#echo sounds

There are so many possible answers to this question. There's the obvious choices like the wonder of the aurora on a clear night or the inescapable taste of ozone after powerful lightning strikes. I considered answering something like the fleeting brilliance of a meteor piercing the night, or curiosity of bioluminescent life I find twinkling like stars in the tides beneath the boardwalks near my home. Or the frequency of spirals throughout the universe, from seashells to plant growth to maelstroms to powerful storms to the galaxies of the heavens themselves. But while I love all of these phenomena, none are my favorite.

I've seen the green flash several times in my life and I really almost settled on this as my answer. It is incredible even though it is so fleeting, really a blink-and-miss-it experience. But thinking about the green flash brought me to my answer: the colors of the sky. It's a simple thing, one seen every day and easy to overlook. After all there are so many awe-inspiring things in this world. But the shade of daytime blue changes with the seasons. In winter it's a crisp cyan and in the summer it's a sultry azure hue. And every day, twice a day, the sky isn't any shade of blue at all, but the most exquisite array of oranges, pinks, and purples with hints of grey. The most vivid watercolor transition of sunrise and sunset that I always find peace upon seeing.

Labels are everywhere in daily life, even in the occult. And that's great! If you find a label that fits you and your needs and it's fair game, go for it and congrats on finding one that suits you. But sometimes, picking a label for yourself is a) unnecessary and/or b) not appropriate. Honestly, it's nice to have a word, but sometimes it doesn't fit ya know? For example, sometimes I call myself a witch as it is easier to explain or comprehend to outsiders, but deep down I feel I'm not really a Witch. Oh, sure, I use spells and some curses, folk charms really. I do healings and divination, blessings and protections. But more often than not, the title "witch" doesn't quite seem right to me, despite how simple it would be to take the word and use it. So I typically don't. The label isn't necessary.

But what about it being "not appropriate"? Well, awhile ago I was discussing this with a fellow occultist who is a witch, and they suggested I could go by "cunning folk" or "curandeira" instead. While my practice at times aligns closer with those terms, this is where choosing labels get dicey. Cunning folk is not really I title I can claim. Curandeira even less so, despite my cultural background. Those sort of titles are ones that are bestowed onto you by others in a community. This also applies in regards to titles from initiated traditions or closed practices. Just because the functionality of the term fits, does not mean the term itself up for grabs.

I tend towards occultist, or practitioner and I feel less out of my skin with them. I also don't insult traditions I don't belong to by using their names and titles wrongly. Find a different term, elaborate on your practice, or don't even bother with a label, just don't take and use what isn't yours.

Suddenly, this year, it bloomed oh so well! But it bloomed a pure white

July was all about the bees 🐝 and I love the gifts they provide us, and boy do they provide. I reached out to my friend Joe about possibly using some of his apiary's beeswax. It's the first time I asked for some, so it threw him for a curve, but I wanted to try my hand at a salve (failed, failed so badly, ugh) and some candles with molds I purchased (success!!!) He agreed for the price of the first candle from the batch. Hurrah, locally sourced beeswax!!

For the record, rendering beeswax is a pain in the ass. I had to do it 3 times to get it as clean as I wanted and I almost ruined a pot doing so. I have a lot of respect for you folks who do this routinely, and it was a rough process starting out, but I'm hoping that practice will make perfect for the future.

I made a 10 inch taper for Joe. I made it pure beeswax for him to be able to burn it and enjoy his hive's product in its truest form. Have you ever burned a simple beeswax candle? It has a honey-like, earthy scent to it and is just so lovely. The second taper made was for my personal practice so I added a couple drops of sandalwood and some Holy Mother rose oil. It's smells divine, has some damn good results, and I couldn't be more thrilled.

My fiancé and I also are brewing some mead! (I go through a lot of honey in my household, but this year is a lot more than usual so far haha). The honey is -again- from Joe, but the blueberries, raspberries and strawberries are from our own garden! It's still processing, but we're rather excited about it and looking forward to bottling it for our friends.

Someone needs to talk me out of buying one for me to play endlessly, when there’s so many other things I could allocate funds towards