A glimpse in my mundane and magical routine

Greetings blogfriends from around the world!  How have you been? I have been really busy trying to get used to to this new daily routine of ours. It is a balancing act that is just now starting to run smoothly.
When the witchling is in school I try to get my workouts out of the way, work a little and do some chores. This is a lot because she is gone for only four hours. Then if I manage to steal some time from work, I give her a bath and give her something to eat before I send her off to her mid-day nap. Then I work until  at nights my husband goes to work and I play a little with her and prepare her again for sleep.  Sometimes,  I work a little more at nights but if I don't,  I get out my pans and cook plenty of dishes to be prepared for 2 or 3 days. Through this tight schedule there is not much time for socializing but I am lucky to work out some days with my best friend and I always try to squeeze in a play date for the witch princess in a week. Finally, Sundays are family time.
This Sunday our grandma and grandpa will join us to decorate our candy Yule tree. Yesterday she decorated some cookies I baked with matching pink sugar sprinkles and hearts with our pink candy tree decorations.  Of course we ate most of them Among us there is no self restraint.  How people manage to keep sweets in their houses for weeks untouched is still a mystery to me. And later tonight we will write Santa a letter. She wants a cinderella book and year long tickets to the zoo.
On my usual magical note, I found myself lately really connecting with two rituals combined into one. I light my three candles for the three faces of Brighid and with three drops of my blood on three red rose petals I summon Her. I meditate and draw my cards ask for guidance and connect. Then I light the four candles around me for the elements. Underneath air's candle there is a piece of paper with health written on it. Under fire's there's the word glow. Under water's beauty and under earth's the word strength.  The words stand for different things at different times, but they are always the same.  I burn my incense,  I burn the papers, I chant my elemental prayer four times.  I ground my self. I give offerings. I take off the candle flames with my left index finger the one I prick.  I thank the Goddess and the powers of the universe and I release the energies.
Have you ever found yourself having a specific ritual practiced routinely?
Many bright blessings.

13 times 13 equals magick!

On November 13 is mine and Petros's 13th anniversary.  Almost 13 years ago we kissed for the first time and we said I love you for the first time.  We were trying very hard not to fall in love because it was sort of forbidden love since my then best friend wanted him and his best friend was my ex. We tried for about two months and that was the night we gave in. These two months felt like centuries in our 19 year old minds. I can remember everything so vividly.  How I used to run the icy cold water in the cafe's bathroom over my hands so I would give them to him to warm them up since it was the only touching we allowed ourselves. How he would touch them with his lips but not kiss them, because that would be wrong.  How everyone else around us seemed blurry and meaningless.  My breath would catch onto my chest while I gazed upon his beautiful hazel eyes and my whole body would shiver at the smallest touch. And when we finally confessed our love to each other it would be the first time each of us had done it. 13 years since my first and most important "I love you". I wished for him my whole young life, before we found each other.  I casted(or is it cast?) a spell asking for him to come to my life. I yearned for him before I even met him.
This year our special day is extremely magical.  It will also be a Full Moon in perigee(supermoon),  that will be the closest the Moon will have been to Earth in all our lives(last time was 1948) and won't come this close again till 2034. It will peak during the morning hours of the next day, so we will enjoy this glorious phenomenon for two nights. I will do my favorite ritual.  Four marked corners with white candles and me in the middle. Under each candle a piece of paper written with a spell.  I will burn the spell times four and chant it times many.
The number 13 is a sacred number as there are 13 Moon cycles in a year. The year (20)13 my daughter was born. November 13th my life changed. And now 13 years have passed!
Thank you Goddess for all the love you've given us!
Blessed be!

Happy new witch's year

...with a fairy ring. I had to resist the urge to step inside it, because I didn't want to offend the fairies. But just looking at it,  it really made my day!

May you honour your dead and heed their guidance and wisdom.

Boring alert... Crazy mom post!! Keep out!!!

So, big day today.

