Wow…today’s prompt was super-timely!  I actually journaled about this last night.

I wish to reclaim, in one word, my effervescence.  

I used to be an effortlessly happy person-always “up.”  Somewhere along the way, I’ve lost that.  When did I stop being that super happy, high on life person that I used to be?  Am I dehydrated?  Lately, I’ve wanted to connect with my high school/college aged self, in an effort to rediscover what simple pleasures brought me happiness.  What things did I do then, that made me happy?  Here’s the list…

☺ate ice cream after school.

☺hung upside down on my bed and gabbed on  the phone with friends.

☺believed in magic.

☺tapped into things that were of a spiritual nature

☺listened to music and danced in front of the mirror.

☺lit candles

☺got fresh air

☺was creative

☺oh!  and I was constantly learning!   About books, ideas, art, new places…

That’s it!  Aha!  I’m STAGNATING!  No wonder I’m feeling stuck.  Gah!  Now…how do I unstick myself…

Happy wishcasting, all.

Today marks the winter solstice, the longest night of the year, and the gradual return of the light to the darkness of winter.  I began my day like I always do, by checking FB, and there were a LOT of posts about the solstice.  Good thing, too, because I would have forgotten about it otherwise.  Goddess Leonie even blogged about it here.   Originally, I wanted to have a bonfire of some sort, but the hustle and bustle of this week won’t permit that.  So, instead, I’ll prepare myself for the solstice by cleaning and clearing my home. I needed to do that, anyway.

It’s also wishcasting Wednesday!  What is my winter wish?  I have a few.  Here goes…

♥ to slow down, enjoy the exquisite company of family and friends, to enjoy the light of the world glowing in the darkness of winter, to know that after today, we experience the gradual return of light from darkness.

♥ I have several friends who are having personal or health issues this winter.  I wish to be present for them, so that they know they are not alone.

♥ to finish my yoga certification exam.

♥ to do a space clearing to prepare for winter solstice (A.K.A. scour this house)

To live content with small means;
To seek elegance rather than luxury,
and refinement rather than fashion;
To be worthy, not respectable;
and weathly, not rich;
To study hard,
think quietly,
talk gently,
act frankly,
To listen to stars and birds,
To babes and sages, with open heart,
to bear all cheerfully,
do all bravely,
await occasions,
hurry never.
…To let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious,
grow up through the common.
This is to be my symphony.
~William Henry Channing

Sometimes, you have a fever, and a really sore throat, and you feel cruddy.

So you go to a Doc-in-the-Box, because your regular doctor can’t see you.

And then…and then…you get a text from a person you’ve never actually met in person, who is referring one of their clients to you for private yoga sessions!

And she lets you know that her other clients love your classes!  Whee!  And suddenly, you don’t feel so…puny.

Then you get home, and your fabulous FB friend (another person you have yet to meet face to face) posts this on their wall.

Which gets you thinking about this:

And, suddenly, your day turns around.

You start to think about what nourishes your soul. What would you do differently, if you truly lived in the House of Yes?

And in that moment, a small change in your thinking and attitude happens.

And you step into that house. ♥

I can’t believe it’s been a year since I’ve created my first Full Moon Dreamboard!  How amazing, and how quickly time flies.  In creating this month’s board, I was mindful of what comforts I was dreaming of; especially during these cold winter months.  Of course, in Tampa, our winter is relegated to about 4 days!  We are very lucky here.  Still, with it getting darker, earlier, there is a wintry feel.

Above is the expression of my December dreams.

♥  The Aurora Borealis.  Lately, I have been obsessed with it.  I’d love to go see the northern lights some day.

♥ hot cocoa and mittens; a perfect comfort on cold days

♥ I love the image of the partly sunken Buddha, and the Colossus outside Florence.  The Buddha reminds me of my burgeoning spirituality, which, at times like these, I tap into.  Spirituality is a great comfort.  So is the idea of being small in the Universe, which is what these images represent.

♥ The bonfire on the beach reminds me of one of my favorite New Years Eve memories.  Friends and I gathered together on a secluded beach in North Florida, and quietly celebrated the coming of a new year.  It was fun, festive, and very safe and warm feeling, even though the beach was freezing.

♥ One of my favorite things to do in cold weather-submerge myself in a hot tub!

♥ I love the images of the light surrounded by dark.  Soon, the winter solstice will occur, signaling the slow return to light.  This winter hibernation of the earth is truly a magical, restorative time.

