July's Full Moon Goals Link-up ☆

Brightest of blessings, everyone! Welcome to the second Full Moon Goals link-up. Full Moon Goals is a monthly link-up for Pagan bloggers to share their goals.

Let's take a look at my goals from last month...

☆ Charge my crystals for the 'Intuitively Chosen Gemstones' swap under the full moon. Done and sent! I loved this swap. I may have to host it again...

☆ Re-pot all of my herbs and find a new place for them to hang out. Okay, so they all got new pots....but they're STILL hanging out on the steps.

☆ Purchase the Lllewellyn's Sabbats Essentials #3: Midsummer book and read it before the Solstice. Done!

☆ Take photos of my stock for The Faolan Girl and list everything on my Facebook page. Not done!

☆ Find all of my Tarot & oracle decks, and give 'em all a good cleaning! Also not done because I'm missing like one card from each deck. Where do they disappear to?!

And here are my goals to achieve this month!

☆ Do a manifestation ritual under the Full Moon to bring good things into my life.

☆ Make an effort to find my missing Tarot cards and reunite them with their proper decks.

☆ Maybe, finally, take photos of my stock for The Faolan Girl. Maybe.

☆ Plan for an upcoming giveaway here on the blog. Eee, so excited!

~

Would you like to join this month's Link-up? If you're new to link-ups, here's a great how-to post!

Full Moon Goals Link-up Rules 

1. This link-up is specifically for full moon goals. Any links that are unrelated to the theme or that direct to your homepage will be deleted.

2. Paste this button into your Full Moon Goals post to link back here so everyone can join the goal-making fun. [Very important part. This is what makes it a 'link-up'!]

<div align="center">
<a href="http://thefaolangirl.blogspot.ca/search/label/full%20moon%20goals" title="The Faolan Girl"><img src="https://scontent-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/13189_10206952645681576_263954573894369316_n.jpg?oh=633e15291f05ed9d199f4cb192dc58f1&oe=55F21EDE" alt="The Faolan Girl" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

3. Visit the other links [at least one or two!] and leave encouraging comments for our fellow bloggers. This link-up is meant to motivate us to reach our goals....and hopefully we'll make a few friends along the way!

 Once you've read & understood the rules, feel free to add your Full Moon Goals blog link below!

Summer Solstice Blessings!

Not my edit

A blessed Summer Solstice to all of my sister witches and soul sisters!

Here are the ways I have been & will be celebrating the Solstice~

☆ I sunbathed with my white kitty, Meme, sleeping beneath my legs, whilst my guinea pigs grazed and my tadpoles chased each other around.

☆ I tended to my herbs - after Meme smushed the catnip.

☆ My sister, niece and I have little butterfly-shaped cut-outs ready for our bonfire tonight! We'll be writing our wishes on them and then burning them in the Solstice fire.

☆ I charged one of my favourite Tarot decks under the Midsummer sun's rays.

☆ I'm going to put together a few wee offerings for the faeries & other forest spirits later.

☆ I enjoyed copious amounts of tea - always a good way to celebrate!

"May love be warm and all your dreams be bright;
May all the wrongs of winter be put right;
May we remain forever in the light;
That grows its strongest at Midsummer’s Night."
- http://www.earthgoddesswisdom.com/

<3

Brightest of Solstice blessings,
Faula.

Celebrating Litha: Decorating Your Altar ☆

Here are a few tips on how to decorate your altar for the Solstice. Remember, your altar is a representation of you and your magick. The following colours, crystals, and flowers are commonly used for the Solstice but if something doesn't feel right, you don't need to use it!

Colours: The Summer Solstice is when the Earth is lush & full. Gold to represent the sun is always a great colour to use. You could also decorate your altar with green to represent both the fertile Earth & abundance, oranges and yellows for creativity, or white for purification work.

Flowers & herbs: Take a quick look at what's blooming in your garden and use those lovelies for decoration! A few ideas are chamomile, rosemary, a bouquet of daisies, heather and lavender, or roses.

Crystals: You could use any yellow/golden stones, or you could pick stones that correspond with your spellworking themes of abundance, healing, etc. Some recommendations are carnelian, citrine, emerald, jade, peridot and copper.

Symbols: Bees, butterflies, and bird representations would look lovely on your altar! As would anything that symbolizes the sun - spirals, discs, etc. You could place a tealight inside a cauldron to represent fire. If you're going the opposite direction and decorating with a water theme, you could use a chalice full of collected rainwater, seashells and vials of sand.

How do you plan to decorate for the Solstice?

Blessings,
Faula.

