Fruit infused water is a way I really enjoy to bring energies into my life. Just add fruits and/or herbs that correspond with the energies you wish to bring and focus on them while you drink.
Here is one I made to bring energies for prosperity, good fortune, and happiness!
Ingredients:
Purified water -- I got a gallon and added more as it got lower. Pineapple -- luck, money, prosperity Kiwis -- happiness, abundance Mango -- spirituality, happiness
Recipe:
Cut up fruits into chunks or slices. How many you add or how much is up to you. Mine was mostly pineapple and tasted most like pineapple, but if you want to taste the other fruits more just add less pineapple since it's a stronger taste.
Add fruit into a jar or pitcher. I just chunked them in as I was cutting to keep room on the cutting board as well as to keep an eye on how full it was.
When you have the desired amount of fruit in the jar/pitcher, pour the water in over it.
Refrigerate and allow to infuse. I leave mine in overnight just to make sure it has full flavor.
Drink and enjoy!
Infusing Magick and Energies:
How you infuse and draw energies is really what feels right to you.
What I did was focus on the energies as I handled, cut, added the fruit, and every time I drank the water. But always do what your spirit is called to do!
This video has taken a lot of time and stress to share. It was filmed over two weeks. My camera kept erasing parts and we had to keep refilming. At the end, there was an hour's worth of footage and I cut it down to 25 minutes. So here's the result!
How we fell in love, our life, and just being goofy!
{Questions taken from various quizzes on Pinterest.}
1. How did we meet?
A: We met on Facebook. Lame, right? I was bored and scrolling pages absently, and noticed his page. I added him, a couple days later said hey, later that night he responded, and from there we got to talking. We talked a lot over the next couple weeks and became really close. We finally met in person a couple weeks later when I had a game night at a friend's house and invited him to come. 2. What was our first date?
We both consider the game night our first date, since it was really significant. I made crack potatoes (loaded potato casserole) and german chocolate cupcakes. I ended up not having any myself because I had a bad anxiety of eating in front of people, only driven further by my nervousness around him. That night I left the leftovers out and forgot about them and they went bad. Bleh. But anyway, we hung out and played Harry Potter Clue, which was a lot of fun.
Then on March 3, 2015 we officially became a couple. That was the start of our special number 3 (3rd day of 3rd month.) :) 3. What are our favorite memories of our relationship?
This part of the video makes us sound so boring, haha, but really we have shared so many wonderful moments. I got to enjoy sharing his first trip to the zoo and showing him all the animals he'd never seen in person before. We had so many moments driving around in his car, going down dirt roads, racing his Challenger against other cars, driving to other towns, taking off places we've never been to see where we end up. We would go to the nearest big town and hang out at the mall, or go out to eat. We spent a lot of time going to the river or to Big Lake and enjoying nature. We went to Memphis and checked out Beale Street. We've witnessed many astrological events together. We watched the Perseids Meteor Shower together and each seen 23 meteors while we were each 23 years old. We seen a Super Blood Moon Eclipse and a Solar Eclipse. I seen the moon through a telescope for the first time with him. Everything I have experienced as a Pagan has been with him. And of course this isn't to mention the fact that everything we have experienced as parents has (obviously!) been together. We have shared so much.
4. What do we love most about each other?
Justin - "How artistic you are, how sweet you are, the way you think, your kisses. " There was some mumbling that I can't understand but I'm loved and that's what matters. haha
Toria - I love his mind, how he thinks, and how passionate he is about things. His open-mindedness and how easy it is to talk to him really made me fall for him and also really enabled me to find myself. Being with him I can be myself completely. I also love how he supports me even to the point of getting awkward with me in front of the camera. haha
5. Who is more creative?
This is a no-brainer. Me. (Toria) haha Justin is creative in ways, and is good at poetry, the one time a year he ever writes anymore. He's supposed to be a great singer and was in a band, but I only know from what his friends have said, since 3+ years later he still is too nervous to sing in front of me. Gah. I definitely devote to it more since creativity is my essence and passion. No matter what I'm doing, how 'mundane' it is, I come at it either physically or mentally with creativity and expression.
6. Who is better at keeping surprises?
I don't know where in the world Justin got that I hate surprises since that's seriously MY FAVORITE THING. haha I love trying to surprise him when I can but a lot of times he makes it difficult. I'm not sure the story I told in the video came across well, but at Christmas I had bought him a really nice tumbler because he's been saying for 3 years that he wanted a good tumbler for work but always thought about it at the wrong times. So I got him one. But then we're checking out at Walmart one day and he spots some cheap tumblers on the shelf so he asks if he can get one. So I'm like "No." I try playing it off like we didn't need to spend any more money as if we already had too many things in the basket, but he was thinking like it's so cheap why does it matter? So I just spurt out "That's what I got you for Christmas! Geez! I was trying to not have to spoil it!" haha And when I was pregnant, I never got to do any special announcement for him because we are so close that he just knew.
7. Who does the cooking?
I do. Justin cannot cook. If I'm sleeping or away, he'd pretty much just starve or snack on whatever munchies he can find. He said in the video he would grill but I have never seen him grill. So let's hope nothing ever happens to me while I'm still needed.
