#helps the inner ring of trees prosper

[mezimraky]

been doing lil things on our minecraft server and it's. so nice. to have these tiny projects that add up to big things. i made a flower farm. then i decided to build a greenhouse around it. then another day i changed the shape of it up so it would work better. then another day i shaded it. then, today, months after starting, i filled it in with a bit more greenery on the inside. next time i'm going to add the quirky scientist set-up ladders and hanging bed included. it's going to be lovely!!

[lanleenn]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Amazonite Chrome Diopside 925 Sterling Silver Necklace.

[moneyratnam]

The Secrets of Pyrite Crystals: Special Qualities and Advantages

Pyrite, often referred to as “Fool’s Gold,” is a shiny golden mineral found deep within the earth. Its radiant gleam and gold-like color may have led to this nickname, as it is more affordable than actual gold but shares a similar sparkle. Despite this playful moniker, Pyrite has captivated people for centuries due to its unique characteristics and numerous benefits. In this blog, we will uncover these qualities and explore why so many admire Pyrite for its metaphysical significance.

The Meaning Behind the Name “Pyrite”

Derived from the Greek word “Pyr,” meaning “fire,” Pyrite gets its name from its ability to produce sparks when struck against metal or stone.

Composed of iron sulfide, or iron pyrite, Pyrite’s metallic golden hue has long made it a favorite in jewelry, admired for its resemblance to gold. Historically, it also served as a fire-starting tool, producing sparks when struck. According to the Earth Science Museum at the University of Waterloo, Pyrite crystals form in various shapes, including cubes, elongated crystals, and large lumps, all possessing a unique shine and symmetry. Though Pyrite is harder than gold, it holds less monetary value, but its true worth lies in its energy and symbolism.

Symbolically, Pyrite is associated with abundance and protection. In the metaphysical realm, it is known as “The Stone of Abundance,” believed to form an energetic shield that protects against negativity.

Unique Physical Properties of Pyrite

According to the University of Minnesota, Pyrite has several distinct characteristics:

Made of iron sulfide, also known as iron pyrite.

Produces sparks when struck against metal or stone, symbolizing the element of fire.

Has a pale yellow or golden hue.

Is hard and brittle with a greenish-black or brownish-black streak.

The price of Pyrite varies depending on its quality.

Rare Metaphysical Properties and Spiritual Benefits of Pyrite

Beyond its aesthetic appeal, Pyrite is known for its spiritual and metaphysical benefits. It is believed to bring the following:

Prosperity and Wealth: Pyrite is thought to attract abundance, not just financially, but also in terms of growth and positive energy.

Inner Strength and Willpower: Spiritually, Pyrite helps build confidence and encourages decisive action, aligning with the solar plexus chakra that governs strength and self-assurance.

Transformation: As a symbol of strength and transformation, Pyrite’s connection to fire and earth makes it a potent ally for personal growth.

Protection: Pyrite is believed to create an energetic shield, keeping negativity at bay. It is also scientifically recognized as a conductor of energy, serving as a semiconductor.

Grounding: Despite its energizing properties, Pyrite helps keep individuals grounded in reality.

How to Incorporate Pyrite Crystals Into Your Life

Integrating Pyrite into your daily routine is both easy and beneficial. Whether through jewelry or decorative pieces, Pyrite offers a variety of advantages in any form:

Wear Pyrite jewelry to enhance both your appearance and your spiritual well-being.

Display Pyrite as a decorative object, such as a Pyrite tree or rock.

A Pyrite pendant can increase confidence and support your willpower due to its metaphysical qualities.

Place a Pyrite pyramid, like a Money Ratnam Pyrite Pyramid, in your home or office to attract prosperity and protection against negativity.

Wearing a Pyrite bracelet creates an energetic shield, offering protection and promoting optimism during challenging times.

A Pyrite ring can improve mental clarity, concentration, and motivation, pushing you toward your goals.

Pyrite also supports physical and emotional health, helping to combat fatigue, reduce anxiety, and promote inner peace.

Conclusion

Pyrite, with its beautiful appearance and powerful metaphysical properties, is a remarkable crystal full of spiritual potential. It attracts prosperity, positivity, and protection, making it a valuable addition to your collection. If you understand its transformative qualities, you’ll likely want to include this “Fool’s Gold” in your life.

