Month: December 2014

Ceremony of Renewal

smudgeLast night I went to bed and heard a little nudge from Spirit telling me to get back up and smudge, and so I did. I made sure and smudged really well with sage and palo santo wood and then made my way back to bed. I knew instantly I would be gifted with a ceremonial vision.

The vision that came to me: I was painted all white with some sort of powder, from head to toe and laid out on a slab of pine. There was a bowl of smudge burning just beneath my head and the smoke billowed down my entire body. Grandmother Spirit was the one doing everything is this particular ceremony. As I lay there covered in this white powder, she prayed and used a large bunch of leaves to move the smudge smoke over my body. She would use a sweeping motion from head to toe as she chanted her prayers. She then took a large pail of ceremonial water (this is water that has been brewing with herbs for a certain amount of time) and started pouring it over me, starting at my head and going down my body. The water washed away the white powder which she called “the ghost of my past”. She washed away all of the powder and then rubbed me down with an herbal salve that she told me was for protection. Another Grandmother Spirit worked on my feet as the other continued with the herbal salve. The Grandmother working on my feet, looks up and tells me that what she is doing is for a good journey ahead, preparing me for what’s to come. Once the two of them are done they started working on a special breast plate for me. They told me that I needed a little extra protection for my heart. It had been weakened too much in the past year and needed guarding more than usual. So they crafted this special breast plate and slipped it over me and continued with their chants and prayers. I looked down and watched as the breast plate faded away and asked what happened. They smiled at me and said it is still there, not to worry. The two of them then continued on with the sweeping motion, brushing the smudge smoke over my body until I fell into a deep sleep.

I woke up feeling fresh and renewed, looking forward to the journey ahead.

I am thankful for such an honored vision and the gift of ceremony preparing me for my new journey.

Thank you always to the Grandmothers who watch over me.

Many Blessings for safe journeys ahead,

ravensig

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2015 – Year of the Raven

celebrate me 2My entire life has been about others. First it was about my parents, then it was about significant other and children, this year I’m making some changes, this year is all about ME!

Background:
I have always been one of those “fix it” kind of people. Always nursing others back to health. Fixing whatever problems they have, the one giving the pat on the back, the “atta boy”, the one to provide love, care and companionship. The one who kisses all the booboos and makes them go away, gets rid of the monsters and makes sure everyone is okay. Many times over I have changed my ways to adapt and make life easier for someone else. The problem is I was the one making changes and adapting while everyone else remained as they were. A whole lot of give coming from one direction only. Life needs balance. Your work life, your family life, your creative life, your love life…. all parts of your life need some sort of balance. This is something I’ve always sought after but never really found. I’m not placing any blame on anyone other than myself. I’ve made bad decisions and I have enabled over and over again. All with good intentions but still the only blame here is on me.

2014 was one of the worst years of my life so far and I have found myself having to do some deep thinking about how I want the rest of my life to go. Sooooooooo, 2015 is my year to be ME! This is the year I work on fixing me and not others. I will find my own balance, I will enjoy life as it comes and not stress over every little thing coming my way. I will conquer my fears and face life with a whole new vision.

I’m going to keep this topic going to let you all know how I’m doing throughout the year. We’ll see what obstacles come up and how I manage my way around them, we’ll explore new places and learn all kinds of new things, well go on adventures, explore the unexplored and create magic wherever we go! When you see “2015 – Year of the Raven” in the subject line …. you’ll know what it’s about. If you don’t care to know how it’s going.. just skip those posts.

Farewell 2014 … and Hello New Year!

This New Year is MINE! Mine all MINE!

Grab a year and make it yours!

Many Blessings,
Raventalker

New Year – New You

newyearOnce again we are approaching a New Year, it’s time to cleanse yourself of the past and prepare for the year ahead.

On two sheets of parchment (or any paper you like) paper you will make 2 lists: (While making these lists, visualize everything you write down. If you want to get rid of heartbreak, visualize your heart mending – if you want more money, visualize yourself getting a larger paycheck, more money in your bank accounts, etc)

The first list will be of all things you don’t want or no longer need in your life. Be specific, very specific!

The second list will be of things you want to keep in your life and things you would like to see coming into fruition. Again, be specific!

You will take the “Keep” list, roll it up, tie it with a ribbon, say a final prayer and place it in a safe place for the year. 

