Showing posts with label spirit. Show all posts

5 - Minute Bliss - A Review

Today I'm reviewing Five Minute Bliss by Courtney E. Ackerman.

Photo Credit  - Renee Sosanna Olson



Author Links - Link
Amazon Book Link
Amazon Author Link
Good Reads Book Link
Good Reads Author Link
My Good Reads Profile
My Facebook Page
Release Date - June 11, 2019

Generally I like to start out with a disclaimer. I am an contemporary witch.  I look for the connection between magic and science without the need to search for a creator. I receive no compensation for these reviews and all my links are standard Amazon links and not affiliate links. I am a practicing photo reader and have spent the last 16 years honing my craft.  I offer personal readings by request and have a strong online history that boasts nearly 400,000 views.

As usual, I'll start with a review of the physical book.  This is a small book, with a soft cover and is a great size to toss in a bag or keep in your car.  I generally don't like soft covers but as I sat down and started reading this one, I could feel my hands want to roll the cover back and hold it in my hands as one would embrace a dime romance novel.  The ease of the cover actually added a great deal of comfort to the book and I believe it was an enhancement over what a hard cover book may have delivered.  There are no images in this book. Again, something that usually I frown upon. In this case I was able to set aside that affinity and take some time to emerge myself into the author's words.  I found that I didn't miss the images and in fact quite the contrary. I believe the lack of images actually requires the reader to stay present and full digest the information presented.  The book has a decent size index and makes locating exact "moments" for future use quick and easy.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson


This book is loaded with over 200 five minute exercises to help bring you to bliss. In the introduction the author explains to us that bliss, is that moment of inner joy, happiness and peace. In our fast paced world so few of us take the time to bring bliss back into our lives.  As I sat and read through page after page of suggestions for bringing it back, I found myself suddenly at ease.  The feel of the book added to the experience and the author's "voice" came through the text like an old friend reminding me to take a moment to smell the roses.  The book is divided into to four sections, giving bliss for the mind, the body, the relationship and surroundings.  I was so taken with all the amazing suggestions in this book, I decided my review would be taking one of the many exercises that spoke to me and share that with my readers.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

In the section called, Experience Bliss in Your Surroundings on page 218, the author tells us to take a moment to dig out some old photo albums. As we grow, she says, we tend to forget what we were. We forget how much we've changed over the years.  Taking out that old album gives us the opportunity to look at how far we've come and how much we have changed over the years.  She recommends pulling out those grade school and high school photos and think about where we were at the moment of the photo. The final instruction is to take a picture of yourself right now and add it to the collection. Looking back on our life and appreciating where were are and how far we have come.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

I have changed so much over the years.  As a child feeling abandoned by family and plagued by abuse, it was so apparent in my eyes. That small child sitting there, feeling sad and alone. I grew up strong but sad.  I worked so hard to become what I thought others wanted me to be. I wore the clothes they asked me to wear, I spoke only when spoken to. My youth cut short, by motherhood and all the pain and joy that accompanies that. Finally my life actually beginning as I met my soul mate and we continued our life together as one. The ebb and flow of life, bringing me in and out of mindfulness, making it more and more difficult to stay present.  The pain in my body as I struggled with type two diabetes looming over my shoulder while I stood gasping for air as I walked.  And today, healthier and happier than I have ever been in my entire life. The world is there for my taking and I now am the master of my own destiny.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
This book encouraged me to open the door to the past and look at how much I have changed over the years. It brought back so many memories and helped me see just how successfully I have navigated this thing called life.  Overall, I think this is a great book to have on the shelf, in the car or on your desk; to pick up and just read over some of these exercises.  I think that this would make a fantastic house warming gift, a graduation gift or anniversary. Not my typical book to review but I'm thrilled with the results and very happy that I took the time to review it.


See more of my book reviews at confessions of a modern witch dot com.






The Witch's Book of Self-Care - A Review

Today I'm reviewing   The Witch's Book of Self Care - Magical Ways to Pamper, Soothe, and Care for Your Body and Spirit.


Photography - Renee Sosanna Olson
Image Source - The Witch's Book of Self-Care


Author Links - Link
Amazon Book Link
Amazon Author Link
Good Reads Book Link
Good Reads Author Link
My Good Reads Profile
My Facebook Page


Generally I like to start out with a disclaimer. I am an atheist witch.  I look for the connection between magic and science without the need for a deity. I receive no compensation for these reviews and all my links are standard Amazon links and not affiliate links. I am a practicing photo reader and have spent the last 13 years honing my craft.  I offer personal readings by request and have a strong online history that boasts nearly 400,000 views.

As usual I'll be starting with a physical review of this book.  Over all I love the size of this book. Generally speaking books are beginning to become over-sized.  I'm glad to see one that I can easily toss into my purse or backpack to have something to read on the go. While access to internet is becoming more widely available, I like to have something on hand to pass the time while I'm waiting. This little book fits the bill.  The cover is nice and smooth without being velvety and offers pages that are a slightly beige color.  There are not a lot of photos in the book but there is a great deal of information.  The type face is a good size and the printing is done in a nice red color which isn't distracting to the eye. 