What do you love most about Pyrite? Share your thoughts in the comments!

[cheri-translates]

[CN] Summer Palace Tour with Gavin

🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for content not yet released in EN 🍒

Summer Palace Tour Video: here

The weather in autumn is exceptionally clear and refreshing. Standing at the entrance of the Summer Palace, I look at the tickets in my hand with anticipation.

The documentary from my previous collaboration with the Forbidden City garnered positive feedback, and many viewers expressed that they had a better understanding of traditions and culture through the film.

As such, the company managed to clinch the rights to shoot a sequel. This time, the collaborative partner is another famous imperial palace...

The Summer Palace, also known as “The Royal Garden Museum”.

This is a rare opportunity. Before filming officially begins, I decided to visit the venue to take a look around. Of course, I’ve also invited him along.

My gaze flits past the bustling crowd. Just as I’m searching for that familiar figure, a voice rings out -

Gavin: It’s crowded here. Don’t stray off.

Gavin walks over to my side, taking my hand.

MC: I’m looking for the guide board. This place is really huge.

I blink at him, releasing a soft sigh of awe.

With a small smile, Gavin grips my hand lightly.

Gavin: It’s over there.

He brings me to the guide board. Giving it a sweeping glance, he turns to me with a relaxed smile.

Gavin: It says there are two entrances. Where do you want to go first?

MC: Let’s start from the north entrance.

LOCATION 1: Suzhou Street

Standing on the white marble stone bridge of Suzhou Street, I tiptoe, staring into the distance.

Beautiful shopfronts span as far as the eye can see, and tiny colourful flags outside the shops drift in the breeze. 

MC: Wow, I can see the Yuquan Mountain and the Western Mountains from here!

I tilt my body to the side, pointing them out to Gavin. He glances in the direction of my finger, then nods.

Gavin: Mm, the view is pretty good. There are many shops as well. Why don’t we take a break here?

He asks relaxedly and contentedly, and it seems as though the beautiful scenery has melted into his eyes.

A wave of joy surges from my heart. Without realising it, I start to talk even more, pulling on Gavin’s arm as we walk down the bridge.

MC: Sure, let’s walk around!

There are many visitors in Suzhou Street. Row upon row of shops are arranged neatly.

MC: I heard that after Emperor Qianlong returned from an imperial tour in the Jiangnan region, he longed for the bustling view in Suzhou... For the 70th birthday of his mother, he built this street in order to bring the beautiful scenery of Jiangnan to the city of Beijing.

All of a sudden, I think about the “ideal home” that Gavin and I once talked about. My eyes crinkle upwards.

[Note] This is a reference to Hometown Date!

MC: Gavin, do you still remember the question about our “ideal home”?

Gavin pauses slightly, then nods.

Gavin: Why the sudden question? 

MC: It just came to mind after looking at the scenery and greenery.

My gaze slowly sweeps across the view before me, and I express the thoughts in my heart.

MC: In the future, our home must definitely have a huge garden. I want to grow all sorts of trees and plants in the garden, and create a beautiful Jiangnan scenery.

Gavin can’t help but chuckle softly. He lifts his hand, scratching the tip of my nose affectionately. 

Gavin: Sure, we’ll do it together.

He turns around. Standing in front of the railing, he blends into the pictureque scenery behind him.

A gentle breeze brushes the stray hairs on Gavin’s forehead, revealing a pair of crystal clear amber eyes.

Gavin: But the scenery isn’t important. The most important thing is that you and I are in that scenery.

LOCATION 2: The Marble Boat of Purity and Ease

MC: “The Marble Boat of Purity and Ease”... it’s a really beautiful name. But why was it given such a name?

Gavin follows my pace unhurriedly, walking towards the riverbank. We watch as sunlight descends on the boat, casting a dazzling halo over it.

Hearing what I said, he flips open the guide map and reads it aloud.

Gavin: “The Yellow River is clear and the sea is calm - the world is at peace throughout the years.” 

Gavin: Its name originated from a wish for peace and prosperity.

MC: Peace and prosperity...

