Tag Archives: spirituality

March 2023: Intentions “Mindful March” & Ostara Blessings

03/01/2023 Charmeine 1 Comment

March is already here and I can’t believe how fast this year has gone by. That means, it’s time to review how the last month went – and to set new list of intentions to work with.

February Recap and Highlights

February started off as a difficult month with a series of migraines that lasted for much of the first half of the month. The past week or so has been better and I have more energy. My sleep is basically back to normal and I’m up most mornings by 8:00 am. Sometimes I’m awake by 6:30 am, and sometimes I stay in bed to read – or until I get that “good morning” text from someone that likes to tell me to get up and drink my water.

Last month was really the first month that I decided to do monthly intention setting and the post was short. Going forward, I’d like to take things up a notch. I spent most of the afternoon in between making a delicious stew and apple loaf – designing the images you’ll see below. Canva is a nifty program, and I’m making use of the premium licensing.

Here’s a quick recap of February’s intentions:

For the most part, I stayed on track when feeling up to it last month. There were some days that all I could do was lay down in bed or read. And for that reason, I managed to read 2 books for my Good Reads Challenge. Some other highlights included:

Daily intentions: for the most part, I did daily Tarot readings for myself and friends on social media, even just pulling one card. I took some time each night and spent it at my altar, shuffling the cards slowly. Thinking about what I wanted to accomplish or what I needed to hear. I started eating healthier, cooking more, drinking herbal teas again, and am slowly getting back on the right track.
Good Reads Challenge: purchased a Kindle Reader for Kindle Unlimited books. I’ve downloaded about a dozen books I’d like to get through this year.
Practice selfcare daily: I slipped on this a bit with the migraines but had more relaxing baths in the last two weeks.
Getting crafty: I worked on digital art mostly and focused on my book which is coming along slowly.
Socializing and connecting with friends: while I didn’t make any new friends, writing daily helped connect me to new people online.

All in all, the month is finishing up strong. While I did not get out and socialize very much (or at all), I managed to keep in touch with friends often and even had a call from my new “friend” in California. We chat daily and it’s nice. I had to skip out on the February Witchery Market due to crappy weather. Here’s hoping that the spring market is better – and I even have a date for it!

Now…onto March! Here’s what’s happening in the next thirty days.

Mindful March

For March 2023 intention setting, I’d like do a little something different and work with daily intentions, gratitude and meditations. You can adapt this list and make it work for whatever your spiritual beliefs are. And if you are not a spiritual person, then feel free to just focus on the mindfulness part of it. The idea is that for the next 30 days, try and incorporate one of these rituals into your daily routine.

Start your day off with intention setting and coffee

Sit with your morning coffee or tea, meditate while you stir (counterclockwise), Soak in the delicious aromas and think about what you want to get accomplished for the day. Run through a list of plans in your head, or jot them down in a notepad (or digital notebook) – whatever medium you use.

I wrote a more in depth post the other month on How to Incorporate Mindfulness into your daily routine – read it here.

Ideas for daily mindfulness

Start your morning off with stretches to get the blood in your veins pumping. This will give you a boost of energy for your day.
Go outside, connect with nature and take stock of the beautiful things around you – pick at least 2 or 3 things. Take a picture, sketch if you’re an artist, or just take in the natural beauty that is Mother Earth.
Reach out to those in your life you care about and who may be struggling. Let them know you are there for them.
Say something nice to a random person, or to someone you know. Brighten up someone’s day to give them that dopamine hit.
Bullet journal and or aim to write 500-1000 words daily if you are a writer like me.
Work on arts and crafts, scrapbook, or garden if the weather is appropriate to do. Keep your hands and mind occupied with tasks that bring you joy.
Take at least one day where you can be on your own, or at least have your own time for a luxurious bath, or take a spa day.
Listen deeply to a friend in need, and really take in what they are saying.
Pause briefly, to take a moment and look up at the stars or the moon in the sky. Reflect on what the universe might be telling you.
Practice daily meditate, gratitude or consult your Tarot cards or runes if that’s what you’re into. Remind yourself of all the good things you have in life. And try and let go of the negative.

Stop. Deep breaths. Repeat regularly. Your anxiety will thank you.

My Personal Intentions for March

Get up before 8 am daily, drink water first thing, enjoy a sustaining breakfast. Think about intentions while drinking coffee. Make a list of things to achieve for the day.
Daily meditations, gratitude, and mindfulness techniques as listed above – I will try as many as I can. Also keep up with daily exercises and fresh air.
Write daily, at least 2000 words whether on this blog, journaling, or for my books. Work on graphic design, crafts and start organizing my home. Spend less time on Fetlife, and more time researching and learning.
Read daily and try and finish 1 book each week.

