Oracle Update: Spring Spacemaking

Hello Sparrows!* Even though it's been snowing by the foot here I've had my brains on spring--spring cleaning and space making, thus the latest installment of my oracle deck. I came across a great blog: Make Under Your Life. The author challenges readers to get rid of 50 things that clutter their lives. "50 things huh?...sounds like a lot," I thought. I adamantly believe our physical spaces reflect our inner spaces: that excessive junk distracts us, drags us down and takes valuable time away from MAKING. 50 things? Let's do it! My criteria for pitching energy sucking clutter was simple: Do I use this regularly? Does it bring me joy? If the answer was "no" it was pitched.

Some of the stuff that didn't make the cut: empty tampon boxes, fried out flats, candy tins, burned out bras, hoodies, flat bottles of soda, ancient take out boxes, and outdated catalogs. All 50 things were sorted into trash bags or donated to Good Will. Don't worry, the Kitty made the cut. :) All that room to B R E A T H E! And so easy! Are you thinking spring yet? What 50 things can you do without?

Sacred Sunday New Moon Cleansing

Merry New Moon, Cherubs!*
Miss Suzie sweetly organized a group cleanse for us this month to stir up our surroundings, welcome in spring and send the funkatude PACKING. Without further ado, may I present a Sacred Sunday New Moon Cleansing in words and pictures...but mostly pictures. :)

A white candle burning and a bright bouquet--

Stones and wearables being loved by salt and sun--

Open windows sucking the stale out and sending the sweet in--

A Kwan Yin art journal page: compassionate and collected--

A Super Hit of Run Devil Run incense--

And a sage smoke shower for me. :)

Molly's Whizbang Sanctuary Super Cleanse

Hello Cherubs!*
Happy New Moon! In response to an email inquiry about space cleansing, this post is a diary of my own personal cleansing ritual. As a solitary urban practitioner... or gypsy... or witchybird whatever you'd like to call it, I don't always have the benefit of strolling through tree cathedrals or stowing away to quiet meadows to do work. That being said, housework is a major part of my personal ritual--but you won't find this business in Martha Stewart Magazine! So without further ado may I present:

Molly's Whizbang Sanctuary Super Cleanse

Firstly, I like to thoroughly sweep of the entire apartment, getting rid of dust cattle, cat hair tumble weeds and cobwebs. While doing this I like to visualize that all the junk I'm sweeping into that pan is stale energy and negative gunk. Once it's all in the pan--out the door and off the balcony it goes! I like to blow it a little kiss goodbye...

While I'm sweeping I have some floor wash cooking on the stove. This recipe is a variation on a HooDoo floor wash designed to protect and bless the home. (This version is pet safe, as I have kittens that must walk about bare footed...)

Heat up about a half gallon of water on the stove and throw in a heaping tablespoon of lavender, rosemary, sea salt, lemon juice and a gentle dish soap. Resist the urge to drink it, as it smells DIVINE. Then with a rag or a mop wash from one end of the house to the other working towards the main entrance.

After the floors are squeaky clean, I like to light candles in every room. Fire is a time tested cleanser, and during the winter there are few things more lovely than a flickering wick. This is usually the time of month that I take a moment to trim the wicks of my candles and remove excess wax to keep them burning cleanly.

I then work through the house with bells and a broom, asking as politely as any good midwestern girl would that any Crap (useless negative jargon, illness, frustration, pains, etc.) lurking around the house to "GET-gettin!" and not let the door hit it on the way out. "You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here!" I like to imagine it as greyish-foggy-cobwebby-fluffy-filth that slinks out through the crack under the door. After the Crap has made it's exit, I continue through the house with a burning sage smudge and salty water asking that the space be cleansed and that Goodness' Presence be felt there.

After the entire space is smudged, I work through the apartment with a candle and incense (sometimes I hold a little pocket mirror if I feel like I need to ward something off, or extra oomf) and spend some time thinking about my intention for the space, whether it be restful or inspiring or comforting. I like to imagine the entire space being flooded with a peaceful dewy--even twinkling-- light. In finishing I ask that all who enter the space be Protected and Blessed by Mama Goddess.

Blessed Be. :)

And there you have it, Molly's Whizbang Sanctuary Super Cleanse!
How do You cleanse and clear your spaces, my pretties?

Until Next Time~
Much Joy, Merry Making!

Build It: They Will Come

Apartment Number Five has been a-twitter despite the bitter cold. Winter break is officially over and I've been busily preparing for the new semester that begins bright and early Monday morning. It is a perfect evening for a New Moon, a girl, her broom and a few curls of sage smoke. Time to clear out the stale and soggy, and invite in the Fresh and Fortified! I conquered the clutter, swept the corners and decided to honor my space with some fresh flowers--a present to me for being such a good me. :) (It just tickles me to see the little bouquets of ruby dotting the apartment.) A quiet evening of cleansing and calm the night before the school year kicks back into gear--I couldn't have planned it better myself! It's going to be an exciting month: a new plate of classes, Famous Graves rehearsals to run, a workshop in the works and for the first time--real live kids to teach (gulp!)!

