Adventure in The Great Lakes

Hi and Merry Meet,
 Yesterday my husband and I went to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. What an amazing park!! Miles and miles of beaches, sand dunes and lakefront. Wow! We started with a hike to a waterfall. Then we saw the sand dunes from a far away as the wind was whipping sand everywhere. Finally, we hiked out to the Au Sable Lighthouse. The path that we hikes runs right along the lake shore so we could see the lake most of our hike.

The wind yesterday was amazing!!  It had whipped that lake into a frenzy! I've lived on two of the Great Lakes my whole life and I have never seen them roll like that!!  Of course, we are far from the lakes that we know and love. Lake Superior has lived up to it's name. It really is mighty. The waves that were crashing on the beach and the sound of the lake rolling was humbling. Shipwrecks dotted the shoreline as reminders of how powerful this place can be. The lighthouse was a reminder that nature rules here and that people need to remember that. Husband and I took a guided tour through the lighthouse. That was fun. We saw the house that the keeper original lived in and then we went up to the top of the lighthouse. I'm not normal upset by heights, but something about the metal steps going up really freaked me out. I did make it to the top and saw the light that they kept burning in the night for ships to see. Once they guided us outside to walk around the top and see the view I was fine again. The view was spectacular. The wind here was even stronger than on the ground! You could see for miles as it was crystal clear. One lady and myself were the last to leave the top. She was even more enthralled with the view than I was! In fact, her daughter who had already gone back to the bottom had to re-climb all the steps to fetch her and tell her it was time to go. My husband and I had a great giggle over that. They were the nicest people and we enjoyed talking to them later in the fog house building. One thing I have to say I love about National Parks is the rangers. The one who took us on the tour was as friendly and kind as all the other ones we have met. They love what they do They love to share what they know with people and they are the most respectful bunch. It is also one of the major reasons I love visiting National Parks. The views are always amazing, but the personal stories that the rangers add always make it so much more fun. They also know the local history of the place and they tell the stories in ways that make you feel like you are there. I told my husband that someday when I'm older and retired, I'd like to work as a ranger in a park. The problem is I don't know which park and I love so many of them! Well, that's a dilemma for another day!

Today we are taking a kayaking trip to see Pictured Rocks from the water. The water is supposed to be calm today. I'm excited to see what this lake looks like calm. I really hope the water is not that rough. We were told that they will cancel if it is. Also, this is my husband's first kayaking experience. I pray that Goddess Yemaya will bless us and let us pass through the waters peacefully. This photo from yesterday with the whitecaps.

I am super excited to go with Husband today on this adventure. Kayaking  is something I've been trying to get him to do for a few years now. I think he will enjoy it since he really enjoyed tubing down the river when we went to Herkimer, NY a few years ago. I didn't think he'd do that, but he did and he loved it!! I know he is excited about this as he is already talking about renting kayaks for the next two days of our trip so we can explore more of the waterways here. We shall see is he loves it as much as I do.
Have a great Monday!
Blessed be,
Autumn

Waterfalls

Hi and Merry Meet,
Since we are on our annual camping vacation, we had to find at least one waterfall. Husband and I love waterfall hunting. Every vacation we seek out those beautiful cascading waters.

This year is no exception. Randomly, we came across one as we were driving to Pancake Bay. It was by far the easiest hike to see up close. Usually, we hike and hike some more and always straight uphill. Not this time! We walked from the truck to the base of it. A very short three minute hike later we were at the top of the falls. It was amazing!

Since I've been dreaming about Yemaya, this was a perfect way to celebrate her. We took time to sit and admire the falls. My husband understands how important nature is to me and he respects my beliefs. Sitting on those rocks yesterday with the one I love just felt so right. We also walked the beach at Pancake Bay. We had the beach to ourselves! It was like something out of a movie! The beach was a fine grain sand and the water rolled with white caps. The sky looked threatening, but it never rained while we were there. The wind was chilly as it blew in our faces. It was perfect! I could have stood there all day admiring the water and beach.

Tomorrow we are off on a waterfall hiking trek. A bit longer hike, but my husband pointed out that there is a brewery at one end of the park. I think we will be stopping there to reward ourselves for a good job hiking. :)
Blessed be,
Autumn

Tarot Stuff

Hi and Merry Meet,
This past year my husband encouraged me to start reading tarot publicly. At first I was very hesitant, but he and a good friend helped me to start up reading for others. I had been reading for others for a few years now, but not at public functions. I've loved reading for friends and family but that was as far as I would go. I've taken tons of class, been in privet studies and learning groups. My husband has seen how excited I am about and my love of it. 


He has suggested I start small, just get my feet wet and see if I like reading for people I've never met. He signed me up to do a craft show with him. We have been going to craft shows for a few years as vendors. He loves to make and sell jewelry. So, of course I always go too. He said that I should read at the shows since I'm already there and all it would take is setting up a small table and two chairs. I thought about it. I talked to my sister in law when we went to visit them in February. She loved it! She also supported my husband's idea and got me to take it seriously. I told my running partner about this idea. She asked if I could do a home party for her. 


With the love and support of friends and family I did my first craft show in March. I then did my first home party in May. I have since done other craft shows and home parties. Turns out, I really like reading for people I've never met before. My husband is happy that something that gives me so much joy is now something that I can do while he is doing something that gives him joy. It has been a very fun journey. The latest thing with my tarot reading now has been to get on facebook with a page.This was kind of a big step for me. I've done it and now here is it: http://www.facebook.com/tarotintheroc I've been better about updating that than posting here.


I never thought I'd when my friend asked me to take a tarot class that it would have such an impact on my life. I had no idea that my life would change so much just by choosing to learn about cards. It has enriched my life more than I could have ever guessed it would have.


