Reflections from Samhain

Three of us celebrated Samhain together sitting around a fire pit drinking a bit of mulled wine and sharing our memories of Samhain's past and what this beginning of the turning of the wheel of the year meant to each of us. After general sharing we called in the elements and directions and honored those who've crossed the veil by telling stories about what they meant to us and still mean to us today. Besides the mulled wine, we had lemon poppy seed scones and later, wine.

One thing we all agreed on was that finding community was important to us. Sharing these traditions can be done through a solitary practice but there is also benefit in being part of community practice. My two friends have belonged to larger pagan communities while I've attended a few larger events but have not belonged to a larger community.

Recently I'd read about celebrating the Dark Moon. Something about that struck a chord and I shared that I wanted to add that to my practice. Both women were interested.

Out I went and finally found an outdoor fireplace that my granddaughter and her boyfriend set up for me. Tonight is the Dark Moon of November. Three of us (not the same three) will gather and celebrate this darkest time of the month. We'll spend some time reflecting by the fire on what we want to manifest during the waxing moon (from now until the Full Moon in a couple of weeks). Sharing is optional. I've already looked ahead - the Dark Moon of December is on Tuesday, 12/03/2013 and the Dark Moon of January is actually Wednesday, January 1!

My plan is, if possible we'll be outside but if it is raining, we can gather inside - in front of the fireplace. We'll keep the lights off because this is the dark time of the month and we are moving to the dark time of the year. From my perspective, part of the purpose is to be in the dark, in the void, to use that time or reflect on where we've been as well as where we want to go.

I've asked myself and am now asking you:
What do you want to bring forth during this next turning of the wheel?
What do you want to manifest during this waxing moon?

My prayer for you:
May your path this waxing moon move you ever closer to manifesting your desires.

Blessed Be

As The Wheel Turns

By Judith Ashley

Twenty years ago in September I was invited to join a sacred women's circle. Little did I know that when I said "yes" my life would change forever. So many experiences but more important so many people are now in my life because of that simple 'yes'. However, what also transpired with that one word was the change in my path in life. Less than ten years from my sitting in my first women's circle, the images and stories of seven women began to come to me in lucid dreams, day dreams, and visions. That was the beginning of my journey as the author of The Women's Circle series.

What I want to share tonight is that for most pagans, Samhain (Halloween) is the beginning of the year. The veil between the world of the living and the deceased is thin and in other times, it was important to protect yourself from the spirits of those who walked between the worlds. It was also the time you could communicate best with those who had crossed over.

Time has splintered for me this month of October 2013 and I find myself behind in what I wanted to accomplish - one task being the writing of this blog post about Samhain.

Since this is cursory at best, my plan is to return and share a bit more about this beginning of the Wheel of Life or Wheel of the Year. Since Winter Solstice is in six short weeks, I'll be back before then.

For now I've a few things to finish up before I join a few friends to celebrate.

May you find peace and love on both sides of the veil.

In love and light,

Judith

The Importance of Family

Judith

In late July I traveled to Long Beach, California to celebrate my aunt Helen's 103rd birthday. I was able to also spend time with my cousin and her daughter. Because we live about 1500 miles apart, we don't see each other very often. I do try (and usually succeed) in writing a newsy family letter once a month because they don't do emails and we seem to miss each other with phone calls.



Christy and her Employee of the Month Notice

When I arrived Sunday, the party was in full swing. About 50 people filled the area sitting on folding chairs, steps, and around the table on the patio. People had brought cards, food, flowers, and gifts to help Helen celebrate.

This was my first time to see the completed landscaping of the courtyard area of the apartment complex. What I noticed immediately was the walkway had been moved to run closer to the building and that allowed for the space to create gathering and bar-b-que area.

My cousin's daughter, Christy, is a whiz with party planning, food prep, etc. and she outdid herself for her granny. The BBQ pulled pork she made was Amazing! She made sure her granny had carrot cake with cream cheese icing, Helen's favorite and she created a masterpiece by adding fresh blueberries and something magical to a store bought lemon bundt cake.

I don't have pictures of the party and feast, but I do of the new courtyard!

If I Live To Be 103

Judith Ashley

If I live to be 103 years of age I'll have reached the same age as my maternal aunt, Helen. She is a remarkable woman, living in her own apartment with Callie, her dog. Her daughter and granddaughter live nearby and check on her every day.

When I visited with her the end of July, she told me that she has chores she's assigned herself. She makes her own bed every day and washes up her dishes. She also fixes something simple for breakfast and fancies up her daily delivery from Meals On Wheels.
No longer driving due, in part, to failing eyesight, she still knits T-shirts for a Church project, listens to the news, and keeps up with reading Reader's Digest Condensed Books along with correspondence from family and friends. Her apartment is up a flight of stairs and she managed to go up and down them as well, if not better than I did.



Aunt Helen

 

I've always thought I wanted to live to be 103 and if that happens, I want to be like my aunt!

If you were to live to be 100 (or 103) would that be a good thing or not?

What would be the best part of living that long?



Intention Sisters and Friends

Judith Ashley

If you've followed this blog at all, you know two other women are my "Intention Sisters" and we talk each week on the phone and each day focus on each other's Intentions. When I first registered for the Desert Dreams Conference, my plan was to spend time with my friend, Lois who has started a business located at Melrose Market (more about that in another post).

But then, in December, one of my Intention Sisters moved from Washington to the Phoenix area of Arizona and later this spring, my other Intention Sister announced she and her husband were celebrating their wedding anniversary in Flagstaff and she'd be in Phoenix around the dates of the Conference!

