Mob Wars … I am Addicted!

Okay … I am not the type of person who has addictive behaviors, well except for errr well lets say food, and not the good kind either. Yes I am a big time junk food eater and I eat anything with the “ch” sound in it, like cheese burger, macaroni and cheese, cheese cake, cheese puff, fried chicken, chips, cherries, Chinese food and the big one CHOCALTE! But this Mob Wars on face book has me in a tiff … I have one kill, have been killed 8 times, won 70 or so fights but lost 54 and now I am selling off my property to pay the doctor to improve my health so I can fight to get more money. I am literally clock watching and waiting for the clock to roll over 4 minutes to get that one stamina point. I am currently on level 3 put have 0 point and 100 experience points to make it to the next level. I am literally waiting and praying to the Gods for letting me get a hit on the hitlist! Who knew this would be that addictive? Well you would think my fingers would get a rest after trying to type and/or texting my last blog on my friends blackberry but this is insane! Well thanks to the energy of liqiud crack aka COFFEE … I have been up all night trying to get that big win from fighting with other mobsters! Interesting enough I was never a gamer myself accept for role playing and a little CoC with former friend. I would go to bed but now its 7:55 am and I say whats the point I will have to take the boyfriend to do a small job this morning and he will be waking up in the next 40 minutes or so and if I sleep now I will never wake up. Darn it if I had to wake up at 2:11 pm yesterday and drink all that ice coffee … errr liqiud crack! So are any of you a big fan of Mob Wars? Have you tried to play or join a buddy's mob? Well I recommend you don't and for an insomniac like me with too much c affine this is a most deadly combination! So I thought I do my blog now in the wee bit of the morning because I am sure after I take my guy to do his job he will want Chinese food as he has been hinting and well its “ch” sounding so I wont put up much of a fuss and will break down and go. With no sleep and coming down off of caffeine and give me some Chinese food after being in the warm climate I am sure I will crash and burn after lunch. I doubt I will play Mob Wars after that for the remainder of the day! Because I will be sleeping and Lady Bam Bam will have time to reserve more points without me feverishly depleting them!

Good Morning Everyone!

BB ~ Bia' Aletheia

word count = 523

My Day

It all began when I woke up at 2:11 this afternoon. Thomas jumped in the bed and asked if I was dead.Realizing I was not but feeling like I should have been, I crawled out of bed.I went to the restroom, rubbed my eyes and walked into the living room and sat down at my laptop, and then checked my email.With fereverent anticipation I checked my facebook page and accepted an invite to my brother's mob... Mob Wars that is. I created my mobster, her name is Lady Bam Bam - please don't put a hit out on me! Then I decided to invite the boyfriend into the mob, so now we are three. Me, Shooter 352, and Sweets Alucard. The boyfriend tore me away from the computer long enough to eat a decent meal with way too many vegetables. Okra, corn and green beans- yeah really! Then off to pick up my friend from work to go to Starbucks and drink some liqiud crack, then going to Books a Million. Then leaving the bookstore to go to Dunkin Donuts for more liqiud crack, but stopping to blog from my friends Blackberry. Isn't technology wonderful! Are you kidding me? Only 200 Words? My thumbs are tired! There are free doughnuts at Dunkin since the Devil Rays won! Awesome. I may get the frosted donut. Yes, frosted it is. And more coffee! My stomach is killing me! Maybe it's all the coffee... Nah couldn't be. It must be something else. I wonder how many words this is. Do you know how hard it is to count words on a Blackberry! It's crazy. This is killing my poor thumbs! Speaking of Mob Wars, you should not bring a crobar to a gun fight. It will not end well for you at all. Who is going to the Wendy Rule concert on June 12 in Palm Harbor? Hekate's Wheel will be there as well! 292 oh man! I have to say that this is the hardest blog yet. I have to say I am not loving the weather. I love the cooler weather, it must be because I'm Canadian. Just a few more words. Like Dorrie from Finding Nemo - Just keep typing, just keep typing... I think that there is some crappy books at Books a Million. There is a dearth of awesome books on Paganism at the New Port Richey Books a Million. That,s a good word - dearth. 377! I,m almost there. Just 20 words to go and 40 minutes so I,m going to make it! I think I should get some sort of honorable mention for text blogging! Yes! I,ve done it! My poor thumbs! I need ice!

Word count 408

Facebook ... it Connects You!

Well I want to say a few things about Facebook … at first I did not think I was going to like it, but I am liking it more and more! In fact I was thinking oh no not an other social network I can't remember my darn pass word too but as it turns it its been pretty cool and surprisingly neat! As it it turns out, you get to speak with folks all grown up now who you have hung out with as a teen, but are actually out there looking for you and wanting to know what you have been doing with your life. Its cool to take a glimpse into their lives, see their likes, dislikes, their hobbies they are into, and the children they have of their own. Its even cooler to see the friends they keep and you may find someone there you too have known and may wish to connect with! Whats really cool is that now, my 86 year old grandmother has her own Facebook profile and account! She is an internet fool! Her picture is a black and white, when she was about 22 and how wonderful is it to see her back then. Its like history before your eyes. I like the flair and the poking and the wall of comments, its neat you get share home videos which I like cause get to watch the nephews eat and cry! I don't like that my sister baby talks to them but hell their her kids! So live and let live. I like those on line games or quizzes to see what actor/actress you would like to be and you can send red neck gifts, and drinks and well you can do all kinds of neat stuff. I don't have aim so I really like the chat function I can talk to my friends on line again and thats cool too! So I guess you can say the Facebook is growing on me I am guarded about using my last name though because of my Pagan flair and would hate a co-worker to figure out who I am and show the boss, unfortunately their are some folks out there who still discriminate (boss is a devout Bible Thumper) but the odd thing is that even though I am like one foot in the broom closet I feel its okay to tell some folks of years gone by and kids I graduated from High School with that I am Pagan. I know Zoe has a Facebook how about the rest of you … what do you think about this social network?

BB ~ Bia' Aletheia

word count = 444

Proud as a Peacock …

Okay today I watched a video clip on my brother-in-laws Facebook Page, married to the sister whom I have had a falling out with. I still love my sister and even though I am very angry and disappointed in her actions towards me (yes unresolved issues) I am happy that she just recently gave birth to twin boys this past January. She didn't think she could have any and the Gods had graced her. They are preemies and one boy is going to have a lot of medical issues. They are concerned for Cerebral Palsy and a list of other medical concerns due to a hospital error while in incubation. I haven't been able to get myself to sit in the same room as my sister, let alone talk to her on the phone but my family keeps me apprised of any updates I should know. She and her husband has been having somewhat of a struggle, and I do truly feel bad for them and wish my nephews the best and hope the Healing Gods and Goddess help AJ the boy afflicted with many ailments with some much needed healing energy for recovery.

Well what I found really funny is dad got two Peacocks who took root on their property and he is afraid of them, they are chasing the squirrels and come after him if he steps out the door. My sister and her hubby are Catholic so they don't see the humor I do in having these beautiful creatures grace their home. I made some 'Guardian Angel' Candles for my sisters' boys and out of respect for her religious beliefs and sent them through mom after the boys were born and I prayed to my Spiritual Deities that they guard and protect her sons. For those of you who don't know … I follow a Greek Pagan path and I have prayed to both Hekate and Hera to keep the boys safe and help AJ through his therapies and surgeries. I believe Hera has answered my prayers and sent two of her favored birds as a sign of Her presence. I must make an offering to her too! It would be just like my brother-in-law and sister not to see the bigger picture of their special gifts which have literally made a home on their roof and in their yard!

