64 Arts

Charms for the Easy Life

64 Arts

(no, not the movie, though it is delightful…)

Can we get one thing straight? There isn’t one. A charm that will ensure easy life, I  mean.

If life were always easy, we’d never appreciate it. At least not enough.

No, what I’m thinking of are those things that make us feel better, that put our minds at ease, that give us a focal point for our tension so we do not direct it at others.

3 Cars, 3 Crystals

I got my first car the month I turned 22. It was out of necessity–my husband at the time had asked for a divorce on Easter Sunday and I was going to need a car to get around in as we’d been sharing his. It was a gently used 97 Geo Prism, dark blue, and it was my freedom.

Over the next 7 years she and I would be involved in just as many accidents (only one of which, for the record, was my fault–the rest was just unfortunate luck, a fact my insurance company will back up). My friends dubbed her Cher from the amount of body work she’d had done. The last incident, after I’d duly paid off the note and had survived my second failed marriage, was what did her in. A 17-year-old ran a stop sign coming up a slight hill and spun Cher and I around in the intersection. She was totaled.

Next came Phoebe, a 3-year old Saturn Ion that had been a lease before me. Not one month after signing the papers a college student decided to make a left out of an apartment complex, ignoring the 2 lanes of oncoming traffic he’d have to cross before reaching the safety of the median, and I was unable to avoid him. I joked that they were only supposed to transfer the tag, not the hit me sign, too!

All jokes aside, I decided it was to be a bit creative. Defensive driving can only get you so far.

Phoebe only lasted a year before her computer systems started acting up. After 4 repairs in as many weeks, Electra entered my life (so named because she had a nasty habit of shocking me every time I’d get out of the car for several months). Electra was a brand new, 16-miles-on-her-including-my-test-drive, Saturn Ion 2, and the first thing I transferred to her was the amulet I’d made after Phoebe’s first (and last!) accident.

After 4 1/2 years with no accidents, I’d say the jade, quartz and amethyst crystals are doing their job!

Animism, Energy or Something Else?

Natural stones and crystals derive, some believe, a certain amount of power and influence as they are formed from and within the earth.

To me, it brings into play the Thermodynamic Laws (named the first one which says energy is neither created nor destroyed, it merely changes form). Stones, in this way, are merely potential [metaphysical] energy waiting to be utilized. The hows and whys are more mental or emotional as opposed to chemical. (Though, it should be noted, light-workers probably consider stones as having kinetic energy.)

Whether this counts for animism is up for debate–animism considers everything has a soul… but you believe souls *are* energy, well, then, let’s call it that, too!

At any rate, if you choose to use crystals for anything besides their shiny, pretty properties, you’ll want to know a few things about them.

Jade, quartz and amethyst

My Travel Buddies

My travel amulet consists of a piece each of jade, quartz and amethyst.

  • Quartz is a universal stone–it’s good at everything! Kinda like salt in cooking, it amplifies and enhances whatever you want it to. It’s incredibly versatile as a facilitator.
  • Jade is, among other things, great for protection. In the case of travel it prevents accidents. As a side note, the little elephant figure happened to be what I had around at the time but it was even more fortuitous–Ganesha* is the Hindu god known as the Remover of Obstacles–how’s that for defensive driving!
  • Amethyst is a calming stone. In this case it’s a defense against road rage.

Now, I know a lot of folks consider this a whole lot of woo-woo New Age hooey. And that’s fine. It’s not for them. But after being rear-ended twice, having this little bag to concentrate on helps relax me when I’m stopped in traffic and the person coming up fast behind me makes me think back to that trapped feeling just before impact. I take it with me when I fly as something to hold and concentrate on during take-offs and landings and it gives me something to do instead of worry. And I haven’t been in an accident since I started keeping it in the car. It’s enough for me.

To find out more about a particular stone you’re drawn to or interested in, check out the lists over at Crystal Energy Works or Emily Gems, they seem fairly complete. And if you want to learn how to make a little gauzy pouch for your own crystals or other uses, check out my new tutorial, Drawstring Pouch with French Seams, through the Projects tab.

