Eight Pretty Powerful Things

1.Recipes for working through eclipse season

It's been a busy season in the cosmos this year. Well, the past few years but especially this year. We just had a lunar eclipse in the mega transformative Scorpio, during Mercury Retrograde and just after Pluto shifted into Aquarius. There’s a lot of debate about when the age of Aquarius started or starts but IMO, Pluto shifting into Aquarius IS the start of the age of Aquarius. Agree with me or not, regardless, it definitely marks a major shift in humanity as a whole. 

As above, so below which means when humanity has major shifts, each individual experiences the same on a personal level. Hence, the lunar eclipse in Scorpio, opening a portal for each of us to experience major life transformations which are so exciting, especially if you have done a lot of spiritual work in recent years. 

Many of us will completely redefine ourselves over the next 3-6 months. You might experience a career change, a physical change in your looks, or drastic changes in your behavioral patterns. For some, your friend circle will get an overhaul, moving you closer to people who are more aligned with you or you’ll fall out of the wrong relationship into the right one. 

There are an infinite number of ways your life can transform and it probably won’t be anything like what you’re imagining but it will be exactly what you need to be more YOU. But as is the case with all major changes, it can be challenging to navigate so I have compiled a list of Pretty Rituals recipes to help you navigate any challenging transformations that might arise over the coming months. 

Recipes to get you through transformation aka eclipse season. 

Desert Sage mist for spiritual crisis

Butterfly animal energy oil and spray

Grounded Incense

The Tarot - tarot aromatherapy diffuser

Snake anima energy oil and spray

Phoenix body & ritual oil

Shadow work aromatherapy roller

Scorpio energy bath salts

Not a Pretty Rituals member? Membership is only $20 a month with an annual membership and you can lock in this rate forever, if you enroll now. The cost will go up as more content is loaded so don’t miss your chance to get in at this low rate.

2.New Blog post: The God and the Goddess partner perfumes

I really enjoy the concept of what I call Partner Perfumes. Here’s how it works. You make a base like the vanilla oil infusion that I used in this post that will serve as the foundation for both perfumes. Then you make two complimentary perfumes, one for you and one for your partner. They smell wonderful on their own and then the two of you come together and it smells even better. And if you’re single, this practice can become a powerful way to attract a soul mate. 

But it doesn’t just work for sexual relationships. You can adapt this to partner with a friend or your children or when working with someone in a business partnership. The perfumes symbolize working together but still maintaining what makes you unique. 

I took this recipe from my brand new book, The Witch’s Apothecary: How to make magical potions for the Wheel of the Year. You can get the recipes for free here.

And if you’d like to see more recipes list this, consider enrolling in Pretty Rituals, a monthly membership for potions recipes, food recipes, rituals, astrological and tarot guidance, plus much more.

3.Viola Lux Umbra Tarot by Nicole Rallis of @leilaandolive

I have been following Nicole’s work for years and her Ophidia Rosa tarot is one of my top favorite tarot cards of all times. And what’s not to like? Tea stained backgrounds, floral and herbaceous designs, gilded edges, and hand illustrations? Gorgeous. She didn’t ask me to do this, offer anything for me to share this, nor does she even know that I’m sharing this. I just love her work and wanted to support her.

I’ll admit, this may not be a beginner deck when it comes to the guidebook. Nicole has a wonderfully poetic writing style that is beautiful but not practical for the beginner. But if you are ready to take your tarot reading to the next level, I would 100% give this deck a try. 

Or if you’re a beginner and still love this deck, consider getting it anyway and using another tarot book to help you with interpretations. 

The Viola Lux Umbra tarot is available on Kickstarter for just a few more days.

Image by Nicole Rallis

4.Favorite Questions of the Week

Will there be a Seasons of the Witch deck for each Sabbat?

Yes. There will be one deck for each of the eight sabbats. That was always the intention from the start. When the idea came up, Juliet and I both thought of the wheel and naturally, that led to the Wheel of the Year. But then I said, well each day is completely different from the next. Samhain and Litha for example represent completely different energies. And each of those energies can easily be broken down into several other intentions and thus, the first oracle deck series (at least to our knowledge) was born. 

And not only are we doing a SOTW oracle for each of the sabbats but there will also be a SOTW tarot and the very first SOTW journal comes out this year as well. More details on that next week. For now, three decks are already available and two additional decks are available for pre-order. 

