I came across this article today from a UU green organization on Facebook I read through it and thought it was quite fascinating.
I wanted to share here, especially since I know that everyone, like me is starting to garden or at least prepare their garden plots for the warmer weather.
There are tips for everything from slug repellent, to bug repellent to fertilizer. Hopefully these tips will help you with your gardening this summer. It's definitely a more cost friendly, greener way to garden!
10 Gardening Products You Should Never Buy Again (With DIY Alternatives)
Friday, April 26, 2013
Friday, April 5, 2013
The Spring Awakening
Today was the first day where I truly felt that Spring was here. The sun was warm and shining brightly. The birds were chirping and the air, despite a slightly chilly breeze, was warm and inviting. It finally felt as if Spring had arrived and Mother Nature was inviting people out to come and join her, to enjoy her beauty and all of the things that were returning.
One thing I've noticed, especially since trying to attune myself with the seasons and the natural cycles of things, is that once Spring arrives, I feel different. I can feel myself shift out of the winter cycle and into the energy of Spring. I feel rejuvenated (even if I am tired); I feel ready to get out, to do more things. Spring always makes me want to get outside and enjoy the Mother, nature, trails. Anything nature is fair game when the weather turns to Spring.
I suppose, I feel awakened.
This is funny because as I reflected on how Spring made me feel today, I realized that the CLF's theme for their Sunday services is Awakening. I never took much stock in the themes. I never thought they would mean something to me. I just saw them as a reflection point really; something that probably would never strike a chord with me. How wrong I was! I have been awakened to a few other things as well, those matters however are just small personal issues that I'd rather not discuss in dealing with family but the point still remains; I had an awakening, even if it had to do with the cycles of the seasons.
This weather makes me want to get out and meditate in the sun. I think I would take advantage of it if the weather was slightly warmer and the sun was stronger. I've found that sun meditations rejuvenate me in ways other meditations cannot.
One thing I've noticed, especially since trying to attune myself with the seasons and the natural cycles of things, is that once Spring arrives, I feel different. I can feel myself shift out of the winter cycle and into the energy of Spring. I feel rejuvenated (even if I am tired); I feel ready to get out, to do more things. Spring always makes me want to get outside and enjoy the Mother, nature, trails. Anything nature is fair game when the weather turns to Spring.
I suppose, I feel awakened.
This is funny because as I reflected on how Spring made me feel today, I realized that the CLF's theme for their Sunday services is Awakening. I never took much stock in the themes. I never thought they would mean something to me. I just saw them as a reflection point really; something that probably would never strike a chord with me. How wrong I was! I have been awakened to a few other things as well, those matters however are just small personal issues that I'd rather not discuss in dealing with family but the point still remains; I had an awakening, even if it had to do with the cycles of the seasons.
This weather makes me want to get out and meditate in the sun. I think I would take advantage of it if the weather was slightly warmer and the sun was stronger. I've found that sun meditations rejuvenate me in ways other meditations cannot.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Spring is (hopefully) coming!
The sun is shining. It is usually shining or at least starting to shine by the time I arrive at work in the morning. The birds are back and are happily chirping as they forage for food. I can feel Spring in the air, even if it's usually 40 degrees and very cold/windy every single day.
As the FB says, we began our planting almost a week ago. Things are already starting to sprout! We're debating on getting a raised garden bed to place outside of our apartment. It would certainly make our lives easier. The best part? We can take it with us if/when we ever decide to leave. If we ever take the leap I'll be sure to update in a post with pictures.
As the FB says, we began our planting almost a week ago. Things are already starting to sprout! We're debating on getting a raised garden bed to place outside of our apartment. It would certainly make our lives easier. The best part? We can take it with us if/when we ever decide to leave. If we ever take the leap I'll be sure to update in a post with pictures.
For the most part, things have gone rather smoothly. There has been some troubles at work but things have continued to run smoothly after the offender has gone. In matters of family, things have gone OK. They're not the best but they're OK. I'm not sure how to make things better honestly, especially considering some people will just NOT get along despite my best efforts to make it so. Also, some people just cannot listen to advice even though the advice would really help their current situations. It's frustrating and something I need to work on personally; understanding that I cannot fix everything or people and situations. I guess I grew up a fixer.
On the spiritual front. I have slacked. Honestly, I don't always feel like I have the time and personally, I do not always have the energy to think or do. Understandably, I get that a healthy, well rounded individual includes a spirituality practice as well. One thing I have discovered however is the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Larger Fellowship online. I've toyed with UU worship for years. I know many Pagans attend UU churches while still maintaining their personal belief systems. The CLF holds Sunday worship sessions and occasional Wednesday sessions. In fact at 8PM EST tonight they're having a session. It's done online; so essentially a virtual church without walls. They fascinate me and so far have seemed like something I can tolerate. They are definitely something I wouldn't expect from a church.