*Ganesha is generally depicted as a man with an elephant’s head, sometimes riding a mouse. I didn’t know this until after I picked my little jade elephant dude, but I still the the synchronicity is nice.

the 13th Art: Charms, Drugs & Magic Words

64 Arts

As used in anger, they will be explained together with occult practices, but do not include black magic.

Let’s begin this art with a little dispelling of certain notions that might make this topic difficult for some folks, starting with the definition of occult. Some folks get really uncomfortable around that word or the ideas and images it brings up. So let’s think about that for a moment.

(from the Free Dictionary) Occult adj.

1. Of, relating to, or dealing with supernatural influences, agencies, or phenomena.

2. Beyond the realm of human comprehension; inscrutable.

3. Available only to the initiate; secret: occult lore. See Synonyms at mysterious.

4. Hidden from view; concealed.

5.a. Medicine Detectable only by microscopic examination or chemical analysis, as a minute blood sample; b. Not accompanied by readily detectable signs or symptoms: occult carcinoma.

First off, I’m not going to go into supernatural stuff, so no worries there. Five doesn’t even have the slightest thing to do with our purposes here, today. Rolling definitions 2-through-4 all together: why do things have to be so difficult to understand or hidden?

You know the phrase TMI, right? Too Much Information. And, while, yes, there are some things, some details, that I might not want to know about private lives or health weirdnesses, in general? That’s more of an appropriateness issue. I’d even go so far to say that there’s no such thing as too much information from a research and learning position.

I love to research. I get an idea and the first things I’ll do are head to the ‘net and the bookstore.

Growing up I was afraid to ask certain questions, check out certain books from the library, that sort of thing. I hated that feeling the not being able to know. But more than that, looking back, I hated the small minds that thought facts were bad, the ideas were evil and the part of me that cared so much.

If there’s anything that defines my life it would have to be I want to know more and I want to know why. If I have that information I’m a happy girl.

If there’s a point I’m trying to make, here, it’s that we shouldn’t be afraid of information. All I ask–patiently, kindly, hopefully–that you will keep an open mind. That you will think about the things that come up. That you will ask the questions that arise in your mind. That you will not censor curiosity.

Here’s some of what I plan to cover in the pursuit of this art over the next couple of weeks:

  • Crystals
  • Aromatherapy
  • Home Remedies
  • Meditations
  • Affirmations

Feel free to ask any questions you might have, I’ll bet I at least have a book with the answer in it.

See, I don’t worry what other people think about what I read or know anymore.

Water Wars, Part 2

64 Arts

Have you ever been part of an epic water balloon fight?

Growing up we lived with my grandmother (and at other times lived right across the field from them, or so I’m told–I was a little too young to remember that part) before moving to Florida when I was 6. The house was built for them, their retirement house, Maw-Maw’s dream house.

It had the massive double doors that let into an entryway with a formal sitting room to the left and a beautiful staircase to the left leading to the second floor Maw Maw never wanted but Paw Paw found this staircase at a hotel that was being torn down and, basically, brought it home. I think that’s kinda cool.

The point of that little digression was to point out that we had the major front entrance that no one ever used. Except Mom when she’d go out the mow the lawn. We always used the door off the driveway, through the breezeway that led into the breakfast nook.

But outside the real front doors was this massive yard, studded with very tall trees dripping with moss, pretty much the perfect look for a southern home. It was there we had our war.

Mom doesn’t remember this. She swears that Maw Maw must not have known about this, either, because there’s no way she would have allowed it. But I know I didn’t hallucinate it–I remember it vividly and I never hurt myself in my imaginary lives, so, yes, this happened.

It was all the cousins (they’re older than me) and various others. There were hundreds of water balloons pre-filled and stored in coolers around the yard. One, in particular, was on a tree stump sorta in the middle of things. I remember this because I was going for a refill and the lid clunked me on top of the head–see? If I hurt myself it really happened.

Now, I don’t remember why we were doing it. I remember having long sleeves and long pants on, so maybe it was chilly outside? I don’t remember if there was a goal or teams or what. It was probably just a free-for-all.

