Thank You!

I just want to say thank you to Vanessa over at A Fanciful Twist for hosting another Mad Tea Party!  Based on all the participation and comments, everyone had a great time.

Also, I want to thank all my friends (new and old) for the wonderful comments.  I enjoyed visiting everyone's parties, even if I didn't comment on all of them.

So...THANK YOU!

~ Heathen

Tea in the Garden

Welcome party goers!  If you've just found my site, I'm very pleased to meet you.  Please feel free to wander around a bit. 

For my contribution to today's Mad Tea Party I've created a digital collage...Tea in the Garden.

click to enlarge

It was inspired by this...

I hope you all enjoy.  I'll be blog-hopping around to check out all your Tea Party posts today.  To follow along with the madness, click here and visit A Fanciful Twist for more partiers!

Thanks to Vanessa for hosting her annual Mad Tea Party!

Halloween in Summer?

So I was out trolling the local craft and party goods stores this weekend and I saw the strangest thing.  The Halloween goods are already starting to be displayed.  Let me make this clear, I LOVE Halloween.  But you see, I'm a seasonal kind of girl.  I try to follow the turn of the wheel and be in the moment (or at least appreciate the moment).  So you can see how this would kind of upset my balance a bit.

I'm trying to be in my Summer groove over here (which shouldn't be hard when it's 85 F at 7:30 in the morning) and suddenly I'm visually transported right into the middle of Fall.  I mean completely!  I can smell my Halloween candles and feel the giddy bubbling up from the tips of my toes.  Instead of looking at the brightly colored flowers and supplies, I find myself being drawn toward the pumpkins and deep purple flowers!  Bumble bees are replaced with bats, lanterns with cauldrons, swimming pools with mist covered fields.  What's a girl like me to do I ask you?

I guess for now I'll have to put blinders on when I go to the craft store and remember that it's still June, just the beginning of Summer.  Fall will be here soon enough, and with it Halloween.  But don't think for a second that those Halloween images have actually gone away...

~ Heathen

Summer Solstice

The Summer Solstice, also known as Litha or Midsummer, is the longest day of the year.  After the Solstice the nights gradually begin to grow longer again.  Litha is a fire festival and a classic time for magic of all types.

Customs and Activities:

• spend the day outside
• wear the colors of the Sun
• lighting a blaze (or candles) on Midsummer's Eve and maintaining it until midnight brings luck and blessings to the home

Colors:
red, orange, yellow, green, and white

Decorations:

• sunflowers
• bees
• lanterns or twinkle lights
• wreath of ivy with yellow & red flowers or ribbon intertwined

Foods:  due to the Summer heat in FL, I like to serve a light meal that doesn't require the oven.

• summer veggies
• grilled meat, poultry, or fish
• Sangria
• anything lemony or citrus

Spellworkings:

• love
• divination
• protection
• inspiration
• any fairy magic

Happy Father's Day

To all the Dad's out there in Blogland and the great wide world!

Enjoy your special day!

Father's Day

Next Sunday, June 19th, is known in the U.S. and a lot of other places around the world as Father's Day.  Every year on the 3rd Sunday of June we honor our fathers or father figures.

So what do you give the man who has everything or wants nothing (and doesn't need a tie)?  That all depends on the man in question.  In my experience, most men don't really like the spectacle of receiving gifts in front of other people.  It seems to makes them feel awkward.  So instead of wrapping up a pretty gift, consider doing something for or with the man of honor.

Host a backyard barbecue for the family and you've got a nice Father's Day for both Dad and Hubby.  Give Hubby the weekend off from that honey-do list and let him spend his time on the computer, or in front of ESPN, or whatever it is he likes to do.  Take your Dad out to breakfast, just the two of you.

If you don't live nearby, send him a book you read or CD you listened to that you think he would enjoy.  Don't wrap it up, just send it with a little note.  Or, if he's computer literate, send him links to authors or artists you want to share with him.  Whatever you decide to do, please don't give the poor man another tie (unless of course he actually needs one).

~ Heathen

Summer Vacation - with a twist

We all know about the horrible economy and we're all feeling it's effects on our wallets.  For a lot of us, this means skipping the traditional Summer vacation.  So instead of leaving home, try taking a vacation from something you normally do.  Things like television, your computer, the news, or driving.  Sound too hard?  What about taking a vacation from the things you don't really like such as complaining, whining, demanding, or judging.  Don't get defensive, we all do these things.

Or... take a vacation from work but stay local and pretend to be a tourist.  Do all the things someone visiting your town would do on vacation!  A lot of times you can even get discounts on the "touristy" things if you're a local, it never hurts to check.

