The Nourishing Your Soul Challenge: Days 2 + 3

Hello lovely lovelies!

I'm sorry I didn't post yesterday. It got late and I was tired and ill and blah, blah, blah. Anyhow, as part of my second day of soul nourishing I decided to cook! I love, love, love to cook. It's a rare treat for me to cook anything I like, living on a student income. And I just love cooking with apples.
Apples are often considered symbols of love and godliness! They taste sweet, light and crisp. I don't know what could be better to nourish my soul (or my stomach) than cooking apple pastries. I felt it only fair to share my recipe!

To make for two people you need:

• 6 ready rolled filo pastry sheets, 3 sheets per person (You can do this with puff pastry and not make parcels. Both ways taste just lovely.)
• 3 cooking apples
• Golden caster sugar
• An egg
• Some salted butter

I also added some seasonal spices to give it a Christmassy edge. These are optional though, the pastries taste just as nice without them:

• A half or whole teaspoon of cinnamon (dependant on personal tastes)
• 2 cloves per apple stewed
• A little bit of ground nutmeg

Ok! So now for the instructions. I'll make them as brief as possible. It really doesn't take as long as it might seem.

• Peel, core and quarter 2 of the apples and plop them into a pan of water and lemon so they don't brown as you go.
• Chop them up a little more and place them in another pan over a high heat with a knob of butter and 2 tablespoons of golden caster sugar.
• Chuck in the cloves now so the flavour soaks into the apple.
• The apples will gradually break down and turn lovely and mushy. Chuck in the cinnamon and nutmeg. Add sugar and butter to taste if you like. It's a very experimental recipe and all up to you!
• Peel, core, quarter and thinly slice the last apple. Pop that in the lemon water too for a while.
• Unroll 3 sheets of the pastry and scoop half of the stewed apple into the middle. Lay some of the sliced apples on top and sprinkle with a bit more sugar. 
• Fold one corner over the apple and brush the folded corner with egg. Repeat this for all of the corners and sprinkle the whole thing with a little more sugar.
• Put in the oven at 200 degrees C for 10 minutes then check it. It might need more time in the oven but just keep checking.

Serve with cream and enjoy!!

As for day 3, I've lapsed. I'm baaaaad. I'm not feeling well today so my soul nourishing activity has been to sleep! And sleep I shall.

Lots of love and good night!

xxxx Aria

Here's some pictures!

Nourishing Your Soul Challenge: Day 1

Sun Cards!!
It's Solstice time again and I have a happy tradition of creating Sun/Moon cards on the Winter/Summer solstices!
So today I am making Sun cards to welcome in the increasing hours of wonderful sunlight.

Now for the soul nourishing part! On the back of each card I write a wish for the next 6 months. I ask for all sorts of wonderful from the universe for myself and the ones close. I can cast off previous goals and embrace new ones that might need to be brought to the surface. I guess it's like having a new years resolution but ever 6 months.
One of my ways of coping is to plan ahead so if I can set goals for myself everyday, week, month and 6 months then I find I can focus myself a lot easier!

So to make the cards for the Winter Solstice you need:

• A few sheets of yellow card
• Scissors
• A mug
• A black sharpie
• Little arty bits like glitter, glue, sequins, string and tissue paper
• A long string of ribbon

Cut some large circles out using your cards by placing the mug on the card and drawing around it. You can cut out as many as you like! Then write your wish, desire or goal onto one side. Punch a little hole in the top. Decorate the other side of the cards as much as you like! I'm pulling out some white tissue paper and a couple of felt tip pens. Then string the cards onto your ribbon and hang them up!

One rule with the cards is that you can't look at the wishes again until the next Solstice!!! You've put your intentions out into the world they're out there! Let them be.

Let the magic work!

My soul will feel a little nourished by the time I'm done! I hope you guys give this ago. Let me know how it made you feel. Did you enjoy getting a bit messy?

Lots of love,

Aria xxx

P.S. Look out for pictures tomorrow!
P.P.S.
Strike that! Here's pictures!!

The Nourishing Your Soul Challenge!

Hello precious people!

I haven't blogged in a horribly long time. I've been going through an awful bad patch. It's really not been good. However, the Solstice is upon us and now, if ever, is a time for change.

Thankfully, a very dear friend and supporting influence to me has issued a challenge that can help me in this change! Effy Wild has asked us to nourish our souls with the good things in life. The nourishment must be taken once daily for a period of 30 days :D!
I aim to blog about my experiences as I embark on this little adventure.
I have no idea what to expect because I have no idea what nourishes my soul but I aim to share and care. If anyone would like to join in or take from my experiences then please do!
You can find Effy's post at Wild.Precious.
She really is a wonderful lady who has her head screwed on just right.

Watch out for my first soul nourishing experience later today!!
Lots of love and happy to be back,
xxx Aria Angelica

I know now

I'm sure there's an old saying knocking about the ages with regards to age being no factor in wisdom and I think this is true. I've been told a few times that I am wise beyond my years. I don't know if that's true but, to those who said it, thank you. I really does make me happy to hear that.

Wisdom is knowing that you know nothing and have everything to learn.
Today I learnt that I will not always feel sad or upset by my past. I never thought that I would look back and smile. But, I did. Albeit, very briefly but I most certainly did.

