Tarot and Tea-time: A Creative Endeavor?

[I'm using an iPad for this post and it is driving me nuts.]

Hi guys! I've decided to start doing a semiregular Tarot drawing regarding how my day will go~ and I'm going to share it with you! I'll do these readings alongside my cup of tea so if I'm drinking something spectacular, you'll get some info on that as well =)

Today I'm just drinking boring ol' steeped tea from Tim Hortons. I brought my mini Tarot of the Pagan Cats to work and drew this card: the 2 of Wands.

The Wands generally represent creativity and success. They usually have a positive meaning.

The 2 of Wands represents a new factor coming into play that you weren't previously prepared for. You've put your plans into motion and are awaiting the results, but the 2 shows up and says you'll need to alter your carefully planned course. A choice needs to be made here; perhaps something representing work or a creative pursuit....or both?

Now let's see....turns out today I have to do the window change at my new workplace by myself. Is this the choice I need to make?! I expected the boss's mom would be helping me with it but she said 'Nah, I'll let you do what you think is right!' I guess time will tell!

I promise next time I'll drink something more interesting.

Blessings!
Faula


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An Ostara Celebration~

Hi everyone!

Not having a camera is really putting a damper on my blogging =/ So here's some awkward phone shots I coerced my sister into taking today!

My niece and I decorated Whitey's pear tree with egg ornaments. 

Tika decided to help.

Then we went pussy willow hunting in the back; a Spring Equinox tradition!

Tika decided to join in again. She fluffed her tail up to make herself feel brave and followed us into the woods. 

Ha ha, I found this oak tree and made my sister take a pic of it 'BECAUSE IT'S HUGE.'

Our Ostara tree again! I wasn't planning on a specific tree when we bought the decorations, so we're lacking a bit. I think I might add a few goodies to it when Boo comes back next weekend for Easter =)



Flowers for the Equinox! I suggested my sister buy the gerberas for her new house~ the hyacinth and daffodils are mine.

A low-key, chill Spring Equinox was exactly what I needed. I'll spend the rest of the evening doing Tarot readings.

Blessings!
Faula

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My March Reading List

This year I've decided to challenge myself to read 100 books. This might seem like a small number to those of you who personally know me and my wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling bookshelf, but it's a surprisingly difficult number to reach. When I have a wee bit of downtime to spend on my heating pad [yay, muscle atrophy], I should be reading....but instead I scroll through the internet mindlessly. Time for that to stop!

I've decided to share my 'reading list' every month here on The Faolan Girl. I think that having a stack of books picked out will make it easier for me to get through. The only problem I face is finishing the trilogies and series I want to read....for instance, I can only find book 1 and book 3 of Cate Tiernan's Immortal Beloved series =/ and I want to re-read Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children [I haven't re-read it since it came out!], but the second book has gone missing in the depths of my bookshelf. Alas!

My March Reading List~

Keeping it small....for now. I've started each of these books in the past week so I might as well finish 'em!

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater~ I will be rereading the series as I've had Blue Lily, Lily Blue sitting unread on my bookshelf for the past year....

I Was Here by Gayle Forman. Okay, so I've only ever read one book by Gayle Forman, but it was enough to make me a fan! I'm about five chapters into this one and I love it.

Tea Leaf Reading for Beginners by Caroline Dow. I've wanted this book for ages....I've picked it up at the bookstore and put it down many times....I finally bought it last week when I was in the city for my birthday. I'm excited to start reading it!

Now, don't be expecting any reviews from me other than 'IT WAS GREAT AND YOU ALL NEED TO READ IT', because that's the extent of my reviewing abilities. If I finish a book, odds are I will love it [or at the very least, enjoy it]. If I don't finish a book because I was struggling to keep interest halfway through, then I will pass that book on and not waste any more time on it. So rest assured if the book is on my 'finished' list, then I enjoyed it.

I have a Reading Challenge widget in my sidebar so you can keep track of my progress~ and feel free to add me on Goodreads if you're a member!

Blessings,
Faula

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February's Full Moon Goals Link-up ☆

Words by Zsuzsanna E. Budapest

Hi everyone! I always seem to leave this link-up to the last minute, don't I? For those of you who are new here, Full Moon Goals is a monthly link-up for Pagan bloggers designed to motivate and encourage us to meet our goals. Please feel free to join in!

Let's take a look at my goals for last month:

☆ Purchase Llewellyn's Witches' Datebook & Calendar. Done and done, although it was a terrible experience.

☆ Craft a lovely abundance spell. Sort of done! I did have everything for it, but then I dismantled everything whilst cleaning.

☆ Continue to make an effort to reach out to friends both old and new. Also sort of done! I think I've been mainly talking to Lily & Mesha lately....although I did make a few lovely new friends =)

☆ Create a blogging schedule for the Faolan Girl. Not done!

2.5 outta 4 ain't bad! Here are my goals for this month:

☆ Put lots of effort into my swaps on Sisters of the Moon. We have lots of beautiful swaps this Spring and I'm so excited!