Lois

I flew in on Thursday. Lois picked me up. We all met up at the Chaparral Suites before going off to dinner at Malee's on Main, a local Thai restaurant. After dinner we returned to the room and visited!

Sunday, Gimi returned to spend the afternoon with Lois and me. We decided to check out what was going on at Vision Quest, a metaphysical store, on Scottsdale Road. When I walked in the door, I immediately noticed a display about Sacred Geometry. While Sacred Geometry seems the most natural spirituality for one of the characters to rely on in my series The Sacred Women's Circle, it isn't something I know much about.

The Intention Sisters: Judith, Gimi, Connie

The Universe was watching out for me because I met Mikhaela St. John who has a vast knowledge of Sacred Geometry. Mikhaela was generous with her time and I learned a lot from her. I purchased the divination cards she's created using Sacred Geometry and I'll certainly rely on her expertise when I am writing Gabriella's story!

Another practitioner at the shop was Safeer Mahdi, who treated Lois and Gimi to a sample of how he uses musical auras as healing tool. Both women reported they felt better after a few minutes with Safeer.

One of my traditions when in Scottsdale is to eat at Los Olivos Mexican Restaurant and our dinner there Sunday night was excellent!

Monday it was time to pack up and head home. Here are some pictures I took of blooming cactus. If you look closely at the last two pictures you'll see a hole in the cactus. A cactus wren had just flown into the hole. Wouldn't that have been wonderful if I'd actually captured that moment?

Throughout my stay, I heard a bird singing. The bird turned out to be a Grackle. While I was at Desert Dreams, a long time client became critically ill and wasn't expected to survive the weekend.  I was also assessing where I was in my writing and wondering if I was supposed to write these stories for myself rather than for others.

Grackle energy is about emotions and how they can color our thinking process so that we see situations incorrectly. I had to laugh when I got home and looked up Grackle energy...if I was on the wrong path would I have won Bella Media Management's basket?

www.JudithAshleyRomance.com
www.RomancingTheGenres.com
www.FreeReadsFromTheGenre-istas.com

Resources, Resources, Resources and a Win!

Judith Ashley

One of the best parts of attending a writer's conference is connecting with various resources. My Intention was to be out of my room (thanks, Bob Mayer) and checking out what was going on around me. Because that was my Intention, my focus was sharp. Here's what I noticed.

In my first post, I mention Diane Graham Photography. Another resource for those folks living in the Phoenix area is Pretty Faces Makeup Company. No, I didn't meet Vicki while waiting for my picture to be taken, I met her while I was waiting to talk to Vijaya Schartz who was being interviewed by local media.

Mary Keith, Keith Publications, was busy taking pitches from writers. Keith Publications has a plethora (love that word) of resources for writers.

Another great resource for Indie and Self-Published authors is The Indie Book Collective. I met founder, Carolyn McCray at one of their receptions. You'll remember Taylor Lee from my post on Registration.


And then there are books. I purchased Kris Tualla's Becoming An Authorpreneur : Navigating a 21st Century Career in Publishing which I've found extremely useful. If you have an Intention of self-publishing, check this book out.

Desert Dreams also has a raffle basket event. Writers, authors, publishers, chapters put together baskets of goodies (free critique, chocolate, wine, spa days, dinner at fantastic restaurants, Kindles, Nooks, stuffed animals, notebooks, note cards - you name it). Attendees purchase tickets and put them in the container for the prize they most want to win.

This year I won a Fantastic Basket donated by Carol Webb at Bella Media Management. What might that consist of? A FREE Ebook Conversion and Ebook Cover. I got my cart a bit before my horse in this case. However, it is good to know I'm set when the time comes!!!

I'd love to know what you think is the best part of attending a Writer's Conference.

www.JudithAshleyRomance.com
www.RomancingTheGenres.com
www.FreeReadsFromTheGenre-istas.com

One Of These Days!

One event every writer's conference I'm aware of has is a book signing. Published authors attending the Conference have the opportunity to meet their readers, sign books/book marks, sell more books (through the on site book seller which is a local book store), and have their pictures taken while signing a book, posing, or with a fan. The Conference promotes the authors and the general public is invited - nope, encouraged to attend.

Desert Dreams was no different.

Someone noticing me may have thought I wandered through the tables. The truth was very different. My Intention? Soak up the feeling of being at a book signing, imagine me sitting at a table, meeting my readers, signing my books/book marks, etc. One element of Intention is to see and feel yourself 'as if'. This book signing event manifested that opportunity for me.

Who did I decide to photograph?

Kris Tualla

Terri Molina

Genre-istas - Kris Tualla, Terri Molina

Genre-ista Alumni - Erin Kellison

Shelley Coriell

Laurie Schnebly Campbell

Genre-ista Guests

Shelley Coriell and

Laurie Schnebly Campbell

Genre-ista Guest-to-be Barbara White Daille

Vijaya Schartz

Vijaya Schartz - I moderated her workshop

Ann Charles

Ann Charles - She and Jacquie Rogers are the reason I even have a blog in the first place.






Amy Jarecki - I met her through this blog and then in person at Desert Dreams.

Amy Jarecki

Here's what it looks like to be surrounded with your books. One of these days!

Here's what it looks like to be surrounded by people wanting to buy or have you sign your books. Another One Of These Days! photo

My Intention is to be a published author and attending Desert Dreams brought me closer to its manifestation.

www.JudithAshleyRomance.com
www.RomancingTheGenres.blogspot.com
www.FreeReadsFromTheGenre-istas.blogspot.com

© 2012 Judith Ashley