To be able to look back to my childhood and smile is not just a triumph but a wonderful and loving gift to myself. I thought I would never be able to do that and there I was, cracking the tiniest smile.

I know that some parts are still to buried to uncover but I have to take it step by step. I have to be gentle with myself and trust that I will get there in my own, good time.

Give yourself a loving gift today. Smile at a photo that once hurt you. Grin at a hidden memory that caused you pain. Show those bad feelings that you're not messing around. You deserve to have your memories and love them. You have the power. You have the strength.

Love Aria xxx

Why do I punish myself?

Y'know when you do something and you think afterwards, "Why on earth did I just do that? I now feel crap."?

Yea, I just did that. It blows my mind that I would do something so stupid and end up causing myself pain. I think it has something to do with the weirdness currently going on in my house. Long story short (if it's ever possible) my dad found out my sister is smoking and refuses to see her off to university, she goes tomorrow.

So the complete awkwardness coupled with me just being me led me to peruse my old school chums facebook profiles. Now, I say old but I last saw them about a year ago. Still, I forgot a lot of people in that time.
I had a lot of friends at school for a while but now only speak to two of them. I was put through a lot by 'friends' who ended up really hurting me. School was definitely not the best years of my life.

So why, oh why, did I decide to mooch over to facebook and have all of those bad memories come flooding back? I want to cry for all of the bad things those people did. I actually want to confront them all and tell them how much they've hurt me even though it would make no difference.

When I confronted my school and got what I wanted I was overjoyed. I took control and made something happen that was just for me. But I can't do that with these terrible people. In years when I saw them be happy and helped them be happy, I was very, very sad. I was sad because of what they all did.

Is it just me or is it very telling that I don't smile in a single picture from that time of my life? I'm either pouting or pulling a funny face but no smiles. Not a single one.

Clearly, there are still things I need to work out in my head. But I don't know how. I just need a friend right now.

xxx Aria

A Pope's Visit

The Pope visited the UK this week. His visit cost £12m to the taxpayer and took up notable time on the television. He 'attempted' to address the issue of paedophile priests (not brilliantly seeing as there was no official apology to those who suffered at the hands of said priests).
I think its lovely that the country's Catholics were able to meet, see, experience the Pope and the Catholic church in a way that they may not ever have been able to before.  I can't imagine the happiness felt, especially by those who would never be able to travel to Italy and experience it that way.

This visit prompted a lot of controversy. Surprisingly, I experienced such controversy on two pagan discussion forums that I frequent. Both discussions followed the exact same path and I found it veeeery interesting.
The discussion starts with giggles and pokes at the Catholic Church, followed up by some anger from pagans to the Catholic Church. Then, in a very round about way, the tables turn. Some pagans feel a sort of guilt for thinking critically of the Church and they turn on the pagans who stick to their convictions and judgements of the Church. They defend a religion on the basis that it's a religion and should be respected.

But when did it become okay to defend a religion that has committed terrible crimes (and continues to do so) simply because it's a religion and should be 'respected'?

People pussyfoot around the bad things religions have done because religion has this weird, exclusive, 'get out of jail free' card when it comes to people questioning the bad stuff.

I would never go out and bash a religion. Like the ordinary Catholics, nothing wrong with them and I've got no issue with them. Most of them are lovely people. I have Catholic friends and they're wonderful (okay, I'm gonna stop with the patronising now).
So I would never bash a religion. I would, however, criticise the Church for allowing priests to continue in their roles of authority when they've abused young children. I would criticise the Church who changed the fabric of history and declared that the Virgin Mary FLEW, yes flew, to Heaven. She didn't die. She just flew. I would also question a Church that tells it's followers not to use contraception when their country is riddled with HIV.

Apparently, it's wrong of me to criticise an organisation that does those things. Apparently, that makes me intolerant. You know what, I am intolerant of people who abuse children and get away with it, who turn fiction into fact and who are narrow-minded enough to deny people safe sex.
That doesn't make me intolerant of Catholics.

What do you guys think?
xxx Aria

Frickin' money and class and houses and shiz

Prompted by one of my favouritist podcasters and bloggers, Fire Lyte of Inciting a Riot, I've decided to get huffy about how people classify or evaluate someone who regards themselves as pagan.

Fire Lyte got an email from someone having a hissy fit about how pagans aren't middle class and have no money because...that's how it works.

No...just NO! You cannot evaluate a pagan by what's in their bank account, what job they have or how big their house is.
One of the main reasons that the previous does not matter is that many, many pagans are firmly in the closet. For a lot of people their everyday life has little bearing on their pagan life. Full stop.
Furthermore, being a pagan has, by it nature, more to do with the inner self. Y'know, that little cricket that chirps in your head telling you to do good? It's about balance and being the best kind of human being you can be.

Maybe it shouldn't be about how much money you have but what you do with it? A pagan earns 100,000 per annum. Deduct 20% after taxes and give that to a charity. That's a pretty darn nice thing to do.
Giving what you have in excess to help those with little or nothing is a good thing to do. It shows qualities that bring hope and joy to the human race. Qualities like compassion and empathy, a drive to help others for the sake of helping.

Not many species out there can act altruistically but it's definitely a characteristic that we can boast about.

It doesn't matter what street you live on, whether you're white, black or asian, how much dosh you've got tucked away or who your mum and dad was.