My little witchling 's first day at school.  You see, I had plans. She wouldn't attend for another year.  She would be with me for another year.  But she wanted it so much! She kept asking for it. And when I left her she did not even look back. She found a friend she made yesterday and held her hand. And I cried my eyes out! Should n't it be the other way around, me telling her to go and her crying?
I am worried sick. I had all these things on my mind that could go wrong. The teachers having too many children to watch over, sick kids that would cough on her, hygiene issues in the toilet and the kitchen, and intolerance issues since she would be one of the few non Christian children if not the only one. And my worst thought of all, aggressive children that would come after her. She is so mellow,  and caring.  She grows up listening to classical music and petting her beloved cats.  She has only been in contact with an aggressive child from our neighborhood a couple of times and I have always been there to protect her. The first time he came at her, she was so surprised and scared.
So, yesterday we visited schools and we found a brand new one, that had just opened its doors. That only has two more students and a whole set of teachers. That everything is clean and pretty. That they don't mind  the crazy helicopter mom visiting whenever she feels like it. That she loved and was so excited to go that she kept waking up during the night to see if it's morning yet.  But that's alright I was awake all night worrying and kept wishing she'd wake up more so I can be with her.

And now I miss her so much and it's only been an hour, three more to go!
I made her chocolate pudding for when she returns and I am tidying up her room next!  This should take a while!

Autumn blessings

Blessed Mabon everybody.  Today I have been really busy so I didn't have a chance to celebrate like usual,  but I did do something major!  Look! I am so happy!

Thank you Stacy and Magaly!

The previous post was an experiment of sorts.  You know I have been having some browser issues.  It turns out I can read your posts with dolphin, but I can only upload pictures with chrome.  But, hey now I can do both and show you the wonderful surprise I received recently.

A couple of weeks ago I received a notification for a package waiting for me at the postal office.  But, I was not expecting anything and I have been really busy, so it took me a while to get to it. It turns out it was from  Stacy!
The moment I went into the car I tore the package in pieces. First thing I saw was this little envelope with a pretty card that she had put for me little heart stickers on it. The letter brought tears in my eyes and the widest of smiles. Inside the package I also found those beautiful creations of hers.

This is the baby crow now sitting on the windowsill of my daughter's room. Isn't it the cutest?  And underneath it right next to my grandmother and Magaly's black out poems is the "nature speaks, listen little painting. Those are with me every day in my office while I work reminding me of the powerful connections that bind us and acts of pure and unconditional kindness. And last but not least on top of Melina Nefeli's library right next to her very first drawing is the" relax" another one of Stacy's baby crows. The black out poems,  the "relax" baby crow, and the "live" crow  that sits on top of my fireplace were sent to me this Winter during a very difficult time for me, in a very similar way by sweet Magaly. Her package also brought tears in my eyes. The care she has put in it.  Everything was wrapped with paper and bound with a beautiful purple cord. Her words spoke right into my heart. And of course I also opened the package as soon as I was in the car. I never said I was a patient woman people, come on!  It took me a while to make this post because of technical issues and chronic procrastination , but I have such great gratitude towards these very special women,  bloggers, friends.  You gave me strength, love and great joy. Thank you!

 

Reluctantly excited

So, my mom came by the other day with a bunch of plastic flowers and it felt like fate. I usually do not decorate for Fall until the Equinox trying to hold on to as much Summer as I possibly can. But this year the Sun went to hiding the moment September came.  The air is crispier, the leaves are turning and no amount of denial from my part could bring Summer back. Of course there is so much beauty all around.  The glow of the Sun paints the whole world in a golden color.  The weather is lovely for leisure walks in the park, although I haven't had the chance yet. The Wheel is turning and I shall welcome the change. So, my front door may be a bit extreme, but the princess witch loved it!  Are you excited about Autumn?

Summer in a few words

Greetings blogfriends!!  I have been gone for quite some time.  It's mainly because I had some browser problems.  It has been hard to find a browser that allowed me to blog. Now I am using dolphin and I hope this never becomes an issue again because I am used to using my phone to read your blogs since at home we only have a large monitor that works as a TV and it is not convenient for blogging.
So, to sum the whole summer up  it was quite productive. We went on a rather short vacation in Monemvasia where we spent four days living in an actual castle. Me and Nefeli called each other princess and Petros our knight.
I took up running and I can officially call myself a decent runner since I worked my way up to 40-50 kilometers per week and I also got a lot stronger. My back acts up from time to time but nothing major anymore.  And my hormones are somewhat balanced.  I have not mastered the art of sleeping yet but I have improved a lot. I also started writing a book more on that on a following post. I read a lot,  listened to a lot of music and worked long hours. I also spent a lot of time with my family.  At the Summer Solstice we celebrated Melina Nefeli's third birthday.  She is a magic cusp baby.
As for my spiritual practice I had a lot of fun sharing my magical work with my little girl.  She is unbelievable gifted with great instincts. She is starting to understand the concept of card readings..  We made wreaths,  planted herbs, gathered them, burned them, cooked breads, gave them as offerings. Recently I started to talk to her about the different religious practices around the world.
So, what have you been up to?

