THE DREAMER

Our newest Spirit Dolls are here! 

I have been writing their stories and getting them listed for sale in our Etsy Store. 

One of my latest favorites is ‘The Dreamer.’ 

The Dreamer has pure magick flowing through her in the forms of visions, dreams, and trance-like moments. She is visually psychic and all the world is full of messages being relayed to her through physical sight and through the eyes of spirit.

The Dreamer is adept at reading patterns in Nature, and can often look into someone’s face and know the story it is silently sharing.

The Dreamer has come to relay the message that your eyes are immensely important now. So, on a mundane level, be sure to look after your vision. 

Visually, you are very sensitive…so, it may be the time to change your environment, your appearance, or, the appearance of where you spend your time so that it better offers you the energy with which you wish to go forward. Trust in your visions. They come from a magickal place, and when you become able to read and understand them, your dreams will manifest in your life. 

* www.rhinestonegypsy.etsy.com

CELEBRATING WINTER SOLSTICE

Winter is a time of rest and renewal and inward focus.  This is the earth's fallow time, a mini-death when nothing is growing (at least outwardly).
It is a time to honor the complete cycle of nature.  And, coming as it does at the end of a calendar year and the beginning of another, it is a time to re-evaluate, to shed what no longer serves us, and to create intentions for what we want to manifest in the New Year.

Winter Solstice, also know as Midwinter or Yule, is an ancient pagan festival that marks the shortest period of daylight of the year, and the longest night; when the sun's daily maximum elevation in the sky is at it's lowest. Winter Solstice is celebrated on December 20th or 21st.

Winter Solstice festivities traditionally commenced the morning after the longest night, acknowledging the 'rebirth of the sun' (which was personified into 'Newborn Son' in Christian mythology), with much joy! From this day forward, the day's became longer.

Bonfire's were lit, homes were decorated with evergreen boughs, apples and oranges were studded with cloves, holly and ivy and mistletoe (regarded as the 'seed' of the Divine) were hung everywhere....all insuring that the Nature Spirits would come join the celebrations!   According to Celtic lore, a spring of holly was kept near the door all year long as an invitation for good fortune to visit the household.

The ceremonial Yule Log was considered the highlight of the Solstice festivities. In accordance with tradition, the log was harvested on the household's land, and once dragged into the house it was decorated in seasonal greenery, doused with cider, and set ablaze by a piece of last year's log.
The log would burn throughout the night, then smolder for 12 days.

The Deities of Yule: Sun Gods, the Mother Goddess, and the Triple Goddess.

I have just listed our Winter Solstice Triple Goddess Spirit Doll in our Etsy store.

BACK IN BUSINESS

"I like this place and could willingly waste my time in it"- Shakespeare

The cabin is finally finished! The landscaping is finally finished! And, the decorating is nearly finished! (That will be a work in progress for awhile yet). It was a little over two years ago that Tom and I began this project, and I put my business on hold.  I wanted to devote my time and energy to building and decorating the cabin.  Now that it is pretty much completed,  I have been itching to get back to creating my Spirit Dolls. Last week I re-opened my Etsy Shop,  and this week I have been busy posting our (Kristin has stuck with me) latest creations!

Take a look at 'The Shaman'. He might be my favorite Spirit Doll thus far, and is the first one I chose to list in our 'new' Etsy Shop.

Please come back and visit often in the coming weeks. We have many new dolls to share!

*Shamanism organically arose all over the world, all throughout history, as a response to the needs of people. Shamanism is an ancient collection of traditions based on the act of voluntarily accessing and connecting to non-ordinary states — or spirit realms — for wisdom and healing.

The word “shaman” comes from the Siberian Tungus tribe, and it directly means “spiritual healer,” or, more cleverly, “one who sees in the dark.”

Generally, there is one shaman per community. These shamans access the spirit realm for the purpose of individual and communal growth and healing — they do this by restoring and removing energetic pathways, recovering soul parts, and communicating with non-physical helpers to discover the spiritual aspects of illness and find answers to life’s seemingly impossible questions. This reality-penetrating ability marks them as the world’s very first doctors, storytellers, mystics, and even psychotherapists.

Shamanism comes with a great responsibility. Alongside simply accessing these worlds, they must possess the ability to transform what they have learned and experienced into a concrete change in the physical world.

Shamans also act as great teachers, for they teach that everything is spirited; that all things are interconnected and alive, including (but certainly not limited to) the Earth itself, the stars in the sky, and even the wind in the air. For this, it is also the shaman’s role in a community to demonstrate and maintain the harmonious balance of humankind, nature, and spirit.
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* 'The Shaman' is made of salvaged, recycled vintage fabrics, textiles, ribbons, yarns, jewels, crystals, beads, buttons, furs, feathers, twigs, bones and stones. His face is hand formed, hand painted polymer clay.

* He is approximately 18” L

* He is an original and one-of-a-kind, collectible art doll

* He comes with his own stand, or he can be hung on the wall.
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 https://www.etsy.com/shop/rhinestonegypsy

(or, click on the ETSY link on the right hand side of this blog to go directly to our storefront).