What a wonderful December it has been so far, and how fantastic that this month’s full moon happens to occur tonight!   I am about to take part in the 11th Annual Santa Pub Crawl in Ybor City.  It is always an absolute blast, with 1,500 or so of my favorite people parading around in outlandish holiday costumes.  Plus, it’s a huge charity event, as we collect toys to go to Toys for Tots.

What magical mayhem will tonight’s full moon bring?

My Conscious Box came in the mail!  This is a service that delivers a box full of green and eco-friendly products to your door once a month…little samples of goodies, eco friendly lolly pops, candy, soap-all manner of delightful things!  You can get your box here.

I was sooo inspired by my treasures, that I shredded about six months of old bills.  I’m going to take the trash bag to school, where we have a paper recycling program.  It took, like, an hour.  In between shredding, I was doing laundry, and crafting a feast for myself.

Finally, in an effort to not waste anything, I made dinner.  The baby bella mushrooms needed to be cooked ASAP, so I sautéed them, and added the deliciousness to my black beans and rice:

Admittedly, this is not the most appetizing picture, but it was delish!  I topped my serving with a hard-boiled egg, and red wine vinegar.

Now…on to paint my nails a sparkly pink, and watch Vampire Diaries!  ☺

It has been a loong time since I have participated in Wishcasting Wednesday, but this prompt really spoke to me.  There are many, many things in my life that I treasure.  I cherish my family and friends.  I adore teaching yoga.  I have a wonderful, kind fiance.  My cat’s super sweet. 

But this prompt isn’t about what I treasure, but what treasures I don’t have (yet).  Since I believe in the Law of Attraction, I won’t hold back, here.  Bear in mind, that I already consider myself blessed in many, many ways.  But, since the prompt was posed, here goes:

The treasures that I wish for, in no particular order, are:

♥ an influx of creativity (oh yeah, I’d like to journal, and make jewelry, and many other forms of goodies) 

♥ energy

♥ clarity

♥ a career that is self-actualizing

♥ enough money-enough to not have to live in a place of stress most of the time…

♥ time ( is there a way to add, like, five extra hours into the day?  Is there?  Is there???)

Oh yeah.  These things combined would make for a pretty well-rounded treasure chest to awsomenify my life.

What do you wish for?

♪  ♫ Feeel the love generation…♫

1. get hair feathers

2. figure out what my next tattoo will be.

3. find a place for said tattoo.

4. practice thoughtfulness

5. be more like that person who knows everyone. Everyone.

6. kool-aid hair!

7. run a half marathon

8. Bike Pub Crawl!

9. Marry my beloved ♥

10. complete yoga certification exam.

11. complete CXWORX certification

12. Make more stuff, or buy off Etsy, or, if I can’t do that, check on Ebay before buying ANYTHING!

13. say “no” to stuff, so that I don’t overwhelm myself.

14. get to bed be 10, on “school nights”

15. limit my computer usage-a lot

16. don’t allow self to be money’s “bitch” anymore ☺

17. practice spontaneity.

18. get to Key West. soon.

19. keep the weekends just for myself, not work, only fun ☺

20. read all of the Discworld books.

21. take more pictures

22. Visit the wizarding world of Harry Potter
23. See the Aurora Borealis
23. Run a 5K

This moon’s question: “What dreams would I like to grow roots for?” What are you dreaming under this Full Frost Moon?

Hmmm…I created this dream board on the eve of the full moon, by selecting images that seemed to reach out and grab me.  The pictures seem to evoke a cold wetness-like oncoming winter, and of something sleeping-hybernating under the surface.

Here are some other things that I notice:

♥ the idea of light emerging from the darkness.  I see it in the picture of my carved Jack-o-Lantern.  There is also the other lantern, with the quote from Harry Potter which reads “Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”

♥ two images of women, both asleep, both even facing the same direction!  The image on the top left says “I didn’t go to work today.  I don’t think I’ll go tomorrow.  Let’s take control of our lives and live for pleasure, not pain.”  I’d saved that image under the title:  my new mantra.  The sleeping girl on the bottom right of the dream board is surrounded by magical fairies.  Perhaps this is a message indicating that I need to pay attention to my dreams more closely, and to figure out what my subconscious is trying to tell me.

♥ On a related note, there is another image that states:  “Wake up every morning with the thought that something wonderful is about to happen.”

♥ The images of the trees and the tree house might have something to do with BIG, HUGE dreams taking root.

♥ The kitty and the bird are opposites of each other.  Take a look at that bird.  Isn’t it amazing that something like that even exists in nature?  So beautiful!