I do have a local UU church just down the road for me. However, I think stepping foot into one will be the hardest part. I'm not always a social person and new situations make me uncomfortable so we'll see if I ever actually visit the UU church in town. Time will tell. At least I have a chance to engage in spirituality in some form even if it's only online and once a week. I suppose it's almost like a spiritual battery recharge weekly. If you ever check into a UU online service, let me know what you think!
Saturday, February 9, 2013
The Great Clean-out Days Six AND Seven!
When the physical cleaning is done, it's time to move on to the last two steps of the process. Finishing up and finally, cleansing your home.
As you're cleaning, you may come across little things that were missed during the earlier cleaning. That's OK. Take care of those things now. Recycle those old papers you found; donate those old clothes you found stuffed into the deep recesses of your closet. Whatever it is; do it before you commit to the final cleansing. You'll be glad you did.
With less stuff, you'll find it easier to move above; to cleanse your home. With less stuff, you'll feel less cluttered emotionally. It just feels good living with less sometimes.
Now, CLEANSE!
I like to start by taking a broom and sweeping up all the negative energy in my house. Yes, just take the broom and see all the energy that's accumulated being swept up into a neat pile. The more you collect, the harder it becomes to sweep. Then I open the front door and send it outside to dissipate.
When that's done, it's time to go through the house and bless it all the elements. Of course, before this step, you can use sage to smudge if you wish, but if you don't have access, find other ways to clear the energy (clapping, chanting, bells, etc). I've also found great success with lighting a white candle and allowing it to burn, as the candle burns, so does the negativity in the room (but please remember to never leave it unattended!).
When I'm done with the elements, I personally like sealing all the windows and doors with a pentagram (but any other personal, magickal symbol works just as well!)
And then you are done!
As you're cleaning, you may come across little things that were missed during the earlier cleaning. That's OK. Take care of those things now. Recycle those old papers you found; donate those old clothes you found stuffed into the deep recesses of your closet. Whatever it is; do it before you commit to the final cleansing. You'll be glad you did.
With less stuff, you'll find it easier to move above; to cleanse your home. With less stuff, you'll feel less cluttered emotionally. It just feels good living with less sometimes.
Now, CLEANSE!
I like to start by taking a broom and sweeping up all the negative energy in my house. Yes, just take the broom and see all the energy that's accumulated being swept up into a neat pile. The more you collect, the harder it becomes to sweep. Then I open the front door and send it outside to dissipate.
When that's done, it's time to go through the house and bless it all the elements. Of course, before this step, you can use sage to smudge if you wish, but if you don't have access, find other ways to clear the energy (clapping, chanting, bells, etc). I've also found great success with lighting a white candle and allowing it to burn, as the candle burns, so does the negativity in the room (but please remember to never leave it unattended!).
When I'm done with the elements, I personally like sealing all the windows and doors with a pentagram (but any other personal, magickal symbol works just as well!)
And then you are done!
Friday, February 8, 2013
The Great Clean-out Day Four AND Five
OK, so I've been a bit lazy with this. But really, if you want, days four and five can be combined together!
On day four, start putting away the unnecessary, out in the open stuff. All of that visual clutter that you automatically see whenever you walk into a room. I can attest that when things are neatly stored away, things look better. I feel better. I don't feel bogged down with clutter or mess.
When that stuff is gone. You can move on to the next step.
Actually cleaning!
This is the hard part for me. I hate cleaning. However, I know it's a necessary evil that will make me feel much better in the end. Clean top to bottom so you're not cleaning everything up again. I usually leave the vacuuming to last. Then I make sure to empty it right away if possible. Unless I'm lazy and strapped for time. Then I leave it to later. But really, how much better do you feel when everything is clean?
On day four, start putting away the unnecessary, out in the open stuff. All of that visual clutter that you automatically see whenever you walk into a room. I can attest that when things are neatly stored away, things look better. I feel better. I don't feel bogged down with clutter or mess.
When that stuff is gone. You can move on to the next step.
Actually cleaning!
This is the hard part for me. I hate cleaning. However, I know it's a necessary evil that will make me feel much better in the end. Clean top to bottom so you're not cleaning everything up again. I usually leave the vacuuming to last. Then I make sure to empty it right away if possible. Unless I'm lazy and strapped for time. Then I leave it to later. But really, how much better do you feel when everything is clean?