Throughout history not only has the peacock been seen as decorative “exotic” pet as well as a meat bird. The Phoenicians who brought the Peacocks to Egypt more than 3000 years ago, did so to decorate the temples, where they were considered good luck. These birds were sacred to many Gods & Goddesses in the Greek tradition like Hera for one; who it is said gave the peacock's plumage many eyes! For thousands of years the Peacock has been a symbol of pride and the presence of ego, and this was reflected in the motivation for ancient people’s reverence of this beautiful and almost mystical bird. Where do you think the phrase “Proud as a Peacock” originated from? I know my sister's hubby must be a proud dad and my sister a proud mom too. I think its interesting how that they had twins and now have two peacocks on their property scaring the heck out of dad, I found this too humors. But to continue the image of the peacock is a cross-cultural symbol, and appears as a symbol of paradise, rebirth, the incorruptibility of the soul and a symbol of immortality. The bird is also a symbol for the story of the heavens and hence, resurrection and everlasting life. I think their presence at my sisters home is that much more significant because what I have yet to tell you is that my sister almost lost AJ and it was touch and go for a while but he held on. So on so many levels their presence filled me with joy even if I can only see this from afar and in this case on a Facebook video clip! In the East the peacock represents a symbol of rebirth in the mythology of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. The peacock also became a symbol in Christian art and an icon. During the first ten centuries of Christianity, the peacock was a popular symbol for Christ. This should make my Catholic family members pleased to know! It was also known as the symbol of the resurrection, and in many medieval paintings, angels' wings are composed of peacocks' plumes.

So in actuality, what I may see and my sister and her hubby don't, is that Frank & Anthony (aka ~ AJ) have … are totem animal spirits (and in this case the real thing) watching over them as well as their Guardian Angels, and I hope that they don't scare these beautiful creatures off just yet! This is indeed a good omen and very special!

By the way peacocks are also a sign of laughter and they remind us that its okay to laugh too! I know them scaring my brother-in-law is a hoot!

Blessed Be ~ Bia' Aletheia

word count = 855

In appreciation for past and current contestants of Warp Bloggers….

I am sorry to see Zoe take her leave from the WARP contest and even though I know she had too leave for many good reasons I wanted to say thanks to you and to all the other bloggers out there. You are all worthy opponents and your insights have provided me with not only a good resource of ideas to blog from but it was cool to see the little glimpses in your individual lives. Zoe you blog on Spiritual Growth was really good and it made me look at my own relationship with the Gods and to see if I am currently just going through the motions or am I having a solid honest to good relationship with my deities. I have learned through your words that I need to step it up and be more consistent with what I do. Amanda's blogs are fun and I get to hear about her family and how her children are learning and growing and how proud she is of them and how proud she is of her community. Gaelyn bowed out early but I listen to his pod casts and they are fun and entertaining. The recent guests he and Thor had with Medea, Mystral and Denny I believe was cool too. Not enough folks practice good manners and etiquette any more its a lost art and you folks reminded me of the importance of leading by example so we don't loose these things anymore. Spence's blogs are cool and full of good imaginative stories of dragons … I love dragons by the way. I like the wild cards too if I have not told you that yet! They are funny and I hope you find a good women soon too! Kf2mh had some good blogs too and I was sorry he got sick and I learned how he loves to work with ham radios is it. What a neat hobby! Let me tell you I think me and Stray Hairs a kin because she can write lengthy blogs and I love her outlook on life and how she always teaches the value of staying positive. I was sorry the Wage Mage did not get to compete too but I still read her blogs you too offer a lot of good insight. And perhaps Mike Mayhem can join the next Warp if you all host one again! Which I hope we do because this has not only been fun, it has also been challenging and rewarding. In case you haven't all guessed I enjoy the writing too so it helps me to think about stuff more deeply. So having said all this and hoping to post this in the nick of time some 50 minutes before the deadline I want to say I appreciate and have read all the blogs and you all rock so blog on!

Bia' Aletheia

A Rant on Deceit & Gossip ...

Okay you remember me discussing various portions of a unique dream I just had, well I just discovered one portion of it was indeed a prophetic dream. The part that had to deal with a co-worker I don't normally trust. Well without giving you too much details this person has made many enemies over the years and is not well liked by here peers or her subordinates. In fact, so much so that folks are waiting and watching her to make mistakes so that they can take that and run with it. I myself do not have enough time or energy to expend on 'getting back' at folks and I am a big time believer that a great thing called 'karma' will do what it does best! What you put out will come back three fold! So anyway I want to place a quote here before I continue with this stream of thought.

OH WHAT A TANGLE WEB WE WEAVE,
WHEN AT FIRST WE PRACTICE TO DECEIVE!
~ Sir Walter Scott (1808)

You seethe problem with the co-worker who lives by this creed has gotten her self in a situation where folks are purposely going out of their way to get this women in trouble. I know personally many folks who got burnt by this person and all though think this is terrible I come from the school of thought 'that two wrongs don't make it right' either. No we got other folks are weaving webs of deceit and getting innocent folks in trouble and in the line of fire. All to which adds up to a very hostile work environment and bringing down moral by the droves.

Now add in a bad mix of the ugly side of GOSSIP and this makes the the situation even worse. The bad thing about where I work is you have some administrators (my bosses) telling supervisors that they need to be the example and set the bar high and rise above all this negativity and gossip mongers. Well this is good in theory but what happens next is that these some folks who are telling you these things are the first folks to violate their own advice giving. The culture that now exists 'is do what I say not as I do' What happened to the tenant of be the example when they themselves set a bad example. I love what I do but all this makes has me desiring to look for a new line of work all together. Not all folks I work with are bad, in fact there are more good ones then bad but this culture of gossiping has created a sink hole sort of speak that many cant seem to find there way out of. Leaving me with this quote to ponder:

THERE IS SO MUCH GOOD IN THE WORST OF US, AND SO MUCH BAD IN THE BEST OF US, THAT IT BEHOOVES ALL OF US NOT TO TALK ABOUT THE REST OF US.
~ Robert Luis Stevenson

What I see happening at my job are two things the good folks trying real hard to shield up from the negative gossip but it brings folks down … its literally depressing. Secondly, it literally can play havoc on the community that exists at work and literally tears it apart. So now we are experiencing a high overturn rate and folks are only hanging on by a bare thread. Because the economy is so bad folks need a job … even if it is a terrible one. Good folks are entertaining and spreading gossip and the even though the worst of folks have potential to improve we seem to be stuck in this never ending cycle of strife. One of my bosses had made a statement to me yesterday that my passion and enthusiasm for my job seems to be gone … I cried because its true … but with this kind of working environment … go figure! Perhaps the last part of my recent dream is telling me I need to find joy again and this may require a career change!

Bia' Aletheia
Word Count ~ 695 – the 50 words for the quotes = 645

Interpreting My Dream Symbols ~ About The Water

Taking into consideration Amanda at some of your suggestions from that dream I had about water and its various states, I do believe you hit the mark on a few things. I like what you said about the last portion with me observing the Ghost Hunter Guys on the four wheelers and I was observing instead of playing along or taking the adventure with them. It seems like lately in my waken state its all about the work and never about having some fun myself and I think it reality I do resent that at times. I need to find a happy balance in my life of work, play and rest. Something I don’t do nearly enough.
 
In the first part of dream the foundation was definitely threatened I agree on that too and since the home was flooding sort of speak with an abundance of too much water I too think it represents a flood of my emotions and is also indicates a sense of being overwhelmed with too many responsibilities. I remember the feeling of dread and the thought of having to move again. I move around a lot in my wakened world and fear that if our financial conditions don’t improve we may indeed need to move yet again. I think the portion of that dreams where the pipes are bursting and the floors being ruined do signify my fear on an unsteady foundation.
 