8. Who is more adventurous?
Justin, by far. He is so fearless - and reckless. I've been told I have an old soul because I've never had that youthful carefree attitude. I always see the risks. I never live life as if I'm invincible. I really haven't done much living in my life, and that's one of the biggest changes I want to make. 9. Who is more likely to be running late?
Justin. Justin. Justin. He is so slow and lolly gags and dilly dallies like there's no tomorrow. haha I'm like if I want to do something I'm like let's do this now, let's go now. haha 10. Who said "I love you" first?
Justin did. I didn't say it for a week or so after I think. I felt it, but I was too scared to say it, even after he did.
11. Who is the most likely to wake up grumpy?
Justin. {.....haha I only just realized how many "Justin"s there are. } I'm not all that fond of waking up but Justin can be just mean when he gets woken up. That doesn't really stop me from trying though. haha I can't help it, I miss him when he's sleeping.
12. Who is messier?
We both make messes, though I guess if you live you're going to have messes. Dirty dishes, laundry, etc. So I'm not sure really one or the other of us is messier, but I'm the one who does all of the cleaning. He works, I take care of the house.
13. Who do you love more than anyone in the world?
For both of us, we love each other and Bastian the most. Our family is full of love.
14. What is your favorite composer, instrument, or musical artist?
Justin - Instrument: Cello. Composer: Marilyn Manson. Musical Artist: Bullet For My Valentine and The Used.
Toria - Instrument: Harp. Composer: Danny Elfman. Musical Artist: (currently) mainstream - Ed Sheeran and pagan - Spiral Dance. 15. What were you wearing when you first met?
Neither of us remember what he was wearing, but we both remember what I was wearing. haha I was so nervous that I made a Facebook post - hidden from him - asking my friends to help me pick an outfit. I ended up wearing a black shirt that has a big cheetah bow in the back.
16. Where were we born?
Justin: Kennet, MO
Toria: Ogden, UT 17. When are our birthdays? What are our Zodiac signs? Justin: September 25, 1991. Libra. Toria: June 28,1992. Cancer.
18. What are our favorite flowers?
Justin: Rose
Toria: Pretty much all lilies - calla lilies, stargazers, etc. Moonflowers, bleeding hearts, galaxy (dendrobium) orchids....I love flowers!
Well, that's all the questions we answered in the video! I look forward to us doing more and being able to share our life!
A little belated due to literally technical difficulties, but here is the altar I had put together for Spring! When Spring came, I was really feeling flowers and vibrant yellows and pinks. So I had fresh flowers, bright art, and a yellow honeysuckle candle. I feel that honeysuckle may be more representative of Summer but it's one of my birth flowers so I still felt drawn to it. My primary desire was just that the candle was yellow (the lovely scent was just a bonus!) In the video I mention that it was hard for me to smell it. As it burned I did grow to smell it more, albeit faintly; it was a gentle pleasant scent. I have some issues with my senses of scent and taste and each are very very faint for me. #funfact haha
In conjunction with Spring, the element of Air was working strongly in my life. Spring is the season associated with Air, so they meshed perfectly. With Air, I was connecting strongly with birds. I was so fascinated with watching them flit about, soar, and even just watch the birds that nest on our porch as they lay eggs and as those eggs hatch and the babies grow.
The centerpiece of my altar was a real bird nest with bird eggs in it. Our apartment has this awning over the front porch with columns, and birds like to nest in the top of the columns. But our next-door neighbor took the nest by her apartment down. ("The bird kept trying to attack me." she said. We find it likely the bird would get startled when she'd open the door and fly off - which was the case for our bird. Unlike her, we would say sorry to the bird for startling it.) We realized a while afterwards while walking around the apartment that the nest was on the ground, and after keeping an eye on it we knew it had been abandoned along with the eggs. So I brought it onto the altar so that it could be honored. During the time we were keeping an eye out on the nest, I went over to my father's and found two more eggs on the ground that had fallen out of the trees. In the early photo of my altar, you can see where I'd had those eggs before bringing in the nest also. It's heartbreaking so I wanted to put forth some love to those homes and lives that they had unfortunately been deprived of. I ended up having to toss them, though, after my cat got onto the altar and broke one of the eggs. I'd love to add another abandoned nest to my altar when the birds migrate. I actually have two nests stacked on top of each other on my front porch right now. I've never seen that before! There was a dove that took over the location of a robin's nest after they had flown away. There's another nest on the back porch, but it's currently occupied. Maybe one of them will be a good option, and would give space for birds to come again next year.
Aside from the bird nest and eggs, I also began collecting bird feathers, which I am still continuing to do. Most of them are tiny feathers but they feel so special to me. That's an amazing thing about being out in nature, even your own backyard, is being able to find things that have been lost and continue to give them life and honor.
One last element that I really loved was my melted snow. It was a happy accident that I forgot to add it to my Yule altar, and I believe every year I will collect snow for my Spring altar, allowing it to melt away and bring forth Spring. So perfectly symbolic!
Well, better late than never! And now on to the next season!