Monday, January 14, 2013
The Great Clean-Out Day Three
Now that we've gotten rid of the clutter, it's time to rearrange your space!
The problem with our spaces is, they tend to collect energy. When your space doesn't move, when things aren't cleaned, all of that energy tends to build up. If you've been wanting to move your space around, now is the time to do it! Take the time to plan it though; you don't want to rearrange 10 times before you realize that the first time you moved things, is what you liked the best!
We rearranged our living room. I can't believe the difference that this made. Instead of having several shelves cluttering the floor, giving us little space in our already teeny, tiny living quarters, we not have a living room that almost looks twice as big. It really opened things up. The only thing we did was move around a few shelves, stack a few shelves and lift up the TV and tada! Instant open space.
Once you start moving things around, the energy that's been lurking in dark corners starts to become stirred up. It begins moving again. Both you and your space become re-energized. Try it, you might be surprised at the results!
The problem with our spaces is, they tend to collect energy. When your space doesn't move, when things aren't cleaned, all of that energy tends to build up. If you've been wanting to move your space around, now is the time to do it! Take the time to plan it though; you don't want to rearrange 10 times before you realize that the first time you moved things, is what you liked the best!
We rearranged our living room. I can't believe the difference that this made. Instead of having several shelves cluttering the floor, giving us little space in our already teeny, tiny living quarters, we not have a living room that almost looks twice as big. It really opened things up. The only thing we did was move around a few shelves, stack a few shelves and lift up the TV and tada! Instant open space.
Once you start moving things around, the energy that's been lurking in dark corners starts to become stirred up. It begins moving again. Both you and your space become re-energized. Try it, you might be surprised at the results!
Sunday, January 6, 2013
The Great Clean-out Day Two
OK, so now that you've gone and worked your way through day one, it's time to tackle Day Two.
Cleaning up the spaces you can see. This is quite a hard part for me and my partner as we tend to stash things everything. We get home from work and shopping and we put things down wherever they happen to fall. Sadly, they tend to stay there. That is the hard part. Cleaning up what can be seen and organizing the spots so when you come back to them later, you can easily find the things you need.
For me, this means having to clean up every day, or every few days as we go about our business around our home. Sometimes it means whenever I leave the room, I carry something with me to put it away in it's rightful place. Other times, it means taking 10 minutes and cleaning up the clutter and the haphazardly thrown items just so we can have some living space.
Of course, don't be afraid to toss the things that are clutter. You can organize clutter all you want, but in the end, you'll still have a pile of clutter. Just a nice looking pile of clutter.
Cleaning up the spaces you can see. This is quite a hard part for me and my partner as we tend to stash things everything. We get home from work and shopping and we put things down wherever they happen to fall. Sadly, they tend to stay there. That is the hard part. Cleaning up what can be seen and organizing the spots so when you come back to them later, you can easily find the things you need.
For me, this means having to clean up every day, or every few days as we go about our business around our home. Sometimes it means whenever I leave the room, I carry something with me to put it away in it's rightful place. Other times, it means taking 10 minutes and cleaning up the clutter and the haphazardly thrown items just so we can have some living space.
Of course, don't be afraid to toss the things that are clutter. You can organize clutter all you want, but in the end, you'll still have a pile of clutter. Just a nice looking pile of clutter.
Friday, January 4, 2013
The Great Clean-out-Day One
So I thought about it. I sat and for an hour or so I thought about cleaning, organizing and getting rid of things. I hate to admit it, but I'm a packrat. I tend to keep things that I know in the deep recesses of my mind will probably not be needed or will never be used again. I tend to keep boxes from products that I buy.
After reading my post, my partner decided that a cleaning out was in order. After taking down our Yule tree, we began tackling the closet. So here it is folks, for those of you interested in following along or doing your own clean-out.
Start with the hidden storage spaces. Closets, shelves, under your bed. Clean these spaces out. I tend to store things away in these places because they're mostly hidden and out of the way. I know that if someone comes over to visit, they won't see the things that are stored here. The only one that can is my partner and I. However, these things, just like everything else take up space.
They collect dust. They are just things that we hold on to for one reason or the other. They're unnecessary baggage, especially if you are trying to live a clutter free life. Physical clutter leads to emotional clutter and negative energy.
So on day one of the clean out, go through every box. Look at every single piece of paper. Is it a year or more old? Is it really that important? How about those appliances that you replaced with something better but never thought to get rid of the old one. Now is the time! I feel better already with what we've gotten rid of.