The portion of helping a co-worker that I do not trust seemed to tell me it’s not in my nature o hold grudges even though I felt a need to be cautious I did make a good faith effort to help her because I want to believe in the inherent good of folks. The crying by her meant some sort of release. Perhaps she wants to let things go but I am still leery wit this one. I feel bells and whistles around her in my wakened state all the time. I will need to meditate on this one.
 
The third part of the dream where I traded water bottles with Dan to me also let me know that you guys and gals form our neighboring pagan communities are indeed good folks and your intentions are indeed pure. I think trading the generic for the name brand was significant because it says you are not above reproach and that you are very welcoming to everyone no matter what they can or can not offer. Community is the one thing you do pride yourself as being and you all harbor the same noble goal. I worry a lot about the openness you all have and the need for me to keep one foot set in the closet and feel Dan’s message to me not to worry is reassurance that its okay too and you are all accepting of that!
 
The last portion of the dream with the element of water in several forms is indeed very significant. From what I know about dreaming of elements and season it is heavily associated to the natural rhythms of life and thus serve as powerful symbol for the dreamer (me in this case) and could indicate significant life changes. Which is what I feel a calling and a need for in my wake life. The water is a definite symbol for imagination where as the earth I was sitting on means fertility and steadfastness. Now in my dream both symbols were frozen and still and in a state of being locked then a great and quick thaw came. To me this could mean something is going to happen rather quickly too.   The water symbol itself again means creativity and the exploration of the imagination. Now I got sacred when the guys were immersed in the water and this meant a fear of drowning can mean feelings submerged in emotions. But soon I realized these guys were coming right back up so the condition could signify the feeling will only be momentarily but because they were having fun after it could mean that the experience will have to be experienced in order to move on to the next stage. The fact the snow and ice did melt suggests fears and obstacles are dissolving and the scene was significant of transformations things in a frozen state to a more fluid one. This is a good omen. It tells me there will be some progress and I may get to enjoy life once again. And that I need to take the time to play and be more active and not just merely sit by. Time to get creative I guess is the underlying message. Sounds good to me!   
 
BB ~ Bia’ Aletheia
 
 
word count = 787

A Dream About Water ... Go Fingure!

I don't know if it has anything to do with all this water or the fact that my last blog was about all the rain we have been having. But last night I had this really bizarre dream. I will go ahead and record it in this blog and then do research on its possible meaning. Perhaps I can share with you all on the next blog my interpretation. Feel free to comment yourselves on what you think it may mean as well. It was very interesting to say the least. One portion of the dream is a recurring dream I have and I did not realize I do experience recurring dreams but I did recognize it for what it was. Anyhow the dram had to do with the many forms or conditions water can be found in. Some parts of the dream were just weird, some unnerving and others a little emotional as the element of water often represents. The first part of the dream is the recurring dream that I have had a few times in the recent past and the next sections are a bit disjointed and do not really tie in with each other, other then it deals with water.

Beginning (a recurring dream): I was living in this apartment not recognizable to me and running the washing machine and I was in a separate room from the laundry room. I could hear what sounded like water spraying every where and not going into the pipes or the machine as it should. I also remember feeling somewhat angry and thought 'oh no not again' and upon inspection sure enough the water was leaking everywhere making the floors wet and severely damaged. In fact the floors felt like it could way to the basement. I called the landlord who came to inspect the home and with the plumber both agreed that the floors were no longer safe and could give way at any time. I can remember them inspecting the walls and floors and looking at the pipes running through them and seeing all the pipes leaking and ruining the foundation around them. I signed and knew this means I would have to move again.

Next ( just off the wall and short): I jumped to where I work and remember being asked for a favor by a co-worker I completely don't trust in my waken state. She pulled me aside ans asked me for a favor she was crying and said I was her last hope. She had asked me to run off this guy who had made threats to her and was blackmailing her about something. I felt bad because she was crying and appeared to be genuine and I told her I will do my best to see what I could do. The guy came to work and I told him we all know what you want form her and its not going to happen and the guy just smiled at me and said “ Oh don't worry girl … I will get what I want”.

Middle (walking down a busy sidewalk on a hot sunny day): Folks were entering all kinds of stores on a busy street coming out with bottles of water in their hands. I remember too that I felt thirsty on my walk, so I too entered a store to get some water. I purchased a six pack of water and walked toward a parking lot where a bunch of folks from the Pasco Pagans and the Pheonix Counsil were gathered and were actually bartering different varieties of water. I walked up to Dan and Jamie and promptly traded one bottle of my generic stuff for a bottle of Zephyrhills. Dan smiled and told me that this was just fine!

Lastly (sitting a frozen embankment before a large body of water bigger then a pond): I remember sitting on the cold earth over looking the frozen lake before me. The surroundings reminded me of a place up North where I use to live. I was meditating on the quiet and stillness of the frozen element when all of a sudden I heard what sounded like chain saws and before my eyes were the crew of Ghost Hunters riding on four wheelers across the frozen tundra. It was Jason, Grant and Steve and they were having a blast. I got scared because the ice began to melt and the weather was getting warmer causing the ice to melt and break away. This did not phase the guys at all and they continued to have their fun. I remember seeing the guys sink with their four wheelers head first into the murky water and come right back up and continue to ride out and back into the water. They were still having fun. My worry turned into amazement and I laughed at how wet the guys were thought wow how brave they were to not let the changing climate change their spirits.
Quick Glance (a brief interpretation): Well in the last sentence of my dream I may already know one lesson to be learned from the dream and that is to not let anything change or dampen your spirit, even if it is water lol!

BB ~ Bia' Aletheia

word count = 870 +

So How About All That Rain?

Ah … ha … bet you all were thinking I am going to concede … well it almost came close. I almost missed the cut off time less then a few short hours. First of all I almost forgot about the WARP contest. I remembered I did not post anything after midnight last night because I got a case of bloggers block big time. I forgot to check my e-mail today or I would have remembered to write something earlier. I had a lot going on today and had to not only fight traffic but had to make may way through all this rain. It was crazy out there too … folks stocking up for memorial weekend but the rain might dampen all those BBQ's they have planned! I have lived here for almost 14 years and cant remember it raining 5 days straight. I am not talking about late summer afternoons sprinkles or 25 minute down pours, I am talking about rain all day long. Not that I am complaining because we certainly need this water after such a long dry spell. With hurricane season right around the corner it feels like we started early this year. So maybe now some of those fire bans can get lifted and folks can start to enjoy themselves outdoors. Right now its been mostly damp, wet and well the rain did bring many frogs out. I don't mind because frogs are cool and they make such pleasant music after a rainstorm when there are many. I like the sounds of the night life after a good rain here in Florida. Its one of the things I do enjoy about Florida. The rain makes this state feel more tropical too! OMG & G I only have 287 words thus far. For some reason writing this blog tonight is somewhat excruciating. Don't get me wrong I am not ready to concede because I enjoy the challenge and blogging is fun but when you can't think of what to write its like pulling teeth! Okay now I have 339 words … its looking a little better … right? So how about all that rain? How has it been effecting your commutes to work? What about the events you have planned for the weekend? Did the weather force you to change things up? Do you appreciate the rain? I know I do because its not only needed but it forces folks to rest. Perhaps that is why I felt a little lazy about writing this blog today. It feels like a lazy Sunday afternoon and makes you feel like hardly doing anything at all but curl up with a good book. I think that is exactly what I am going to do … and maybe get some inspiration for my next blog. Okay thats more like it, I now have 465 words so I will catch you all later!

