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Solar and lunar eclipses have a history of being omens of calamity, war, and just basically a negative connotation. That being said, this isn’t the case in reality. So let’s just focus on the upcoming solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, and the imagery that comes with a solar eclipse.

First solar eclipses are always at the new moon as it is between the earth and the sun, so it the moon isn’t reflecting light to us. New moons always represent new beginnings and bringing things from the dark into the light. The solar eclipse should also be similar representations as the moon completes its trip in front of the sun and brings new light, and illuminates the day once again.

Solar eclipses can also be about hiding things as the moon starts it’s path across the face of the sun and hides it’s light from the earth. But be forewarned, as whatever we do in the dark always comes to light, or more directly put, if you’re trying to hide bad activities, you’ll get caught eventually. At the same time, keeping your business as your own and stopping gossip is perfectly acceptable during this phase.

The solar eclipse can also represent unity. The moon is usually associated with the divine feminine and the sun with the divine masculine. Most imagery has them chasing each other across the sky, but during a solar eclipse they appear united for a short period of time.

i am not one that uses many formal spells or rituals for I don’t believe the universe needs them to understand and figure out my intentions and desires. However, I do believe in using the energies that surround us to boost them and charge them. Eclipse energy can be calm or chaotic depending on your views of the eclipse. Personally, I think they are both and anything we do under the eclipse or make with eclipse energy can be both as well.

So here are some suggestions to use the solar eclipse but these aren’t formal spells at all.

• Make solar eclipse water. Put water in a jar and leave it out under the eclipse. Add crystals or herbs to help boost it and use it in spell work as needed.
• Charge crystals and/or herbs in the energy by placing them in jars or other containers and into a window or outside to soak up the energy.
• Charge essential oils as well. My personal favorite is to charge anything that is citrus as I associate those with the sun the most. I also will do lavender and vetiver as those are for relaxation and sleep so the moon energy would be appropriate for those. And a solar eclipse is both.
• Use the energy and portion of the eclipse needed in spell work. Use the beginning to keep things private and the end to bring things to light or even to be a huge start anew spell.
• Use the energy to bring chaos to your spell work as well. Do you need someone to experience the chaos and pain they brought to your life? Use the eclipse for that as well.
• Use for love spells and unity spells to bring the energy of both the sun and the moon into your spell work. Plus, this is the only time the sun and moon appear united.
• Use the energy in divination work to bring more revelations into your work and speak more truth into revealing the possible future. Also use it to charge your tarot cards and other tools that represent chaos or change, such as the tower card or the death card.

Each of us must decide what is right for us and by no means is this a full idea list for the eclipse. However, this list will hopefully get your creativity flowing and moving.

A few random and additional thoughts:

1. I am in west central Wisconsin, so the eclipse is supposed to start around 12:45 pm and end about 4 minutes later. Please be sure to check local timing. Plus, it is not a total eclipse here but around 85%. Where you are will make a difference in what you see in the sky. If you have the chance to travel to the path of totality, please do, it is quite the sight to see.
2. Be sure to use proper eye protection when viewing the eclipse. Damaging your eyes is not a ride I’d recommend. Many libraries and schools have glasses available for free. Please ask and be sure to get a pair. If you can’t find free ones there are directions for an eclipse box.

A few weeks ago, a friend posed some questions to me about religious practices. Now keep in mind two things. I am an ordained minister (interfaith) and I do not attend a church, but rather practice what I believe to be right as much as I can in my daily life. I’ll get into that more as we go along here.

The point of the question is that he and I have had some discussions on how some traditional religious practices wounded us and we have had to do and continue to do some healing around those things. So, he knows the past that I have had with traditional religious practices and has had some himself. And the other part of the question is as a healed/healing person (there is no such land as healed), what did I miss about attending mainstream churches.

I am going to preface my remarks to that I know it isn’t all churches, all beliefs, and all people who act in a way that wounds others. So, if you’re in a church and you’re happy there and feel that you’re needs as a person are being met, I am so happy for you and I am not trying to convert you or anyone else to my way of thinking. I am simply sharing my personal experiences and thoughts.

First, I just miss the sense of community. Coming together with likeminded people on a weekly basis to honor what we believe in and gather. In those spaces, and this hasn’t always happened, nothing matters but that we are all on the same page as far as belief. Not money, not social status, not what you do for a living, nothing but the fact we are coming together for the joy of believing together. Luckily, I have been able to find a community where I feel I belong, and it is a much healthier place for me.

Second, I miss the singing. Now, keep in mind that I can’t carry a tune with a bucket and a lid. Its off key and I will never quit doing the things I do to make a career out of how I sing. But I do miss all the different voices raised together. It was one of the things that fascinated me as a kid and still does today. Over the years I have gone to a more mainstream church with my family for holidays, funerals, and weddings and most of the service is lost on me since I don’t believe in religious teaching the way old school churches do it but that singing part, it still feels amazing. I also get the same feeling when you’re in a bar (hey! I’m from Wisconsin and there are a lot of them here!) and that one song comes on and before you know it, everyone is singing along to it and having a great time. It’s pure, unadulterated, spontaneous, joy.

Then, I miss the stories. I miss story time, I guess. I love how the stories have a hidden nugget of some deeper truth to them but on the opposite side of this love is the hate for the you must interpret it my way or you are wrong. I think I missed my time and would have loved the old beatnik poetry circles. Just getting up and sharing your story, your creation and allowing the person listening to it to take away their own lesson and interpretation of it. I think the bible and other religious texts have some amazing and beautiful stories to them, but we spoil the lessons in them by declaring that our interpretations are the only way to see the value of those stories. I also hated it in English class in school. Like just let me read the story and let me tell you what I took away from it. I might see something equally profound as you and be no less right, but when you tell me what I should see, you take that experience away from me.

So as a very hippie type person, who worships in nature and learns about spirituality from many different places and texts, there are things that I miss about being a part of a place of worship, but there is more about those places that I don’t miss. And I think this is the foundation of what makes what I do as a person, a coach, and an officiant unique. I am not going to tell you what to believe, but rather listen to what you tell me you believe and help you figure out how that can work to your benefit be that for business, for making a unique wedding or even just learning about who you are at your core.

This has been a week. I am just saying. I swear that everything I have tried to do has taken 10 times longer than planned to do. For example, the picture you see is from a couple of Christmases ago. Not what I planned to talk about or even the picture I was going to use.

This week, I planned on getting my art store up and running. It should be easy (insert maniacal laughter here). I would transfer pictures from my phone to the computer and put them in the builder provided by WordPress and bam! I have a store.

Nope that isn’t what happened. I downloaded the pictures from my phone and greatly underestimated the time it takes to sort and organize over 2000 pictures, memes, screenshots and whatever else is in my phone. Not to mention that my phone now uses HEIC format pictures and not JPEGs so I need to firgure out how to convert them into something that I can use. I promise this was not the task I had planned.

So, my mostly unfinished site will probably be this way until I can finish going through all those pictures to find the ones I can use and at least get something started. Then to figure out how to convert HEIC to something most standard and useful, at least that is until HEIC is the standard. Some sites swear it is coming, but I am not so sure. We people are slower to change than the technology.

Oh, and if that picture above doesn’t show up. It’s of the massive amounts of fudge I make most years. I couldn’t find the marshmallow fluff stuff that I like to use, so no fudge last year. But I have been making at least 50 lbs. of fudge for several years to give to family and friends in the most amazing flavors. Hopefully, you’ll stick around to see the amazing process that is…if I can find the ingredients that is.

Y’all have a great and productive week. And if things don’t go your way, just keep working what you need to. It’ll get there, I promise.