Around page 82 the author begins to talk about nutrition as self care. That isn't to say that the real information begins this page.  There is a great deal of wonderful information included in the previous pages, but for me nutrition is a huge part of my daily concerns.  I have kicked off a nutritional healing through holistic and plant based alternatives to a traditional diet.  If you're interested in learning more you can find Real Rations on the web and on various social media locations. While I was pleased to see a book refer to nutrition as being a self care necessity, some of the recipes were lacking. There were a couple that were plant based but most had meat or colonial ingredients that we now know are the leading cause of heart disease and type 2 diabetes in America.  I would love to see the author talk about the energy that we consume from a spiritual perspective and include what happens to our bodies we we are around negative people. If we experience negativity and pain from people we are simply sitting next to, what happens when we ingest the flesh of animals who are suffering. I simply cannot believe that the energy transferred would at the very least, have the same negative impact on our health.  This chapter goes on to talk about the benefits of herbal teas and provides several recipes for creating your own. 

Photography - Renee Sosanna Olson
Image Source - The Witch's Book of Self-Care
Photography - Renee Sosanna Olson
Image Source - The Witch's Book of Self-Care
 


Chapter four takes us on a spiritual journey to discover what we need to practice self care in the spiritual realm. It includes many sections on relaxation techniques including meditation, breathing and being mindful. The author provides numerous recipes for teas, incense and even instructions on creating your own set of prayer beads.

To me the most important chapter (if there could be just one) would be the section on household self care.  If we have clutter all around us, our mind and energy is cluttered. To be more present you'll need to adjust your surroundings to be present. The author provides several examples of energy cleansing and centering tasks such as rituals, room sprays and powders as well as just saying, clean your space.  Super simple but yet easy for us to forget in a busy day. 

Photography - Renee Sosanna Olson
Image Source - The Witch's Book of Self-Care
Photography - Renee Sosanna Olson
Image Source - The Witch's Book of Self-Care
 


This book is a great housewarming or birthday gift. We spend entirely too much time not taking care of ourselves and anything that takes you out of the rat race and brings you back to your center is a good thing.  I found this book to be simple to read, informative and full of information that I can see myself going back to.  Overall a great addition to your healing library.



Throwing Thursday - Genie in the Bottle

So I started out making a few pots and decided to try to give them a bit more whimsical.  Here's my take on a Genie Bottle.


Photo & Potter Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

Photo & Potter Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

Photo & Potter Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

Photo & Potter Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

Photo & Potter Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

Photo & Potter Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

Photo & Potter Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

Photo & Potter Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

Throwing Thursday - Spirit Bottles

My new spirit bottles or witch's jars.


Photo & Pottery by:  Renee Sosanna Olson

Photo & Pottery by:  Renee Sosanna Olson

Photo & Pottery by:  Renee Sosanna Olson





Spirit Day

Over the last few years, we've seen a rise in kids committing suicide from being bullied.  As adults, it's up to us to stop bullying when we see it.

GLAAD is asking that we turn our profiles on social media and our shirts purple for Spirit Day, a day that is designed to show support for LGBT kids and show them that there are people out there that care about them.


Take a moment to follow the link to turn your profile purple to take a stand against bullying.

Blessings
Sosanna

December Traditions - Santa Claus

Most children grow up being taught that if they're good a jolly old man will bring them toys at Christmas and if they're naughty, they'll get a lump of coal. For my final posting on December tradition's I'm going to give you a history of Santa Claus.


The primary inspiration for Sinterklaas is thought to be Saint Nicholas of Myra. He was known for his work with the poor and needy.


Due to the German and Scandinavian influence on the holiday, many comparisons have been made between Santa and Odin. As many other traditions of the holiday were Christianized it's thought that the modern Santa was also pulled from this God worshiped by many of the Germanic people. Some stories include one of Odin riding an eight legged horse named Sleipnir that could leap great distances, here again tying to Santa's magical reindeer. The tradition says that the children would put carrots or straw in their boots by the chimney for Sleipnir to eat, Odin would reward the children by replacing the food with gifts or candy. This is where the idea of putting stockings by the fireplace are thought to have originated.


Father Christmas is usually seen as a jolly fat man with a beard and a long green robe. He represents the spirit of Christmas, that being good cheer. He is most notability depicted in Charles Dickens's story "A Christmas Carol".


After the 1823 publication of the poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas" the modern Santa gets most of the characteristics we know today. We know this as "Twas the Night Before Christmas". His clothes, his jolly face with rosy cheeks and even his reindeer are named.


To keep up with the modern age Santa sites are popping up all over the web. There's Northpole.com, Claus.com and even noradsanta.org.

The real spirit of "Santa" or of Christmas is that of giving. Reaching out to those who are less fortunate and giving back the blessings we have in our own lives. The spirit is out there and alive, as we saw most recently with the Secret Santa gifts of paying off a layaway at a Kmart store and the 50,000.00 donation to the Salvation Army.

These are big gifts to some of us. In this economy some barely have enough to feed themselves much less go and payoff someone else's bills right? There are so many things you can do to give back that don't include cash. Volunteering is a great way to help others. Usually these groups need bodies. They need people to come down and help with a Soup Kitchen or a Food Bank. The local animal shelter needs people to come down and interact with the animals to help them be more familiar with people and possibly adopted. Tell someone they left their bread at the end of the register. Hold the door for someone who is busy with their kids.

It's easy to continue the giving traditions of St. Nick, Odin, Father Christmas and Santa Claus. We have the ability to open our hearts and give back.




Wishing each of you a joyous holiday season.

Namaste & Blessed Be!
Sosanna
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