BB ~ Bia' Aletheia

Empath Abilities … My Connections … Really The Final Act IV

Okay I am doing this for Amanda because she mentioned under the comments section of my blog “I did not see where you discussed actually having a deep connection with a person or people”. And in all actuality she was right, I just scratched on the surface a few isolated incidents with the nose bleed story in my younger years, the anxiety a felt belonging to a co-worker and some aggressive youth and the recent bout of sickness I got that is too coincidental and in the same region of the body as someone else I know. This wasn't done on purpose since I spent three days blogging on the topic I figured I write about something else but there is really so much I can discuss about this ability of mine I can actually provide Amanda with some closure on the topic for her … I don't mind either. Several of you seem to be enjoying this topic and I am glad it has invoked some conservation as well.

Growing up I was deeply connected to my sister. She had the gift of foresight and empathic abilities a lot stronger and more in-depth then mine were back then. She is a year younger then I am and sadly we have drifted apart over the last few years due to a falling out. Our connection has been greatly affected since then … but as children and young adults we knew things about each other and felt things about each other that only identical twins have been reported able to do. My sister has since then closed her mind off to her abilities. They use to really scare her, while I was more fascinated by mine. She could tell when someone was hurt and in need much more quickly then I could. When her inner alarms were going off I would follow shortly behind. I envied this in her but not the fear she use to feel … I did a lot of consoling back then and tried to tell her to be clam...I had to be calm for her a lot so that she can pick up on my cues and regulate her breathing and force back the fear and worry. One time when we were painting and washing walls at my first apartment she and were in separate rooms, I in the kitchen, and her in the bedroom … I felt a sudden urge to stop I was doing and go check on her. As I made my way out of the kitchen I heard her let out a scream and 'say something is terribly wrong' … I too felt a strange depression and panic as I made my way toward her I knew I would have to console her. When I looked at her in the bedroom I saw the fear in her eyes and knew immediately to get my car keys … without telling me a word we both knew we should go home to our mother and father. While in the car I asked my sister very calmly “When did he die?”, and she looked at me in shock and said “He just did”! My mother use to run a senior-citizen special care home and this one resident we were both attached to Mr. Bellfleur who wasn't even sick at the time and who we both got attached to as a grandfather figure died of a heart attack in his chair while watching the evening news. My folks thought he dosed off and when they tried to wake him to go to bed they soon realized he past away. My sister told me months later that Mr. Bellfleur had come to her while in my bedroom to say goodbye … and to tell her he loved us like his own grandchildren. When I left the kitchen that night to check on my sister I heard an inner voice tell me “he's gone” … I believe today I was feeling what my sister had felt and just saw. I was never able to see spirits manifest before me until I was much older, in fact this additional gift came to me fairly recent. My sister on the other hand always had it but hated it! After that night and after a more traumatic incident had happened to my sister she has never spoken again about seeing or feeling things. I believe she turned it off … much like I have turned off the ability to see auras a few years back. I had a friend who would say day in and day out 'whats my aura today' after she discovered my ability and I got burned out for her constant needling of the subject. Perhaps an other blog topic at another time. This is the same sister by the way that shared her nose bleed with me on that one strange night as a teenager. I still sense her needs, hopes and fears even though we have not communicated for over two years and I miss her like no tomorrow, but anger has creeped in that has not allowed us to make amends as of yet. Perhaps one day!

I also have a strong connection with my younger brother, its not as powerful as that with my sister but I know when I need to be checking up on him. Over the last few years he has had debilitating diabetes and is suffering with diabetic neuropathy and all the terrible symptoms associated with that. With him I have to be extremely careful being a diabetic myself … lately he is been very depressed and suffering so much so that I have been feeling not only his pains but carrying the burden of his depressions as well. When he first got diagnosed with the condition and was suffering fainting spells from the medication I was in a constant state of worry for him. One time I remember driving to work and all the alarms, bells and whistles start going off and I turned around … something told me to check on him and check on him fast. Its a good thing I did he had passed out on the floor and struck his head on the wall and his three year old daughter was napping at the time. I am glad that this connection I have helped out in this situation. Can you imagine my niece waking up to seeing dad on the floor and all that blood from the gash he gave himself … she would have been terrified.

Other connections I have had is one belonging to my deceased grandfather Leonidas. He died when I was two years of age and even though I barely remember him … I feel his presence in my life like a guardian spirit. I don't talk about him much but feel its important to mention him here. I have often heard the stories my relatives tell about him and his uncanny ability to see things and know certain events about the future (heredity you ain't' kidding). My mother recounted a story where she was driving back from the hospital with him and he told his three daughters and wife about how beautiful his funeral was going to be and what his girls were going to wear and how his casket was going to be. They thought it was the medication wearing off but when they got home they saw blood all over the passenger window where he had been leaning. He suffered from a massive aneurysm in the car but not before telling his family he loved him. My grandmother told me his relatives use to jokingly call him the warlock … but I don't like the name … he was the grand-poo-bah family witch as far as I am concerned. He had the gifts and my relatives avoided discussing those topics because of their catholic up-bringing. Back in 2001 I was visited by the spirit of my aunt before she died in a dream state telling me that she was waiting for us to get to CT and not to worry. We had gotten phone call to get to CT before she died. The day before she was died of Hopkins Disease a real bad form of cancer and we were told she didn't have long. She had told me while sleeping in an 12 passenger van rented in Florida and during the drive to CT that she is going to be fine and was waiting for us. I woke up startled from the dream and scared the heck out of my grandmother who started crying and she looked at me and asked if they were too late … I told her 'no' she is waiting and the entire family in the van began to sob. I said trust me she is waiting. When we got to CT and at the hospital she was on all kinds of machines and could barely talk she grabbed my hand and squeezed it then winked at me saying 'you got my message' … I nodded! She dies the next day while we were all with her and she passed very peacefully. I think about that trip and her a lot since then. And how everything happened as it did. In my dream she had a full head of beautiful auburn hair and looked healthy and she also told me that she was going to be fine and well. I am glad that she suffers no more and I feel very connected to her not like a guardian spirit because she belongs to my sister if that makes any kind of sense. This aunt is her godmother and I feel her presence from time to time but know that she has been keeping a watchful eye on my sister and her twin boys that recently gave birth too! I feel this is as it should be!


To end before this topic turns into a posting of a novel … I do often indeed feel connections to folks that I don't know personally and whom I am not related to. Do you remember the year some Cuban refugees were hosed down by Miami Coast Guards before they made it to shore. This infuriated me and I cried for days about that incident. The rule was if they don't make it to shore they can't stay. I felt their desperation and sadness for their living conditions and the need to flee their own country for a better life. Why do we have to be so cruel to folks sometimes. Live and Let Live … is not practiced nearly enough as it should! It didn't help that I was taking Nonviolence Training that year either and being an overly 'sensitive' person ... everything was amplified by the power of 10. The 911 incident had me physically sick and in shock for months. I think since that incident there was a major shift in the force , so much so that we see more compassion and more empathic thought in individual. What say you all about Indigo Children or folks? I can't help but wonder if us Empaths were once Indigo as children but could not put a name to it… this may be another blog topic all together too! Okay this is just plain ridiculous this is 1866 words and I doubt this will all get read! I hope you do though!

BB ~ Bia' Aletheia

PS. If I don't win this blog contest Stray Hairs and myself should at least get honorable mention for some of the longest blogs … lol! Thanks Amanda for making me add more to this topic as well. I want you to feel like I covered all the bases here that I possibly could! WOOT 1800 +!

Empath Abilities ... Act III ~ Protect Thy Self

Sooner or later I have to end this blog and think of a new topic to discuss. So in this final 'act # III', I will discuss ways to help protect your empathic self! But let me say I am pretty good about giving advise and darn it if I don't learn to take it myself. Practice what you preach and all that! But now that I am writing this and trying to get over being sick physically with this inner ear infection I realize more then ever I must heed my own words and take more self care!

