Forgive me, internet, for I have sinned. It has been two years since my last blog post.
What can I say? We all know what a tire fire the last couple of years have been. There was a point at which I just ran out of things to say, which is kind of the opposite reaction from what many people had during Quarantine. Folks got so creative! New blogs and YouTubers appeared everywhere! My god, the number of lockdown manuscripts that publishers must have had to wade through boggles the mind. Meanwhile I shrank. I stopped writing. I left groups I had belonged to or joined during lockdown. My life became my chair in the living room – which was of course a necessity for a while since nobody could go anywhere.
This was when my depression apparently said to itself, “Now’s my time to SHINE!”
I’m not sure why I decided to come back other than I have again grown weary of living small. I’ve been taking on new activities and projects again, but I’m trying to go slowly. I recently started a Pagan discussion group at my church, which has got me talking shop again, which of course made me think about YouTubing again. I made a few attempts last year and I hated all of them – I’m trying to figure out how to sound coherent and find a camera angle that doesn’t make me want to shriekingly defenestrate.
Thinking about YouTube led to wanting to spiff up the website and update my “About Me” type stuff. I ended up moving some things around, and thought to myself, “…I should blog again.”
Now, the truth is, I have no idea what I’m going to be posting here just yet. I have new topics I could talk about, such as my new miniatures hobby; and I’ve been working on yet another version of my Book of Shadows. I have started two new books, Shadow World VIII and a Pagan spirituality book that is still kind of an idea amoeba and a folder full of notes on my Penzu account.
In the meantime, I thought I’d lead off with one of my perennial favorite post types: 10 Things I Love.
1. I Love Nicole Piar’s spirit cat artwork.
Nicole has several oracle decks in her Etsy shop, one of which (The Witch Cats deck) I ordered immediately. I then went back and ordered her 2023 calendar as well. The cats are just so sweet and lovely, the style mystical but not silly. Looking at the cards makes me feel good. I’m planning to use them as a guide/altar art, to draw a card for the month or week and let that be something awesome to look at and meditate on when I engage in spiritual shenanigans.
2. I Love The Sandman series (Netflix).
I’ve never been much of a graphic novel reader. But when I heard The Sandman was going to be a Netflix series (involving the author, Neil Gaiman, himself) I got excited. I thought hey, fun cool dark fantasy stuff, lots of neat effects, let’s go!
Little did I know that I would find the series completely addictive, but even more importantly (and strangely), I found it fed something in me that I can’t quite describe. I find watching it deeply soothing (though I do tend to skip most of the diner episode because GOD DAMN), and I’d even call it spiritually fulfilling. Something about the world Gaiman created has grown roots in my head.
I did read the first volume of the graphic novels, and while I will absolutely agree they are a masterpiece, I’d still rather watch the show – not because it’s better per se, but because the comic format just doesn’t suck me in. The show has such a lyrical and lush presence, and I just don’t get that from the comic. I’ve never been much of a purist about anything.
3. I Love Ara Bentley’s YouTube Channel.
Sometime early last year a friend of mine got me interested in watching videos about miniatures. By mid May I was building a dollhouse of my own. Ara’s videos were the first that got me hooked, especially her Cardboard House series, in which she created an entire house, including furnishings, out of things she already had during lockdown. Her creativity, humor, and enthusiasm are infectious to say the least! She also build a truly epic Addams Family dollhouse and is currently working on a model of the Beetlejuice house (including all the character dolls!)
4. I Love Baumgartner Restoration on YouTube as well.
I found Julian quite by accident – art restoration hasn’t really been one of my major interests. But after a couple of videos I was addicted! The techniques and patience that go into restoring fine art, especially pieces that are several hundred years old and need more than a few little dings repaired, are mesmerizing. Julian is amazing at his job, even if his sponsor segues are just the lamest things ever (I think at this point he’s doing it deliberately to make the audience groan), and I’ve learned so much about how art is made (and damaged). The most recent series where he and his apprentice have to repair and restore a split wood panel – which involves making jigs and using power tools – is seriously cool. He also discusses the ethics and professional code of art restoration, which is fascinating.
5. I Love Phyllis Curott.
I was a young Witch back when Phyllis’s first book, Book of Shadows, first hit shelves. I’ve been a fan of hers ever since; her Witch Crafting is probably the most influential book on my own personal Craft. (I need to get a new copy, my old hardback is falling apart and I love the new cover on the trade paperback.) I love that she approaches the Craft as inherently spiritual, as do I, and that we are working as the hands of the Divine, creating reality along with Them. I thought it strange that she disappeared from public Pagan life just like I did; and when I heard she was coming back with a new book, Spells for Living Well, I was so excited! Of course we’ve had, and have, very different lives, but I find a kindred spirit in her struggles and return. (Also the book is great – I’ve already copied a bunch of the spells into my Book of Shadows to act as inspiration for my own workings.)
6. I Love New Year goal-setting and List-making.
Hope springs eternal, am I right? I’ll have more on this in another post.
7. I Love Egyptology.
Little known fact about me: I’m hardcore into both archaeology and paleontology. I feverishly consume documentaries and books on Egyptology, especially regarding the lives of women in pharaonic Egypt and the religious shakeups of the Amarna period. Mummification is another deep fascination. I have not one but two favorite Egyptologists (Salima Ikram is my idol, and I love listening to Chris Naunton’s lectures online). I’m also into Mayan and Incan history and archaeology, but Egypt is my first love. So are dinosaurs, incidentally. I freaking love learning about the latest discoveries in dinos.
8. I Love Lipton’s Instant Chocolate Chai mix.
The problem with most chai latte mixes is the latte part – it’s hard to find a nondairy version. This stuff allows you to use whatever milk you want. It’s like hot cocoa with an attitude. It’s hard to find in single packs right now but I fully intend to grab this five pack when I can.
9. I Love La Perruche Sugar Cubes.
Speaking of tea-related things, I’m a huge fan of brown sugar flavored anything; and I discovered I love it in my hot beverages. I found these pure cane sugar cubes, which have that same flavor but a little more…complex? I guess? This particular brand just has a vanilla-ish, caramelly note to it that I enjoy a great deal. I even use it to make brown sugar vanilla syrup for my iced beverages – combine equal parts sugar cubes and boiling water, mix to dissolve, allow to cool, add some vanilla, then store in the fridge. (You don’t have to be terribly precise with the measurements either.)
10. I Love the Rainbow-Making Prisms hanging in my bedroom windows.