Life

Lammas: The Wiccan Holiday

Lammas is an important Wiccan holiday which is also known as Lughnasadh. It marks the beginning of hot days in August, which is the time of the year when the earth is parched and dry. Moreover, the bright yellows and reds of harvest season are honored during the holiday. It occurs when the apples start to ripen, and all the vegetables of summer have already been picked. A vegetable commonly thought of during the holiday is corn. Corn is known for its green color and tall height. Lammas celebrates the harvesting season. It is when you reap what has been sown. Everyone gathers around the first harvests of oats, wheat, grain, and other vegetables. Lammas is either celebrated for the harvest season or to honor Lugh, who is an important pagan god. 

Celebration of Grain

Since the beginning of civilization, grain has played an essential part in society. The grain is associated with rebirth and death. Tammuz is a Sumerian god that had been slain during this time, and Ishtar was his lover who had grieved so much so that Nature stopped bearing fruit.
According to legend, it is believed that Tammuz had been mounted by Ishtar and brought to the Underworld for rebirth. As for Greek Legend, Adonis is the grain god. Persephone and Aphrodite are the two goddesses that had fought to gain his love. To put an end to the fighting, Zeus had to order Adonis to spend the rest of his life with Aphrodite after he had spent about six months with Persephone. Continue reading

Yoga For Menstruation Now Available

Book 12 of Mojo’s Yoga Series is now available!

A woman’s health is straightforwardly shown in her menstrual cycle. It’s the one thing all women commonly share. Nevertheless, each woman experiences her period differently.

When you’re on your period, try these yoga poses to reduce these symptoms.

My Favorite YouTube Channels

As we all know, there are many YouTube channels. They teach you how to make a simple problem to your car to simple crafts you can do. Here are some of my favorites. 

Chris Fox

Bestselling author of 5,000 Words per Hour, Write to Market, and science fiction, fantasy novels, Chris is the best. I stumbled on him when I first decided to self-publish. His 21 Day Novel Writing Challenge had me hooked. I can’t tell you how many times I have watched the challenge. His latest video series, 12 Weeks to a Trilogy, he completed in May. It is now my favorite. Chris typically has a new video on Friday talking about the writing craft, marketing, and the publishing business.

Christina M. Dukes

I am totally into the Law of Attraction. When I saw a thumbnail of her smelling her money, my first thought was “What the heck?” Okay, I was a little more colorful, but you get my meaning. Christina generally has a live Facebook video on Wednesday. She covers topics such as what does success cost, a simple trick to manifest money instantly, and how to get rid of negativity in your life. If you need a Need a Life or Business Coach, check her out!

Jenna Moreci

Author of Eve: The Awakening, Jenna totally cracks me up with her colorful language. Her videos on topics like character development, plot generation and scene setting. My favorite videos are being able to handle self-doubt and criticism. I watched all her videos in a few hours, which led me to the next author I follow:

Kristen Martin

Writer of all things young adult, science fiction, and fantasy, her newest book, Shadow Crown will be out Oct 3. New videos giving would-be authors writing advice, motivations, as well as techniques to balance your writing life, are posted on Mondays and Thursdays. Kristen also offers first chapter critique.

Kim Chance

YA Author of Keeper, Kim has a passion for helping other writers. She posts weekly writing videos on her channel covering topics such as starting your novel, rookie mistakes and getting involved in the writing community.

PhillyDiva

I was never one to worry about fashion since all I did was work and my wardrobe consisted of jeans and t-shirts. Now that the most I work outside of my home is 20 hours a week (and don’t operate a forklift any longer), finding Ms. PhillyDiva was a blessing. Fashion & Beauty Enthusiasts Beauty/Fashion Vlogger & Blogger, her style includes finding iconic vintage pieces and combining them with present-day trendy pieces. Her hair videos are a definite plus. 

Wolters World

I accidently stumbled on this after finding a YouTube video about Rszesow (my husband’s hometown). He offers many travel advice on things you may like or even dislike when traveling to different countries. The do’s and don’ts, passport issues and cruises. The perfect channel for the would be traveler.

My Travel Essentials

Besides packing for our trip, there a several items that I feel that I cannot do without when my husband and I travel. I want to share with you exactly what we will be taking to Europe.

