Rev. Crystal's Full Moon Blessings

Greetings to everyone. I have been caught up in lots of things over the past month and haven't had a chance to write. So I will try to include everything I can in this post.

Thanksgiving was nice, lots of food with family and friends. We did the festivities at my house and that was great. Plus it was nice to have a couple of days off from work too!

I made a decision in December regarding my writing career (or lack of, LOL). I was looking through some Barnes and Nobles catalog and saw that there was a page dedicated to Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanza but nothing about Yule or the Solstice. So I decided that I would write a series of books around the 8 Sabbats for children. I figure that my kids deserve to read about their holidays as well. After some research I saw that there is not really anything out there.

So I am on the first re-draft of the Yule book. I hope it will be out for Yule next year. That is my goal atleast. I am excited about it and they are really fun to write.

Speaking of Yule............................ mine this year was good. I got together with all the sisters and our families and had a great day enjoying eachother and the season. We had it at a sister's house in Antioch and it was great. She just moved and has a real nice, big house. (She just got married too :) It was awesome.

X-mas is several days away and the kids are excited. I am tired and ready for the holidays to be over. Considering we are in the dark half of the year, lots of tragedy and concerns have arrived these past couple of months. But things are moving along and the light is around the corner.

I have been dealing with some problems around my health but things seem to be ok for the past couple of days. I will keep everyone posted.

Family is good, sisters are good, friends are good, babies in the belly are good.

Well, it has been hard to write lately because my thoughts have been so scattered. Mainly because of the election that just past, but I won't get into that too much.

I found it is interesting that after such a disaster at the polls on November 2nd, a week later I found out some news that is so much better. My friend is not just having a baby but she is having twins! Not only am I going to be an aunt, I am going to be an aunt times 2! I definitely have enough love to give and I am really excited. (I have already been shopping!)

I guess life always balances out, right. Amazing.........................

So I put a pick of the babies inside the womb to see (just scroll down) and I also posted a pic of my friend (the mama) with my son. And of course I had to throw one of Robbie by himself in there. He is so darn cute sometimes, (especially when you can't see his horns, LOL)

I promise to still post pic of the kids in costume as soon as I get them.
Blessings times three,
Crystal

Robbie coming out of the bathtub 

A pic of robert and Marian at Chevy's.

Not one but two times and Auntie!

Greetings all, thought I would write about my weekend. Not only was it my mom's birthday, it was also halloween and Samhain. Saturday I was able to spend quality time with my sisters in our group and celebrate Samhain. We were at one sisters house in El Sobrante and I hadn't been there in over a year. It was lots of cool yet spooky fun. We had an awesome circle and dinner with the spirits. (thanks girls)

On Sunday the family had breakfast (cooked by my hubbie) for my mom's birthday and to celebrate Samhain as a family. Jon and I decided to exchange gifts for Samhain with the family so we did that after breakfast.

Sunday night was halloween time. My mom, Marian (ti-ti), Jon, the big boys, Robbie and I went trick or treating. Robert had a blast and couldn't wait to say "trick or treat". So much that a couple of times someone would answer the door and he rushed inside of their houses! And one time he actually walked up and opened someone's door. (They were sitting on the couch shocked that this little Harry Potter opened the door) LOL!!! It was great.

I have been doing a lot of thinking and processing this past weekend and I think it is finally time to move on from some things in my recent past that have held me back. I am coming to the understanding that I can't just let some of it go and hold onto the rest without it continuing to eat me up inside. So, with that I have asked the goddess to help me in shedding the old this Samhain. I think I am ready to let go of the betrayal I have felt over the past several months. In addition I know I am a survivor and I have learned from giving my power to people blindly. I have become stronger. Blessed Be!

P.S. Thanks to Christine and Linda, with whom I got to enjoy the eclipse with last Wednesday. It was beautiful and full of magic. Almost as beautiful as you two.

P.S.S. I promise to post pics of Robbie and the boys in their costumes as soon as they are developed.

Crystal

The dark half of the year is coming and it is coming fast. I have definatly been feeling the effects of the passing sun but things are still good. I am grateful and blessed to be alive, feel the energy of the universe and have good friends and family.

Samhain is coming, one week to go. I originally planned to host a Samhain/birthday breakfast on Sunday for my mother and the family but I am not sure.

I have some very good things that have happened in my life and I would like to share. My best friend since highschool just found out she is with child. I had a feeling and she confirmed it last week, who said I wasn't psychic, LOL. She is about a month or so along and I am going to be an auntie!

I am also working hard on developing my new line of jewelry for my business. And I sold my first bracelet and it was very exciting!!! I have several more orders and it is awesome to see your pieces on someone else.

As the seasons change and the god dies I find that I am really working on balance in my life. I know that the coming of the dark is not just about death but is about the coming of the light and rebirth. Many things have been reborn since I left my old spiritual group and reunited with old friends and sisters to create new. My spirituality has been reborn, my business is being reborn, friendships have been reborn........... life is good.

And the book is still coming along.

