Feel The Earth

What with everything going on in my life right now, and Matt finally coming home last night, I was feeling refreshed.

I took myself off into nature today.

I needed to feel the wind caress my skin, and the sun kiss me.

My freckles are emerging now with this warm weather.

I started in a field, looking out over the river, I walked barefoot through the grass - dandelions and daisies, and buttercups dancing in the waters breeze.

Finding a particular sunny patch, I wrote in my journal for a while.

Fluid thoughts floating through my pen.

Then my bare feet took me into the woods.

Sunlight filtered through the tree canopy, and the air was warm and balmy around me.

The Woods are my happy place.

The feel of moss between my toes, and grass tickling my ankles.

Just having the earth under me, soothes my woes.

My message for today is to get outside. Feel the earth, and experience nature.

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And I never usually do this, but as I'm reading more, with all the wonderful books emerging this year, I'm going to leave this recommendation here. >>>>

I am a HUGE Sarah J Maas fan, all of her work is extraordinary, and when 'A Court Of Mist And Fury', landed on my doorstep, it did not disappoint.

Honestly...This book blew me away.

The first book in the series is called 'A Court of Thorns and Roses' - If you can get your hands on a copy, and enjoy fantasy romance, I suggest you read them.

The first one is inspired by a loose retelling of Beauty and The Beast. Set in a world of political fae, that Maas has tremendously pieced together.

This is the second book.

I read it within a day, devouring every morsel she offered to me, and then once I'd put it down...I picked it back up and read the whole thing again.

Book Three cannot come out soon enough.

The WildWood Is Alive And Thriving

Hello my loves.

As I write this to you, I have moss clinging to my hair, tree bark between my toes, and my heart full of wilderness.
I went into the woods today,
Far from the beaten track.

I climbed  and danced my way along fallen trees,
Soaking in the feeling of the wind on my skin.

I went to the woods to perform a bit of magic that the wonderful Veronica Varlow taught me, magic to get my foot in the door!

I took my deck with me.
Seriously fellow tarot readers! If you have not yet gone adventuring with your deck into the wild, DO IT!
Do it now!
Find a spot,
Get comfortable.
Take in the sound of the birds, the small wildlife rustling nearby in the undergrowth. Watch the sunlight filtering through the leaves, as it creates gently swaying shadows down around you.

Feel the solid earth beneath your bare feet.
Get connected.
Feel the power of nature around you, and use it.
Push all of this raw energy into doing a fantastic reading.

I did a reading for myself, using the Compass Spread.

Now, this reading was super positive. The universe is practically screaming at me, that all the steps I've taken recently will pay off, and the future is bright.

 

Card 1 - Ten Of Cups
Card 2 - The Sun
Card 3 - Page Of Cups
Card 4 - Ace Of Wands
Card 5 - The World

 



Any reading that features 'The World' gives me butterflies.

It is the last card in the major arcana, number 21. It is all about being in the here and now. Success, euphoria and completion! Being alive in the moment - And an end to a challenge, and now a new beginning!

Don't worry witch babies, I did a reading out in the WildWood for you aswell.
But you'll have to wait till Tarot Thursday, tomorrow for yours.

Check back then.
I'll see you here tomorrow.
xoxox

Divination Under A Burning Sun

Taking inspiration from this blog; 

http://dangerdame.com/2014/07/21/magic-monday-a-wild-one-card-tarot-reading-from-me-to-you-adventure-black-bears-and-a-new-song/

And

From a desperate urge to clear out my head, I headed off into the wilderness, and plopped myself down on the solid earth, in a lovely spot about five minutes from my house.
The sun was beaming down, my skin clammy in the heat. Iridescent dragonflies, guided me to my spot - where handfuls of beautiful butterflies awaited me. The ground was warm under my bare toes, the crispy grass breaking underfoot.

I took my paint supplies with me. I always like to get creative when I'm out in nature, and hence this little hare was born.

Doing magic actually out in nature is truly freeing. It overloads and opens the senses all at the same time. Due to my Parlour class being moved to a Sunday I will not be able to attend the live session (but I will be receiving the download and pdf later), So I thought I'd do a one card reading for my fellow witchbabies, as I cannot join them.

So it was time to rip off my lovely vintage atlas inspired scarf from LUSH which holds my tarot deck.

And this is the card I pulled for you beautiful people. 

The Queen of Bows

(Or Wands to you normal deck holders)

So Queens represent people who nourish you and your dreams. People who are caretakers of all your hopes.

The Queen of Wands, is representative of a powerful, fiery figure coming into your life. Or it could mark a change in yourself. It suggests someone with previous successes, and someone who is known and respected in their courage.

I also took the oppurtunity to do a one card pull for myself...specifically revolving around guidance towards mellowing myself out. Before I left the house today, I was so overwhelmed. Nothing in particular, just lots of little things weighing heavily on my shoulders. 

And this is the card I pulled,
Seven of Bows
(Again that's Wands to the rest of you)

It means Clearance. A time to make decisions and prioritise. What is really important in my life? And what is worn and broken, and is better chucked away?

I'm gutted that I can't be live at this weeks Parlour, but I look forward to seeing you all the week after, and to watching the chat-box stumble into the gutter in the download. 

xoxoxo

The White Rabbit.

A major influence for my photography are books. Things I'm reading can really effect my though process and ideas for a shoot. For example; I am currently reading George RR Martin and Tolkien, this has my mind swirling with elves and hobbit holes, dragons and wonderful landscapes. The below photos have some pretty obvious connections to 'Alice In Wonderland' - a wonderful story, that I've studied time and time again. Once more Jadene Van Dyk models for me, wearing 'Lady Alluras Latex' including a bunny tail and rabbit ears. Very white rabbit-esque. About a twenty minute walk from where I live is a fascinating abandoned mansion. It's very run down, beat up and overgrown, but its stunning. I've used it for a few shoots. And I thought all the growth here would work nicely for this shoot - and with complete honesty I was struggling to find somewhere else.

The stables, have and always will be, my favourite area of the mansion, and you can see them in the picture directly above. There is so much history and beauty there. The location really tells a story, I feel privellaged whenever I shoot there. And I'll hopefully be shooting again there soon, because there is still a whole building I have yet to break into - uh, I mean, explore.

Model; Jadene Van Dyk. Latex; Lady Alluras Latex. Wig; Geisha Wigs