The night's charm

There is something magical in the night breeze!  It makes the soul long for unknown things. It stirs up desire and witchcraft.  It brings butterflies in my stomach to make the wind's  need to speak to me through the leaves known to me. It makes me close my eyes breath deeply and surrender. 

Blessed be

Drink to the Sun on this fairy day, to His glory and mirth!  Drink to the Moon as He fades away, to Her secrets and lust. Listen to the birds's songs as they pray and the Wind 's joyful music with the green leaves. Heed the call of magic in the tween places and time and join to the fairy dance too.
Sun and Moon blessings to all in this magical day, may the most ancient of Gods be always with you! 

Brightest Summer blessings

Greetings blogfriends!   Summer is finally here.  I love the warm air of Greek summer. It is so enticing,  tantalizing to the senses. The Sun, the smells, the sounds  enforce such sexual invigorating energies.  Solstice is almost here and if you listen closely you can hear the fairy songs and dances. Right now I am in my balcony drinking sweet peppermint tea with my little witchling.

 Earlier today we built a wreath to celebrate the coming of the fairies.

These days I am studying sigils and symbols. It is wonderful to study magic among my plants, cats and little witch while listening to my birds ' s songs.

 Is n't Summer the most amazing time of the year?

Skipping a bit

Greetings blogfriends!  Today was my six month check up  and I was so worried.  I cleared my schedule so I had some extra time before my appointment. So after an hour and a half of vigorous exercise I bathed and did my hair and make up. I wore a pretty white dress. I wore pearl bracelets and pearls on my hair. I looked up the mirror and saw a woman almost dressed as a fairy or a bride and that there was nothing more to do. So, I began singing and then before I realized it was time for us to get in the car. There was a bit of a wait in the doctor s office which went really quickly with some chit chat with the receptionist. I went in and  I tried to give all the information as clearly as I could and then there was nothing else but wait to hear the verdict. I watched the endocrinologist's facial expressions darken a bit before he began talking. My heart skipped a bit. It turns out I am clean as a whistle and completely cancer free. Just a few minor complications of the treatment troubled him. It seems I am not responding to some drugs I am taking, as well as he would like.  This is why my metabolism is so low. He was reluctant to give me more,  he feels I am maxed out on both t3 and t4 and yet somehow I am not absorbing them.  He just told me to spread the doses throughout the day to see if it works better. There was a time I would be miserable about the appointment,  crushed even. But you know what?  I have seen so much worse,  been so much worse. I can still lose weight(well that is if I stay under 900 calories with an hour of high intensity cardio 6 days a week, but still),  I can sleep every night now, I have energy through the day, no more cramps,  no more chronic pain(most of the time no pain at all if I am careful). I consider myself healthy because my body can do so many things it couldn't.
And I can enjoy so many beautiful things. Like truly offer myself to the triple Goddess and try to connect to all Her aspects.   Brighid came to me to bless me through her fire healing energies in my hardest of times.  She guided me,  opened me up with Her creative surges, making me sing and write again.  I pray to Her almost every day over 3 red candles that I light in a wreath made of intertwined grapevine twigs. I chant the spell 3 times while the smells of the incense engulfs me. One drop of my blood and then my soul just opens to all Her glory. After that I am ready to cast any spell I want.  I am ready to call upon the elements and the powers of the universe to help my voice travel where it needs to go, to help my heart go where it needs to go. My inner voice and sight is stronger because of Her. Sometimes my little witchling joins me in prayer. She loves to throw more incense to the fire. She also loves to grind the leaves, petals, resins and oils together in her mortar and pestle. I am beyond blissful when we practice magic together and she enjoys it too. And then we go and cook together. She washes all the vegetables and I explain to her how all things that grow carry the love of our sweet Goddess.  How she is blessed,cherished and protected by Her. How I am too.
Be blessed,  be cherished and protected too my friends!

A quicky...