Gavin lets out a “mm”. Staring at the tranquil lake, his voice is calm.

Gavin: It’s a shame that things didn’t go as planned.

His words make me recall the past that I’d read from history books.

The land was left in tatters, and fresh blood spilled like wine. The rippling and surging lake of the Summer Palace couldn’t salvage everything that was burnt down.

We pass by white marble railings. They are pure white, and one can no longer see traces of a vastly different past.

MC: Back in school, I remember the solemn atmosphere in the classroom when we learnt about this moment in history... It’s as though everyone experienced it firsthand.

Muttering to myself, I find my mood dampening. However, Gavin suddenly speaks.

Gavin: I used to feel angry about it, but not anymore.

MC: Why not? 

Gavin: Because I understand now that if you want to protect something you cherish, you have to keep getting stronger. 

Gavin looks at me, his eyes filled with calmness and bright rays of light.

He doesn’t continue, simply hugging me from behind as we stare at the Marble Boat of Purity and Ease quietly.

Specks of radiance land on the boat. It’s as though this historical boat has been stranded in this moment, bringing with it the tranquility of consistency through the ages.

Looking at this peaceful scenery, I suddenly tilt my head upwards. Gavin lowers his eyes and meets my gaze, his eyes clear and bright.

MC: Gavin, in the past, I always thought that peace and prosperity was something ordinary. But afterwards, I slowly understood the weight behind them. It’s been difficult for you, Officer Gavin.

Gavin chuckles softly, encircling me even more tightly into his arms. His chin rubs the top of my head gently.

Gavin: I already have a reason to fight. So, it isn’t difficult at all.

LOCATION 3: Long Corridor

Even though it’s already autumn, the weather is still pretty hot. However, cool breezes weave through the Long Corridor, and they are incredibly soothing.

MC: No wonder the imperial household enjoyed coming here to avoid the heat... it’s much more cooling than other places!

I smile at Gavin. The moment I finish speaking, a visitor from the side suddenly bumps into me.

Before I can react, Gavin reaches out to pull me into his arms.

Without a word, he simply uses his body to shield me from the crowd behind. Then, he tilts his chin at me.

Gavin: What were you saying?

Sweeping a glance at the growing crowd, I find that the originally cooling Long Corridor is gradually becoming stuffy and hot. I shake my head.

MC: Nothing much. It’s just that this path is pretty long, and it’d be a while before we reach the end.

Gavin: Want to go somewhere else?

Meeting Gavin’s gaze, I shake my head. After fanning myself with a hand, I stand on my tiptoes to fan Gavin as well.

MC: Since we’re already here, we might as well finish the walk. Anyway, the scenery along the way is really pretty.

A faint breeze brushes stray hairs on his forehead. Gavin’s bright eyes notice my actions, and he smiles slightly.

Gavin: Sure.

Tugging on Gavin’s hand, we continue walking forward. Gavin doesn’t say anything, and it seems like he’s pondering on something.

After a moment, I feel a refreshing breeze drifting from our interlaced palms. It gradually encases my surroundings, lifting up a few locks of hair.

I immediately turn to Gavin. He blinks, his eyes innocent and bright.

Gavin: It’d no longer be hot like this.

A breeze brushes my sleeve, and I can vaguely hear someone exclaiming from the front.

Visitor: It’s so cooling all of a sudden!

I turn my head, watching as the person beside me stares out of the corridor as if nothing happened.

Gavin: The view’s pretty good here.

I can’t help but laugh quietly, pulling on his hand as we continue walking.

LOCATION 4: Hall of Peace and Longevity

MC: Gavin, look at that lady. The hanfu she’s wearing is so pretty!

I tug on Gavin’s sleeve, signalling for him to look.

MC: The design of that hanfu was likely inspired by items in the Hall of Peace and Longevity. There are images of phoenixes, Yulan magnolia flowers, and peonies woven on it. The workmanship seems so exquisite...

Gavin: Do you like it?

MC: Mm! It looks really pretty, and it’s an innovative blend of traditions and cultures! I just don’t know where I can buy... huh, Gavin, why did you take your phone out?

Gavin: I’m searching for the shop selling this outfit. Since you like it, get one.

