walsh711

[walsh711]

When it rains....

No matter where I am in the world, the scent of rain brings me back to the balcony of our home where, whenever it rains, I would stand alongside my father, admiring the weather. We would find the rain beautiful and calming even if the sky would be grey with clouds and roaring with thunder. My father would be there, spending time on insignificant things like watching the rain with me and talking about how fascinating the universe is. So when it rains, it reminds me that there still exists someone who will listen to me even when I'm silent.

[walsh711]

When the night is cold and endless, And the wind cuts through your soul, If the world feels like it’s crumbling, Come to me, I’ll make you whole.

[walsh711]

[walsh711]

Studio Ghibli: The Secret World of Arrietty (2010) dir. Hiromasa Yonebayashi

[walsh711]

[walsh711]

Lluvia en el parque nacional Alerce andino.

[walsh711]

the only thing more powerful than a weird little girl is a weird middle aged woman. the only thing more powerful than a weird middle aged woman is a weird old lady. and the only thing more powerful than a weird old lady is a weird little girl. thus the world is balanced.

[walsh711]

Mood. #hyggelig #hygge #unscentedcandles

[walsh711]

Rainy day #☔️ #🌧

[walsh711]

Rain shower. #rain #☔️

[walsh711]

[walsh711]

Altar

We are in the process of packing all of our things and making a 6-hour move at the end of May. During this, I have been trying to pack up all that is not necessary to live, while maintaining a somewhat nice and decorated bedroom.

I have always had alters around the places I have lived. Actually, I have always had several small ones in each room! For me, altars are a segregated and sacred space to display pieces of your life or belief that help give meaning and inspire you for more. In the process of packing, I have boxes up about 80% of my alter items and materials. The only place left is the bedroom.

When we started designing the bedroom, we wanted it to feel light and green. We started with a lot of Buddhism imagery, but one day my bestie asked my why I had so many Buddhas. I take a certain calmness and energy from the figure, but I also can find that in other forms. So, we started to empty out the room of stuff and things, and add more plants. We moved most unnecessary furniture (except the bead shelf) out and placed three wooden shelves on one large wall in the room.

In this process I have found that it’s not just my things and collections that give me meaning, it’s my plants. No matter where I have lived, I have always cultivated something, grown something, or cared for some sort of plant. The altars of my home are always focused on my plants or some new cutting or seedling I am working on.

When I look back, my most fond memories of my childhood, my past, and my mother are all centered on plants. I spent the majority of my youth in the garden with my dad or in the flower beds with my mom. When I was in college, I grew plants on my windowsill. Apartment living required me to grow vines in water. Living in a house with no yard meant container gardening on the deck. The house I live in now, and am moving from, has a spacious yard, so I had my hand in some raised gardening (cats thought it was a giant litter box), container gardening, yard care, tree pruning, flower planting, and fairy garden building.

For me, there is just something magical about hearing wind blow through pine trees or the quiet “plink” and “plop” of raindrops on tree canopies. Those who know me, know that green is my favorite color, but a very specific shade; the green color of leaves set against a darkening stormy sky.

The boxing up and decluttering of my life has really taught me more about who I am and what I appreciate more that most other experiences have thus far. Something I worry about is not having my stuff or losing my “witchy” things for my personal altars. Since they are taped up in boxes now, and my living space is decluttered, it is so much easier for me to actually SEE now.

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[walsh711]

Heaven knows we belong way down below.