Mindfulness Planning Board – created with Canva

Mindfulness Journaling

Do you practice daily mindfulness? If so, how do you incorporate it into your daily life? Do you find that it helps lessen your anxiety? Let me know in the comments what you loved about this post and what you might carry on with you this month.

Word of advice: if you do a 30 day challenge, keep a diary or journal of what you did every day and how it made you feel – you can refer back it to every month 🙂

If you are looking for an online journal, I have a few on my Etsy store – check out the link here.

Thank you for reading!

Ostara and Spring Equinox Blessings

Ostara is just around the corner and thus marks the beginning of spring. That means the long days of darkness are soon to be over and the days will become a little longer. Already here, the sun comes out before 8 am and sets long after 6 pm.

Ostara is one of the eight Sabbats of Wicca or Pagan celebrations and one of my favorites on March 19-20-21. Celebrations are held around the world as people welcome the longer days.

This is the time people think about planting seeds for flowers and food, and also cleaning up the home – or decluttering. It’s a good time for meditation, and clearing out the clutter in your head and heart too.

Make sure to come back to this blog on March 20th, as I will be sharing my own rituals and thoughts for Ostara.

What’s happening this month spiritually?

March 07, 2023: Full Moon – Worm Moon
March 20-21, 2023: Ostara, Spring Equinox

March Correspondences

Astrological signs: Pisces and Aries
Birthstones: Aquamarine and Bloodstone
Colors: Go with spring colors, pastels, yellow, blues, pinks
Power animals: Lion, birds, grasshopper, bearded dragon
Wolf moon: intense dreams, start a new project, ritual, illumination and transformation

Related Information

For more information about my spiritual practices, please visit my Spirituality page. It is a work in progress, like this blog.

Spiritual Practice

Ostara Blessings

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spiritual, writing

February mid-month update

02/13/2023 Charmeine Leave a comment

It’s mid month already and time seems to be moving really fast this year. It didn’t seem like that long ago when I was crying myself to sleep at night and in an utter state of despair an depression, but here we are – and I’m feeling pretty good emotionally. Don’t get me started on my physical symptoms. January was a rough month with bronchitis and migraines.

My sleep schedule is back on track and I’ve been waking up anywhere from 7:00 am to 9:00 am most mornings. Opting to get out bed earlier to make the most of the day. I don’t remember the last time I had a nap and sleep seems to be getting better at night – though last night, I was awake until almost 2:00 am. So, the insomnia is still there too. But it’s slowly getting better.

The first thing I noticed when I woke up today, was that it was dark in my condo yet, it wasn’t pitch black outside. There isn’t much sun today, that doesn’t seem to matter – it means the days are getting longer. The nights are still long with sunsets starting around 5:40 – but soon. Very soon, we’ll see the sun setting even later.

Our weather has been unusually warm and I’ve made the most of those sunny days. While I haven’t left my condo in over two weeks due to bronchitis, I’ve used the balcony several times and that felt good. There were even a couple of days where I didn’t need a jacket. It’s supposed to get cold this week but then back to spring-like temperatures. We can only hope that maybe, the worst of winter is over. But we always get a few more surprise snow dumps before spring.

I’m looking forward to Spring Equinox this year and am planning a big ritual for myself. If the weather cooperates, maybe I’ll even get outdoors for a walk. I’m hoping to actually go walking this year and make the most of the trails near me. I miss it.

Spirituality

Devoting myself to one practice has been like a spiritual awakening of sorts. I’ve done the hard part of shadow work and am still focusing on healing – both physically and emotionally. This is making room for new friendships and I’ve already built another family online. True, they live all the way down in California. But we talk often and are supportive of each other. These people have been with me the last year and are becoming very special to me. Friends. Family. They’re teaching me about compersion, which I will write in a separate post.

I’m learning to incorporate spiritual practices into daily life and it is helping overall. Not so much with energy, but moods. I meditate, have herbal baths every other day, using Tarot, and doing rituals once a week. I’m also filling my days with learning and watching other videos as much as possible. I just want to learn as much as I can and share that knowledge with you.

The next big ritual will be on March 07 for the full moon and then Ostara, or Spring Equinox, on March 19-20. For that one, I’d like to get outside if the weather is agreeable.

I can’t wait until I can spend my evenings on the balcony again. My rug had an accident and needs some stain removal care – water stains from the snow and I tried to clean it with baking soda that is now a big mess. That is a project for next month. I need to wash it down completely too. I think if I have to move next year – for raising the rent, I might move ten minutes further south to be closer to the parks and trails.

