The Haven

Okay, I know it's only Friday and not "technically" the weekend.  But since I'm done with work for the week, it is officially the weekend for me.  With that said, today's post includes Friday, Saturday, and Sunday maintenance. For Friday the focus is all about love and happiness.  Al Green anyone?  Seriously now, Friday is ruled by Venus and the corresponding color is pink.  Some scents for today include vanilla, ylang-ylang, cardamom, thyme, or consider using sugar or honey as an ingredient in a simmering potpourri. Saturday is appropriately ruled by Saturn.  The focus is on the home, particularly protection, boundaries, and comfort.  If you use a color candle go with brown and any "earthy" incense works well for today. Finally Sunday which is, of course, ruled by the Sun.  Focus on inviting success and blessings into your home.  Use the colors of the Sun, yellow and gold.  Appropriate scents for this day include sandalwood, cedar...

Today, as you know, is Thursday and it's a great day for magical maintenance.  Thursday is ruled by Jupiter and the energies to invite in today are prosperity and abundance!  Let's face it, who among us couldn't use some prosperity in our lives right now? Alright, the main scents for the day are patchouli or sage but you could also use anise, clove, or nutmeg. Now the lists of scents I give you are by no means complete.  They're just a few of the more common ones that will be effective.  There are far too many incense and potpourri recipes to list here. If you use a color candle, you should definitely go with some shade of green.  Nearly everything I've ever learned about prosperity spells uses a green candle.  Makes sense right?  However, feel free to continue using a tea light if that's what you normally do.  I always use tea lights for the daily maintenance. That's it for today, more tomorrow.

Wednesday is a day to invite wisdom and communication into your home.  Ruled by Mercury and air, today's scents include lavender, lemon, caraway, dill, fennel, celery seed, or marjoram.  The herbs are included for using a simmering potpourri instead of store bought incense.  But, as always, use what seems right to you.  If you decide to use a color candle, go with yellow or orange for Wednesday. Don't forget to visualize more wisdom and stronger communication within your home when lighting your candle and incense.  It's all about intent. More on magical maintenance tomorrow!

Tuesday is ruled by Mars and the focus for today is passion and vitality.  Some scents to use for today's maintenance are allspice, basil, cumin, ginger, chili powder or any of your favorite spicy incense.  Cinnamon works great for Tuesday.  If you're using a color coordinated candle instead of a plain tea light, definitely use red, Red, RED. Remember that you can use any scent or candle that seems appropriate to you when inviting passion and vitality into your home.  If you don't like any of the suggestions above, then your invitation won't be effective!

One of the simplest ways to make your home a magical space is to invite the positive energies of each day.  This is as easy as burning a candle and some incense each day.  I call this Magical Maintenance.  You don't need a special candle for each day of the week; just use a standard tea light and any incense with an appropriate scent for that day.  Remember, if another goal needs your attention, work towards that instead.  Let's go ahead and start with today, Monday: Monday is ruled by the Moon and the energies to invite in today are peace, nurturing, and compassion.  Some appropriate scents for Monday are jasmine, coconut, lemon, and mint.  If you want to go all out and use a different candle for each day of the week, try to use a pale blue one for Monday. Now, here's the easy part.  Light your chosen candle and incense while visualizing your home filled with today's energies.  If you want you can even say something aloud while lighting ...

It's not always possible to celebrate the seasons the way you'd like to, especially when living on a tight budget. When you're pressed for cash and don't already have this season's decor on hand, one or two well placed candles with a seasonal scent can do the trick!  Even cheaper than candles (because I know they can get expensive!) is to pick up a wax tart warmer at your local dollar type store and get one or two good quality tarts. Any brand of wax tart is fine but the better the quality the longer the scent will last.  Use any scent that best represents the season to you, don't just get the most obvious (unless it happens to be your favorite of course).  Try to pick a neutral tart warmer so you don't feel the need to buy a new one every time the wheel turns and you'll be saving even more of your hard earned cash!

Here are a few ideas to make your everyday tasks work for you... Stir your morning coffee or tea in a clockwise motion to invite positive energies. When cooking, always stir clockwise. Scrub dishes counterclockwise to banish negativity and rinse clockwise for positivity. Clean your rooms working your way around counterclockwise. Use lemon (citrus) or lavender scented cleaning products for household cleaning. Lemon/citrus breaks up negativity and lavender promotes calm. When showering, visualize the water washing away all the bad vibes and problems picked up during the day down the drain. Use toiletries with a scent that is pleasing to you, no need to be expensive or overpowering. Always fold money towards you and receipts away from you. I can't take credit for these ideas, I've learned them from various sources along the way.  Feel free to adapt them to fit your life and see what else you can come up with!

When you live in sunny Florida it can sometimes be hard to stay in tune with the seasons.  Around here we don't really get the crisp and colorful splendor of Fall or the amazing burst of new life in the Spring.  And while it does get cold (yes, cold) here in the Winter, there is no snow for the holidays.  Now, I don't miss having to shovel my driveway or slip 'n slide my way to work from December into March, but there's something to be said for the magic of that first snowfall and holiday shopping just isn't the same without a few flurries. But by simply changing out some of your existing home decor with items that evoke the feeling of each season at least your home will celebrate each new turn of the wheel.  Use whatever feels right to you, there really is no steadfast rule (at least not in my home).  The point is, no matter where you live your life you can still have the feeling of each season and in-between time.  It just takes a little imagination and...