Because it takes all kinds of people to be a pagan. There is no law that excludes. There is no dogma that dictates. We are given leave to govern our own decisions and to decide what is right for the world. So why, when given a responsibility like that, do some people feel the need to get a little too big for their boots and 'take charge'?
It might be part of the human condition to dictate and govern, it might be in our nature. But we have control over our nature. And if some people don't, they might want to consider their path and motives a little more carefully.

Love you all
xxx Aria

Music, thump...meow

Odd title yes?
Well I'm feeling a little odd today, better but still odd.

I moved (kind of) into my new house last week and I love it! I've finally got a double bed and there's even a FIREPLACE in my room. It doesn't work but it sure does look purdy.
I also tested the walking distance from my university library to the house...3 minutes. I'm telling you, I struck gold!
The only bad thing, it's a little creepy at night. The staircase is really steep and the entrance to the attic is a window...so you're walking up stairs and there's this creepy window that's just there...something even creepier might pop out!
Now I'm sure I've just the victim of over active imagination but does anything still scare you? The dark, spiders, y'know...stuff like that? Seriously, what silly little things scare you?
I feel five years old whenever I go near that staircase in the dark hehe. That covers the 'thump' in the title because it's meant as a scary thump.

As for the 'Music', I'm having a very tuneful day :) I've got my playlist going as I get started on my work for next university year. Schizophrenia, very upbeat subject no?
Woops, got distracted and have lost my train of thought. My mother is watching a period drama and forgot to tell me so grr!

I'm sorry this blog has ended up being more about me that paganism but the pagan thing isn't really happening for me right now. There's so much I want to do but it's all getting pushed aside in favour of blooming life angst.

I'm going to start with Esbats I guess :). I've never celebrated an Esbat and I'm not sure what to do exactly. Any help from my dearest readers would be much appreciated on that front.
What do you do for your Esbat celebrations? I may head over to the Pagan Hooligans website because they did a podcast on Esbats :)

So please send some handy hints my way!!
xxx Aria

Connecting with YOUR deity

Hello one and all :D


I know I've been very neglectful with my posting. For this I am sorry. I intend to pick it up a bit more in the coming weeks. I hope you all understand why!


Anyways, here in my little piece of the world it is VEEEERY cold. Like, 'is it winter?' cold. I don't dislike this really...I'm much more of a wintery person. I love the crisp crunch of autumn leaves beneath my sheepskin coated feet and the smell of that white wonderland making stuff, SNOW! So I can't really complain about the snow...coz I has many jumpers!


As many, many of you will know the pagan community lost a great man recently. I hope Isaac Bonewits' passing was calm and easy, and he has found his way to his next chapter. If any of you would be lovely (as I know you all are) enough to send some healing and helping energy to Isaac's family and friends I'm sure your wonderful contribution would be of some help.


Now, I was asking myself quite and important question this week.


How do I view deity?


I know lots of people who view deity as a being, perhaps not a physical being, but a being. Something one can communicate with and which will answer and guide it's worshippers. Of course, this kind of being can come in many forms. Namely (and to be more specicific), Gods. Venus, Zeus, Hecate, Hera, Artemis, Aradia, Anansi, Isis, Horus, Thoth, Thor, Odin...Yea, you can see where I'm going with this haha!
Gods that are born of culture, some current and some ancient, and who have continued in our universe. Most people I know, view deity in this way.


A few pagans I know view deity as one big whole thing. So all of those Gods I just mentioned are part of a whole. I don't think that makes each God less important but it connects them all (whether or not said Gods might want to be connected...ooo controversial hehe).


Some pagans or wiccans I know view deity as a supreme mother and father of all of the universe. I like this as it encompasses all facets of life and all aspects of ourselves as these two great beings are very humanistic. They look human, they act human (are born, live, reproduce and die) so I think lots of people can relate to them.


Ok, nearly there :). Finally, from the people I know of (because the list of 4 I've come up with can't possibly cover everyone!) there is one more view of deity. This might be the one I relate to best. I see deity as everything. Deity and, more importantly, the Divine, is absolutely everywhere. It's in people, it's in rocks, it's in cake. Nature is divine, the sky is divine, the stars, moon and planets are all divine.
They've been made, not for us (us being people) but because that's how the story of the universe has unfolded. Because it's here, because I can see it and touch it and feel it, it is divine. 


Perhaps I've come off a little crazy (oops) but that's not my intention. Think of it this way, some people dedicate their lives to trying to figure out what happens when we die. So much so that they forget to live.


So answer me this lovelies, how do you view your deity? What's you concept of the divine?
I'd love to hear your thoughts :D


xxx Aria

Just accept it? NO!

Hello all :)

I hope this little post finds you all well and happy. For some reason a lot of people are having a bad week so I hope that it all starts looking up ASAP!

So, on an entirely different subject, I got to thinking about fate, the inevitable and altering our destiny.
How much power do we have to change what's happening in our lives. I mean, aside from fact. The subjective bits and pieces like our moods or even the moods of others.
I have been in a funk for ages and I feel like it'll never lift! It started when I got sick (which is a time when I think a funk might be appropriate because, y'know, no one likes being sick) and just hasn't lifted. I clearly need to get out of myself and out of my routine.
That's why I'm going to stay at the Boyf's this weekend. I CAN NOT WAIT! It's so much fun when we can stay together and just be us for a little while.
Then, in a week or two I will endeavour to move out (yet again) of my parent's house and into my new, shiny, sparkling, warm, happy house.
These two things are positive changes that will, undoubtedly, raise my spirits and keep me happy.

