AltaredReality

Life of a self practitioner

[westcoastpagan]

Things to know about me:

I was raised in a Pagan household in western New York. My official "education" in the arts began when I turned 15, a little over 40 years ago. I am, what is considered, an Eclectic Witch ..... though my family just looks at it as being a witch because we believe that all magics are necessary at some point.

I am a member of the LGBTQI+ community so this is a safe space for anyone who might be concerned.

I do not post pictures of my Altar when it is set, I find it has a negative effect on any workings I am doing because putting it out there leaves it open to attracting negativity. I might, for specific workings, post a picture of a possible layout to ask for opinions but that is it.

I am not here to judge any of your workings, altar setup's, spells, chosen direction/path or anything of the sort. You will also never hear me telling you that you're doing something wrong ..... you know what process is best for you and your specific situation. If asked, I may share my experience in a certain situation but I, by no means, will infer that my way is better ..... my way works for me and that is the beauty of the practice, it's yours and yours alone.

I studied horticulture and geology/gemology. My back yard is currently undergoing a major transformation so expect pictures from time to time. I also collect crystals and gemstones, this has been my primary hobby for the past 45 years. My collection is by no means spectacular but it is extensive. Yes, you will also be seeing pictures of them as well.

This is one of my favorite Quartz crystals.

[westcoastpagan]

Now that the warmer weather is here to stay for a while it's time for me to put my indoor Altar on standby mode like I do every year at this time. I kept the Altar with some crystal towers on it for a week then lit Dragons blood incense to cleanse it.

After a week I took the towers and sphere off and placed a wooden tray with Selenite, Kyanite, Black Tourmaline and Double Terminated Quartz. It will remain this way until the beginning of October when I will begin to prepare it for Samhain.

The box with my Athame and Dagger has been removed for use at my outdoor Altar but the case with my stones for my Crystal Grids will remain under the indoor Altar. I sometimes feel I should have 2 active Altars during the warm weather but this is how we've always done it, as far as I can remember.

I will add one more thing to the Altar though, in 2 more days I add the strand of natural Hematite and Quartz Altar beads I made. I keep them there to maintain grounding energies and to repel negativity.

[westcoastpagan]

Attentions have been turning back to my gardens as new pavers and shrubs have finally arrived and I can get them planted before the warm weather arrives. The soil on my property is absolute crap so there is a lot of work needed to successfully plant and grow healthy plants here.

It's been cool and rainy for the past few days which makes ideal conditions for planting. I've been using bagged garden soil for some of the hardier shrubs and trees but mixing my own additives for less hardy shrubs like the frost proof gardenias and a couple of the hydrangeas. Basic path has been laid out and foundation plants are going in so i'll be able to start adding the perennials to fill in soon.

There are so many flowers opening right now .... my Scarlet Fringed Poppies, Passionflower Vine, Peaches and Cream Dianthus and the Roses keep chugging along like troopers, as usual.

New shrubs being added include: Spirea, Barberry, Hydrangea (Sun loving), Hardy Gardenias (2 varieties), Dwarf Wigelia (2 varieties) and Yellow Honeysuckle. More Peony, Delphinium, Liatris, Dutch Iris, Dianthus, Creeping Phlox and a few others will be added soon as well. I'm really hoping that next year I'll be able to remove the grass form the other half of the yard and get that completed. 🤞

[westcoastpagan]

Decided to get away from the city yesterday, It was a very warm day here and the mountains were calling. Our destination was Crystal Mountain, in Pierce County, Washington. I had never been there and wanted to see the "best" and 'most unobstructed' view of Mt. Rainier. The views did not disappoint .....

It took some time to get pictures without anyone else in them but it was worth the wait. Absolutely breathtaking and without a doubt, a true spiritual experience.

I took a short walk down one of the trails that starts at the base of the gondola landing .... I had to go the long way to the trail because there was a wedding happening while we were there.

[westcoastpagan]

I've been spending a lot of time in the garden lately, tending to the planted beds and creating new ones. I've been trying to keep a good mix of magical herbs mixed in with the ornamental plants and this year I am finally seeing the fruits of my labor.

Not only did my Foxglove sprout, it's thriving. I have Orris root, Blackberry, Borage and even a small patch of St. Johns Wort, amongst others. My focus recently has been the ornamental plants because they seem to need the most care and soil conditioning.

The "fill soil" used on the lot my house is built on was less than ideal, it's mostly sand and doesn't hold moisture. I've been amending it as I plant and using soil rebuilders when I water in spring and fall. Every plant gets watered with Vitamin B1 solution and every spring I spray the property with nematodes to help get rid of grubs, Junebugs are a real problem here.

The area that is planted already inly represents about 10% of the property. It's going to take me years to get rid of all the weeds and sift the soil to get the hundreds of pounds of rocks out but it'll be completely worth it when it's completed.

The area of the garden where the Callas, Dogwood and the Foxglove was the first to be completed. Removal of the tree that was planted there when we purchased took 2 months because it was right up against the foundation. The result was quite pleasing though.

This was the before ..... the yard is unrecognizable now. I left the Lilac and moved the Japanese Maple but everything else had to go.

This is the same space two years after moving in. The section where the Lilac lives is the next section to have some major work done. Grass has been removed and plants are being delivered this week. The edging is going away, it was only there to keep the grass from spreading into the flower bed. There will be a walkway through this area but there will be no grass ..... it's being removed from the whole property.

[westcoastpagan]

Today was a gardening day, still working out a lot of issues but the overall progress is making me very happy. The pink dogwood and Daphne are huge now. My cottage garden is coming along quite nicely and I couldn't be happier.

The Passionflower vine was out of control last year, did some heavy pruning before it started budding out and this is the transformation after 1 month .... there are already flower buds.