You will then take the “Get Rid of” list and burn it in a fire. Watch that list burn and imagine all the things on that list burning out of your life with it. Be sure while you do these acts that you do them with love in your heart. You don’t want bad karma, mojo or intentions intertwined with your ceremony. Do all things with love. You don’t wish for bad to come to anyone or anything in your lists … you just no longer want or need them in your life so you should wish them away with love and kindness so that the parting may be an easier transition for all who may be involved.

And as with all ceremonies you should take time to yourself to reflect, prepare and ground yourself before beginning. Cleanse the space, yourself, your mind and body before the ceremony. 

Many Blessings,
Raventalker

2014 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 17,000 times in 2014. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 6 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

From Nothing to Something

Through the years I have encountered many in my life who would have had me believe I was nothing… and through the years I have always come out proving that I was indeed something more. Sometimes I would go years believing how they made me feel, fighting it all along the way. The core of my being knew that I was not what they would have me believe, but when living with this kind of behavior day in and day out for so long, one can tend to start believing this lie. Everyone has value, if the person you are with cannot see yours then they truly do not belong in your life. It doesn’t always come from romantic relationships, it can come from work, friends, etc. This has been a hard lesson for me, I have relived it again and again. Someday, maybe I’ll truly believe in my own worth and forget the lie that I was lead so often to believe.

something

Many Blessings,
ravensig

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The Coyote and the Wolf

wolfLet me tell you about the story of the Coyote and the Wolf. There was this Coyote who such a non-believer in everything. He was such a non-believer that even if something stared him right in the face he would question everything about what he had just witnessed with his own eyes. He would argue his own experience, until he made himself disbelieve in everything that had just happened.

One day the Coyote was walking through the forest and came upon a Wolf who was talking to… well…. the Coyote wasn’t quite sure who the Wolf was speaking to. To the Coyote it seemed as though the Wolf was just talking to herself. The Coyote’s curiosity would not rest until he got to the bottom of the matter. He approached the chatty Wolf and asked, “Who are you taking to?”, the Wolf responded with, “Can’t you see, I’m talking to the Fairies!”. The Coyote rolled his eyes and with a big laugh replied, “Oh, yeah sure… the fairies…. yeah, well you go ahead and talk to your imaginary friends if you like” and he walked away laughing. The Wolf ignored the Coyote and continued her conversation and then went on with her business.

The Coyote could not leave this matter alone, for some reason it bothered the Coyote that the Wolf thought she could speak to Fairies. So, every time the Coyote saw the Wolf, he would make comments, hoping to make the Wolf feel foolish about her beliefs. The Wolf never listened to the Coyote. She would shrug her shoulders and just walk away. The Wolf had many magical beliefs and no matter what the Coyote would say or how much he would laugh, the Wolf stayed true to her beliefs and carried on with her day.

The Coyote really could not stand it that the Wolf believed in such nonsense. He began to make more comments and belittle the Wolf’s beliefs every chance he got. He was going to destroy her beliefs if it was the last thing he ever did. What the Coyote did not know was the strength of the Wolf. The Wolf could not be shaken from her beliefs for she had witnessed all these magical things with her very own eyes, with her soul and with her spirit. The Wolf herself was magical, inside and out and the strength she carried with her was far beyond the understanding of the Coyote.

The Coyote continued bashing the Wolf’s beliefs for many years. It grew so very old, the bashing, the laughing and the tormenting. The Wolf as usual, would shrug her shoulders and move on. She would speak to the Fairies, listen to the Spirits of the Forest, and practice magic every day. There was nothing this Coyote could do to shake the Wolf from this nonsense she believed in. The Coyote had nothing left. It seemed as though he was speaking into the wind every time he would try and argue with the Wolf. The Coyote just grew more and more frustrated while the Wolf seemed untouched. She continued being herself, working her magic and believing her way.

This went on for years before the Coyote grew bored and one day just gave up and left the forest. He realized there was nothing more he could do to change the Wolf. I’m sure it was no time at all before the Coyote found someone else to badger.

When you are sure and firm in your beliefs, it doesn’t matter what anyone else says or does, your beliefs stay intact.

Your faith stays strong and you stand unshaken by the disbelief of others.

Stand Strong.. Stay True to Yourself.
Many Blessings,
Raventalker

New Dream Catchers Available

I just finished up these 3 new dream catchers. All created with energy from the New Moon on the Eve of the Winter Solstice.