However, what do I do in the mean time? Art and reading seem to be helping a little but I need motivation to do both!
Motivation at home just never seems to come. I can work, read, exercise...ANYTHING at university but here, in my parent's house, I just fail miserably.

Which is where this cycle of miserable-ness happens.

Break the cycle of miserable-ness today! Do something unusual and crazy. Anything, it doesn't matter. Just get out of the comfort zone that holds you back.

So, I love you all and hope that if you're in a funk you can hop right on out of it :)
xxx Aria Angelica

Waiting, wishing, washing.

Hello all!


As the title suggests I am doing 3 things today!
The most mundane and boring being the washing. Not that any of you wonderful peeps really cares that I have a mountain of washing to do but there ya go :D


The waiting refers to a number of things. I am waiting for my nommy, baked sweet potato to be ready so I can totally chow down on it! I am also waiting for aforementioned washing to be done so I can hang it out to dry. 
Aside from that I've gained this crazy sense of empty. I feel like I'm waiting for something to happen. I have plenty to do but with my recent string of, seemingly, bad luck, I can't help but feel a little hopeless.
I've mentioned in my previous posts that I had received an unwelcome diagnosis (though at least I know what's wrong now). I feel comfortable enough to now tell you that I've been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Until they do more tests (going for a scan on Saturday) they won't know how bad it is or how to treat it. There are a lot of implications. The two that have hit me hardest are that I may always have acne and that I may have real difficulties having children.
Whilst the acne appears to pale in comparison to the not having children part, it is something that makes me feel ugly and unattractive. I have low self-esteem as it is and finding out that as I grow up the things that "make" me ugly won't go away has knocked me for six.
As for the having children, I have always wanted a family. I know it's a bridge I'll cross when I come to it but I'll feel like half a woman if I can't have kids!


Sorry this is such a downer post but I really need some loving and holding up. The people who should be supporting my aren't and I'm finding that difficult.


The wishing part...well. I wish the PCOS would go away, I wish my family would be a little kinder, I wish everything would come together nicely.

Just let go. Of inhibitons, fears and expectations.
Allow yourself to just be.

But I've got to take what I can get. I have a wonderful partner and his family are amazing. I have good friends and I have a lovely support network online too.
In fact, here's my latest art entry! It's all about letting go of what holds us back from just being and doing!


I really hope you enjoy it. Love you all
xxx Aria

Recent witchyness and general happenings!

Hello everyone!!!

Sorry for the little hiatus I've got going on right now but I've had so much to deal with!

I've gotten a bad diagnosis so there's a lot of diet changing, drug trying and general coping to do. It's tough but I'll manage somehow :)

Other than that I performed my Lughnasadh ritual which consisted of my moon cards, a giving of major thanks and I consecrated my prayer beads.
Even though I've been going through so many bad things like the diagnosis, the family drama etc I still know I'm blessed and lucky to be who I am. I still know that I'm important and I need to just keep swimming :D

I know this is just a little post but I'll be posting again, properly, later!

xxx Aria

New Home and Happy Lughnasadh!

Hi everyone!!

I decided the other day that I needed to move the blog. I love wordpress but it's too tricky for me to fiddle with. I know that with blogspot I can alter and shuffle without ruining the whole thing!
Anyways, that's boring. The point is, WELCOME! I hope you like what I've done with the place and continue to be wonderful readers :)

Also, Happy Lughnasadh wherever you are! I hope you have a completely awesome day. Blessings to you, your families and friends. You are all magnificent and deserve a jolly good pat on the back!

So have a mooch about and let me know what you think of the new digs :D
xxx Aria

ariaangelica@rocketmail.com
@ariaangelica on Twitter

Hello from Ireland and a wave from me!

I know I've been totally AWOL recently and I'm so, so, so sorry. I had to visit my grandmother and I've been art journalling. Oh, everything's just happening at once but no worries :D

I'm a little behind with my pagan practice but I'll be drafting a little Lughnasadh ritual in which I'll be dedicating my new string of prayer beads to my path and brewing some home made bevvies hehe!

I also wanted to share my art journalling with you all. I'm enjoying it so much you wouldn't believe. I went out and bought loads of supplies today. I spent way too much on myself but, as dear, dear Effy says, you need to show yourself how important and worth it you are.

Here are some of my recent pieces:



Oh, and Effy also set a little challenge. I created a page about why I art journal. The title of the task was "What's the point?". The point for me is that art journalling allows me to trust myself to make the right choices. It allows me to discover beauty, happiness and love. It helps me heal. But, most importantly, JUST BECAUSE.

What better reason is there than 'Just Because'? Just because I can and just because I want to.
Here's what I came up with:

It may be small but the meaning is mighty.

That's all from me for now. Love you all :)
Happy, safe journeys,
xxx Aria

I'm starting an Art Journal!

I got the idea from the wonderful, the astounding Effy of Wild.Precious the blog and effyswild, the youtube channel. She is also known to many as Feithline of The Dark side of Fey and Spiritscast the podcasts :). She's a total inspiration to me. She's strong, hopeful and a million of other wonderful things.