Steps for protecting your Empath self as recommended by the Book of Bia' Aletheia and most other folks dealing with life as an Empath:

1. Shielding ~ Create a shield of protection between yourself and all those feelings out there. You can do this through visualization exercises. My friend the Rainmaker has turned me on to some energy classes which he offers for free to the pagan community and let me tell you I can see its relevance in so many ways, especially in psychic self-defense 101. It should also be mentioned here that grounding is important and to me should go hand in hand with shielding.

2. Set Boundaries & Limits ~ I believe I had mentioned this in a previous blog and that it's okay to say 'no', especially when something pains you or causes you discomfort. Many of us Empathic Folks feel obligated to help others in need; and though this is most noble, sometimes you may not be able too. If you are not in any condition to assist, offering to assist may cause more harm then good for both the helped and the helper.

3. Know Thy Self ~ Its important to know how you would react in certain situations vs someone else. This where the 'gift' comes in handy, if your dealing with a crisis situation (I.E. aggression, potential violence, etc) and you are normally calm under pressure but all of sudden you feel some deep anxiety or fear it is very likely you are picking up on the feelings of others involved … knowing what your feelings should be and sensing others' feelings can help you figure out your next course of action. This skill has helped me tremendously with the youth I work with because it tells me how I should react to alleviate their stress for a better nonviolent outcome.

4. Cleansing and Removing Negative Energies ~ Thanks to my OCD friend and my friend who is deeply into sage smudging aura/etheric cleansing I have learned the importance of refreshing and recharging by eliminating and disposing of those negative unwanted energies. Empaths are likened to emotional magnets and can attract all kinds of (don't' laugh Jesi & Steph at what I am about to write) 'cling-ons', bad vibes and intense emotions and if we allow this stuff to build up we can get overwhelmed, physically ill and become depressed and incapable of functioning ourselves. Meditation is a good way to get rid of this negative stuff and doing Chakra exercises as well.

5. Avoid Negativity ~ You all know now that like attracts like and if you allow yourself to be exposed to negativity for too long you yourself can become negative. So its critical to shield up if you can, especially if you have no choice to go to work with a bunch on negative folks, it pays the bills and its kind of necessary you keep the job! But if you find yourself in a situation where you feel the negativity and it brings you down do one of two things: you can leave or confront the negativity head on. Don't give into its power. Both Gaelyn and Thor talked about this on their most recent podcast earlier today. They said to tell the folks who gossip to stop in their tracks and if their gonna gossip tell them upfront to stop, and be prepared that if you tell me anything about what someone else has allegedly said be prepared for me to confront that person and tell them where I heard this stuff from. Its a sure way to end gossip. Well its kind of the same idea, tell folks that they need to lighten up and you cant handle their constant 'pitty me party' and 'soap box life' all the time. I am not saying we can't be sympathetic to our buddies troubles but to be in trouble all the time and to have a negative outlook all the time can play havoc on your Empathic friends. Tell your friends about your Empathic abilities and that you can't always handle their woes 24-7. You can also tell them that all social events cannot be about the bad stuff in your life cause its a bummer to be exposed to that constantly. If your friends can't take the hint get knew ones! Allowing folks to think of you as a 'dumping ground' will play havoc with your psyche and eventually leave you defenseless for being exposed to more negativity (the like attracting like syndrome/cycle).

6. Trust Your Instinct and Intuition ~ Many Empaths have problems with distinguishing their feelings as something real or accurate and wonder if the feelings experienced are indeed their own or someone else's. Over time with the right practice and self-care protection techniques you will see for yourself where the feelings are coming from and if they are your own.

Wow 918 + words folks! Guess I had a lot to say about protecting yourself as an Empath! Well ladies and gentlemen, I hope you enjoy the blog, meanwhile I will set the hamster in motion on its wheel to figure out the next topic I would like to blog about!

BB ~ Bia' Aletheia

Empath Abilities ... Part II

Do you remember me saying that sometimes an Empath will mirror the feelings of someone they may or may not know! Well, I had to go one up on this last night. One of the other supervisors ended up at the doctors office yesterday with a badly swollen face and diagnosed with some sort of sinus infection and will be out of work for a few days. Well yesterday morning I woke up with a swollen cheek, just below the right ear drum … I had and ER trip last night myself because I was in great discomfort … and it turns out I too got an infection in the inner ear, messing with a sinus cavity. What I have noticed … and think really sucks is that often I feel what others feel physically. This is the not so good part about being an Empath. Mind you a do realize this incident good be viral since the onset of flu like symptoms (including swine flu), but this is so darn coincidental it has me really wondering what is going on here?

I think I may have told a few of you this story before. But I will share again, to illustrate my point about feeling physically what others feel. Many moons ago when I was about 14 years of age I babysat for my aunt and her hubby while the attended and all niter bash. I woke up to the sensation of having a bloody nose, and sure enough upon inspection in the bathroom mirror I had gotten a really bad bloody nose … and the scary part is it would not stop … I bled for hours and had no change of clothes. I tried to call my folks I was scared. When my aunt and her hubby returned somewhere between 7 – 8 am, they saw my shirt covered in blood. They asked what happened and I told them that I got a really bad bloody nose around 3 am in the morning and it didn't want to stop, I felt panic and fear! My aunt drove me home and when my mother saw me she asked what the heck happened to me and I explained to her that I got a bloody nose. I was never one for bloody noses as a child, my sister had high blood pressure and the one who got the bad ones. My mother was in shock and I asked what was wrong and she told me my 13 year old sister was taken to the ER last night because she got one of her bloody noses around 3 am in the morning and that it would not stop. Dad had driven her there and they were still there. This explains why the folks did not answer my phone calls, my mother was wondering why this happened to both of us … I was wondering why too and the fact that I don't normally get bloody noses and the fact it started at the same time as my sister. Mom told me my sister was cared and full of panic it startled them so they took her to ER because it would not stop. Could my sister have actually projected her feelings on to me a few blocks away to include have me experience a bloody nose? I don't know … but again, this felt too coincidental!

Well I am going to cut off here because its lightning and thunder out and I need to save the computer … but I do believe there will be a chapter three/part three to this blog because I don't feel quite finished with this subject! Plus the pain meds, antibiotics are kicking in and a feel a nap coming on!

BB ~ Bia' Aletheia

Word Count = 630

Empathic Abilities & Other Unique Gifts!

What is an empath? Do you have any of these abilities? Or any Other Cool Gifts?
Okay, most text book reference say that an empath is someone who picks up on the emotions and / or feelings around them. It may be the feelings of someone they are close to or a complete stranger. It might be the general feelings in a room or even when there is a very strong emotion around the world, such as fear. I am thinking of “Obi~Wan~Kenobi” here or Master Jedi when they say they can feel a disturbance in the force, or don't give into fear, fear leads to hate, hate leads to the dark side.
And most folks would agree that empathic individuals tend to have one or more of these abilities as well:
1) Heightened (stronger) emotions.
2) Comprehensive understanding over a broad scope of (if not all) emotions.
3) Capacity for want/need of self-sacrifice - giving, basically, (these folks find themselves usually in a helping/healing profession).
4) Possess Excellent communicator abilities.
5) Analyzes dreams, dream recall, have prophetic dreams, all about the dreams (EHHHEMMM ME ME ME I like da dreams!)
6) Possess Precognitive Abilities (typically defined as knowing or perceiving events before they actually occur).
7) Emotion reception, detects emotions in others very well (may even mirror emotions)

I have also read somewhere that Empaths can harness a bunch of other unique skills like remote viewing, which is not precognitive in nature but tends to involve real time events as they occur. I can share one occasion using this skill of remote viewing myself. Like most people I can sometimes misplace items like keys, money, medications and/or other small items that some jokingly say the fairies are at work doing mischievous things! But what happens as well someone else in the house has unknowingly moved your stuff and don't remember they moved it either. Once when I was sick and taking a vat of OTC cold medicines I had realized I misplaced some cold tablets and began to frantically look for them. Usually if I close my eyes and ask where did I leave those things … I will see a shroud of darkness telling me that the object I need is hidden somewhere dark, like the bottom of my purse or under a couch cushion, this one time I say a tinge of silver and red refracted light. I chuckled and remembered munching on Cheese Doodles they evening before and trashed dived and sure enough 'viola' my meds were discarded in the empty snack bag. Go Figure!