All of my dream catchers are created with purpose, love and intent for healing and are smudged and cleansed for the best possible results. You can view more information about each one in my Etsy Shop.. Click here to Check them out!

Many Blessings,
Raventalker

Tis the Season

                                                          Tis the Season to Believe…

WP_20141220_006Believe in Magic, even though you may have never seen it.
Believe in Love, even when it has left a hurtful mark.
Believe in Yourself, even more so when others don’t.
Believe in Miracles, even when you are filled with doubt.
Believe in Wishes, even the ones left unanswered.
Believe in Kindness, even when others forget to show it.
Believe in Hope, even when you are feeling hopeless.
Believe in Angels, even if you’ve never seen them.
Believe in Goodness, even when you are surrounded by bad.
Believe in in the Unseen, even though you have clearly not seen it.
Believe in Tradition, even when it’s been broken.
Believe in Forgiveness, even when others won’t.
Believe in Your Dreams, even the ones not followed.
Believe…

Many Blessings,
Raventalker

Falling in Love

A dear friend of mine posted a picture of a loving young couple and stated that “2015 is going to be the year I fall in love again… Onward and upward Its coming.. its my turn. I can feel it”. (Thank you Januarie for the inspiration)

My instant response to her post was, “I’m going to fall back in love with me!”.

For years I have taken to heart all the terrible things others have said and done to me. I have allowed these words and actions to get stuck in my head, swirling around like a vicious tornado, destroying every positive thought that appeared. I allowed this. These are important words “I ALLOWED THIS”. I would tell myself all the time that I was not what they made me feel like. Their words and actions are a reflection of them and not me. I would repeat these things to myself all the time and yet their negative words and actions still swirled around in my head, leaving me feeling sad, hurt, alone, ugly, useless, undesirable, etc.

I knew these things they said and did were not really about me, so why were they so stuck in my head? Why couldn’t I get them out? Why was I hanging on to them? That’s it! I held on to those words and actions, I was the one who could not let them go. Why? I’m guessing a multitude of reasons, dating back to my earliest memories as a child. I know I wasn’t born to feel this way, so it must have been a million little things throughout my lifetime that just gathered like dust under grandma’s old dresser, that over time built ilovemeup into the largest, scariest dust bunny anyone has ever seen!

2015 is the year I begin learning how to love myself again. I’m going back to the day I was born. Fresh and new to the world without all the crap others left at my door. I’m no longer a collector of their shit. I am falling in love this year and it’s going to be the best happily ever after in history. I’ll be falling back in love with myself. Loving every imperfect inch of me, flesh and bone, body, mind and spirit. I’m going to love every gift, every fault, every thing that I am. I will own it and I will love it! I will love me! Once and for all I WILL LOVE ME!

This is my gift to myself this year… TRUE LOVE… HAPPILY EVER AFTER.

Many Blessings,

ravensig

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DIY Brazilian Blowout at Home

I have long, naturally curly hair and I love it!! Sometimes though, I would like my hair to be straight,NOT an easy task! To get my hair straight, I spend over an hour blow drying and flat ironing and pray that the weather is not so humid… living in the South, that rarely happens. After forever in front of the mirror, hot and worn out… there is still a chance that when I step outside, my hair will frizz and puff up like a puffer fish. Not exactly my idea way to start the day and certainly not the look I have spent all that time trying to achieve.

So now there is this new craze going on called Brazilian Blowout. It’s a treatment done at the beauty salons that I have found is quite costly. This treatment is said to last 30 days or longer. It leaves your hair straight, shiny and smooth and without all that work that it normally takes to straighten curly hair. My budget won’t allow me to go out and have it done, so I set out on a mission to find a way to do it myself. It wasn’t hard. There are lots of products out there, all seem pretty affordable ranging from $20 – $50. I watched a Youtube video showing how its done. I searched for products and book marked a few to consider purchasing soon.

WP_20141213_001I was at Walmart of all places to pick up some shipping boxes and thought I’d check out the hair products aisle. This is what I found for $10. I thought, well it looks like the products I’ve seen online so why not, if it doesn’t work, I’m only out $10.

I went home, followed instructions on the box and in less time than it took me to straighten my hair the other night.. I was done. Edited in Lumia Selfie

This is what my hair looked like the day after, even after I slept on it all night. That morning all I had to do was blow it out a little and flat ironed quickly just to smooth down and bumps that  occurred during the night. Instructions say not to wash for 48 hours, so now I wait. The true test of this product will be what happens AFTER the wash.