From her blogs I decided it might do me some good to get into art journalling. I feel like I've been through a lot and getting everything out in a sort of creative way could really benefit me. I realised when I designed some pasties for my little burlesque project (hopefully I'll be able to sell them!) that I still have creative flare. It never left me, I just didn't bring it out.

It's strange doing this thing for myself. It feels quite silly but I know that it can help me so really, I need a different attitude. I need to not worry what people who see it will think. It's not for them to talk about. It's my special journal and my special journey.

The first entry :)

I knew I couldn't just jump into this without knowing ANYTHING! So through Effy's blog and stuff I found Soul Journaling. It has a step by step guide to starting an art journal and it's fantastic.

I took some pages from an encyclopaedia. In fact, the pages I picked had my favourite things on :) You can see them outlined in red, things like "The wonderful wizard of Oz", "library" and "psychology". Then I stained them with tea, dried them and ripped them up a bit. Then pasted them into my journal and wrote on them.

It was fun, a bit messy and just plain...proactive hehe!
What do you all think of art journalling?
Tweet me, email me or comment below!

xxx Aria

Breathe aaaaand....HEX!

Everyone has a little green in them!

Seriously, some people get me so PO'd sometimes! Take today for instance, my friend said she was coming over, she said she'd let me know when she set off. She said that at 10am. Come 6pm (yes, 6PM!) I receive a text saying she has a headache and can't make it...

Umm, as if I hadn't guessed that already. It's not even that she couldn't come that bothers me. It's that she left me hanging for 8 hours. That's not the kind of thing a friend does!

I dunno why but thinking about it (and getting annoyed about it) made me think of a conversation I had with a friend about hexing. We basically ended up concluding that hexes are fine as long as you're willing to suffer the consequences of your actions and so long as there's JUST CAUSE.

Which, of course, led us to question what "just cause" meant. Because when is it okay to cause inconvenience at best, pain at worst to someone else?

Again, that's up to the individual. As far as I'm concerned someone has to have done me a serious evil. I mean I've had some shit happen to me and never gone so far as to hex someone. But I would, and could, if I wanted to *evil laugh*.

Hexes are the stuff of fairytale witches, no? So much these days is centred around "light" and "white magic". But there's not just white magic, or black magic. As far as I can tell there's only grey magic. What makes is black or white is the motive of the person using magic.

Perhaps specifics matter too? Hex someone with a string of bad luck but specify that they aren't hurt? Or hex someone in the sense  of hurrying karma on. No specifics at all, just the assurance that the bad person gets their just desserts.

I know that I could cook up a hex if I needed one but when will too much of a bad thing (or person) push me to that point where a hex is necessary?

Would you guys ever hex? Have you? What happened?

Lemme know on here, on Twitter (@AriaAngelica) or email me at ariaangelica@rocketmail.com
Love to you all xxx Aria

Shamelessly airing YOUR dirty laundry?

Big Brother is watching you!

Oh my gosh, Big Brother 11 has started and whilst I've never really watched it before I've really gotten into this final series (UK, shown everyday at 10pm on Channel 4).

I guess various things have gotten in the way of watching it. Like bedtimes (I was 10 when the show started) and boredom (some of the series were just rubbish). But the unlikely characters on this years show are all a barrel of laughs and seemed to have kicked the show off nicely.

There's a vegan, medical student, a monk, an ex-HM Forces bloke, a squatter (who it turns out I quite like) and a mole (who isn't really a mole anymore!)

I just love how the show isn't even a "social experiment" anymore. It's just pure entertainment, though some would disagree I'm sure. Being able to watch people who seem to forget they're on camera has really turned out to be quite interesting. The dynamics of the group shift but already, just 6 days into the show, these strangers have settled into friendship groups and those groups are, noticeably, becoming closed off to others.

I also found it pretty interesting that Sunshine, yes, she's called herself Sunshine (the vegan, medical student) seems to be behind most of the drama. She seemed compelled to out Mario (bless his little soul) as the mole but claimed she didn't want him to be evicted. If she was unsure of what outing him would do then why was she so adamant to push the blame onto someone?

Following the same thread, when the house mates were asked to name the mole and told the correctly identified mole (Mario) would be evicted, nearly EVERYONE voted for Sunshine...wonder why that is?!
I guess being a psychology student might have something to do with why this is so interesting to me. Maybe it's down to entertainment alone but it's made me think about how I appear to other people. And how people can act up for a camera!

What do you guys think? Are these people just acting this way because there's a camera there? Is Big Brother just a pile of rubbish or can it be interesting sometimes? Would you allow a television station to air YOUR dirty laundry?

Have your say on the blog, twitter or email me!

xxx Love to all, Aria

Email: ariaangelica@rocketmail.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/AriaAngelica

An Actual Pagan Post: Putting Pen to Paper

Ok, so most of y'all will know that I'm a student at university. I live with 4 other girls and this makes practising my craft kinda tricky. I'm firmly in the closet and that's just fine with me. I'm not really bothered because I've always practised by myself but at home (with my parents) I can be myself.

My room is FULL of books on witchcraft. In fact, I counted them last week thinking I had 8 or 9 and I actually have 32. 32 books on paganism. How crazy is that?! I also have 2 shelves in my room dedicated to my herbs, tools and general witchy what-not. I make witchy stuff in the kitchen, hang bits and pieces around the house and regularly have bonfires and light incense in our garden. My parents are fine with that.

