Last week
Last week was full of things. The cat had her first vet appointment in a while on Tuesday, which took a couple of hours and resulted in her needing three appointments in the next couple of months (she needs to have a few teeth pulled, so there’s a pre-check for that, the actual process, and a check after.)
She did her best imitation of a small attack panther while still in her carry case. Then the vet came out to talk to me after they did the exam, with a “So, yeah, there is stuff going on with her teeth, but given that she was doing an alligator death roll on the tongue depressor, I wasn’t able to get the best look. Here’s the range of what I suspect we’ll find when she’s sedated, but you want to schedule that in the not too distant future.”
Oh, Astra. [1] Anyway, that was a lot of Out Managing Small Attack Panther, and then there was some more ‘stocking the kitchen so I don’t have to go out unnecessarily’ (I’m at high risk of lung complications, so while I’m not panicking about the coronavirus, I am taking sensible precautions.)
On that front: I wrote up a guide to coven practice and contagious disease considerations, and encourage you all to share it if it’d be helpful for other people you know. It includes my coven’s policies around health and the email I sent this week. (See: my lungs are perpetually cranky, I host coven stuff in my home, I’ve had a policy for a good while.)
Saturday: Class and a full moon ritual. Class was on meditation and pathworking (why we do it, and some different approaches.)
The ritual was making protection eggs, which is one of my favourite things, and one I do most years. I just find it really satisfying. (I had a crushing accident with mine, am not entirely thrilled with the replacement, and may make a new one, since I still have blown out shells.)
See the instructions down below if you’d like to do this yourself. It’s very flexible for your intentions (protection, well-being, home, etc.) and doesn’t need a lot of materials.
Sunday:
I’ve had an ongoing regular web chat with an accountability partner for one of last year’s projects (and we’ve kept going this year). She’s done training in hypnotic regression, and is working on a new certification, so she needed practice subjects she could document. We did a quite long session (2.5 hours) yesterday, which was quite intriguing, including building in some new deity practice.
(My basic instructions on how to take care of myself are apparently “read more” and “drink more water”. Ok, then.)
This week
I was expecting to be going to Oregon for a work trip, and cancelled as of this morning, so I have two weekends with nothing scheduled on them, and I’m looking forward to a chance to catch up on a bunch of things. (Also, release the romance book that has been in editing forever…)
Protection eggs
If you want to do this yourself, here’s what you need:
- Eggs (large white work best, though brown are fine if you don’t mind the brown background.)
- Washi tape, medical tape, or something else that will stick to an eggshell (Scotch tape and similar tapes don’t.) You want enough to seal the hole in the bottom of the egg.
- Something to hang the egg with, if you like (floss, ribbon, etc.)
- Markers (crayons can work, but I prefer markers)
- Dried herbs of your choice (for protection, abundance, or other things along those lines.)
Process:
- Blow out eggs
- Put a tiny hole in the top, and a bigger hole, about the size of a dime, in the bottom. I use a thumbtack to make the holes.
- Blow out through the tiny hole into a bowl. You need a fair bit of pressure.
- Do at least one more egg than you think you’ll need.
- Rise out, and let dry out over night.
- Decorate your egg with the markers. You can write words, symbols, shapes, etc. related to your goal.
- Fill your egg with a mix of herbs, and tape up the bottom.
- Add a thread for hanging if you like. (This usually works better if you run it from the bottom to the top, held in multiple places by tape. Superglue would probably work if you let it set long enough.)
- Charge with your intention.
- Place by a door (usually the main door of your home) for protection, or in other suitable locations for
You’d think that threading a bit of embroidery floss or fine yarn through the top hole would be sensible, but in practice this turns out to be logistically quite challenging.
If you want to try it, consider making the top hole big enough for a yarn needle (something with some weight), and then threading a pony bead (or something of similar size) with suitable knots to keep it attached, to hold on the inside. (A washer would probably do okay too.) Do this before you fill the egg with herbs.
[1] There would be cat photos, but she is basically entirely black, so most photos of her involve a black void, sometimes with teeth.