And then we can see how long this treatment lasts. For $10… I think this was well worth a try.

Follow this post for updates… I’ll post what happens after the wash and I’ll try and post weekly about how it’s going and how long it lasts.

Edited in Lumia SelfieUPDATE: This morning I washed my hair for the first time since the treatment and well the product did great, but I failed. MY hair is really thick and holds water and takes ages to blowdry, this morning I miss judged the time and while I was trying to get it dry I ran out of time, had to wet it again and just let it go natural for today. For me I will have to wash it at night and just flat iron in the mornings. I don’t have any product on my hair at all today and to my amazement it’s not frizzy  at all. Normally I always have to use some sort of antifrizz product on my hair just to keep it under  control. Today I had it mostly dry, wet it again and then dried just my bangs and walked out the door. I will flat iron it in the morning and it SHOULD be back to its straight fabulous self. On another note, my hair is really curly when I allow it to dry on its own, today a lot less curly, so the product works!

 

 

Edited in Lumia Selfie

UPDATE: 2 weeks later… still straight and loving it!!!
The key is a good flatiron that gets up to 450.

Many Blessings,
Raventalker

Reminding Ourselves of the Light

WP_20140925_007For a while there I had allowed someone to make me feel less than what I am. I lost the light that is inside me. It was still there, NOTHING will get rid of it, but… I lost it. I let doubt in and I could not see my own light for the veil of doubt in front of it. I think a lot of us do this from time to time. We allow life situations and unhealthy relationships to cloud our light and we forget for a moment who we really are and what we are capable of.

It is a great feeling though, when we are able to see past that veil of doubt and wall of negativity and we regain sight of our light. In that moment, we are filled with a fire that seems unstoppable. There isn’t anything that could bring us down or get in our way of reaching our goals and ambitions. Realizing our own light is empowering! We must work hard to keep sight of that light and stay on guard to protect it from being lost in a cloud doubt and negativity that others try to plant inside us.

People like that aren’t needed in your life, the right people will help you shine that light and fan the flames of your fire. The right people aren’t afraid of your light, they will happily join you, creating a bigger beam.

Remember this: Your light is always there… only sometimes it is clouded by muck. Grab a broom and sweep it away! Let your light shine!

Many Blessings,
Raventalker

The Most Deadly Virus

WP_20140715_016It’s a nasty, terrible virus. The side effects are the worst of all. The good thing is that it affects only those who allow it. So you do have a choice in the matter at least. Once you have this ghastly virus, it can be extremely hard to get rid of. THERE IS A CURE!!  YES indeed.. A CURE!!!

What virus am I talking about?

This virus is the negativity of others. Hateful, hurtful words and actions of others that get stuck in your head. The pain of rejection from someone else because you didn’t match whatever fantasy they had cooked up in their own head, that’s not really about you, it’s about them and what they had imagined, they are the ones living in fantasy.. don’t allow their voice, their words, their actions get stuck in your head, causing you pain and heartache. Some people are just nasty characters who strive in the misery of others… putting others down, makes them feel better about themselves. Don’t catch their virus. It’s deadly! It’s keeps us from shining, it keeps us down in their muck and let me tell you, nothing good ever happens there. This virus is so damaging, it can hang around for years and for some a lifetime.

Wash your hands of these virus carrying monsters and cleanse your mind of everything about them. They don’t belong in your life or your head. Let their words and actions fall upon the ground around you, don’t give them an inch of room in your head. Let them keep what they send out.

Many Blessings,
Raventalker

Wash your hands

I Promise …

IMG_0181Promises I make to myself…

I promise to allow myself as much time as I need to heal when life has caused me heartache and pain.

I promise to always, always follow my dreams.

I promise to never give up on my dreams, goals and ambitions.

I promise to be kind to myself.

I promise to trust my own intuition.

I promise to believe in myself more.

I promise to never give up on me.

I promise to make the best of every situation.

I promise to keep trying.

I promise to always get up after I have fallen down.

I promise to stay creative.

I promise to do my best.

I promise to trust myself more.

I promise to try and stay positive.

I promise to treat myself with love and understanding more.

I promise to always stay true to myself.

I promise to keep an open mind.

I promise to keep my heart open.

I promise to allow myself time alone.

I promise to allow myself time to relax.

I promise myself down time.

I promise to take care of me.