Well to touch on the Empath gift sometimes its a burden too, grounding is important for folks like me cause we sometimes can't stop the onslaught of all the emotions we pick up from others if we are not preprepared for them. Once, while at work a co-worker was having a bad anxiety attack and was doing everything he could to conceal it and thought he was doing a pretty good job with it until I told him to please take his pill. He looked at me and said 'what are you talking about', I looked at him and said 'your anxiety pill take it now, or you need to go home because I can't leave, my works not done”! He took a deep breath and said how did you know … I smiled and said because I feel it too! He was somewhat amazed and weired out, and then asked how did I know he had his pills with him. I didn't answer him because I felt if I told him he would think I was crazy, but while he had the anxiety attack I KEPT SEEING A picture of his shirt pocket pop in my head (remote viewing). He later told me he was actually thinking about taking his meds but wanted to wait until he got home cause they make him drowsy. He said I had an uncanny way about knowing what folks were thinking or feeling. Little does he know! I was not in my prime or I would have been more prepared to protect myself from those intense feelings. Experiencing the emotions of others can be overwhelming not to mention mentally tasking. There have been some occasions where knowing the feelings of others helped me to react properly to situations. These times were a blessing instead of a burden! Okay I have 737 words thus far, and I will subtract about 200 for definitions and the list which can be found almost anywhere on the Internet regrading Empaths. The other 500 + words are my own experiences and should keep me safely in the competition. I am going to stop here for now, but I promise I will revisit this topic tomorrow cause I am just scratching the surface on this topic which is dear to me because it reveals some neat little facts about me that some of you may not know!

BB ~ Bia' Aletheia

(word count 832 – 200 = 632 now lol … still too much)

PS. ~ Would love to hear about your special gifts or talents ~ A CHALLENGE)

You Can't Make Everybody Happy ...

“ I cannot give you the formula for success but I can give you the formula for failure which is: Try to please everybody (Robert Bayard Swope)!”

Yes again, a deeper look into some of these famous quotes that tend to have some semblance of truth to them. Or at least strike a chord as I have mentioned in a previous blog. Some of you may know this and many of you may not know this, but I am supervisor and oversee about 16 staff at my job at any one given time. Not all together mind you, because they do have varying days off. I may have 8 to 10 folks at a time and if I am really lucky twelve. Now I do experience call-ins or call-offs for whatever reasons and find at times I am also under staffed too, this just makes my job a little harder in juggling tasks and overseeing that things get done that are required to be done! For the most part we do okay. Anyhow, I feel that this quote is a constant reminder that in reality you are not going to make everyone happy or please them. There are some folks who just prefer not to be happy and/or there is just no pleasing them at all, and they love to be miserable, they look at things to hate and be miserable about! They fall in another category all together. I have to take a deep breathe and understand that I have been put in a position that to make some decisions that may not be liked by all, but I have to take the best interests in mind for the majority, not just a select few. The process has to be fair and consistent. I have to trust in the process and let things work itself out. Mind you, I dislike making decisions that make some people unhappy or unpleased (being a people persons this messes with your own psyche)… but at the same time I sort of expect some folks to just understand it’s the ‘nature of thing’ and can not be helped, you will not like everything you see or experience. It’s life! Deal with it! So don’t be selfish and try to understand and make the best of the situation, it is easier to go with the flow then to paddle against the current … however you have some folks who fall into that category that just ‘don’t give a damn’ and if its ‘not about them’ and ‘their own needs and wants’ well forget it, you are a jerk no matter what you do for not catering to them and them alone. To those folks … I say I can’t apologize when I am looking out for the best interest of the majority, especially when I am all about a fair and consistent process, and if you don’t like it its not my fault or problem, its yours! I have learned recently by getting struck by the karmic/cosmic two-by-four that you will make your self sick if you try to please everybody … its not possible nor should this be expected of you. I recently had a Goddess remind me that it is indeed important to set boundaries for yourself and it’s okay to say no ... because if your allow yourself to be limitless some folks who fall into the category of “I love to be miserable” and “it should be all about me” can and will step on you … and they certainly don’t care if your pleased do they?

Bia' Aletheia


Word Count = 569

Harder then I thought!

Okay, I am sitting here trying to think of a Blog idea … and am beginning the realize this contest is a lot harder then I thought it would be. Meanwhile, the boyfriend is watching one of his favorite all time movies that he TIVO'd earlier this week: The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Well I have seen it numerous times now and can't seem to understand its full impact on my boyfriend's psyche but he seems to enjoy it. He has watched it at least dozen times. So I just asked him why do you like this movie so much and he replies 'because its funny'. I have yet to hear him belly laugh or even chuckle. But I do see him smirk and smile from time to time, and nod as if he has some deep understanding that space travel with your 'trusted towel could very well be a possibility'. I must admit the 'seriously depressed robot' does give me a small belly chuckle and the meaning of life learned by the characters in their search of understanding… well what else can it be but = 42, is also equally funny! But what is it about that movie that he really likes? I find much of it more silly then funny, like the guy with two heads or a flip top head, that's just weird. I do find it funny how those poet reading aliens deal with bureaucratic things. Slow and meticulous. Perhaps the writer of the story was poking fun at people and saying that things can be that ridiculous on earth as well as outer space if you let it! But why does the boyfriend like this movie so much? Let's see I know for a fact he is a Star Trek fan, so perhaps it has something to do with 'Boldly Going Where No Man Has Gone Before' that has him in a such a state of awe! But no, I don't think so, he is a little more diabolical then that. I know because we have been living with each other off and on, more on then off, for over eleven years. So after some more inquisition … and until it seemed like he was annoyed with me for asking again, he told me with a slight infliction is his voice 'because its funny that's all… and because the entire planet was commissioned, paid for, and run by mice … but they are just hyper-intelligent pan-dimensional intrusions into our reality”. So I ask you out there in Blogland, and anyone who may have seen this crazy movie, just what the heck does this really mean? I guess you have to have different kind of sense of humor like the boyfriends to really enjoy the movie. Has anyone of you ever seen this movie, I am sure most of you have? What about those dolphin too that sing 'Thank you for the Fish'? The movie is silly, not hysterically funny but just plain silly but I understand that there are many fans to this flick … I just want to know why? Oh yeah the reason being = 42 I guess!

Bia' Aletheia

word count = 530

My Fears ... Answering Spence's Challenge

Okay I am going to try to discuss my fears, some are logical and some are completely irrational, but none the less pretty scary in my mind. Okay I have to agree with Amanda that getting Cancer would be at the top of my list too! I have lost some very dear and near folks to me from that terrible disease, and its not pretty. When I was younger I have had a great fear of dying, and sometimes I still think about it and get kind of melancholy but not to the intensity I had as a child. I use to wake up from a cold sweat screaming “ I don't want to die”! And my mother had to soothe me back to sleep and say “its just a dream”! I do fear electrocution and believe this is how I am going to die, I despise electrical cords near a large body or water or a water source. It's a knowing I have, or perhaps it is how I died in one of my past lives. But I am paranoid about it!