Fitness and health

I’m back to working out daily and eating healthy again. Cooking two or three meals a week. I can’t do more than that, because I tend to have lots of leftovers. My freezer is jam packed. I am shopping around for a bigger freezer so I can batch cook for summer months, when it’s too hot to turn the oven on. I have good energy today and plan to make the most of the day. I also have a doctor’s appointment later, and really need to see my dad. I’m down a few pounds since Christmas but the more I exercise, the more muscle I’m putting back on so the scale isn’t budging. But, my clothes are starting to fit better and I have a little more energy. So far, no migraine this week and that’s a good thing.

Good Reads

My Good Reads challenge is going very slowly. I’ve started a few books but have been unable to finish them. I think it’s mostly my attention span. I’m currently reading an interesting book about a detective who solves murders because she can see the crimes they’ve committed when she touches them. Sort of like Sixth Sense with Bruce Willis. I’m trying to read a little bit every day and am running out of time to finish the book.

I’m also flipping back and forth between this book, The Green Witch which is more of a text book, and another book by Colleen Hoover which I just cannot get into.

The Gift is available on Kindle Unlimited which is where I read most of my books these days.

Detective Grace is a small town detective that solves murder mysteries using her gifts.

Project Updates

As for writing my own book, I have 150 pages done but am stuck on editing. I know where I want the story to go but it’s the filler details I’m having a hard time with, that and vocabulary. I realized my first attempt at the book had too many story lines for the length it was. So, I’m trying to do more of a character build up and give background stories.

It’s a lot more work and creating a timeline is a challenge in itself. I understand now why authors tend to use outlines. I’m pouring a lot of myself into the main character and it’s been quite cathartic. I’m also trying not to do too much daily or wear myself out. Otherwise, I can get lost for hours.

Stay tuned for further updates. I’m looking for beta readers and editors for this political fueled drama, filled with supernatural themes and the spicy kinky stuff too.

I reopened my Etsy store and have made one sale. I don’t expect to make a lot of money selling digital downloads. Mainly, if I could just earn some hobby cash – enough to to pay for my many addictions like building my an altar, and also – paying for food. Disability pays just enough for the basics. So even if I can just cover the costs of these websites and fees – and software upgrades, I’d be a happy camper. That said, I do have an Amazon wish list if you’d like to buy me gifts 🙂

My altar so far. It needs some greenery, and I wish I had shelves. The desk belonged to my grandfather and passed it down to my mother. So, it already represents ancestral heritage.

My friends in California already bought me something from the wish list and I can’t wait to get it in the mail! I’m creating spiritual themed posters for Etsy, so definitely check that out.

Anyway, I think that’s it in a nutshell. Feeling a lot better after bronchitis and I think the worst is over. Hopefully I can have a few good days of this energy, get caught up on some cleaning, shopping, see my dad. And visit with some friends. There’s also a Witchy flea market this weekend that I really hope I can get to. Maybe on Sunday after volunteering.

On that note, ciao for now, and have a great week!

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Writing fictional character, falling in love with them, and killing them off

03/10/2022 Charmeine Leave a comment

It’s Monday morning and I’m sipping my first cup of the coffee of the day. My knee went out again last night while in the kitchen, so it’s going to be an easy day today. This getting old thing is well, to be honest with you, getting old.

My life has become a sort of dial-hum with repetitive tasks and routines. I get up in the morning, usually between 7:00 – 9:00 am and seem to get about four or five hours of sleep. I think that’s the best I can do these days .

I start my day off with coffee and breakfast. I check my emails. Respond to messages if necessary. Then I watch the news for a little while and catch up on current events. I only go out once a week now, unless I have medical appointments. Winter is still in full swing and we had inches of snow on the weekend.

Then I get to writing and hours go by without even realizing it. I spent the entire weekend working on a new supernatural book, only stopping for pee breaks, to eat, and to stretch my body every now and then. I still can’t exercise because of my knee. I’m immobile.

Falling in love with characters and killing them off

The more time I devote to this story, that I’m falling in love with, the more ideas that come to my head. Conversations between the characters take place in my brain. Entire scenes will flash before my eyes and I can see them play out like a movie. I’ve created four books in the last month, made up entire towns and dozens of interesting characters that come to me at night.

The dialogue takes over my brain and I make my way to the computer because I have to write them down, or I’ll lose them. My brain has become a non-stop thought bubble. Replaying the conversations in my mind, wondering how I can improve on the scene.

Creative channeling

Sometimes I wonder where these thoughts and ideas come from. It’s like I’m channeling or tapping into an unseen source. Creativity comes and goes in waves. It’s the same for music. I go into this meditative state and play the piano, and a song will come out.

I often wonder what authors like Rowlings or King experience when they write. Do they get as obsessed as I do with the characters? Do they fall in love with them like I do? Do they hear dialogue in their head?

They must. With the amount of books they’ve written, in the genres they do, they must have the most brilliant minds that I’d love to tap into it. Just to get a glimpse.

