Crystal Cavern

Another fun-filled workshop was hosted by the Crystal Cavern in Tigard, OR, last Sunday.  It's great to get out on the weekend and explore Oregon and locate some of it's many hidden gems.  Crystal Cavern is definitely one of them!  In my old stomping grounds I knew every little shop and booth in the state I think.  Here everything is new to me!  Judith was a delight and as a devoted cat lover it was an extra bonus to have both of the shop's very well-fed cats to wander in and out while we made dragon's blood sticks and cones!

Samhain is nearly upon us and you already feel the veil beginning to thin.  In some ways this important time is like New Years to some people.  It's a time to reflect on the past, those who have crossed over, but also on what the next year holds for each of us.  The last year has brought some very significant changes to my life and the list of those who have crossed over has grown, but it is no time to mourn.  It is time to celebrate all of those special souls on the other side.  I hope that you Samhain plans bring you close to those important to you.  I know I will set an extra plate at the dinner table soon and the thought is a powerful one.  Will you be prepared for a stanger to knock on your door and share your food with that person?  I know I will, no questions asked.

Mystic Earth

What a great set of workshops last weekend.  I'd never been to Roseburg before and I wasn't sure what to expect.  I definitely wasn't prepared for what I saw.  Mystic Earth is this amazing shop nestled in the hills of Roseburg, Oregon.  I'm just now getting to know the community here in Oregon, and I know that I shouldn't have any expecatations, but this was not anything I expected to find.  I walked into this unassuming store front in, what I assume is, a downtown area.  Inside was no little shop with some dusty herb containers.  The first thing I noticed was the juice bar/coffee bar/deli off to my right.  Wonderful smells greeted me as I went to the register.

Inside the shop I found wonderful crystals, books, incense, jewelry, wall hangings, and many jars of herbs showing no dust accumulation whatsoever.  It was impossible not to notice the huge red dragon that greeted me first.  I acknowledged him before speaking to any humans.  I'm glad I didn't have to help them hang him up there.  I imagine that was quite a challenge.  The workshops were intimate and a lot of fun.  I got to meet new people and discover an amazing shop and eatery all while going further south in Oregon than I'd ever gone before.  Below is a shot of some folks in the afternoon workshop rolling away!

Selu

I stepped outside yesterday into a cool early-autumn evening.  It was on the verge of being chilly and you could smell the rain on the wind.  In my view it was simply perfect - a true gift from Nature.  I was listening to Michelle Mays singing "Selu" and for a few moments I was transported back to an earlier time.  It's funny the things that can do that.  Michelle is an old friend of mine and listening to her music makes me feel like she's right there with me.  Michelle and I enjoyed that perfect moment of Fall weather together, although she does not know it.

Scent is like that too.  Yes, I've read the research that says there is no link between scent and memory, but my experience is the opposite.  I can't imagine anything else that would trigger my memory the way that scent does.  If your family is anything like mine, then the smell of food can open the flood gates in your mind and return you to 100 places from your past.  For me, the smells from a bakery are like a walk down memory lane.

Music and scent can both take us back to places from long ago or transport us to distant lands in the blink of an eye.