Here is my card for the day. The Ace of swords. New ideas are floating around and  new states of mind are in store. Pay attention to new ideas and thoughts. Break out of old patterns and see old ideas with new eyes. This card is from the Legacy of The Divine Tarot.

Blessed be,
Autumn

Vacation Time!!

Hi and Merry Meet,
This week and next week my husband and I are on our annual camping vacation. This year we have chosen to go to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Canada and the Upper part of Michigan. We arrived to our camp site here in Canada on Sunday night. We have been enjoying the time together and away from our daily stresses. It's so nice to get away and unwind together. During our real lives time together is very sparse and very precious.  Our annual two week camping trips give us a chance to catch up on everything that we need to catch up on.

My husband LOVES trains. Yesterday, we took an all day train ride to Agawa Canyon. The train was fun, the hike around the canyon was fun (well, for me...  I was geocaching...), and the ride home was beautiful. We saw many crystal clear lakes and untouched forests. It is amazing up here. Today we are going to go to the Bush Plane Museum. That should be educational! :) The photo below is of Trout Lake. It was just one of many we passed on our ride yesterday. I wish I could live there...  it was so gorgeous!

Tomorrow will be our last day in the Great White North. Then we will return state-side to spend some time in Upper Michigan. There is some great hiking up there and we hear that there are some spectacular waterfalls. We do love a good waterfall... hopefully, this year the hike is not more than six miles straight up hill! Last year I thought after I pulled that stunt on my husband that he was going to kill me! What didn't kill him made him stronger, and it taught him to hold onto my GPS unit so I can't trick him with long mileage hikes ever again! Oh well, he loves to hike with meanyways as long as it is shorter distances. :)
Blessed be,
Autumn

Sewing Fun!

Hi and Merry Meet,
Yesterday I was out reading tarot at a graduation party. What a fun family to read for!! Before I left to do that I was working on sewing my robe for circle.

I've been working on it for some time now. The patteren is not to complex. To make it you need some basic sewing skills. A few of the other girls have robes and they look awesome. I've been stuck on the hem. Sewing it together was the easy part. Trying to get the hem right has been crazy. The robe hangs very long. My husband helped me pin the hem for one sleeve and that was enough help as far as he was concerned. I can't pin the hem while I'm wearing it, so finding someone to help had been tough. However, my friend who I roped into helping me had a better way. We measured it and then cut off some of the extra. I think I can finish it now that it's all pinned.

With all my extra material I've been thinking about making poppets. I've never done a spell with them but I'm thinking that I have all the stuff I need I'll just save it for the right time. My robe I'm sewing on my machine. For poppets, I'd like to do some hand sewing.  I've got a basic patteren for them. This would be a good way for me to expand on my spells. A lot of my work right now is simple candle magick or cooking magick. I've done a few bigger things but mostly I stick to low magick. I'd like to start expanding my knowledge of other magicks. I feel like poppets are the next step for me in my learning and my spellwork. Not sure yet when I'll use them, but at least I'll have everything when I'm ready for it.
Blessed be,
Autumn

Goddess Yemaya

Hi and Merry Meet,
Since today is Saturday I started my work with the Goddess Yemaya. From what I could find she and her sister share Saturday as their power day.

My altar for her has a seashell, a blue earthwear bowl that is filled with salt water, and rain flavored incense. Since my altar is stained blue, I chose not to put an altar cloth on as the blue fits better with Yemaya's energy. I also have a hot plate that I put the candle on that my mom had given me. It is made from abolne shells in Hawaii. My mom was going to get rid of it in a garage sale. I asked if I could have it and I've used it for anything burning that is on my altar. It is perfect for this work!

My dreams haven't had the image of the goddess appear again, but almost all of then have had the sea or seawater in them. A lot of them I am swimming or entering the ocean. I looked up what water in dreams means and the answer I found was change. I know big changes are coming, spirit had been telling me for a while. I've started to take steps to go forward with them and it looks like that is what I'm supposed to do. Maybe as I work more with the goddess Yemaya I can learn more about what comes next with these changes.

I hope you are enjoying the beautiful weekend!
Blessed be,
Autumn

Pathworking

Hi and Merry Meet,
This weekend I've been doing some new pathworking. I've been looking for more information on Yemaya since she has been calling to me in my dreams. The things I've found are really interesting and I love how many aspects she has.

I see a lot of similarities in some of her aspects to some of the other goddesses that I like to work with. In my personal practice I usually work with the Celtic pantheon. Before my dreams this past week I was starting to work with the Morrigan. I've been comparing some of her aspects of Macha to Epona. Both are horse goddesses, both are futility goddesses, and both are warrior goddesses. I've started to do some pathworking with this aspect of the Morrigan. Epona is the goddess that called to me first. There is not too much information on her, but working with her has really been wonderful. Looking at the Morrigan's aspect of Macha I have learned a lot about the goddess Epona.

During this coming week I plan to do some pathworking with some of the different aspects of Yemaya. From the information that I've found it looks like Yemaya has seven different aspects that are associated with her. I want to look over each one's information and start with the one that gets my attention first. I'm looking forward to getting to know a goddess outside of the pantheon that I normally work with. I want to take my time getting to know her and who is the god who is her mate? I haven't looked into that yet, and I want to know what male energy she works with. In my practice I use both the goddess and god energy. A lot of my friends use only the goddess energy. I like using both for the balance that it gives me. That was part of why I left the Christians. They use a lot more god energy with very little of the female aspects. Balance is what I need in my life and I love that I've got more of it now.

I hope you have a great rest of the weekend!
Blessed be,
Autumn