I have been away for a long while and all this time I was working towards strengthening myself and getting all of my pieces together.  Lately I've even started singing again something I thought I would lose forever if I took my thyroid away.  I realized all those other reasons I would say to avoid surgery meant nothing and the thing I was afraid the most was this. Only when I took singing out of the picture I was able to move forward with my life saving decision.  Now I have almost finished my six month check and everything looks great and soon my doctor will confirm that.  I have lost a total of 57 kilos to this day(over the years). And as for my back I have mostly good days. But guys, I am just so happy. I am singing beautiful arias again.  I have my health, my family,  my voice, my work and a spiritual practice more evolved than ever.  I feel so blessed especially because I am so much better than any other person I met that underwent the same course of treatment and on top of that I am a soprano again.  I am working some of the kinks with a teacher but she thinks I will be able to audition as soon as September. Can you believe it?  I might fail but who cares. There will be concerts and plays and so much singing.  I am back you guys. Really!!! 
I love you all.  I will be back soon with a real post.  Till then nighty night!

I am back!!!

Greetings blogfriends. I have been away for too long!  But I have been busy reclaiming my health. I have been working out like crazy growing stronger every day. Also I have been on a personal version of the warrior diet and it is really working. Although I am still a bit hypothyroid my metabolism is better than I can remember without those nasty antibodies working against me. I have been told that this would happen by a few thyca survivors that I met but couldn't believe it. I sleep better, and my back pain was almost gone. Except that yesterday I fell down the stairs and injured my coccyx a bit which is a fancy way of saying... My butt hurts and a little bit my back,  but I have gone a long way. If a fall like that happened in the past I would be bedridden for months. It was a scary fall and painful but the scariest part was until the immediate pain subsided and found out my back did not spasm out of control.  And of course the humiliation. Almost all of the building's residents came to my rescue. A grown woman with an ass injury. Ridiculous. And then at the hospital having to say it again and again really worked wonders for my self esteem. Oh and did I mention that an ex of mine happened to be at the er? Embarrassment aside though, I feel so grateful. Sure my butt hurts, but my back is just a little sore. My health is restored a great deal. I am whole again.
 As for my spiritual practice it is growing and expanding. Ever since I dedicated myself to Brighid I am more connected than ever. I practice magic daily and I feel blissfully full every time I do.  Right now smudges, herbs and flowers are drying waiting to be used and to fill the house with their divine smells. My balcony resembles a zen garden more than ever and plants full of magical potential waiting for my attention. The spring is springing and the breeze awaits for my prayers. And last but not least I have a date tonight with the Goddess,  spot Her in the sky this evening, She is going to be glorious. I love you all!!!

My most precious of gifts...

Okay, no one make fun of my selfie skills. I always end up with googly or semi closed eyes, or I unintentionally move the second the picture is taken and I come off as a blur. This is why I almost never take them but this was important. I have something to share with you.

 Can you see my beautiful spiral necklace? Is n't the shape just fantastic? Well, the most amazing thing is that I found  it on the street the first day I returned home after my treatment. I never find anything on the streets because I am the most absent minded person in the universe. But I found this(minus the string) while I was walking and  feeling quite dreadful, in physical and emotional pain, alone, away from my loved ones. 

A spiral, my most sacred of symbols  right at my feet ,only a few days after I devoted my practice and worship to Brighid.  I returned home and put it on this string and never taken it off since. This tiny little thing gave me so much strength, and  made me feel loved, protected and safe.   

May the Goddess be with you all!

Not holding my breath in anymore

In our house we are celebrating.  We are celebrating our health, our friends,  our family.  Last year I felt like my personal Winter was over and it was time for my personal Spring.  This whole endeavor has been hard as many times Spring has cold days. But the Sun is shining again.
 Yesterday, I went to a doctor that prescribed me a hormonal medication that I felt was right to me. He also said to me that he thought that my case did not require rai treatment. I already knew that, but since my first doctor said so, I just couldn't just not do it. It would always be at the back of my mind.  When there is a malignancy involved how can you not choose to be better safe than sorry?  But what he said to me was that I am completely cancer free. That he strongly believed I will remain so for the rest of my life and that I don't have to check it regularly as I would with the most aggressive scans that require radioactive iodine in small doses. I just have to be very careful with my hormone levels that have to remain at certain levels.  And I will have to check a particular hormone once a year to see if it is in the normal range.  Other than that I am good as new(well, getting there).
 This whole thing showed me many things. It made me stop being in denial about who is really there for me and who is really my friend. This is invaluable because the love I received from certain people warmed my heart and gave my little family so much strength.  Although I only shared it with a few people, while others kind of found out on their own, I felt cared for. I literally felt that since so many people were so worried I didn't have to be(which sounds completely crazy,  but I can't explain it in any other way).  But also there were a few people that were completely distant and cold. These were only people that had to find out and it was completely expected. All but two of them.  This was one of those situations were you realize you were holding on to friendships that were over and you didn't want to accept it. When the realization occurs though, it is very freeing. I  can now emotionally invest in those people that gave me such unconditional love and warmth.
I'm blessed with so much love from friends,  family,  and you guys! You gave me laughs, smiles and tears of joy.  You have touched my soul so many times. Thank you for that.  Anyway,  I have some magical news that I want to share with you. I dedicated myself to Brighid.  This was coming for a long time, but I was always reluctant. During these hard times I felt I needed her strength and light and I am so happy I did. This opened up my spiritual practice in an unexpected way. I feel more connected and grounded than ever. It made me trust my intuition even more and allow myself to be guided and protected. I have a lot to share with you guys again and luckily this blog will stop feeling like a greys anatomy episode.  Be blessed,  be loved and be happy!

