Full Supermoon tonight!

Tonight is the third Supermoon of 2013!  A supermoon is defined as: 

… a new or full moon which occurs with the moon at or near (within 90% of) its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit.

This months moon is known as the deer moon or buck moon, or also as the thunder moon.  It is called the deer or buck moon because this is the time of year when bucks start to grow new antlers.  It is also called the thunder moon because July is the month with the most thunderstorms of the year.  

I am hoping to get a decent view of lady luna tonight, even though our skies here have been pretty cloudy over the last few days.  As I do every full moon, I made an moon altar to honor luna.   I also like to charge/cleanse the full moons energy into a few items that are most precious to me.  

My favorite ring and necklaces, a few of my favorite stones, crystals, and shells.  Also a new bracelet that a friend made for me.   I sprinkled it with some mums and herbal offerings to bring some feminine energy and healing my way.  It also has my favorite hand painted stone that came with my Red Tent Ritual Kit.  

Do you use the full moon to charge or cleanse stones or items that are precious to you?

You can read more about tonights moon here.

Happy full moon to you!

The best kind of weekend

This past weekend was one of those ones that leaves you with a smile on your face, and feeling very grateful for so many things.  It was a full one, but it was all so wonderful and full of adventure and beauty.  It all kicked off Friday night with one of my best girls birthday celebrations.  We gathered at her new place for some birthday fun.   It has got to be a good sign when this is the sunset that kicks off your weekend:

For her birthday Juli had arranged for one of her friends to do henna for all of us girls.  Let me tell you I LOVE me some henna, and her friend was so talented.  So many beautiful designs, and she did them all freehand.  

Aren't they beautiful?  Below is the end result, all of us together.  It was a great night of good food, music, and laughter.  

Happy birthday to my soul sister!  I hope your 33rd year is filled with all the love and happiness in the world, I cannot think of anyone who is more deserving. 

Later in the weekend, my husband and I decided last minute to head up the mountains to explore.  Juli decided to join us too.  We intended to go to Julian and walk around a bit, but then we saw the turnoff to go to Palomar Mountain, and in about two seconds we decided to go for it.  Also, Juli had never been even though she grew up here in San Diego!  It was on her birthday list of 34 things to do before she turns 34 so we checked that one off for her, and even on her actual birthday. 

    

We headed up the mountain and with about 15 minutes to spare before they closed we got to go into Palomar Observatory.   Palomar Observatory is an active research facility operated by the California Institute of Technology, and it houses the famous 200 inch Hale Telescope.  It is a pretty amazing place. We got to go inside and had time to walk around the grounds.

Pretty little pollinator outside the Observatory.

We then headed into Palomar State Park and wandered around on a few trails before it got dark.  I am glad we ended up there on such a beautiful day.  The weather was so nice, (hello tank tops and sandals!). 

Doane Pond with lady luna in the background. 

We were lucky enough to be graced by these beauties.  

Us with the birthday girl.

Dear San Diego, I love you big time.

It was the perfect end to a beautiful weekend.  I even managed to finish getting the garden planted on Saturday (thanks Juli for your help)  We now have tomatoes, kale, two kinds of squash, corn, and beans planted.  

You know, it is weekends like this that leave my heart feeling so full, and it definitely left me feeling refreshed even though there wasn't much rest that went on.   I hope you all had a beautiful weekend, let's rock the crap out of the rest of this week!!

Bringing back the balance

I have always felt connected to the moon, and the magic she holds.  The full moon always feels special to me and brings me a sense of calm whenever I spend time under her.  Even the week of the full moon, I usually feel overall calmer and more relaxed.  This week though has felt different for me.  It has felt hurried, stressful, and just overall crazy.  So, I wanted to do something special during this full moon to bring balance back to myself and my body.  I am enrolled in Moondaughter's Aphrodite workshop right now, and we are learning on how to use the phases of the moon in different ways. Yesterday she posted a recipe for a bath soak she likes to call her love soak blend.  I decided this would be a good way to treat myself and let go of all the negative energy that my body was carrying from the past few days.  Here is her recipe:

3/4 Organic sea salt

A handful of pink Himalayan salt

Handful dried rose petals

Handful dried lavender buds
4-5 petals of dry pink hibiscus

6 drops Ylang Ylang oil

6 drops Geranium oil

1-2 drops vanilla essential oil

And mix altogether!

I was all out of vanilla essential oil, so I just scraped a whole vanilla bean and added that.  The smell is out of this world!

I filled the bath and the scent was so powerful it

immediately began to relax me, also the pink hibiscus petals turned the water a beautiful shade of pink.  I breathed in, put on my favorite bath time playlist, and pictured all the negative energy leaving my body.

It was just what I needed, a felt like a new person after.  So much more relaxed and lighter, it really felt like the burdens of the few days before were gone.  With cheeks still pink from my bath I went outside and spent some time with lady luna.  She was extra beautiful, with almost an orange hue.

I ended the night feeling much more grounded than I had all week, and it made me feel like I was ready to face the challenges of what the next few days hold.  On top of that I slept like a baby last night. 

How do you spend time bringing back the balance to your life?  Does the moon hold special power for you? 

Also, KV of Aquarius Nation has posted her full moon reports over on Roots and Feathers, go check them out.  She has amazing insight for each sign in the zodiac.

Lady Luna

Because sometimes you need a slice of natures beauty to remind you of its abundance and your place in the world. I have always felt a deep connection with the moon, and have always felt drawn to her beauty and splendor. Even as a kid, I loved to go outside and sit and just watch. It brings me calm, and grounds me in the best way. I know she is always there, and it is like having a good friend that you can always count on to show up. I hope you enjoy this video as much as I do, and she brings you a sense of peace and calm like she always does for me.
Full Moon Silhouettes from Mark Gee on Vimeo.