Well today as an adult there are two things that really freak me out: 1.) Roaches and 2.) Lightning (you Southerners have the most fierce lightning this Northerner has ever seen, and Zeus, he don't play). The boyfriend's father calls me 'lightning bug', I hate the massive, mama jamma, palmetto bugs – aka - the big brown roaches common here … can I hear a yuck! When I use to live in Lakeland I would run up to pop's house (the boyfriend's dad) for the company cause your storms here are pretty fierce and well quite frankly is scary, exciting somewhat but very unnerving by oneself! Now lets talk about those damned palmetto bugs. What purpose do they serve! Yuck … and a big eeewwww! Spiders make me nervous but not like these giant roaches. I am not gonna lie to you Spiders make me really nervous, especially big hairy and colorful ones. Odd though if I had to, I would get close to snap a picture of a unique spider but would run like a chicken if it looked at me sideways. I'd scream like a lunatic as well! Snakes don't bother me, lately I have been really drawn to them and would like to make a few beaded necklaces with snake charms, They symbolize dreams and mysticisms to me … so I don't seem to worry too much about them. But let me try to hook their baby kindred folk to a fish-hook, the 'worm' and I will faint. Those wriggly little suckers...now they are friggin scary! Not to mention gross! Oh maggots well they are scary too! And disgusting!

I have smaller fears or lesser fears of being alone, dying alone, not making it financially, not being financially secure, being a disappointment to my family, not getting physically fit, not improving my own health and even letting myself down. Maybe these are worries but I am afraid of things like this happening and work hard to prevent them. I know I could do a better job at some of those things, and probably shouldn't worry about others. I am also scared of alligators and those red ants that hurt when they bite! I am petrified when the INTERNET is down. I would not know what I would do if I couldn't e-mail and more importantly blog! I may need a new modem soon so I have already arranged to go to my brothers in the event I loose my wireless connection so I can stay in this here WARP contest! LOL:)

Blessed Be ~ Bia' Aletheia

Word Count = 612

Character and Personal Force

"Character and personal force are the only investments that are worth anything." - Walt Whitman

Sometimes I like to take a famous quote that strikes a cord within me and expound upon it; find a relationship with the ‘here and now’ and how it may relate to something I observed, personally witnessed or know someone who lives by a certain standard that I myself would like to emulate. This is perhaps why it strikes a chord within me. It is because these profound statements are not just something someone has made up, and out of thin air! These folks have had the pleasure and fortune to observe prime examples of people living by a certain creed and holding themselves to certain standards that are indeed noble and worth mention. I can give you the community a prime example of what I am talking about. Not too long ago when money was stolen out of the home from one of your leaders and even though many of you were very disappointed by this action because it meant someone who was trusted in your community let you all down. You all picked yourselves up by the bootstraps and continued on the reach your goal and the shared goals of the community. Your leader was ready to assume the full responsibility and many folks came to his aid and defense during this dark time. This to me spoke volumes about a person whom I have only recently met at FPG well over seven months ago and a few times at local community events there after. He is adored, respected and well thought about within the community. I have heard some of the adversities he had to overcome and some slanderous comments made regarding this person many moons ago that have created some issues for him in the past that he has equally overcame. I like to make my own judgments so no matter what is said about any of you, know this I shall take my time to get the know the person before I do make up my own mind. I believe things said should not influence everyone; one should see things for themselves and be given that opportunity without the ‘hearsay’ and innuendo. And for the most part I have observed you all be equally not speak ills of one another and this to me equally speaks volumes about the ethics you all hold in this community, one I am proud to be apart of, even if its quietly in the shadow and confines of my ‘broom closet’! But having said all this, I can say with honesty that the actions a few speak loud and the actions of many speak even louder. Do you remember the movie the Knight Tale with Heath Ledger when the Prince of England or Whales (not sure) came to dub him a knight when he was on display in the town square, locked up in some torture contraption like some criminal on display. The prince had said the character ‘William’. “Your people love you and if I did not know anything else about you that would be enough. I feel many of you feel that way about Gaelyn and if I did not know anything else about him your actions are enough for me to make up my mind that he is a man of character and a personal force with knowing!


Word Count = 555 (Quote not part of the Word Count)

PS. Thanks for the words of encouragement Gaelyn, and am doing my best to be a worthy opponent! :)

My farmiliar, my buddy, my cat Boo!

I do believe its possible to feel a deep spiritual connection with an animal. I also equally feel that animals can teach us a thing or two about the magickal world around us. We can learn invaluable lessons from them like the nature of play, how to rest, unconditional love and loyalty. I feel my cat Boo has cornered the market when it comes to being not only a loyal companion but he is also very much my familiar. Not only is he in tune with my emotions and feelings its like he knows when I need him nearby. I do not necessarily need to hold him either, he is somewhat finicky about that but he makes his presence known in his own unique ways. For example, like clock work every night when I go to bed he crawls right up next to my arm just below my neck as I lay on my right side predominantly. He may not stay there the whole night sometimes he does but for the most part he comes and goes and watches over me as I slumber. When I begun to stir mid morning (well with my schedule usually by 11:30 to 12:00) he is there to greet me with a few meows and a rub. He follows me everywhere when I am awake. He will plant himself on the couch as I watch TV, he will sometimes put a paw on me or lean against me to make sure we are connected and/or touching. This act is pretty important to him and well me too! Its us bonding! Another interesting thing Boo does is when every time I open up a Wiccan/Pagan book he literally plops in my book and will not move until I read aloud to him a few paragraphs. Then he sits with one paw on the page as if he is trying to absorb the words by osmosis, opening and closing his eyes in pensive concentration to my every word. Boo sometimes makes me nervous because he has no fear of candle magick or open flames. He sometimes has to be moved away just a little from a burning candle or flame. I do admire his courage. He makes me think of the ‘fool’ in a deck of tarot standing at the abyss of a cliff ready to take that plunge into the unknown. He is so ready for any challenge. I am sure that is what he is trying to teach me too. Boo Bear is my most mischievous cat during idle times. He is constantly tormenting my dog Zeus (I know you are cringing, one of those folks who names their pets after a God , but quite honestly I find Zeus a lovable God and it felt appropriate for my dog too). Boo is also like any other typical cat and knocking things over including statuary. I barely allow him in my alter room anymore and this has sorely pissed him off because when I am in that room he sits or lays at the door and reaches under it with his paw and begins to meows, he waits for me like some sentinel until I am out of the room. I had discovered recently how attach I am to this cat and how attached he is to me. When I went to FPG Samhain 2008 the evening before I left my buddy Boo decided to go on a little vacation of his own. I was devastated and thought about him constantly while I was there, calling the boyfriend daily and asking if he had returned. Boo was missing for over 12 days. I was worried because my little guy is a traditional long hair and all black cat. I have heard horror stories about cats being tormented this time of year and felt sick with worry. I expressed my concern to everyone and you would have thought it was like a child running away form home and the parent was besides themselves. Anyhow, Boo did return home one evening about 3:00 AM. I had the window open in my bedroom and reading, get this, 'Everyday Magic' and the what I heard out back was like music to my ears. The dog jumped out of bed and twirled a few times to, and I hear meows outside the windowsill. Boo was there and wanting in, he wasn't it too bad of condition which makes me think someone had him for a awhile, he was full of sand spurs and lost a few pounds but he was glad to be home. I am not going to lie, I wept with joy at his return. He was by my side continuously for three days letting me groom him to remove those darned sand spurs. He was even glad to see the dog! I feel like not only is Boo my pet and buddy but he my true familiar and a gift from the Great Mother, a tool for me to channel energy and magick and visa versa. It would be safe to say then that a familiar is very special and that it is connected to its owner like the soul is to a living breathing body. I love this guy!