The point is, don't skip your vacation...we all need them.  But you don't have to spend a fortune or uproot the family to do it.  Enjoy your Summer Vacation!

~ Heathen
Living Life Seasonally

Invite the Muses

Finding inspiration can sometimes be a daunting task.  So what to do when you simply have no new ideas?  First, you have to realize and accept that these things cannot be forced.  In fact, the harder you try, the less you'll get.  Sounds counter-intuitive right?  But it's not.  The truth is, a lack of inspiration mainly stems from an overload of information.  Your mind needs time to process, and most of us are going/doing/thinking way too fast for that to happen.  You have to slow down and stop, just for a bit, and essentially "re-boot" your mind.  Haven't you noticed that some of your best ideas pop into your head while doing something routine or absolutely nothing?

Consider these examples:
Newton was loafing under an apple tree when he saw an apple fall and got the idea of gravity.  Galileo was sitting and watching a great swinging lamp which triggered the idea of a swinging pendulum as a means to measure time.  And Watt was just waiting for his teakettle to boil when the steam lifting the lid gave him the idea of a steam engine.

There are more spells on inviting the muses than I could ever list here.  Some are as simple as carrying a piece of orange calcite with you, and others are require a full ritual.  Now I'm not big on ritual (just a personal preference) so I've come up with something a bit simpler.  All you need is a little quiet time and a candle.  Think about where or when you tend to get your best ideas.  For me that's in the shower and in the brief moment between awake and asleep.  It's probably different for you so adapt this to fit.


Take a yellow (for creativity) candle with you to your bathroom or bedroom.  Light the candle with the intention of inviting the muses.  You can do this however works for you.  Then get in the shower or fall asleep while the candle burns.  Empty your mind of conscious thought and just let it wander.  You will probably not get an immediate result, but you have sent the invitation and opened yourself to it.  When you're done, snuff out the candle (if it's still burning), and LET IT GO.  The inspiration will come, but not if you keep thinking about it.  If after a few days nothing has come to you, repeat the spell and do what you can to slow down.

~ Heathen
Living Life Seasonally

Things to do in June

June brings the beginning of Summer.  The weather is warming towards hot and the kids are home from school.  It's the perfect time for outdoor fun!  Not only will you enjoy the healing rays of the sun (don't forget the sunscreen!), but the fresh air and sunshine will help burn off the extra energy kids seem to have in the summer.

• Make a Summer playlist for your music player and take it with you.
• Head to the beach, lake, or pool for some water fun.
• Spend the day at the park and have a picnic lunch.
• Create sidewalk art with chalk on your driveway or porch.
• Go for a walk around your neighborhood.
• Go to a baseball game.
• Plant a vegetable garden.
• Visit a local street fair or farmer's market.
• Chase butterflies, frogs, lizards, and fireflies (please don't try to keep them).
• If your town still has one, go to a drive-in movie.
• Go camping and sleep outside; even if it's only in your own back yard.

Even if you don't have small children, you can still enjoy the activities listed here.  See what else you can come up with to spend as much time as possible outside.

~ Heathen
Living Life Seasonally

C'mon Ladies...Let's Clean House!

Okay, I know spring cleaning season is over (for most of us).  But if, like me, you've left a few things undone, now is the time.  The Summer Solstice is nearly upon us!  It's time to finish the spring cleaning and get your house ready for the summer months.  Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Spruce up your porch, deck, or patio for outdoor lounging and entertaining.
• Get your grill ready for evening and weekend barbecues.
• Start saving your empty jars to use as luminaries.
• If you live in the north, remove the storm windows/doors and replace the screens.
• Air out the house before it gets too hot and sticky.
• Change the filter for your air conditioner and make sure it's working properly.
• Clean your fans.
• Pack away any remaining cold weather clothes and blankets; donate those you no longer want or need.
• Bring out the shorts, skirts, t-shirts, flip-flops, and lightweight blankets.

I know, it seems like a lot of work.  But trust me, you'll appreciate having it done and being ready for the hot & lazy days of summer!

~ Heathen
Living Life Seasonally

We're All Mad Here

That's right...it's time for a Mad Tea Party!  The whimsical Vanessa over at A Fanciful Twist is hosting another Mad Tea Party this month.  If you don't already know about this, you can find all the info here.

I wasn't around for the previous festivities, but I do plan on participating this year.  I just love her blog and her parties!  Not quite sure what I'll be doing, but I wouldn't tell you anyway. *wink*

So, if you haven't already, head on over and sign up to join.  Look forward to seeing you for tea!

~ Heathen