Until later,
Crystal

Well, I got to meet the wonderful and beautiful Laurell K. Hamilton yesterday at the Barnes and Nobles in Jack London Square. It is amazing the level of excitement I had. It was like those fans that finally get to meet Michael Jackson and then they faint. I was close! LOL

My hubby went with me and we sat in line for 2 1/2 hours. My awesome friends Linda and Christine met me there around 6:30. It was more than I could have hoped for. I was very close in to the front of the line and got great seats up front in the second row. She did a Questions and Answers session and it was awesome to see her speak. I have heard this woman in my head for more than 17 books of reading pleasure but never got to hear her voice until then.

She was witty and eloquent on stage. I saw so much of Anita Blake in her personality. Her husband was awesome as well.

Somehow the tour shirts were forgotten and they were unable to give them away or show them to the audience. They asked if anyone had one on and I was the only person in the audience with a tour shirt on. So.............I was invited to stand next to Laurell so they could show the audience the shirt. I made a joke out of it and everyone laughed. She gave me a great hug and I sat back down.

She personalized all my items and took pictures with me again. It was awesome!!!!! Afterwards my friends, jon and I went out to dinner.

As soon as I develop the pictures I will post some!

Blessings times three.
Crystal

P.S. I had the wierdest experience at the book store. Jon was talking to someone who had a pentacle on and figured out that she had read my article on witchvox. She came over to me and was very nice and said how much she enjoyed my article.

I got another email from someone who read the article and made reference to not feeling scared anymore and being empowered. RIGHT ON!!!

Greetings all, I have much to share that has happened in the last 2 weeks since I posted. Things are well and moving right along.

The new Anita Blake #12, Incubus Dreams, came out and of course I was late to work because I waited outside of Barnes and Nobles in order to buy it the morning it was released!!! I have been waiting for sooo long and the anxiety was overwhelming. Laurell K. Hamilton is coming to town on October 11th and I am very excited to go there and have her sign the book. Hopefully I will meet up with some friends and have a blast meeting my favorite author.

I have signed up for some classes and I am now back on track with my spiritual education (so to speak). I am taking some classes on herbs, gems and stones and of course still working towards my degrees. I am very excited about being back in the full swing of things. Actually I feel more comfortable with learning in this manner because it feels concrete and structured. I am finding that I learn better in that type of setting.

Several of my group sisters are also taking classes so we will have the opportunity to study together before tests and stuff, which is really cool.

I wrote an article for witchvox several weeks ago. They post the topic of the month for others to write articles or essays on and this time it was on solitary practice. I was inspired by that and decided this was something I wanted to do.

I submitted the article and it was approved!!! It is now on the website, www.witchvox.com, for a week until the next update on Sunday, October 10th. After that it will still be accessible in the section for topics of the month. You can look up topic essays for the past several years.

I am really grateful to be able to write something from the heart and share it with people. and I have received several emails from people (some I know and others I don't) that said they really liked it and felt inspired. That is worth all the struggle right there.

Also, I went to a group sisters wedding this past Sunday. It was beautiful and she looked like an angel. It was nice to be with all of my friends and sisters and enjoy something as special as Monica's wedding. I am very blessed!!!

Blessed Be!
Crystal

Blessings to all on this wonderful Mabon day. All things in balance as the wheel turns another time and leads toward the dark half of the year.

There are many things that I am grateful for on this Mabon day......and thought I would mention a few. I am grateful for family, seeing my mother alive, knowing my husband loves me, seeing my children smile, hugging my best friend, developing new friendships, my sisters (you know who you are), wonderful co-workers who are my family, my job and loving what I do.

I am grateful for hope, honesty, integrity, an open mind, a free heart, strength, growth, creativity, dreams, self worth, spirituality, stability.................... The ability to love and be loved.

(I feel like I just gave a "shout out" on the radio!)

I am enjoying many things in life right now. One thing that I find cool is experimenting with some online classes for spiritual growth. So far, so good. And how awesome that I am finding these opportunities all around me.

I am realizing that with every death something is born anew. And although I have gone through some devastating times recently, the light is much brighter. And I am grateful to have gone through the dark and been able to learn from it. Growth is scary but rewarding, and I am ready for something new and I feel I am exactly where I should be.

Until next time..................................(remember that game show!!!) How about this one, "We'll be back in 2 and 2..............." LOL

Blessings

My Son and his cousin India from England! 

My son Keith 

My son looking cool 

Well, this is my first post on my blog. I saw several of my friends and thought....What a great idea!!! This way I can share some of the awesome things going on in my life with others.

Recently I have gone through some pretty wierd transitions and changes and I am adjusting lots of things in my life. I have found that I am finding a lot of the passions that I had before and starting to do things again that I haven't done lately. For example, I just wrote an article for witchvox about Solitary practice. It was a great experience to write something with the intentions of it being published for others to read.

I have been thinking up new jewelry designs and starting back on writing my book. WOW, Lots of cool stuff.

So, to say the least....I am excited by some of the things that have recently happened and inspired by many things and ready to get started......

Until later..................