BB ~ Bia' Aletheia

word count = 882 ~ sorry for the long one!

American Idol Fan ~ Disappointment!

Okay yes I am one of those crazy American Idol Fans … and yes I have voted for my favorite contestants on the phone a few times (well, errr oooh actually maybe on some occasions like up to fifty or so times, … but it was for those who I really, really, really like)! Because I work evening shifts I have to record it and watch it later on before I go to bed. An action that agonizes the boyfriend but he is most patient with me! We are up to season eight and although I feel this season has seen some of the most talented artists and signers to date, there were a lot of disappointments in not only the presentation, but the episodes in general feel robotic and lack the heart, personality and genuineness. I am a little upset with judges and the host this year too, it feels like the passion for what they started many moons ago has died out and its more theatrical then it has to be. It feels really cheesy this year and lacks a lot of things I use to like about the previous seasons. In fact this year feels really off, and not only have the judges have already made up their minds that Adam Lambert will be the winner this year but they have been openly telling him of this fact in the last few episodes. This sort of pisses me off because even though the man is clearly talented and should be the winner, it's like open disrespect; and in front of a million or so viewers to the other two finalists Kris Allen (which really cute by the way tin a cuddly kind of way, what a great smile on that guy) and Danny Gokey (who has so much heart and class). I was so proud when Adam Lambert spoke up this evening and said to Ryan and the Judges that both Kris and Danny are equally talented artists in his eyes! That was in itself a class act! This year's American Idol had a lot of issues, for one they waited for the bottom three to pick two songs to sing in a single episode, each previous year it was the last five. It was definitely a lot less singing and more hype! I think it was a 'time management issue' since they added the fourth judge Kara DioGuardi. One episode even forced the judges to give feedback in two's to save time because an episode the day before one of Adam Lambert's song was cut off completely and millions of folks like me who do the TIVO things missed it completely. Thank the Gods and Goddesses for You Tube, that's all I have to say! This year they did not even show the home town tours and celebrations in full for the three finalists, that was a great disappointment. Why they did this I would really like to know. It took away from the contestants accomplishments! They also didn't host their annual 'America Gives Back' Episode where they have famous singers and actors come in and do a concert and collect monies for those abroad and in need right here in the United States. I know the economy is bad but when you do good things and make folks feel good about contributing they tend to find unique ways to help! I think this year the INTERNET proceeds still helped out with the America Gives Back campaign, but the show was something I use to really enjoy. I feel American Idol has lost its Zest and Zeal! Don't get me wrong I love Simon still and think he just bad A@@, period! Ryan however, this year was a little more annoying then his usual self, but I am thankful there were a lot less female contestants this season so I didn't have to watch him paw and grope them up on stage during judge feedback! I think next year if they do it again I will just watch the tryouts which are very entertaining. I am questioning my continued fan to the show itself but I know I will still remain a fan to the contestants who continue to step out there on the stage and give it their all! So rock on to you!

Blessed Be ~ Bia' Aletheia

Word Count = 724

Fond of Reading ... if so What?

In case you all have not figured it out buy now, but you soon will, I am somewhat of an 'avid reader'. I use to hate reading back in junior high and high school. When I went to college in my adult years after my failed marriage I began to find solace in books and more specifically in my English Literature classes. I fell in love with poetry, short stories, the classics and the list goes on. I began to write a little too and found this was a good outlet for me to express myself. However, I have learned that you need a balance of books and reading material in your life, it can't be all about the classics, the history or the philosophy, sometimes you need to mix it up with fiction and current writers as well. Since my pagan birth or rebirth and more recently even though many of the books I currently read include a pagan theme or of the occult, mysticisms, and spiritual persuasion or have historical significance and/or are mythology based, I tend to throw a couple of just because books in there as well. I like to mix it up! I love horror and suspense novels. It was cool to find the works of M. R. Sellars this past year. He is a pagan author who writes murder mystery and to see his main character help solve these mysteries as a Pagan Consultant. I like the works of Diane Gabaldon, her earlier fiction involves time travel though portals and talks about Scottish and Britain mysticism like:Stonehenge, the Lockness Monster, the first printing press and other things that tend to be hinted as … first spotted by her characters. Some other things are referenced with good research such as witchcraft and of course she is all about the love story and romance! Back in the day I was quite the Stephen King fan and Ann Rice fan, before she converted Love the the Vampire Chronicles and The Witching Hour. I read most of the Harry Potters too! I think I would like to get involved in the Twilight series and wish to read stuff by Tanya Huff the Blood Ties Series as well as Jim Butcher's Dresden Files. But among these books I fit in stuff like Arcana Mundi, Greek Folk Religion, and many other interesting Tomes that lend me advice about Ancient Greek practices. I tend to also read different authors on the basics of different type of Earth Based Religions such as Wicca, Celtic, and Shamanism. I would like to read more on the Asatru/Vikings, Voodoo/Hoodoo/African traditions … I think that would be pretty neat to learn about too. Not to mention Eastern practices as well. There is so much I want to read and learn about and I guess you can say that my curiosity has been sparked in my adult years. But that's okay! To get to the point of this blog I would like to ask my competitors and anyone else out there if they are fond of reading? What kind of books do you like to read and if so what kind of books tend to fill up your bookshelves at home?

Many Blessings ~ Bia' Aletheia

* word count = 535

In Appreciation of Moms

Mother's Love
Her love is like an island
In life's ocean, vast and wide
A peaceful, quiet shelter
From the wind, the rain, the tide.
'Tis bound on the North by Hope,
By Patience on the West,
By tender Counsel on the South
And on the East by Rest.
Above it like a beacon light
Shine Faith, and Truth, and Prayer;
And through the changing scenes of life
I find a haven there.

- Author Unknown

dedicate this poem to all the mothers out there!Yesterday was mother's day so I got to thinking my first blog for this contest should be dedicated to them! I wanted to share with you all what a mother truly means to me and how important you all are to the children of this world! Some of the best memories I have of my mother are in the little things she did for me and as I look back now, I realize I really do appreciate those things, and as an adult often miss those things too! It was in those acts she has done for me that has taught me patience, love, understanding, kindness and the value of perseverance! It was in those acts I learned that 'Mothers' are beautiful warriors of strength, encouragement and are great teachers who prepare us for those things yet to come! Not only do they teach us about life but they also provide for our emotional, physical and spiritual well-being through their nurturing ways. Sometimes they have to teach us the tough things in life: things such as loss, grief, hard work and the most important and noblest thing ... 'sacrifice'! How much has a mother given up for the sake of their child? I can bet all the mothers out their know exactly what I am talking about. Even stranger though, most mothers do not mind, and this is not a character flaw but to me speaks volumes about moms in general! There are never any strings attached to what they do and this is to me the most remarkable thing about a mom! What they do is unconditional! Much of what a mom does resonates through us for the rest of our lives. This is how important you are! I personally want to thank my mom and all the mothers out there for being there for me and the other children out there! You are so crucial and sometimes you feel so under appreciated but know that when your children grow up they will realize just how important you are! No one can ever put a price tag out there on a mother. You are invaluable and a true Goddess Divine! I know that some of you may have not had the same opportunity as I did nor have been fortunate to have some of the same experiences with your mothers as I did, but know that being a mom yourself is also a precious gift, and being a mother is a precious gift to your children. Through your experiences whether good or bad you have learned what it is you want for your children. Mothers generally want the best for their kids, better then they had it, and it is as it should be! You are responsible for instilling values and molding our future though the lessons you teach your children...and that makes you all pretty important in my eyes! Happy belated Mothers Day to you ALL!

Blessed Be ~ Bia' Aletheia

word count - 505 (does not include the poem since its a quote)