Let the Rains Fall Down

I know it may seem impossible, but every now and then try to stop and enjoy the simple things in life.

We had a gorgeous morning here in Halifax, but that turned into a grey, foggy, rainy day. It was a beautiful day.

We went for a walk knowing that it would likely start raining as we were half way through. The sky had turned angry quickly, with intensely dark looming clouds, and a cool wind that carried moisture on its breath. Armed with our light rain jackets, we set off. Sure enough, just as we were fawning over the cutest teeniest ducklings I've seen in a while the sky opened up - a light sprinkle at first, gradually becoming more intense as the minutes wore on.

We were at a marsh with a large body of water, and as soon as the rain started falling it was like I woke up. Instantly the hum of the traffic from the nearby busy street faded away, and amidst the sweet sing-song of the birds that call that marsh home, I heard the most amazing sound of the light rain hitting the water. It was a very soft almost indescribable sound. It was kind of like white noise, but more alive. It was so rejuvenating, refreshing, and energizing to me. It wasn't just the sound of the rain hitting the marsh, it was the sensation of the rain hitting me, seeing it fall on the trees, and splashing on the ground around us. It was the smell that the rain brought with it, fresh and green. Drenched as I was, it was the most alive I'd felt in months.

Back home with a renewed sense of vitality, I decided today would be the day I move my altar - and so I did. It was in our bedroom and in a spot I wasn't a fan of to begin with, so I was disconnected from it for a while. Getting rid of an old desk in our office opened up lovely spot for me, so tonight I turned that into my own little nook of sorts. Here's the in-progress photo, and the "after".

I say the second photo is the "after" photo because I'd like to put a mat down on the floor or something. I kind of feel like it needs that to finish it off. I'd also like to have something on the wall behind my "secondary" altar, so until I can get those things this is the finished product. 

I love the feel of it, and I really like how I have my books and stuff right next to me when I'm doing stuff. It's not a huge space, but I think it's a great size for me. I also LOVE that I can have my altar set up next to a window again. I've really missed having that since I moved out of my parents place *cough*a few years ago*cough*. 

So, I know the photos are a bit small so it's hard to see everything, but I'll try to explain a little about the set-up just the same. The altar that's got the pink sarong on it is my main working altar. It's the one I'll sit in front of to do, well, pretty much everything. The one that's off to the side is a secondary altar that holds my statuary and tools and my bits of stuff, if that makes any sense. It's not where I'm focusing my energy all the time, but it's a spot where I can still display the things I'd like to have on display, and I thought that if I wanted to get into making more seasonal altars, I could use this secondary one to do that. I like to have a lot of the same stuff on my working altar all the time, so it's hard for me to want to dress it up seasonally.

So yeah, today was a great recharging day for me. I highly encourage everyone to get outside and get caught in the rain every now and again. Not all the time - I get that you don't want to be soaking wet on your way to work, or if it's cold out, or whatever - but sometimes it's fun to play in the rain.

Skin Deep

Tattoos are forever. Pigment forced deep into the skin by a painful, rhythmic process. A physical reminder of a time, a space, a feeling.

Tattoos have been around for thousands of years - the concept is not new - permanently marking the skin for cosmetic, religious, or cultural reasons.

I have many tattoos. They are a part of who I am, and will be, for the rest of my days. They are the permanent flags on the pages of my physical book. When I look at each one, I can tell you how I was feeling, who I was with, and where I was at that particular moment. My tattoos are an outward expression of myself, my true self. I will never forget what events led up to each one, and they all have a story to tell.

My first tattoo is turing 10 this year, a milestone to be sure. I feel the same way about it today as I did 10 years ago, if not more so. No regrets are to be found here. It is a purple triple goddess symbol )O( , with a pentacle in the middle, and vines wrapped around it.

*Note: This is what I see when I look down at my wrist - everyone else sees the pentacle pointing the "right" way*

I chose this to be my first tattoo because I wanted to get something meaningful to me that I could see every day. For me it was a statement: this is who I am. It was a way to reaffirm my beliefs and to offer myself and my dedication to my chosen path. That path has only become more solidified over the years, growing new off-shoots at the same time. This year I have changed - a lot - and so my tattoo is changing with me.

In two and a half weeks time I will be adding to my tattoo: a symbol of knowledge, mystery, and power. Along with it will come a sense of kinship and camaraderie. I am excited and nervous, just as I was when I got it 10 years ago. Regardless of where life takes me in the next 10 years - or 20 or 30 - this tattoo will be coming with me, and with it, the memories.

Another random update

Since I've kinda been MIA for a little while, I figured I'd come on here and fix that.

This weekend was filled with activity for me - literally. Yesterday I was up and out early, for a walk with my wife in a nearby park, called Hemlock Ravine. It's a great spot to walk around, with lots of old growth and large hemlocks. You can really recharge after taking a stroll through one of the many trials in there. We were there for about an hour and a half before leaving to head back into civilization.

Once I got back home I didn't have long before I had to leave again, this time because I was headed to the Bluenose Marathon to walk the 5k. I signed up through my work, and I'm really glad I did. This was my third 5k, but my first time in the Bluenose Marathon (today was the full marathon, half marathon, and 10k). I was extremely overwhelmed with the people and, well, everything about it really. The other two "races" I was in before were very small, so it was a bit of a shock to come from that to this. I had a great time though, and I am definitely going to do it again next year. Though, next year I won't do it with work because I want to try to get a team together for another cause.

Today I was able to sleep in a bit, but then my wife and I headed back to Hemlock Ravine because we didn't get to do much exploring yesterday before we had to leave. By the time we headed out of the park we'd spent 3 hours in there. So I was pretty busy today combined with yesterday.

Beltane was marked by a feast this year, and painting some phallic symbols to decorate our altars with. It was a good time all-around, and there was tons of great food. I got to take the day off work and weather was actually really great too, which was nice, because it'd been pretty cold and gross up until that point.

I finally finished a few books recently that I started months ago. I'm not reading anything at the moment, because I'm not sure what I want to read next! I know I want to read The Mighty Dead (Penczak) but I may wait a little longer before I start it, I'm not sure. I'd also like to continue reading my Irish-y type books, so I may pick up another one of those instead.

I don't really have much more to add to that, I think. For the most part, I'm just enjoying the nicer weather as much as I can, which translates into me being outside more.

I'm sorry this post was all over the place, but it's fitting because I've kind of been all over the place too. Until next time!