Showing posts with label drawing. Show all posts

Sosanna's Birthday Giveaway 1

This month I'm celebrating my birthday with three big giveaways. One lucky winner (in each) will receive four of the books that I have reviewed over the last year along with a small token of my appreciation for being loyal fans over the years.



You can see the books in today's giveaway listed below.  Please remember that these are books that have been sent to me by the publishing companies and in some cases they have stickers or lack dust jackets and so on.  I hope that the winners are able to enjoy these books and actively go and post reviews on Amazon and Good Reads as these authors rarely get feedback.

The books will be shipped USPS and of course due to the cost of shipping I cannot make this available outside of the United States.

So enough of this - what are we giving away?

Set 1 Includes:

The Divination Handbook - My Review
Astrology for Happiness and Success - My Review
Tarot Made Simple - My Review
Celtic Myth and Magic



a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Facing My Mortality & Drawing Down the Moon

Recently, I commented on a profile picture of some other well known Pagans in a discussion with a friend saying, I'm not sure why people feel they need to look a certain way. Why use a picture of yourself from a long time ago?  Are we that vain?

I then saw a share by the Militant Baker.  I love her.  She's amazing.  She talks about Body Love Project and how we need to relearn that our bodies are not our enemy.  I really enjoy her posts.  This isn't so much fat acceptance that everyone yells about, but more self acceptance.



Today, at work I was updating my profile and noticed that I hadn't changed my picture in a while.  A long while.  Almost 9 years as a matter of fact.I did a quick Snagit of my old work photo and my most recent photo and was really surprised at how much I've changed over the last nine years.  I remember then, I felt the same way I do today.


2014                                                 2005
Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

I then went to my "Me" album on Facebook.  There are pictures of me with assorted hair colors and styles. Most are pictures that I remember being unhappy with who I was.  The ones that I am happy, I'm not thin.  I used to have a lot of problems with this.  I fell for the line that you have to be thin to be healthy.  Today I have no meds, no doctors, and I'm probably over 200 lbs again.  I say again because I've been up and down so many times I can't count.  I had my DNA tested earlier this year and when I saw the results I was rather surprised.  I had heard that some people are fat and its in their genes.  I laughed it off but there it was in black and white.  I have the DNA type that means I have to work our harder, do more intense exercises in order to keep weight off.

I've worked out so much that I was able to fit into a size 8 pair of pants and I was miserable.  Yesterday one of the most influential people in my life passed away.  Margot Adler, author and correspondent for NPR passed through the veil.  Margot's book, Drawing Down the Moon was my introduction into Paganism. It has actually been more painful for me that I had thought it would be.  It has made me realize, life is too short to be unhappy.
Life is too short to be worried about a number on a scale.  Be happy, be yourself and love yourself.  There are enough people on this planet who will put you down for being something.  People will hate you for being Christian, Atheist or Pagan.  People will say you're too fat, too short, too skinny or too ugly.  There is no reason one of those people talking down to you should be yourself.

Love yourself.  No matter how old.  No matter what size.  Just love yourself.

Tonight at 8:00 pm CDT Circle Sanctuary is remembering Margot Adler.  Take a moment to head over there and check out the broadcast.

Photo Credit - Circle Sanctuary Facebook


I appreciate the doors she opened for me.  Had it not been for her book, I'm not sure that I would have been the person I am today.

Blessings
Sosanna
)O(
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Pagan Blog Project 2013 - D is for Drawing Down the Moon

Drawing down the moon is a ritual that is preformed generally by those with Gardnerian or Alexandrian Wicca backgrounds.  In this ceremony the high priestess preforms a ritual to invoke the spirit of the Goddess under a full moon.  Sometimes the ritual requires the priestess to recite a work created by compiling writings by Gerald Gardner and Aleister Crowley called “The Charge of the Goddess”. 


I have a copy of a variation of “The Charge of the Goddess” on my wall over my altar.  It’s been there for years and I usually recite it when I’m doing my full moon ceremonies.  Many years before my dedication to Hecate I would always see her name come out of the spiral as if to say, I am here.  Draw your energy from me. 


My first experience with drawing down came from the book by the same name, Drawing Down the Moon by Margot Adler.  A friend of mine was studying Religions of the World at ODU in Virginia and had this book as recommended reading.  He shared it with me and it was my first real introduction to Paganism, Witchcraft and Wicca. It is certainly worth reading.

~ NOTE I am not trained in any rites of the specific Wiccan Traditions and am a solitary follower of the Goddess Hecate. 


For my ritual I call the guardians and cast a circle in my sacred space.  I have a playlist that I use specifically for these types of rituals. 



Even though I do not practice Wicca, I can feel the connection between myself and the moon.  Being a follower of Hecate the moon is very important to many of the rituals that I hold for her.  I stand in front of my altar with candles blazing and call forth to the Goddess to give me the strength that she herself possesses.  I call to the moon to fill my body with the energy and power that it radiates.  With arms lifted high and moonbeams dancing across my body, I feel at peace with the universe and revitalized with the vivacity of the Goddess.

Namaste & Blessed Be
Sosanna
)O(
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