Now to come to my way of dealing with this sudden inability to practice my craft. It's as simple as grabbing some coloured pens and a notebook...because that's what I do!!

I wanted to light a candle to aid those involved in a terrible shooting here in the UK. So using a red, orange and purple pen I drew a candle with a flame and wrote a little something on the candle. I popped it on my window sill so the sun could dawn on it and hey presto! I did a little bit of magic.

That's all you need to do. Draw a picture, write a little something and infuse it with your wishes and desires.
Oh my gosh, it was so nice and so liberating to be able to do something witchy after being unable to for soooooo long.
So readers, how do you deal with not doing witchy stuff for a while?

Let me know,
xxx Aria

Jane Austen and My Drama

I absolutely adore Jane Austen. I adore it even more when about a million of my favourite period drama actors come together to create an adaptation of one of her books. The book in question; Sense and Sensibility.

I'm reading it now in fact and I'm at the part where Willoughby, the utter scoundrel, has just smushed dear Marianne Dashwoods heart into pieces. It certainly makes for heart-wrenching reading.

So I was sat reading and it occurred to me that I use books as a way of escaping. I'm one of those readers who becomes the character, in this case I feel more like Marianne than Elinor (though Elinor Dashwood is, by far, my favourite). I am the broken-hearted, misled daughter of a widow. I feel as she does and it always feels so magical.

But what would I need to escape from? I mean, I'm a young soul studying my chosen subject at a good university. I have lovely friends and a lovely family...oh wait. Better take the family out of that equation.

I, dear readers, did something I was very proud of 3 days ago. I stood up to my mother. I told her to stop being selfish and to stop telling me I'm selfish and guess what? She's done so. What I had to say finally sunk in. so VICTORY!!

More later because I am completely shattered!
Love you all soooooo much xxx Aria Angelica

Some secrets you'll never know

Having graduated from my sixth form college (the UK version of American high schools) within the last year the following story hit a sore spot for me and really got me thinking.

The Massaponax High School yearbooks (Fredricksburg, Va.) has been banned because it contained anonymous secrets, submitted by students. Some of these secrets were considered to be indelicate and immoral by the parents and teachers at the school so the Headteacher has demanded all yearbooks be given back and a new one is to be made.

Some of the secrets included were as follows:
"I used to be afraid of dying. Now I would do anything to see my brother again."
"The image of my dad putting a gun to his head right in front of me has scarred me for the rest of my life."
There was also one about a girl getting an abortion without her mother knowing.

The yearbook editor, herself a student, says that no harm was intended. It seems she wanted everyone to feel the same. She seemed to want every student at that school to know someone cared about what they had to say.

I spent pretty much everyday of my school life harbouring my own secrets or someone elses and to have been able to let people know, albeit anonymously, would have been a weight of my shoulder like no other. I still keep those secrets to this day. I also know that there were plenty of people like me, with something to say but no one to listen. Had we been afforded the chance to express our secrets in a safe way, anonymously like this, it would have brought so many people closer together.

No names were mentioned in the secrets. No one was implicated but still the "responsible" adults of the world put a stop to this blatant attempt at trying to do good for an entire year group. Can you imagine the relief you would feel, as a student, reading all of those secrets? Knowing you weren't the only one?
So it upsets me that these kids have been stopped in their tracks. Prevented from doing something important to them.

What do you guys think? Were the parents and school officials right to change the yearbook, incurring $65000 charges? Do you think those students should have been able to speak their minds?

xxx Aria Angelica

Here's a link to the article: http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/response-to-hs-yearbook-confessions-052010
And if you fancy tweeting me about it: http://twitter.com/AriaAngelica

A vaguely thought out plan to save the world...

So I was listening to Inciting a Riot: Episode 29 yesterday (another triumph though I haven't quite finished listening to it) and dear Fire Lyte and Velma Nightshade were making musings about the recent off-shore oil spill near Louisiana. They went on to discuss biofuels and water powered cars...Here's where I come in hehe.

Though many countries have become oil independent and  now rely on biofuels they are not being produced from sustainable sources. Oh no siree! Biofuels made of sugar bi-products are actually stripping, once affluent land of all its nature nutrients. In fact this is done to the point at which the soil becomes sand, utterly barren. Obviously, this poses a further problem as farming then has to move to better land. Better land being, oh I dunno, the vast ecological works of the rainforest. Yup, as friendly and as nice as it seems biofuels actually cause deforestation and desertification. Not very good for the Earth at all.

And whilst water seems like a good way to go, we will eventually run out of that too. When we drink water, use water, some of it is lost. Broken down into its basic components and that's the way it stays. If we used distilled water (I assume the engine Fire Lyte referred to used pure water) in all the engines in the world it was mean producing millions upon millions of litres of distilled water. That could eventually lead to a massive decline in the water available to us, even if we made it from combing oxygen and hydrogen ourselves.

Now, from what I've dug up it appears that the best form of eco-friendly, sustainable fuel is hydrogen. Hydrogen goes into the car, water comes out. Genius as far as I can tell. Now if they could get a car to run on CO2 that'd be magic. Well, they've taken a step in the right direction here: Scientists use sunlight to make fuel from CO2. It'd be like a fuel powered tree!! But why, when this article was written in 2008, has it not been further introduced and marketed?