Eye Mask 

This is on the top of my list when we travel to Europe. We have stayed at some hotels where the curtains and blinds were thin. My eye mask  really helped me sleep, especially since we typically go to Poland with the six hour difference. You’ll also find that it will help you sleep on the plane and allow you to get over jet lag faster after a long flight.

Slash Proof Bag

Many tourist areas in Europe and elsewhere are full of pickpockets, particularly in congested attractions. One trendy item for travelers going to locations that are susceptible to theft and pick-pocketing is a bag or purse that has special attributes to prevent it. A theft proof bag is geared towards travelers for its capability to prevent or delay theft. The straps could be metal mesh lined to thwart slashing or they have RFID pockets to block the scanning of your credit cards and passport.

RFID Blocking Travel Wallet

Nowadays, there is a big with credit card fraud. Even in Europe. Even if you don’t plan on traveling, I believe it’s something to have regardless. The hassle and inconvenience of having to cancel your card while traveling can really put a damper on things.

Plug Adapter

I love our adapter. It comes with EU, UK, US and AU
plugs. Not only does it have four USB outlets, there’s room to plug in three more items with US plugs. I need those for my laptop and to charge the battery for my camera. It’s not for hair dryers, curling irons or flat irons, but the last hotels we stayed at, blow dryers were available.

Power Bank or Portable Charger

Our last trip, we took many pictures. We used our phones and the two cameras we packed. I don’t remember how many times we had a phone or camera that simply died because it either didn’t charge enough or we just used it too much. This next trip we will be traveling to many cities. Of course while my husband is driving, I’ll be on my tablet. I purchased two power banks. Even we charge with the car’s outlet, I am not taking any chances. We’ll be seeing relatives my husband hasn’t seen since he left Poland in 1981. Just carry it with your other electronics and rember to charge it at night.

Comfortable Pair of Shoes 

Since we always do a lot of walking on our trip to Europe, we make sure we pack a comfortable pair of shoes that we can walk all day in without getting sore feet.

Travel Laundry Detergent Sink Packets

This is necessary to have for frequent trekkers (I refuse to be a tourist), who don’t want to depend on costly hotel laundries. It contains just enough liquid detergent to wash a few items in the sink when traveling. I’ve made a bet with my husband that I wouldn’t pack as much as I usually do. This is how I plan to do it.

European SIM Card

This is something I really do not need. With my cell phone plan (not mentioning it), I have international service in the majority of Europe. A friend of mine uses European SIM card all the time and swears by it. It also has the same service as my phone service with the same countries. It’s a prepaid SIM card which includes 10 GB of mobile Internet in Europe on 4G networks. You also will get 2 hours calls, 1000 SMS, and you can tether your data. 

Guidebook

For most of Poland, my husband is my guide. I enjoy seeing things through his eyes. Other countries I rely on Rick Steves. Yes, I know. After my first trip abroad, I started watching every episode. I purchased my latest copies and can only hope that we get to all the countries before it’s time to update again.

Well, those are my must haves. I am so looking forward to this trip. I believe more than my husband is!

2017 Eclipse

The 2017 Solar Eclipse (as it is being called) is a once-in-a-lifetime event. The eclipse will begin in Oregon and then move across the nation. 

This will be the first time in 99 years; a solar eclipse will be observable in the United States. The moon’s shadow will stretch across the Earth’s surface, crossing portions of twelve states. Beginning in Oregon at 10:15:56.5 a.m. PDT, the total solar eclipse will follow a 67-mile wide path east through the country. It will finally leave by way of South Carolina’s East Coast at 2:48 p.m. EDT. In any particular place, the total eclipse will last around 2 or 3 minutes. It will take about an 90 minutes for the eclipse to travel across the entire country.

The August eclipse will be extremely available to anyone inside a 200-mile drive of its path of totality, but of course, the most important element in finding a good view is of course, the weather. 

In St. Augustine, we will see a partial solar eclipse. For us, the eclipse will hit its highest point at 14:48:58 EDT, once the moon blocks out 89.7% of the sun. Hey, it’s better than nothing! Here is a list of some of the best places it will be visible.

The next North American total solar eclipse will be on April 8, 2024. It will begin in Mexico, making its way through Texas to Maine and finally end in Canada. I’m quite sure that after the 21^st, people will start making plans for that one.