Available now:

Seasons of the Witch Samhain Oracle

Seasons of the Witch Yule Oracle

Seasons of the Witch Beltane Oracle

Pre-order

Seasons of the Witch Mabon Oracle

Seasons of the Witch Imbolc Oracle

Seasons of the Witch Samhain Journal

Do you teach tarot?

Not yet but that is coming soon. I have been quietly working on my Tarot masterclass behind the scenes for a while and I am very close to sharing more details. Be on the lookout for it.

5.Book Recommendation: The Herbal Alchemist’s Handbook by Karen Harrison

I don’t know why it took me so long to get this book. I have been missing out for years, especially when it comes to astrological correspondences of plants. I have studied astro-herbalism for many years now. Probably about four or five and while I have come across a lot of research, it still remains a rather untapped market, IMO. 

This book isn’t necessarily about astro-herbalism but there is a fair share of astro knowledge, especially for the beginner. I would highly recommend it if this is something you’re interested in learning more about, especially as I begin to add astro-herbalism to Pretty Rituals. 

I can’t share too many details yet but I turned in the manuscript for my second book about a month or so ago. Its very similar to the Witch’s Apothecary but with a lot more recipes and is centered around something cosmically themed. So stay tuned. 

In the meantime, give the Herbal Alchemist’s Handbook a try.

6.Spiritual Lesson That I learned This Week

Trying to force myself to be productive when I’m not motivated is a losing battle. 

Don’t get me wrong, there are times when I am just lazy or procrastinating but there are also a lot of times when I really need a break. I bet you’re the same. We are constantly conditioned to believe wanting a break is a sign of laziness, lack of motivation, or that it means we aren’t hard workers. 

I work really hard. Most days, I am working from the time I get up until almost when I go to bed and there’s still always something to do. And I need breaks from time to time, just like you. Does that mean I’m not a hard worker because I want to take a vacation a couple times of year after working 60-80 plus weeks for all but 6 weeks out of the year? It most certainly does not and it doesn’t mean that you for you either. 

It doesn’t matter if our workload is the same. What matters is that you learn the difference between being lazy and recognizing when your body needs a break. I worked for a company that would encourage us to repeat “I’m a machine” when trying to get through a long workday but here’s the thing, we are HUMANS, not MACHINES. You don’t run on a battery, there’s no place to plug you in when you’re losing power, and you can’t just replace a part when it stops working. 

Don't beat yourself up if you need time. Yes, we all have to work and you have to do what you have to do but if you can take a break, then do it. If you have vacation time, take it. If you have a lunch break, go to lunch, don’t eat at your desk. YOU DESERVE TO TAKE A BREAK. And you’ll be much more productive after you’ve had a chance to rest and refresh. 

7.Ingredient spotlight: Chrysocolla

This is a stone of the wise woman, feminine energy, the healer and the teacher. It's a wonderful choice for working with the more subtle energies and leaning into your intuitive power and also your feminine power. I like to think of this stone as quietly powerful. It helps you to flow but also to speak your truth. I think it's a perfect companion to both amyris and blue lotus. 

It’s one of the crystals that are aligned with Butterfly energy and the crystal that I used to top the Butterfly animal energy ritual candle. 

I made the choice to use this crystal for the candle because of its meaning but my soul has been quietly yearning for it as well. So I ordered some chrysocolla beads to make a mala. I used to make them all the time and actually I sold them for a while but it's been years since I made one last. But I really want one for mediation and it feels right. 

You can learn about the rest of the Butterfly correspondences in Pretty Rituals under the Ritual Essentials tab. 

8.A HUGE Thank you

I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you to everyone who has supported my book and an even bigger thank you for everyone who left a review or took the time to let me know how much you’re loving the book. 

It's always a risk sending your work out into the world, not knowing if anyone will like it. There’s a lot of anxiety, fear and doubt in being willing to let thousands or more have access to something so near and dear to your heart. So I can’t tell you how much it means to me to receive all of your comments. Honestly, you will never know how much joy, validation, and gratitude it gives me. 

I have an amazing job but I wouldn’t have it without YOU. So thank you, thank you, thank you, a million times thank you from the bottom of my heart.