So tell me readers, what sort of fuel best suits you? Is there a place in our world for eco-friendly fuel development? Have your say!!
Love to all,
Aria xxx

I started my Herb Garden!

Ok so I have finally started my herb garden! Super Yay!!
I've been wanting to start one for absolutely ages but living in Halls of Residence means I have no garden and pretty much no privacy. The only bit of green I have in my room is a gerbera plant that doesn't seem to enjoy it too much.

So when I came home for the Easter holiday I decided to get active with my Herbal Craft. I bought an amazing book called "Grow Your Own Drugs" by James Wong (look out for the URL below) and picked out 4 or 5 herbs I really wanted to grow. His book is amazing and full of natural remedy recipes. Anything from creams to teas, infusions to face masks. You can find all sorts in there. It really is a super book. It is an English book so some measurements might look funny but it's a fantastic find.

In the end I had a real struggle picking just 4 when I went to the garden centre so I grabbed 3 plants I had no intention of growing when I made my list but I'm glad I got them now. In the end I picked:

• Chamomile
• Mint
• Viola
• Lemongrass
• Rosemary
• Comfrey

Also, when I took my Boyf away for his birthday we stopped off at this lovely place that specialised in Lavender plants. I picked myself up one of those too haha!
So at the moment all of them are inside to warm themselves up. Then I'll pop them into containers outside for the summer.
What sort of plants are you guys growing? What do you intend to use them for? Let me know and I'll keep you updated!

Love to you all,
Aria Angelica xxx

Book Review: The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

In recent times I've not read a book I felt was worth a review but this book by Katherine Howe is certainly worthy of some praise. Originally published as The Lost Book of Salem, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane sheds a more...realistic and historically accurate account of what might have befallen a Salem witch.

Though my knowledge of the Trials is patchy at be
st I am aware of many falsehoods being perpetuated by today's media and general dramatic hearsay. Katherine Howe's family experienced the Trials and Howe herself has a PhD in American and New England Studies which gives life to the story. Many names, place names and dates are historically accurate and this certainly adds to the enjoyment and mystery of the book. Make no mistake, the story is a story. Fictional only :).

The story itself seemed relatively transparent and predictable in places. As to whether Howe intended the reader to take an all-knowing position I could not determine. In all honesty, that is the only major flaw I find with the book and it is likely to be a flaw that I picked up on because I'm a particularly picky reader.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would, in fact, hope that Howe writes more of the same. I urge you to go to your local book shop, library or online, book buying place (recommending my buddy The amazon marketplace here) and grab a copy of this book. In the UK used copies are going for as little as £2 (before adding P&P) and in the US it seems a copy goes for about $10.

In short, I give this book 4 out of 5 broomsticks!!!
All my love to y'all,
Aria xx

Seeing out Sunday evening

Ah this is certainly the life. Reclining in the living room, watching House (J'adore Hugh Laurie!), nomming on some chocolates that the darling OH gave me. I love Easter for the chocolate I get hehe!! Some Lindt Lindor truffles. If you ever fancy a decent chocolate then that's the one you should have!

Ooo! A cup of tea has also materialised at my elbow. I love it! I said I'd have a little blog sesh before a left and seeing as I have to get leave my house at half past 6 (eep!) I figured now would be best :)

So, an interesting question came to me today. I was asked why I'm a pagan but not a vegetarian. As if the two were interchangeable... Needless to say I was kind of confused. The questioner seemed to think that being a pagan was synonymous with vegetarianism, tree-huggerness and general earthly do-goodery. Now, I recycle, drive as little as possible, eat ethically sourced produce. I do what I can to help the planet. Hell I even bitch at people close to me to follow suit but does eating meat make me a bad pagan? No.

I'm not gonna bang on about why I stopped being a vegetarian about 3 years ago but it had something to do with not wanting to be grouped with hypocrites. I don't see why my personal dietary choices should have anything to do with my path. In fact for certain periods of time there are things I don't it (mainly beans, fish and pork) but that's for cleanliness and nothing more. It's not a choice spurred by morals.

Some feel that it is immoral to eat meat. That, because we have the choice, we should leave the animals be. Granted, I can see the advantages of not eating meat. But there are disadvantages too.
I guess the question I've come out of this asking is...Do moral choices about mundane, unrelated events affect my personal pagan path?

I'll think about that on the plane!!
Love and light to you all
xxx Aria (bigs hugs and kisses!)

Get a "Spring" in your step!

Well hello again everyone!
Today is Easter Sunday and my, oh my, is it a beautiful day! The sun is shining as if it's life depended on it (which I guess it does), the daffodils are finally poking their pretty yellow heads out of the ground and the wonderful heat is warming the cockles of my cold, wintery heart.

I'm plonked on the sofa in my dining room with a mug of Earl Grey, having just knackered myself out with a decent workout and taking in the general air around me. In the air today I can smell summer on its way, lemony tea, cooking (chicken with veg! and cake!) and the animals at play :D. Oh, we have 2 cats and a dog. I'll try to find photos so y'all can see!

My magical thought of the day has been that I want to officially drag myself into 2010 even if I am about 3 months too late! I have such a bad time with motivation so I'm gonna do a little something to light a fire under my lazy bum!! Ooo I can't wait!