Reunion

They are here! All three of us, plus the animal Kingdom that has taken over our house, under the same roof again.  The moment they arrived found me in a cleaning frenzy even though everything was already perfect.  I couldn't unlock my door from the excitement  and I ran over to them while they were climbing the stairs. I hugged my baby girl right on the floor of our apartment building,  sobbing and saying incoherent stuff, while she calmly told me I missed you mommy so much, I love you.
 She is such an amazing person, so wise and full of love. She only broke into tears when we were going to the store and she was afraid that I was not going with them. It broke my heart to notice so many different things on her. Her longer hair, her taller stand and all the new quirks she has.
 Yesterday turned out much more Greek than I would imagine.  For some reason all this emotional roller coaster took us to a place of constant hunger where I would cook something different every hour and then we would eat it. Of course after all these days that I have n't seen my husband other basic needs were also covered. And I slept much better,  it took me quite a while, but I managed to get a few hours of rest. 

Waiting almost over..

I am okay my loves. Getting stronger every day.  And in this night I am writing you,  I am counting the last hours away from the two most special people in my life.  They are coming back home in the morning.  In just a few hours I will get to hug them and kiss them after being twenty days apart.  Staying away from them was the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my whole life.  But I know how blessed I am to have so much love in my life. As the hours go by I grow more and more impatient. It feels as if the clock is ticking slower and slower.  I hope I will be able to get some sleep.  I love you all so much!  I am sorry I wasn't talkative all these days.  I promise I will come back soon.

Lost my cool

Greetings blogfriends.  Today I am going for my rai treatment trial run and to do every medical exam known to man. All these days I have surprised myself with my compartmentalizing skills.  I remembered again and again the quote of Phoebe about Santa on prozac in disneyworld getting layed,  which if you are a huge friends geek like me you know.  I mean I was the coolest.
 I did a decent effort to replace my lacking thyroid hormones with caffeine and running 50 flights of stairs a day for energy (which is not a comic hyperbole,  I run up and down 50 flights of stairs a day, me, hypothyroid!). I also have huge amounts of Saint john wort's teas along with other delightful herbs to keep me happy.  I try to undereat which becomes increasingly harder as my energy needs diminish by the day, so that I don't gain a crazy amount of weight while waiting for my treatment. I dance like crazy to not feel cold( so Shakira replaced Mozart in our house!). I meditate to keep my cognitive function up and running,  so I fought "hypohell" as it is so eloquently described with every fiber of my being.  All that while trying to prepare my sweet daughter that mommy will be away for about a month.
 And then yesterday my last night with her for that period of time after I put her for sleep with a smile I had a tiny melt down.  And by tiny imaging something between Chernobyl and Fukusima. I managed to walk to the living room from the nursery before I hit the floor sobbing and crying and keep saying to myself it's going to be okay again and again in English for some reason.  The fact that she is going to fall and cry, wake up scared, feel sad and need her mommy while I am away from her hit me like a bus. All that time I focused on the positive and then finally yesterday I couldn't.  This is a child that has  only spent the night of my surgery away from me ever since she was born and now this. I admit it.  I lost my cool!
 But now I have to go, run my stairs and get ready.  Talk to you soon. Love you all!!

Happy new year!!

I wish you all a blessed 2016 full of love, health, prosperity, creativity and laughter! May the  Goddess be with you always!