Trips are good for the soul.

My cousin and I recently returned from visiting family in Ontario, and I came home with my soul feeling rejuvenated. First of all, my cousin is interested in things along the same lines as my spiituality and is beginning to learn to read Tarot. (I helped her pick out her first deck while we were away.)

We stayed at my uncle and aunt's place in the country, and I told them it was a little piece of paradise. Trees, birds, deer ... oh my, it was beautiful. I can't tell you how much time I spent just sitting there breathing it all in. I also "came out of the broom closet", to which my uncle just nodded and smiled. "Spirituality is spirituality" was his response, and that pretty much summed up my thoughts as well. I think on the inside we're a lot alike in many ways, and his response, coupled with my cousin's interest, lends a little more credence to the idea that I was "born this way". (He even used the "witch" word before I did!)

While away, we went to two pagan spirituality shops, one called The Crystal Dawn in the ByWard Market in Ottawa, which I had never visited before, and The Magical Blend in Montreal, which I had visited before and couldn't wait to visit again. I liked The Crystal Dawn, but the incense was overpowering, and they were doing Tarot "mini-readings" smack in the middle of the store, which kind of bugged me. (I guess part of getting a reading for ten bucks involves baring your most personal thoughts to a crowd of strangers and tossing all sense of privacy to the wind?) But the staff was friendly, and I managed to find some stones to adopt (of course), including an adorable little amber sphere.

The Magical Blend was wonderful as ever, and there were so many things I wanted to bring home that it was painful to leave. As it is, though, I should have picked up a couple more brass mini-taper holders. I wasn't thinking, but I really need four more of them. Good thing they do mail order.

Blessed be.