"Koi Pond" by Molly Roberts. 2008. Available for sale Here

I am also proud to announce that "Making Creative Gravy: A Workshop for Women" is completed! I have elaborated upon my Creative Gravy series and fleshed it out into a full length lecture and workshop that includes group discussions, writing exercises, meditations and many more goodies geared toward inspiring women of all abilities and interests to create. The transcripts are typed, images have been selected, and supply lists have been tabulated. Now, I'm on to creating promotional materials and booking my first test runs of the workshop! Through some excellently productive and stimulating discussion with my sister Anna, and the rest of my family, I've been able to hash out potential audiences and venues for this shindig. I may be hostessing the first workshop as early as March! Hooray!

Now, I'm off to finish editing the transcripts and treat myself to a lavender bath and a good book to soak up the last bit of break. It was quite the holiday--full of writing, reading, wandering, mayhem, general mischief making and shameless debauchery. :) But I'm anxious to get back to work--there's a degree to be earned, music to make and paintings to paint!

What plans are you laying for the coming month?

*~Merry New Moon, Friends!~*

Post Chaos Cleansing

I've managed to awaken from the food induced coma that came with the holiday's cookie platters and four course meals. It was wonderful fun to visit with my tribe and as always, my mom and brother prepared The Feast of a Life Time for all of us to enjoy. After the wrapping paper had been tossed away and I rubbed sleep out of my eyes, I stumbled into my studio this morning and flinched as I saw the complete STY that I let accumulate in the "Finals and Holiday" frenzy that consumed my time for the last two weeks. Eek!!

Ahhh...much better. :)

It seemed an appropriate day to sip mint tea, return the apartment and studio to some semblance of order and do a mother of a Cleansing. My eyelids are heavy, my brain stuck on overdrive and my body in serious need of TLC. So, while outside of my window it misted, I sorted papers, washed out neglected brushes, straightened sheets, dusted off the pillar candles and burned sage leaves.

I politely invited (I'm midwestern, I can't help it...) all of the gunk, the residual semester stress, chaotic clutter and the flu that's been fluttering around here for the last few days to pack their things and get gettin'! For me, this cycle was a doozy, and now nothing makes me happier than to sit in positive darkness, get my proverbial "ducks" in a row and rejuvenate for a moment.

Exhale...

I'm very excited to get cracking on my plans for the New Year! Books to read, classes to write, rehearsals to plan, trips to travel, and of course--paintings to Paint! I am just loving reading about everyone's creative undertakings for the coming months! Keep them coming!

Speaking of New Year projects-- don't forget to get your name in the "jar" for the Goddess Give Away! You can enter until midnight tomorrow. Round up your blogosphere chums and tell them to stop on by for a chance to win the goodies! :) I can't wait! Tee hee!

I hope all of you not only survived, but truly enjoyed your holiday gatherings
and are finding time to rest and recoup and craft your marvelous new year's plans!

Sending you Much Peace and Many Blissings!
***Happy New Moon, everyone!***

New Moon: Group Cleansing

I'm kicking off the festivities! As I will be out of town for the new moon, I'm beginning my cleansing a little early. I buzzed around the house tidying up, clearing away clutter, and straightening up the sheets. I have my large incense burner, smudge stick and sea salt ready to roll. I think that for this cleansing it will be important for me not only to purify my home but do some physical and mental house keeping as well.

Since it's crunch time at the end of the semester my To Do list has become at least a mile long with major papers, large scale projects and class planning, so needless to say I've been a little overwhelmed and anxious. I've begun biting my nails again and I know what that means. I feel like when I speak I sound like a cracked-out chipmunk:

ohmygoshi'vegottofinishthisandthisandthis..... WAIT!

My goal for today is to make one master list of everything I need to finish, so I can organize my thoughts and breathe a little easier. Preferably of a large size--I love crossing tasks off of a large scale list with a big red marker. It's like seeing "FIN" at the end of a movie. Delightful. A sweep of the brain! Secondly, today will be spent satisfying my body with vegetables and buckets of water. Maybe I'll drink it out of a champagne glass? Since school and work have managed to dominate my life my diet has suffered. I'm sure there are barn animals out there who have been eating better than me--at least slop has some green in it! And I'm positive my blood now has a "Columbian" count with the incredible amount of coffee I've managed to slug. The temple needs some attention.

I love this time of month--it's a clean slate! So many opportunities occur in creative darkness! I hope everyone is finding joy in their cleansings and holiday preparations. Many blissings and Blessed Be!~*

Photograph by Molly

[Dark Moon Juices]

While the moon is dark and the apartment is empty, it’s time to do some mental and physical housekeeping. Dishes, midterm papers, laundry, credit card bills, dust cattle and an appallingly dirty studio floor all demand attention. It’s so easy to let all the little abandoned tasks, crumpled receipts, minor annoyances and unfinished to-do lists pile up—it all seems insignificant but even a ton of feathers is still a TON of feathers! It’s time to finish stubborn work, sweep psychic static out the door, splash around in salt water, light candles, sit down with my sketchbook and regain focus.

My goal for this month is to draw daily. I used to—but somehow the time slipped away from me. I need to let my ideas hatch and crawl around for a while before I commit them to canvas. And I want to draw not only to plan but to regain the joy of the process. Just doodling, scribbling, smushing and shading. I know people who cringe at the idea of leaving ideas unfinished in a sketch journal…It’s a “sketch book” not a “masterpiece book”! I don’t need the work to be elaborate or fully rendered, but done more so as ritual-- done to serve as evidence that my creative juices are alive and well.

Does anyone out there draw daily? Does it help the state of your juices?