CABIN GYPSY

" I have a room all to myself...it is called Nature." - Henry David Thoreau

My husband, Tom, and I own a wee bit of paradise on Presque Isle Lake.  We have owned the land in northern Wisconsin for 23 years-having bought it with intentions to build our very own dream cabin way back then.  But, shortly after that, the economy took a downturn, so we put our plans on hold.  Luckily, the property came with a quaint little old cabin that we cleaned up and used. For 23 years. But, accommodating six of us in that tiny space was a lot easier when the kids were young.  Now they are grown, getting married and having babies of their own...and that little cabin just couldn't hold everyone anymore. So, finally, last fall we began the building process...

...and finished a few weeks ago ( well, we still have plenty of decorating to do, but, that will come in time) and are currently working on the landscaping.

We have been going up most every weekend, but, as soon as Tom finishes his final development project here in Mc Farland (hopefully by summer's end), we hope to spend much more time exploring our northern wilderness while we are 'roughing it in style' at our cozy new home on the lake.

LOVE ON A PONTOON

"Above you are the stars, below you are the stones.

As time passes, remember...

Like a star should your love be constant,

Like the earth should your love be firm.

Possess one another, yet be understanding.

Have patience with one another,

For storms will come, and they will go quickly,

Forced to dissipate in the light of your love.

Be free in giving of affection and warmth.

Have no fear, and let not the ways or words of the unenlightened 

give you unease.

For the Old Gods are with you,

Now and Always."

Kristin and Michael got married a little over a month ago. My nature-loving daughter has always has a special fondness for our rustic little cabin in the wilds of northern Wisconsin, and it didn't take much cajoling to convince Michael to get married there.  Surrounded by the lush summer woods, the clear blue sky, and the pristine waters of Presque Isle Lake, they affirmed their love upon the bow of a pontoon boat.

I have waited to write about the wedding because I wasn't sure I could convey the overflowing joy that I felt. And, to be honest I am still not sure that I can. Kristin was radiant all weekend. Michael couldn't stop smiling. I was certainly caught up in the magic.

On Friday afternoon, August 8, we cruised the lake aboard our big, beautiful wedding barge. Just minutes after we stopped for the ceremony,  Lukas accidentally dropped Molly's cell phone in the lake. It didn't take long before someone spotted the phone in the water, and in a flash Austin whipped off his sports jacket, shirt and shoes and dove in to retrieve it. With phone in hand, he climbed back aboard the boat, put his jacket back on, ran his fingers through his hair, and proceeded to perform the ceremony! The incident calmed the nerves and made a fun 'wedding mishap' story!

Kristin and Michael spoke to one another about companionship, commitment, and respect. They promised to be each another's anchor in any rough waters that may lay ahead, they vowed to let their love be the powerful sun that could break away any dark cloud, and to be the other's mate for life-always at the helm of their shared destiny.

The wedding was lovely, simple and heartfelt. The day was glorious from beginning to end. The weather was perfect. The backdrop was gorgeous-loons, eagles and blue heron all in attendance. And, most importantly, we all shared it as a newly formed family. A family born of happiness and love.

LANGUAGE OF THE HEART

Easter Weekend has just passed. My girls, who all live far away, were not going to be home. So, my husband, Tom, and my son, Austin and I decided to head up to our rustic little cabin in the woods to celebrate the spirit of the holiday...enjoying each other and the soulful prayers Mother Nature whispers.

This prayer by Michele Linfante is one of my favorites.
It isn't necessarily an Easter prayer, but, one that speaks to me.

"Remember
That to have the eyes of an artist,
That can be enough,
The ear of a poet,
That can be enough.
The soul of a human
just pointed
in the direction of the divine,
That can be enough.
I tell you this to remind myself,
Every gesture is an act of creation.
Even empty spaces and silence
can be the wings and voices of angels."

RAINY DAYS AND MONDAYS

It is raining here today and there is a chill in the air. The damp dreariness was making me blue and....stuck. I decided to put on my new wellies and go for a walk in the woods. I bought these funky rubber boots back in December at a shoe outlet mall and hadn't worn them yet, saving them for a rainy day.

Our home sits on some acres of woodland, full of wonderously wild flora and fauna. So, I tromped out the back door and off into the woods. I had walked for maybe thirty minutes when I found the perfect stump to rest upon, sheltered from the drops of falling rain by some big tree branches. I listened to the sounds of spring peepers already here, the calls of so many different types of birds I lost count, the shrill squawking of the sand hill cranes and the return honking from the geese as they fought over pond territory. There was the sound of squirrels scurrying past, the crunching of leaves as a young deer about eight feet away bedded down in a cozy pile of leaves...and all around my secret little hide away were the sweet soft sounds of dripping raindrops.

I inhaled the succulent sweet smells of the fern and leaves covering the forest floor, and pungent aroma of wet pine needles.

I sat for maybe twenty minutes and then headed home, feeling much more content.

Mother Nature is a mighty muse.