The thing was, though, it happened. And it was fun.

~~~oOo~~~

Some tips for launching your own epic water balloon armada:

  • Choose your balloons based on their use: games you could use a thicker balloon to make it last longer, but if splash value is high on your list, go for the thinner balloons made for this purpose.
  • Fill a BUNCH of balloons ahead of time. I think the cooler idea was inspired (not to mention might keep them nice and chilly–extra nice on a really hot day. Mesh bags, laundry baskets and wagons also make good containers for transport.
  • Consider asking everyone to wear white or light-colored clothes (that they don’t mind ruining) and tinting the water in the balloons with food dye–it’s like a paintball fight without the guns!
  • Be careful not to overfill your balloons or they’ll pop even before you touch them!
  • Have a game at the end of the day’s activities to collect all the little bits and pieces of busted balloons with a prize for the person who collects the most. You could count the pieces or use a digital scale to weigh them out to save time. Prizes could be anything from a package of new balloons, a special beach towel–embroidered or appliqued with the date of the event?–or a paper-mache balloon trophy!

Water Wars, Part 1

64 Arts

Mom never liked guns.

I suspect that the cap gun I had around age 5 was courtesy of my father (and that year’s trip to Disney World and time spent in Frontierland). When my brothers came along and being the supreme ruler of our humble roost, Mom didn’t buy the boys toy guns or allow friends to gift them, either. Not that this stopped them from constructing massive machine gun-like structures out of lock blocks.

The exception was water pistols, but only the ones that looked nothing like actual guns: neon colors, space or sci-fi looks or the big reservoirs on the top that signified “this is not a real weapon.” At least not to anything that wasn’t my hairstyle.

It seemed like the bigger my brothers got, the bigger the guns got, until one year they each had one of those super-soakers with the backpacks that held even MORE water and were easily refilled by submerging in the neighborhood pool.

These may have gone missing for periods of time. I’m just saying.

And then, in high school, some friends of mine thought the appropriate response to my long-distance boyfriend and I sitting out in our hotel hallway and talking (since boys weren’t allowed in the girls’ hotel rooms and vice versa and, yes, ALL we were doing was talking, sheesh!) was to “cool us off” via a spare water gun someone had brought. This prompted a bit of a feud for the weekend but things did settle down and my birthday that year featured a gift of 4 mini water guns all labeled with little in-jokes between us.

I came across one of those guns when cleaning out my office, recently, and wondered if I was the only one of the 4 of us to remember.

the 12th Art: Water-Spewing Games

64 Arts

And it’s at this point I give the esteemed list-maker a sidelong glance as if to say ‘the hell?!’

That knee-jerk reaction aside, let’s think about this for a moment.

  • Water… water is good, it’s nice and cool and when we’re in the middle of a hot summer it prevents drought, cools our bodies and quenches our thirst. I’m good with water.
  • Games… games are fun, they provide entertainment value and can often get us moving. Movement is a good thing for our health. I’m good with games, too.
  • Spewing… Yeah, see, this is where you lose me. I mean, it has the word ‘ew’ right in there, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that it’s icky; brings to mind spitting and other nasty habits. Nope, not good with spewing.

But don’t think I’m skipping out just yet!

Sure, the dictionary definitions of spew don’t really help (though the one about clay trimmings does put me in a more creative frame of mind), I’m going to take some of the less objectionable, roll them around in my head for a moment, and come up with projecting. Know what it reminds me of?

When you were a kid, did you ever play in the sprinklers on a hot day? Maybe you were a little better off and your family or neighbors had one of those toys that hooked up to the hose and sprayed water through little whipping tubes coming out of some alien-like head? Maybe your pleasures were simpler, just the spray of a hose, maybe during a car wash?

Drinking water straight from the hose. Letting in run a bit to get the sun-warmed stream out of the way of the cool, refreshing water from the pipes underground.

The smell of wet grass on a hot day–not dewy, not rainy, not fresh-cut, just green and clear and bright. The squeak of the blades under tiny, smooth, wet feet. The inevitable slips and slides (and the toy of the similar name). The shrieking at the sudden cold. The swimsuits that never completely dried all summer long.