Crafty's Halloween Haunted Blog Tour Stop

Welcome to Crafty's Cuppa Coffee
- my humble little slice of cyberspace; so happy to have you.

I am Danae, your hostess on today's leg of

Mrs. B's 31 Day's of Halloween, Haunted Blog Tour.

I absolutely adore Mrs. B & am excited to take part in such a fun blog event,

along with this bunch of extremely talented & creative individuals.

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Merry Meet to you all!

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Welcome to our

Halloween & Samhain Celebration!

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I am Danae, the Crafty Mama of 2 great kids, Makayla & Jeremiah.
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In addition to being a Mother, I am a Witch, an Artist & a Writer.
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My Family, my Faith & my Art, are the important driving forces in my life;

and my blog- Crafty's Cuppa Coffee, is a synthesis of my experiences, spirituality, writing, art and ideas; -my way of sharing myself with others.
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A big theme in my life, as well as my writing- is incorporating my spiritual life, with my everyday lifestyle.

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As much as I sometimes wish I could renounce the material world, run off to the mountains, & meditate all day, wearing saffron robes- I have chosen to remain in the concrete jungle, raise a family & still commune with nature, Deity & the Elements.
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(Besides- saffron is not really my color- & I would definitely go into Internet withdrawl! Lol!)
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I seek to live an awakened & authentic spiritual life- in the midst of the daily activities of modern family life.

And even more than that- I strive to share my spiritual philosophy & beliefs with my children in ways that come alive and inspire them. I believe that magick & tradition has as important a place in our daily lives- as it does in the circle, and on special occasions.
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Like so many of you- Autumn is my favorite season;

and Halloween & Samhain are my favorite holidays to celebrate.

This makes our visit today an extra special treat. The kids and I just love to have friends over to share in our fun times.

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We decided that the occasion was a perfect opportunity to share
a bit of our own Halloween & Samhain Magick with you all...
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as well as talk about ways that the modern Pagan Family
can incorporate the customs, symbolism & meaning
of the spiritual holiday of Samhain-
into the fun and revelry of its secular counterpart, Halloween.
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There are so many creative way to blend the 2 holidays,
and to bring spiritual intention & meaning to the traditions & activities of the season.
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The photos for this post, come from
our Autumn Equinox/Full Harvest Moon Celebration & Ritual
that we had last week (September 24th 2010. )
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We got a bit of a jump on the Halloween Season (for this post),
by setting out some of our Halloween decorations early;
and having a Witchy Tea Party
under the Full Harvest Moon.
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We created a beautiful altar, decorated the patio
& had a lovely Full Moon Circle;
where we burnt our Seasonal Thanks & Goal Petitions;
crafted Personal & Family Talismans;
danced, played & feasted
under the gorgeous Mabon Harvest Moon.
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Makayla got gussied up in one of her Witchy dresses, for the occaision,
& J.D. is wore his skull shirt, a zombie glove & a handcuff.
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The kids and I often have special rituals,
both of the everyday sort, as well as for holidays

-and they love playing dress up, creating Altars
& celebrating the tides of the natural world.
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I know these are the things we will remember when they are grown
-and I treasure this time with them!
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In our house, we have alot of discussions about
life, spirituality, nature,
the Gods & Goddesses, our ancestors
and the meanings of our holidays & traditions.
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This creates a framework from which to incorporate
these things into our daily life;
as well as giving me clues as to which of these interests my kids.
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(Jeremiah is all about the skulls.)
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When religion & spirituality are incorporated
into the activities of daily life-
then the celebration of holidays becomes a natural expression
of love & gratitude for the Gods,
the natural world & the blessings in our lives.
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(I happened to catch Makayla in this prayerful pose-
how ironic is this for all of those people who are worried
that Halloween puts 'bad' ideas into our kid's heads?
Here is my sweet Little Witch thanking God & Goddess
for the many blessings in her life.)
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Since I beleive that the best way to teach my children about my faith,
is to live it-
I try to infuse our common activities-
both daily & seasonally-
with a bit of intention & magick.
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And kids, as well as grown-ups, LOVE Magick!
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In the Autumn, I focus alot on the seasonal theme of Death & Regeneration
-as this is the time of the death of the (natural) year,
and the time of hibernation before its Spring rebirth.
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This time of year, we do alot of Ancestor Honoring,
cleansings of our home & self as we end the old year
& blessings, goal setting & protection to ready ourselves for the new.
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I also do plenty of work with the enhanced psychic energies that abound this season.
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At the beginning of each season, the kids & I have a Petition Ritual
of Thanksgiving, Goal Setting & Calling Blessings into our lives.
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Most of the time we burn them; along with seasonal herbs-

there is something so cool about tossing things into the fire.

Lots of energy & the Kids just love it! :0)

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After burning our petitions-

we crafted & consecrated Talismans.

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We talked about the meaning of the season,

what we are thankful for & what we hope to accomplish.

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Then we played under the moonlight with our new kittens

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feasted on Ben & Jerry's Sundaes.

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All in all- a wonderful & very powerful evening.

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In fact, the energy from the Sabbat,

the Full Moon & the spell work,

had me up until the sunrise!

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Not a bad way to balance the energies of an Equinox,

with that of a Full Moon.

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And, as you can see- the children had a nice time too.

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Our Family's Autumn Talismans -This is a Successful Business Talisman

that I created & charged this Autumn Equinox

for prosperity, focus & productivity

in starting & running a successful Art Business.

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Inside the bag, are homegrown herbs, a petition,

along with personal effects to connect it to me, then sealed with 9 knots.

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The charged Crystal & Talisman

will sit in my Art Studio to remind me of my goals

& the energies I set in motion.

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This next one, is an

Autumn Equinox Blessing Spell for Our Family

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-It consists of a grouping of photos of myself & my children;

surrounded by a ring of Rosemary for Protection; Geranium for Love;

Peppermint for Prosperity and an Autumn Herb blend

of Pumpkin, Chai, Black Tea, Cinnamon, Nutmeg & Clove

-to correspond with the seasonal vibrations of Autumn,

as well as Home & Family.

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-Here is the bouquet & petition packet, ready to be hung.

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-After the spell was finished;

we let the setup remain charging under the Full Moon all night.

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In the morning,

I folded the petition packet with the loose herbs inside;

tied it up with red thread & 9 knots; and bundled the ring of herbs

into a bouquetwhich will hang at my Kitchen Altar.

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Thank You all for joining us today!

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A really big Thank You to Mrs. B for hosting

this fantastic month of Halloween Blog Fun!

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We had a ball cooking up this fun, family oriented Halloween / Samhain post for you! Please come back soon for plenty more fun Halloween ideas, activities & tips for bringing Pagan Spirituality into your everyday life.

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~Have a Spooktacular Day!

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~Danae <(:0) & the Kids !