care. The two books above I selected for my hammock and comfy reading. Some thrills and chills for the season. I'm really intrigued to read Dyer Lane as it is based on a place from my past. A few years ago I did a blog post about this haunted tragic place which can be read here, Tragedy's of Dyer Lane.

Happy October beginnings, it's finally feeling like Fall.

Morning Meditation - New Moon in Libra

These words are from the journaling that came to me this morning as I sipped my Eucalyptus tea and meditated. To communicate with spirit, embodied practices are necessary to bring about the energy for transmission.

We are now traveling through the vortex of a black hole. Planets are retrograde but are shifting slowly back into their stations. The upheaval and miss connections, miscommunication and non-connectivity is in a space of realization and contemplation.

New paths are emerging and energization with synchronicity are taking place. Shadow work needs to be completed in order to immerse fully into the new challenges ahead that are illuminated and warm with light.

You are the mystic light and you're also the darkness for you lack the power of letting go. Letting go of the past that holds you down makes you cry, anguish squeezes your heart into a million broken pieces. Go to those pieces as they are the cosmos and come together to form new light, new pulse of your life continuing forward.

May you become as the brightest star to reach others to you so you can ignite those around you. Your soul's mission is the job of servitude and it's best serve when igniting passion , illumination and hope in others.
 

Monday mornings I also like to pull a Goddess guide card and an assisting angel card. Here is this weeks guidance and personal interpretation.

Spirit of Pentacles

Peace and grounding are finally found at home at the end of this cycle. Ascension has been earned from experience and cultivation of your life and overcoming the darkness. Bounty in blessings are achieved for the realization of where your at , is were you need to be , and that is where the work needs to come from. Wow this resonates so deep and is in complete conjunction with message from spirit during meditation. I changed the name and look of the blog to reflect this new stage in my life. Ive been feeling lost and didn't feel at home still here in Texas, but I know for now this is where the magic happens and where our soul work is coming from .

Sonya

A message from a deceased love one. I'm happy and at peace, I do not blame you, you did nothing wrong. My spirit is more alive now and no longer in pain. I come to you in messages and dreams. This right here is a message from my dearly beloved ChiPoo Chico. I was just saying how witches familiars are black cats but mine was a white Chihuahua. Its been about 4 years since he's passed. I regret I didn't get him to a vet, I believe maybe he got bite by a snake. We just got new skeletons for Halloween

and I named this one Chico, who waits by the front door ready to run outside and play.

Frijole Friday

 Ever since I became a frijolera this is the way I keep my beans. Sometimes the healing that you need comes in a jar and i almost always have some ready to go out the door if needed. Upon leaving I say "if you would like more frijoles bring the jar back ",and that's how the reciprocity works.

My husband's Abuelo used to call me frijole because it's how he pronounced Holly. Such an endearment that I miss as much as his flowery tortillas.

Frijole's Frijole - The Crockpot Method 

. Put four cups dried pinto beans into the crock pot

. Fill the Crock-Pot with water leaving an inch at the top

. Set the crock pot for high and let it do the cooking

. I add salt along the way as I stir the beans so there is no definite amount, just taste as you go along

* Sometimes more water needs to be added as you go along, keep an eye on the beans don't let them burn, they're ready when the consistency is soft and palatable enjoy!

P.S. don't forget to put them in a glass jar ! Feliz Dia de Independencia 🇲🇽

Summertime Simmer

We are simmering back into the daily routine of summertime days. Coming off the tail wind of a summer road trip back home to Cali. Future travel photos ahead. This morning's early chores included topping of the herbs for bushier growth. The garden needs to be reseeded due to lack of watering while away and rabbits entering the garden and enjoying our crops. Skirting the storage shed is a must, thats how they are entering under. There are so many home improvement projects which we will gladly do for we are staying in Texas for a long haul.

 

I've switched to a vegan diet ( more on that later) and chopped mixed fruit salads are so cooling in this heat. The compost is a beautiful mix in itself. Just catching up here on this space. I was gifted a new computer and I'm learning the ease of operation on it. So far so good. I'm at that stage where all my electronics have hit that planned opulence. Remember the movie The Brave Little Toaster?

Into the Zen

Spring has sprung at the Sanctuary. The humidity has arrived so it's more like summertime heat. Morning house chores are done quicker so the gardens can get watered before the sun is on full beam. The Zen Garden has taken shape over the years, I walk it daily in meditation and listen to how it wants to take shape. We add plant rescues here and there, put in a few flowers for a pop of color. After strolling and watering , I like to do a bit of hammock reading. The wildlife and I just chill out, for we are one in this space.

Reclamation

I found my word for the year in a different approach than I usually do. I pulled all 26 major arcana cards from The Intuitive Night Goddess Tarot deck held them in my hands and gathered energy. The word came to me before I pulled the card...reclamation. I still shuffled and pulled a card, and there she was (traditionally the devil card) renamed Reclamation. The insight before the insight left me all tingly, I felt this last year I had lost my power.

rec·la·ma·tion

/ˌrekləˈmāSH(ə)n/

the process of claiming something back or of reasserting a right.

We are already into the second month of the year, and I finally got around to this sharing. January has been busy. We have been working on small indoor repairs and painting. There's a long to do list to get to but once that is done we will be on a more even keel, or a bunch of something else's will pop up. An attitude of gratitude to insert here for we have things to take care of. A new year and new opportunities ahead. If you would like to share your word of the year drop it below.