I promise to try and worry less.

I promise to let myself grieve when grieving needs to be done.

I promise not to feel bad about who I am and what I believe.

I promise to do my best at not letting others negative words get in my head.

I promise to try and keeping looking forward instead of backward.

I promise to not give up on me.

I promise to try my best to keep my promises.

This is not going to be easy…. but a promise is a promise.

Many Blessings,
Raventalker

Who is Raventalker?

Edited in Lumia SelfieI’ll tell you who I am …. for one, I’m a mess! A great big, giant mess of a woman! I love way too much and believe in myself way too little. I have baggage, loads and loads of baggage. The good thing is, I know about the baggage I carry and I am always trying my best to lighten the load. I am forever working on being a better me. Always working toward resolving any issues I may have with myself or my past, always teaching myself new things and eager to grow in as many ways as I possibly can. I won’t lie though, some things scare me to death so I dare not say that I am fearless in any way. I worry all the time and quite often about things that will never happen. I am ever curious and some might say a bit crafty 😉 .

I love finding new ways to be creative and express myself in all forms of art. I have dabbled in painting, stained glass, lampwork, weaving, sewing, knitting, leather work, sculpting, prop building, photography and writing .. just to name a few. The act of visualizing something and then working with your hands to make this vision a reality is an exciting challenge I am always ready to take on. I don’t have to be the best at anything, I just try to be the best me and do my own personal best at whatever challenge I decide to take on. I land where I land, on top, in the middle or even sometimes at the bottom.. as long as I have felt like I did my best, it doesn’t matter where others may rank me.

I am a hopeless romantic, a dreamer of dreams and a believer in magic. Some might say that magic isn’t real, dreams are for the foolish and that romance never lasts…. I say, we each make our own magic, dreams are worth following and romance is exactly what the world needs. Romance, magic and dreams die only if we allow them to. In my world, these things are what keep me smiling and hoping. They are why I have never given up this fight for life, even when my world seemed to be falling apart… magic, dreams and romance kept me going. I know they exist. They are a part of my soul.

I laugh, I cry, I hurt, I love, I create, I learn, I teach, I care, I fear, I worry, I dream, I hope, I believe, I play, I stress, I get emotional, I joke around, I try many things, I never give up on something I believe in, I keep going when others have let go.

Well, now you know… this is me, Raventalker…. that crazy woman, with all that baggage, creating art and believing in the silliest of things.

Many Blessings,
Raventalker

New Paintings Available!!

Just in time for Christmas …  Check these two out in my Etsy Shop – Click Here!!

“Music City” – this original mixed media painting of the Nashville Tennessee skyline on (2) 16″x20″” gallery wrapped canvas panels.

This painting was created using 2 forms of media: acrylics and ink. The background is done in ink while the buildings are created with acrylics.

and

“The Messengers” –  this original mixed media painting on (3) 10″x10″ gallery wrapped canvas panels. Arrange them anyway you like or separate them all over the house.

This painting was created using 2 forms of media: acrylics and ink. The background is done in ink while the ravens are created with acrylics.

Many Blessings,
Raventalker

Word of the Day: Patience

crowtalkerI asked a friend for a topic for today’s blog. She replied with “Patience”… My response “Ain’t Nobody Got Time For THAT!!!”.

You all know it’s true. That phrase we have all heard so many times, Patience is a Virtue. Uh huh… yeah okay, well that’s not a virtue that lives in this body! I want what I want and I want it now!! If only the universe would sync to my needs, all would be great in the world.

Okay, on a more serious note: Please do try and practice more patience with those around you, especially during the holidays. Getting upset won’t help you or anyone involved, so relax, take a deep breath and be patient with yourself and others.

Many Blessing,
Raventalker

What If…

IMG_8064
What if it’s going to be okay?
What if life isn’t really over?
What if the tears stop falling?
What if I stop reliving the past?
What if my heart becomes whole again?
What if the pain just stops?
What if the bad memories no longer haunt my sleep?
What if smiles and laughter take over?
What if I’m not scared anymore?
What if this hurt becomes nothing more than a memory?
What if I’m going to be okay?
What if love comes calling again?

What if……

Many Blessings,
Raventalker

New Dream Catchers Available for Christmas!!

I spent the weekend weaving new dream catchers… Just in time for Christmas!!

Check them out on my Etsy Shop – Click Here!!


Many Blessings,
Raventalker