☆ Figure out a day - or two - to stop by the tea shop and do tea readings! Eee, I'm so excited! My friend Karla owns the loveliest [and only] tea shop here in town, Spirit Oak. We were chatting about the upcoming Mind Body Spirit Fair - which she will sadly not be attending this year - and I mentioned how I might do tea readings. She immediately volunteered to be my test subject, ha ha! I can set up in the front window of the shop and I can do readings with Karla and any customer who's interested.

☆ Start making my way through the witchy bookshelf. I have soo many books that I haven't even cracked open....sigh. I'm going to read those books and then make the difficult choice of rehoming them if they don't click with me. Check out Pagan Goods & Services Exchange for the books I've already listed!

Keeping it short and sweet this month!
~

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. Please note: This is a link-up for Pagan bloggers, so please make the majority of your goals Pagan-related =)

 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-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xlf1/v/t1.0-9/12042650_10207801372459215_5307114152068420298_n.jpg?oh=2c07868c83e1f7b36db7da2274231349&oe=569C132E" 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!

Witch in the Woods: A Wintry Hike

 Hello everyone!

The other day I decided to go on a little hike in the woods. I love the beautiful forest behind my house, with its secretive hollows & friendly wildlife. However, I don't spend as much time as I should out there. I've decided to remedy that with a new tag on the blog: Witch in the Woods. I hope you'll follow along for all of my woodland adventures.

The forest is divided by name in two parts; Avalon and the Mondream Wood. I often cross through Avalon to get to the Mondream Wood. Avalon is the largest slope in the forest, and the Mondream Wood is situated on the lake.

This tree seems quite impressive~ but he's really only three feet high! He lives in the blueberry field on Avalon.

 Somebody's been checking out my favourite oak tree!

Really, the best place for a bit of quiet reflection....

The oak tree sits right at the edge of Avalon and looks down over its field.

The [usually stony] hill of Avalon.

I took a deer path through the woods and stumbled upon many treasures in the snow.

It was a bit difficult for me to capture tracks on camera, but these are rabbit tracks!

And I have no idea what these are...They're smaller than rabbit tracks and not as distinctive as deer.

Getting closer to the Mondream Wood~

I ended up going into the woods [again] to explore this lovely clearing. After a bit of wandering around....

....I ended up right where I'd started, Avalon!

A beautiful sunset to see me off ♥

~

I hope you enjoyed this little peek into my favourite paradise.

Blessings,
Faula

Imbolc Activities~

Imbolc - February 2nd
'Imbolc is the one of the four greater sabbats, which are the sabbat dates from the Celtic calendar which do not change over the years. (The other three are Beltane, Lughnasadh, and Samhain.) The hard work of beginning another year occurs at Imbolc. Possibilities are endless and eternal at this time. The whole year stretches before you and you have the power to mold it into whatever you desire. Imbolc is a good time to perform spells concerned with the gaining of inspiration, releasing the old to bring in the new, creating and/or increasing the warmth and love within a household/relationship/family, creating prosperity, and welcoming personal growth.'
- Adapted from 'Llewellyn's Sabbats Almanac: Samhain 2009 to Mabon 2010'

Imbolc is a good time to focus on yourself and center your own personal powers. It's a popular time for divination, wish casting, consecrating/purifying, healing magick, goal setting, and initiation or renewing rites.

Whether you're a Witch or not, you can still celebrate Imbolc. Why not try out some of the activities below?

♥ Check out your candle supply and make note of what you're running low on. Black candles for protection rites? White tealights? Then, make or buy your own candles and bless them for use in the coming year.

♥ Hang or refill birdfeeders! [p.s There are tons of great DIY tutorials on the web for birdfeeders you can make with children!]

♥ Do a little 'spring' cleaning! Weather permitting, open the windows to let some fresh air in. Smudge the house and/or ring bells to break up the stagnant energy and cleanse the space. Wash the windows and mirrors. Give everything a good dusting!

♥ Cleanse the area where you perform divination, or cleanse your runes/cards/pendulum. Everyone has their own way, so choose whichever method you like.

♥ Burn the Yule greens to send winter on its way!

♥ Plant some early spring flowers such as snowdrops, daffodils, or irises. (You can do this indoors, too!) Or bless the seeds you've chosen for your spring garden.

♥ Brew a pot of herbal tea and enjoy it as you reflect on the personal goals you've accomplished in the past year and what you'd like to accomplish this year. You can journal your intentions, too!

♥ Try out some wish casting!

♥ Bake some goodies to enjoy on Imbolc, and remember to share them with your friends and family! Traditional foods for this Sabbat include bread and dairy. Why not whip up your own butter and soda bread to serve?

♥ Light a gathering of candles on Imbolc to inspire the sun and Spring to return. [Be safe! Use fire-safe holders and never leave burning candles unattended!]

♥ Brigid is the Celtic triple goddess of fire, healing, and poetry, and is often celebrated on Imbolc. Write a poem in her honour.

♥ Clean out your fireplace!

♥ Make some Imbolc crafts like a Brigid's Cross or a dream pillow.

For further reading, I recommend 'Seasons of Witchery' by Ellen Dugan and any of the Llewellyn's Sabbats Almnacs.

Brightest of blessings for Imbolc and the coming year!

Faula.