Stephanie's Studio

When I first became a blogger it was difficult to know if I had readers and visitors coming to my blog. I’d post and be met by the sounds of crickets. Then, I branched out into the world of the blogosphere, a world I  didn't  know really existed. From my ventures, I met a lot of interesting bloggers.  I've  started following and commenting on numerous blogs, for you see, prior to my outings, I too was out among the crickets. Lurking about but seldom saying anything. A fellow blogger  I've  met through my journeys around the blogosphere is Melissa Maygrove . She had the brilliant idea to have a Follow Fest , where we share about who we are, what we do and most importantly, how you can connect with us further. It is my intention through joining Follow Fest, that I’ll connect with many more readers and people interested enough in what I do to want to learn more by following. So, here goes my entry for the fest. Name:   St...

It has been a long, exceedingly cold, long winter. If I never hear the words polar vortex it will be too soon. The spring in this area was nothing to write home about either. I haven't completely packed away my winter sweaters because they still come in handy from time to time. But alas, Litha has ushered in summer with the longest day of the year, our wonderful solstice yesterday. Today, I celebrated Litha inspired by these: Thinking I was an awesome athlete: I set out in the morning, doing what I've done to celebrate the arrival of summer since my earliest memories...I returned to the water, and it was awesome! Meditative and quiet, I was left feeling connected to nature around me and to my innermost self. My soul felt contented and complete. Summer comes on swiftly with heat and testy storms in the Midwest. With its warmth there also comes the opportunity to delight and to retreat in pure unadulterated joy and the sweet memories this season invokes. Though i...

Still a bit tired from the A to Z challenge. Hope you enjoyed my month of alphabetical inspirational posts. I certainly enjoyed taking on a new challenge, as well as, all the new activity from various challenge bloggers and your thoughtful comments. I am grateful to all that joined this site and followed me on Google+. I hope you will stop in often. Today is a wonderful holiday for many of us. May 1st is Beltane. I thought today it would be nice to have you revisit my post from last year that shares information about this holiday. It is called:  Beltane Blessings . Enjoy, many blessings, and Happy Beltane!

A lot of people don’t understand who Pagans are or what we do in terms of prayer. As part of the A to Z blogger’s challenge, I decided to blog about Pagan Prayer for the letter P. Pagans believe in many gods and goddesses. Many Pagans pay tribute and invoke deities connected to their ethnicity and heritage. Others like myself, who consider themselves eclectics, work with deities both connected to their ethnicity and their identity. We are spiritual, and pay homage to spirits as well as deities. These spirits are generally of the earth but may also be creation beings who helped form the universe. I am particularly fond of the Australian Aboriginal creation beings of the dreamtime, for example. These creation ancestors are timeless. They were here in the beginning of time and continue to work their wonders to this day. Many different types of traditional indigenous people pay tribute to spirits. Some religions, such as Vodou and Shintoism, also pay homage to various spirits that...

As I prepare to poach my eggs for my husband and I, for breakfast, I stop and take a look at them. Examining the egg, I notice, it is a perfect and magical object. I think about Easter Eggs, since that holiday is approaching and my previous post about the  Tale of the Easter Bunny . People not involved with paganism or alternative/earth-based spirituality's diverse paths might be more concerned with the egg's nutritional benefits. Those of us on these diverse spiritual paths, see eggs quite a bit differently. A week or so ago, I was at my son's apartment, reminiscing with my family about past events. One story that reoccurs in our conversation, was that particular son's first exposure to Santeria through an experience with an egg. He was about 2. I was in my late twenties, so this was a long time ago. My son, I believe he had separation anxiety as a toddler. I was a full-time professor. He spent long periods of time with his brother and the babysitter. We were...

I wrote this a few years back and wanted to share it here today, on this very special day of Spring Equinox and Ostara. Tale of the Easter Bunny  “Mama, how does the Easter Bunny lay eggs and then bring them to all of our houses?” I asked circa late 1960’s early 1970’s. "I don’t know Sweetie … he just does,” was the tentative and unsatisfying reply. Somewhere along the way between Walgreens, Walmart, and Super Target, we forgot. We had an event called Massive Cultural Amnesia or MCA for short. Hey, sounds catchy. Maybe I can get a spot on the Today Show. Maybe not … okay, back to the story. "Once upon a time, long, long ago in a distant land called Europe , there were witches. Witches were not all ugly and green and covered with warts, smashed against a tree, as we see them today at All Hallow’s Eve or Halloween as some like to call it. Those early witches blended in with townsfolk. There were pretty ones—still maidens; fat ones in their motherhood sta...

Like many pagans, I am very much in the mind/body/spirit conversation. Notice though, that body is positioned right in the middle of that triangle. Often though, body is left out of the picture for many of us. I am all too guilty of being of the mind and spirit while leaving my body to do it's own thing. This has led to me becoming overweight--a heaviness that drags down my mind and spirit. Over the past few years I have also been ill, making me uncomfortable within my body. We are the bards and the scribes, the storytellers, myth weavers, healers and spell casters. A while back, I developed a workshop, Healing the Healer. It was telling that there was an abundance of interest in it. As healers we all know that we have a tendency to project our healing energy out into the world and at times that leaves little space for internal healing of our selves. I have a book called "365 Goddess" by Patricia Telesco. Everyday she invites us to be inspired by the magic and ins...

I’m excited about the upcoming Imbolc holiday and I’ve been preparing my home for the presence of Goddess Brighid.  Many people celebrate February 2 nd as Groundhog’s Day but in many parts of the pagan community it is Imbolc.  Imbolc asks us to pay attention to home and hearth.  We welcome the deities closely aligned with those sacred spaces so intimately tied to our lives.  I particularly adore Vesta and am making way for her as well.  Since I’ve been sick I’ve really become mindful of cleanliness, especially since it is suspected that I had or have stomach flu.  I have been cleaning and sanitizing all morning though I have little physical energy I have plenty of psychic energy.  The aromatherapeutic benefits of the types of cleansers I am using are also giving me a spiritual boost.  I am doing spiritual floor washes using lemongrass essential oil, while also burning very sweet smelling red and white candles and will finish up with a juniper...