Celebrating Litha: Midsummer Activities

The Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year, and the shortest night. This is when summer has truly arrived, full of light, warmth, and abundance. The Goddess is pregnant with the child of her consort, the Sun god, and so we celebrate life, motherhood, and the love of family.

Midsummer is a customary time for handfasting, as well as the perfect time for celebrations that include children and family. It is traditional to throw lavender on the bonfire as a sacrifice to the old gods, and some believe that this is the optimal day to harvest your magickal herbs. Litha marks the end of the waxing time of the year and the rule of the Oak King, and beings the waning half, ruled by the Holly King.

The Summer Solstice is all about abundance and celebration of the light, so why not have a big feast for friends and family to celebrate with you? Cook over the bonfire or barbeque, but remember to include traditional summer dishes and local seasonal foods. Strawberries dipped in chocolate or beautiful, ripe peaches dripping with juice are a perfect symbol of summer's vibrant energy. Then stay up late to enjoy the longest day of the year!

- Deborah Blake.


The Summer Solstice is coming up quick on June 21st. Try out some of the activities below to celebrate the Solstice!

☆ Wake up early to greet the sun as it rises.

☆ Hang sun crystals in your windows to invite the energy of the sun into your life and home!

☆ Have a bonfire to celebrate the fire festival! Burn lavender or rosemary as blessings.

☆ For a fun activity to do with a child, decorate a flower pot with any materials you'd like - paint, sticky gems, etc. Then plant a herb or some lovely flowers inside.

☆ Is it storming during your celebrations? Collect a jar of rainwater to be used in rituals and do a few blessings to the thunder gods.

☆ Make a pot of iced tea and enjoy it in the sunshine as you take in the beauty of the Solstice!

☆ Butterflies are a symbol of the Solstice. Cut out a butterfly shape from paper, write your wishes on it, and burn it in the Solstice's bonfire.

☆ Leave an offering to the faeries in your garden or your favourite forest.

☆ Cleanse your crystals and other magickal tools in the Midsummer sun.

☆ If you're feeling crafty, make a wee faerie offering bowl or a faerie chair for your garden.

☆ Litha is a great time for garden witchery. Incorporate flowers or herbs in your rituals, or do a blessing for your garden.

☆ If you have any herbs that are ready to be harvested, now is a great time to do it! Be sure to thank the plant after harvesting.

☆ Either harvest fresh fruits & veggies from your own garden, or hit up the farmer's market to bring home some produce to incorporate into your Midsummer feast.

☆ If you usually decorate your Altar with greens & golds, try decorating it with a watery theme this year! Scatter around seashells and use a blue altar cloth.

☆ Using an apple [or pinecone], peanut butter and birdseed, you can make a lovely Solstice snack for the birds!

☆ Prosperity, health and abundance spells are great spellworking themes for the Solstice.

☆ Have a picnic in a flowering field or in the woods.

Brightest of blessings,

Faula.

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Q&P: Intuitively Chosen Gemstones & Handmade Bag

Hi everyone!

A while ago I hosted a swap I was really excited about; Intuitively Chosen Gemstones & Handmade Bag! I love crystals & I love sewing bags, so it was a win-win for me.

I was assigned as Stacey's partner. I took a look at her profile beforehand to decide which stones would be best...but this swap is about intuition! When I got to the metaphysical store, these three lovelies jumped out at me and demanded to be sent to Australia. Clockwise from top: Serpentine, Vogesite and Crazy Lace Agate.

Serpentine helps to clear out and release the clouded/dense areas of all chakras so that healing can occur. Serpentine will help with healing on all levels (mental, emotional, and physical) and forms a unique connection to promote healing in the way that is best for each individual.
Serpentine can be used to attract/manifest what you want into your life--abundance on all levels, prosperity, love, healing, etc. It aligns your intent with the Heart Chakra and Source energy.

Vogesite is a stone to help one to find where one has been, where one is at, and where one can be in life. A stone to open the mind to explore the past, present and future, onwards to opening the body to explore the feeling of emotions, the hopes and the fears, and finally opening the spirit to grow and strengthen, to journey onwards to enlightenment and freedom.

Crazy Lace Agate is called the Laughter Stone, or "Happy Lace." It is associated with sunny Mexican fiestas and dancing, and brings joy to those who wear it. It is not a stone of protection, but of support and encouragement, elevating thoughts and promoting optimism. Its graceful design, in random lacy patterns, creates a circular flow of energy, stimulating for the mind and attitude. 

(Information garnered from around the Web.)

The dragonflies are back so I sewed a little dragonfly charm to Stacey's bag [after I took this photo, of course] and off to Australia it went! I'm so excited for her to receive it =D

Blessings,
Faula