NEWSFLASH: Just found Pride and Prejudice on telly! *Hits record* Sorry about that. You'll come to know my as an avid Regency period fan

Okay, so unfortunately readers, I'm going to be away from the computer for a whole week! I don't know quite how I will survive but I must struggle on! I know it won't be a struggle at all really. I'm going to Ireland to visit my grandma, she's not been doing ever so well after we lost my grandfather so its my job to cheer her up and get her out of the house!

I absolutely love Ireland. If any of you ever have a chance to go please do. There's something about it that oozes magic, history and beauty. Everywhere you look you can see something more wonderful and beautiful. The little fishing villages, beaches and rolling green hills breathe magic with every gust of wind, drop of rain and ray of sunshine.

I'll try and post a little something before I leave tomorrow morning but I'll be up at the crack of dawn (about 6 am actually) and on a plane by half past 8. Wish me luck because I detest flying unless its on my broomstick!
Love and light to you all,
Aria xxx

So I need focus!

Having had a bit of a look over my recent blog posts I clearly don't have much of a focus on my craft! And that was, pretty much, the main point of the blog (other than venting!)

So I'll tell you a little bit about what I want to be doing. I'll no doubt end up making a huge to-do list.
I want to pursue Herbalism with all the feeling in my bones. I adore plants, learning about them and working with them. I've made a few (successful) tinctures which I'm proud of. I've made a few incenses and some glorious spell stars. I'll give you the link to them at the end. The idea for them came from one of my favourite pagan youtubers, the dear, the darling Charmingpixieflora.

If I could I'd pursue a career involving herbs but as it is I'm going into psychology. I adore psychology. The ins and outs of the human mind send me spinning. What makes a person an individual? Sorry, I'm going off on one again!

Now that I'm home for easter I'll try to do some stuff and keep you guys updated!
Charmingpixieflora's spell stars: http://www.youtube.com/user/CharmingPixieFlora#p/u/248/0GFJw1gPibM

Declutter Yourself!

Hey everyone! Well I'm home for the holidays and absolutely loving the ability to totally relax and blob out :). The OH just dropped by to give me a quick hug and then dashed off again to be a busy bee. So I'm just lounging around watching the Gilmore Girls (a total love and weakness of mine) and selling some of my tat on ebay!

When I got home I became acutely aware of the fact I was trying to fit 2 rooms worth of stuff into, let's face it, a tiny, box room. Inevitably, I will have to gather all of the stuff I don't need and either recycle, sell it or throw it away. I am certainly not looking forward to that. I always lack motivation when it comes to throwing stuff away because I'm a total hoarder but I now recognise the severe need to declutter my room. I know its time for me to move on from the struggles I've faced in the past but my room here at home forbids it. Reminders are everywhere so it's time for those reminders to go, go, go!

I have dozens of books. I adore reading but the sheer number of books in my room is ridiculous!! I have at least 30 books on paganism which I didn't realise until today! I wasn't even aware how much paganism is a part of me but it is and the idea of spring cleaning, clearing energy and getting all the stagnant crap (for lack of a better word) out of my life.

Wish me luck folks! Love you all,
Aria

Changes happen :)

So my room at university is all packed up. I am currently surrounded by about 7 huge bags full of my (junk) stuff and only a few bits and pieces are left out. My plant, Derek, still stands proud at my desk. Derek, my practice puppy, is about the only bit of nature (bar a photograph or two) that I've been able to bring into the room so I love him to pieces. I've also got a few bottles of juice, my make up and toothbrush, camera and clothes for tomorrow.

My life has been packed up. I'm like a tortoise!! I can move my home and life around with me.
I'll be soooooooo happy to get home. I love my family so much and through my difficult first year they've been with me through thick and thin (as a family should). I can't wait to be part of it all again.

A lot will be different for me when I come back, the main thing being that one of out flatmates, and my good friend, has left. She won't come back and I'm going to miss her so much. She's so much fun to be with and I'm making it my mission to visit her during the Easter break.

Other than that I've nothing of note to report. Other than look up Matthew Barber, he's an amazing singer and I'm listening to his stuff now!!
Love you all
xxx Aria

A Blog is Born

I'll just jump right in with this (as I'm not too sure where to being)!
It's about 12am here in lovely England and I've got to mention how goregous the weather has been recently. The Sun is finally peeking out from behind the clouds and starting to warm the cold ground. Crocuses (did you know saffron came from crocuses?) and daffodils are beginning to spring up all over the place and spring is most definately upon us.

I'm just sitting at my desk, blogging away (wishing I could be bothered to make a cup of tea) when it occurs to me that the pagan community has gone a bit quiet these past few days. Lo and behold I realise that everyone has toddled of to celebrate the coming of the very season I just mentioned. Spring. It's offical, I missed the celebrations.

I've had so much going on with assignments, studies and general tomfoolery that everything else just fel by the wayside. Here's were you learn how difficult being a witch at university is!
I live in university accommodation with 5 other girls and the immediate proximity to each other makes privacy a rare privaledge. None of them know I'm a witch and I want to keep it that way but this makes practicing nigh on impossible. Especially when I, being a kitchen witch as well, cannot grow plants, cook or burn candles and incense.

Lucky for me I'm going home on Saturday and I'll celebrate the coming of spring in my own way. By cleaning, cooking, burning a homemade smell and getting particulary merry.
Now I'm sure I've bumbled on enough and left your heads in a spin so I'll tootle off for now. But I'll be back!!
All the love in the world, Aria Angelica