Last year I collected some wild foxglove seeds and sprinkled them in several areas of the garden and they grew through the winter and are flowering now. They live behind the Pink Dogwood (ignore the weeds please).

The Mountain Laurel suffered quite a bit the winter before last but this past winter was mild so it's making a comeback this year and the flower production is going to be spectacular this year for such a small plant.

Peony, Roses, Iris and Calla Lilies are all putting on a grand show so far too. We are trying to create as much biodiversity in the gardens as we can while keeping a good mix of native plants. We keep areas for our local solitary bees to nest and move the nests into the shed for winter to keep them from freezing in winter. Two flower beds had to be replanted so they didn't block the entrance to the Bumblebee nests under the shed. I just wish I could get the crows to claim someone else's yard as their territory, they are really destructive.

[westcoastpagan]

I spent a good portion of the day at Camp Long, a small bit of paradise in the middle of West Seattle. There are cabins, a pond, trails and plenty of beautiful places to sit and take it all in. As close as it is to main roads, it's quite peaceful and relatively quiet. It butts up against a golf course but I have never even been close to the fence that separates the two areas.

There are zip=lines and climbing features in the lower portions of the park, closer to the golf course.

Through most of the week it's almost always empty. There are a few joggers in the morning and the odd parent with child but far more so on the weekend. There are woods, open grassy areas, shaded clearings near the water and all the nature you can handle in the middle if the city.

It's the perfect spot to sit and meditate or work your ritual as you will have no distractions 90% of the time.

The trails there, if you come in from the golf course parking lot, lead you to bridges, mushrooms and the always present bunnies.

[westcoastpagan]

Not much happening today, just worked on removing a bunch of English Ivy from my yard ..... I was quite thorough this time so hopefully this will be the last year (4th) I have to dig it up. I started planting an Asian inspired garden today, I'm only planting a small section every year and killing the crass and weeds by covering them with roofing shingles left over from the addition being built.

The tree in the first picture is a flowering Cherry. There will be a Coralbark Maple along the yellow house and a Star Magnolia further to the right. These 3 trees will be the main source of shade in this corner and help to keep the Hydrangea, azaleas, and Mountain Laurel from drying up and dying from too much sun. The fence sections will be placed on top of the large beams to help hide the chain link fence and give a much more Asian feel to this area.

My big concern is for the other side of the yard ...... there are California Poppies everywhere and Bamboo running rampant too. It's all going to need to be dug up which means removing the top 10 inches of soil and replacing it, that's gonna take some time.

The back yard is actually quite large for this city and there is going to be a fair amount of food trees and plants back here too. I have planted, so far, Apples, Cherries, Plums, Italian Plums, Passionfruit, Blueberries, and Quince. Plans are to have Grapes, Kiwi and an Asian Pear ..... plus all the raised beds for veggies and Strawberries. This is the view of the back and side yards I am working with .... I need to move the old raised rose beds as they're overgrown with grass.

As soon as the newly planted fruit trees start getting a bit bigger it'll be time to remove that large Cherry tree and replace it with something else. It's over 40 years old and still produces but it's not going to last much longer.

[westcoastpagan]

I decided, since the weather was not the best for being out in nature today, to refresh my travel Altar.

I keep 2 glass bowls, 1 candle, 1 cloth, vial of salt, vial of water (kept empty till needed), sterling and amethyst pendulum, several charms and a container of crystals and tumbled stones: quartz, smoky quartz, lapis, labradorite, black tourmaline, ruby, sapphire, aquamarine, amber, kyanite, emerald, garnet, amethyst, herkimer diamond, lodolite and rose quartz. The incense i take depends on the need, I usually mix what i need and take charcoal discs but sometimes a simple dragons blood cone is all that's necessary.

The whole kit gets carried in this beaded velvet satchel.

[westcoastpagan]

Second day in a row of rain and hail. I really don't like the weather this time of year. That being said, here are some pictures from last summers trip to Mt. Rainier.

[westcoastpagan]

It's a cold, windy and rainy day with intermittent hail. I had hoped it would clear up so I could get out in the world but it doesn't look like that's going to happen so I'm spending the day with my indoor plants and the cat I belong to.

I need to divide my Snake plant so maybe that will happen today ..... if the kitty approves.

[westcoastpagan]

Thrifting

Today, technically yesterday, I found a couple of amazing pewter pieces at the local thrift store. I kinda love pewter and the ladies at the senior thrift shop know that so they put some pieces away for when I come in. The first piece they showed me was a decanter set with cordials made in Brazil. I had to have it.

Then they brought out this vintage Guggisberg Lugano tankard ..... it's AMAZING! They are made in Switzerland and are quite hefty. I haven't cleaned either of them, not sure I will, but they are welcome additions to my selection of Altar Decor.

[westcoastpagan]

I spent some time in the park today, surrounded by trees and singing birds. One of the best things about the PNW is the sheer amount of "green space".

I had a few friends following me, they even let me take their pictures. I think they were expecting food in return, maybe next time. So many ferns already, moss expanding it's reach and the creeping blackberries are blooming.

A little further in was where the Rhododendrons were.

Quite the relaxing day, now on to some yard work.

[westcoastpagan]

Over the past year I have experimented with several blogs and they never felt right, I realized I was trying to be too specific. Welcome to the new page and a fresh take on my hobbies, idiosyncrasies, interests, fears and my personal practice.

I am second generation pagan, born and raised in New York state. I have lived in several states and visited every one I haven't lived in. I settled in the beautiful Pacific Northwest about 14 years ago and will remain here until my final breath is taken.

It's such an amazing place to exist, mountains, ocean, and all the woods you can explore ..... it truly is a pagans paradise. I collect a good portion of the herbs I use, both in ritual and healing applications, from the woods near here.