I often wonder if I’m bordering on insanity. When you hear voices in your head that are not your own, it can make you feel like you are slowly losing your mind. But I know that it’s not the case. It’s not a demon or supernatural creature feeding me these lines.

It’s me. It’s my brain. At least, I think it is.

These books are consuming me, and I all I want to do is write. I will publish them when finished, but under a new username. I know it’s a good book, but I could never use my real name. Not for this type of story. It’s too personal to me. I’ve used bits and pieces of my own life and relationship history.

Writing as cathartic release

I actually cried as I wrote some of the more heartbreaking scenes. And then I realized that one of the main characters, would have to die. That’s how it is as a writer.

The words you put on paper, can change the direction of your story, even ones that you had plotted out in excruciating detail. One minor detail. One major event. Adding a new scene. These are all things that can determine the fate of beloved characters.

One night while lying in bed, a name came to mind. And I could blame it on shows like Supernatural and Lucifer, or the movie Fallen with Denzel Washington. A demonic name that I had heard in Sunday school as a child. One that stuck with me all these years. One that I felt compelled to throw into my story.

Azazel.

His name floats around my brain and I wonder… all these thought bubbles going on. What if? And then I push the idea out of my mind. What if writing is just channeling thoughts from someone else? From something else?

The idea is fascinating to me. And also a tiny bit terrifying.

I wonder, dear friends – do any other authors become this absorbed when writing? Do you write for hours and not even realize that an entire day has passed and you haven’t spoken to anyone?

It’s given me a new passion. A new awareness of the creativity process. It’s opening me up to new ideas, thought patterns and even dreams.

And so, that’s where we are on this dark and chilly Monday. And wondering if perhaps, the demons in my book could ever be real or if there really are supernatural creatures that go bump in the night.

What does YOUR creative process look like?

spiritual

Mother Earth and climate change thoughts

07/22/2021 Charmeine Leave a comment

It’s Thursday afternoon as I write this and my day is just getting started. A restless night and a migraine kept me in bed again until noon. I woke up and my condo was pitch black – I had no idea what time of day it was. It’s still pitch black and kind of eerie. But it’s a good sign. That means we’re getting some much needed rain. Even with all the large windows I have in my place, and with facing the sun, I had to turn a light on midday. Creepy.

Last night around 9:30 pm, I finally went outside. First time in a few days. The smoke has been so bad from the wildfires seemingly coming from all directions – that I couldn’t go outside. I’ve been wheezing and coughing from it. It was such a relief to be able to head outside and enjoy the evening. I even got a few pictures of the red moon which was crazy to see. And just in time too – because a wild thunderstorm with pouring rains started within just minutes of me coming inside.

I think all the time I spent outside these past few months has helped me get back in tune with nature. I seem to be more in sync and somehow able to know when to go inside. Because as soon as I went inside, the lightning started. And it was a wild show too.

So, I did what I always do. I moved my chair closer to the window, opened the balcony door and enjoyed the show. I also recorded a few minutes of the rain so I can use it in a music video later. There’s something so peaceful about listening to the rain as it hits the grass or pavement.

The smoke is a little less today and I have all the windows wide open to let in some fresh air. Though those clouds are a bit worrisome. We’re supposed to get another wicked thunderstorm. I just hope it doesn’t turn into flooding or tornadoes. We’ve been seeing a lot of those pop up all over Canada. The weather has just been bad everywhere.

There’s still flooding in China, Europe and it seems that daily, more videos are popping up extreme weather.

If I learned anything from our Indigenous Elders and grandmothers – it’s this.

Mother Earth is hurting. She is in pain. She has been angry for some time. She is a ticking time bomb. The planet has reset herself many times in the past. I think honestly, she is working on this again. Reclaiming what is hers. We may not see this in our lifetime. But I do worry for future generations.

I think this is why I’ve spent so much time outside, meditating and reconnecting. I can’t travel still due to health and COVID restrictions. But I hope next year, if the weather is more stable, to be able to get back into travel and visit the mountains again. I’ve really missed that.

If you’d like to learn more about the Indigenous teachings, I recommend listening to this wonderful meditation by Michael Looking Coyote. This album has helped me in many ways. You don’t need to be Indigenous to respect their teachings and beliefs. And what I learned from my time with the Elders, is to respect them. For their knowledge of the earth has been passed down from many generations. They want us to learn and to hear what they have to say.

And as they say in the Cree language,

Ninistohten

I understand.

Update: the rain is finally here. It’s pouring. There’s a fantastic breeze coming through and making everything smell fresh and clean. Nothing better than rain – as long as it doesn’t turn into torrential rains!

Another good one to listen to –

We are all connected with Nixiwaka Yawanawa

To learn more of my experiences with the Elders, visit my spiritual page.

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