The good thing about this is, you can take as long in this process as you need to. Take one closet a day. Take a few days. Take it at your own pace. When you're finished, you'll be amazed at how much better you truly feel.
After reading my post, my partner decided that a cleaning out was in order. After taking down our Yule tree, we began tackling the closet. So here it is folks, for those of you interested in following along or doing your own clean-out.
Start with the hidden storage spaces. Closets, shelves, under your bed. Clean these spaces out. I tend to store things away in these places because they're mostly hidden and out of the way. I know that if someone comes over to visit, they won't see the things that are stored here. The only one that can is my partner and I. However, these things, just like everything else take up space.
They collect dust. They are just things that we hold on to for one reason or the other. They're unnecessary baggage, especially if you are trying to live a clutter free life. Physical clutter leads to emotional clutter and negative energy.
So on day one of the clean out, go through every box. Look at every single piece of paper. Is it a year or more old? Is it really that important? How about those appliances that you replaced with something better but never thought to get rid of the old one. Now is the time! I feel better already with what we've gotten rid of.
The good thing about this is, you can take as long in this process as you need to. Take one closet a day. Take a few days. Take it at your own pace. When you're finished, you'll be amazed at how much better you truly feel.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Program: The Great Clean-out
After thinking long and hard, I've come up with a simple, seven day program to help you get a positive influence going in your life. This is something that I am following, even if I'm following in a slightly different order or doing things as they appear.
I do not plan to post each day every day. Posts will be every few days as they give everyone time to adjust and work on doing what they need to do in order to declutter and organize their homes and their lives. Take your time, take a week if you feel you need to. I promise however, if you follow along as best as you can, you will see improvement in your life, your surroundings and how you feel in your own space.
So, starting this Friday, get ready to follow along and clean out the clutter!
I do not plan to post each day every day. Posts will be every few days as they give everyone time to adjust and work on doing what they need to do in order to declutter and organize their homes and their lives. Take your time, take a week if you feel you need to. I promise however, if you follow along as best as you can, you will see improvement in your life, your surroundings and how you feel in your own space.
So, starting this Friday, get ready to follow along and clean out the clutter!
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Happy New Year!
It has been a long time since I have posted here. I really don't have any excuses other than laziness.
That and I have lost some of my connection to all things natural/Goddess/magical. I have been busy. Life gets in the way. You have family drama, lots of work drama that left me extremely stressed out for a great portion of the year. It's been a stressful ride.
As usual, with any new beginning, I am looking forward to working towards leading a more simple life geared towards a more natural living aspect.
My first item on the agenda is as usual, decluttering! My partner and I still occupy the same one bedroom apartment we did three years ago when I began this blog. We have accumulated many, many things since then. Many things of which can be gotten rid of. I plan to do this in a way that's respectful to the environment. Recycle what I can, donate other things and get rid of the clutter.
The second thing I want to do is go through and do a nice cleansing. This is something that hasn't been done in a year or more. I don't have an exact date but it has been a long time. I was really good about every few months going through and removing the things that did not belong as things can quickly build, especially when you live in an apartment building. I've found things build up more quickly when you're around many people, especially those that are not related. I would like to, once things are a little more clean, and decluttered, remove the stuff that doesn't belong and bring in the stuff I want here.
Other things I want to accomplish are taking better care of me, especially with work matters. I tend to let work get to me way, way too much. It's hard, especially given my line of work, to not let things bother me. I want to work on making that easier.
So, anyone want to undertake a declutter/organizing challenge with me? Thoughts? I could write up something and talk about my process if you wish!
As usual, with any new beginning, I am looking forward to working towards leading a more simple life geared towards a more natural living aspect.
My first item on the agenda is as usual, decluttering! My partner and I still occupy the same one bedroom apartment we did three years ago when I began this blog. We have accumulated many, many things since then. Many things of which can be gotten rid of. I plan to do this in a way that's respectful to the environment. Recycle what I can, donate other things and get rid of the clutter.
The second thing I want to do is go through and do a nice cleansing. This is something that hasn't been done in a year or more. I don't have an exact date but it has been a long time. I was really good about every few months going through and removing the things that did not belong as things can quickly build, especially when you live in an apartment building. I've found things build up more quickly when you're around many people, especially those that are not related. I would like to, once things are a little more clean, and decluttered, remove the stuff that doesn't belong and bring in the stuff I want here.
Other things I want to accomplish are taking better care of me, especially with work matters. I tend to let work get to me way, way too much. It's hard, especially given my line of work, to not let things bother me. I want to work on making that easier.
So, anyone want to undertake a declutter/organizing challenge with me? Thoughts? I could write up something and talk about my process if you wish!
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