MC: ...it won’t be too late to do that after returning home!

LOCATION 5: Garden of Virtue and Harmony

MC: Gavin, look! There are paintings of dragons on the ceiling of the Garden of Virtue and Harmony!

Walking past the inscribed board outside the Garden of Virtue and Harmony theatre, we arrive at the inner hall.

Arching my neck to stare at the paintings on the ceiling, I point them out to Gavin.

Gavin’s gaze follows the direction of my finger, and he nods slightly.

Gavin: It does look very nice, but that’s not all.

MC: Huh? Did I miss something?

Gavin suddenly lifts his hand, tilting my head gently and enabling me to see uneven ridges on the paintings.

Noticing the curiosity on my face, he smiles while explaining.

Gavin: That should be a movable board which allows actors to descend from the ceiling.

Astounded, my eyes widen as I turn to him.

MC: Wow, there were already elevators back then!

Gavin smiles in amusement at my exaggerated tone and expression. He nods.

Gavin: Mm, it’s pretty amazing. Aside from that, there are many other mechanisms here.

He casually points at the decorations on stage, and seems to find them interesting.

Gavin: In order to carry out a perfect performance, they spent a lot of effort on the decorations. The ingenuity of predecessors have remained till this day, and they are by no means inferior.

I nod in agreement. Something occurs to me, and I can’t help but laugh.

MC: Then again, Officer Gavin doesn’t need an elevator to descend from the sky!

The corners of Gavin’s lips curl upwards subconsciously. He seems to think of something, and coughs softly.

He looks around at the surroundings. When he’s certain that no one is watching us, he turns back to look at me, a somewhat resigned expression on his face.

Gavin: Not so loud.

Receiving Officer Gavin’s “instruction”, I give him a wink, doing a “zipping” motion over my lips.

Gavin glances at me, then suddenly lowers his head, chuckling softly into my ear.

Gavin: But it’s the truth.

LOCATION 6: Lotus Pavilion

MC: From here, we can see green pines and the palace on Longevity Hill!

I pull Gavin to the corner of a veranda.

MC: I originally thought the Hall of Jade Billows was just a tiny palace. Turns out it must be seen from this angle.

Gavin: Mm. Aside from Longevity Hill, we can also see the Jade Spring Hill. It looks just like a landscape painting stretched out in front of us.

MC: Looks like the person who wrote a couplet based on the Lotus Pavilion had the same thought as you.

I stare at the hanging couplet on the rear eaves of the Lotus Pavilion, smiling as I read it aloud.

MC: “The uneven pavilion is akin to a magnificent palace basking in the glow of sunset, and the scenery is reminiscent of a painting”.

Gavin studies the words on the couplet, then grips my hand.

Gavin: Let’s go and admire that “painting”.

LOCATION 7: Garden of Harmonious Pleasures

MC: I heard that the Garden of Harmonious Pleasures has a winding corridor comprising over a hundred sections that connect the entire garden into one structure. I couldn’t conceptualise this clearly through the guidebook. Now that I’m in it, I can experience the beauty of this classical architecture!

Walking through the corridor with Gavin, I click my tongue in amazement.

Gavin: Mm, it’s extraordinary. Based on the map, this corridor connects the north and south.

Gavin unfolds the map in his hands.

Gavin: Look at the markings. The mountain spring here is the source of the Kunming River.

Leaning into Gavin’s arms to look at the map, I nod along with his words.

MC: I see! No wonder I felt a certain aura of unity while walking.

Gavin chuckles, then keeps the map.

Gavin: “A winding path leads to quiet seclusion” - I guess this describes the view in the Garden of Harmonious Pleasures.

LOCATION 8: Hall of Benevolence and Longevity

Spotting a strange bronze creature in front of the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity, I walk over to it curiously.

MC: What’s this? It doesn’t resemble a lion or any other animal...

Gavin: It’s a Qilin.

Hearing Gavin’s words, I’m a little shocked as I examine this sculpted bronze creature before me -

It has the head of a dragon, deer antlers, and hooves. Its body is covered with scales, and it looks mighty and awe-inspiring.

MC: Is this the Qilin which treads on auspicious clouds and prevents disasters in the world? Why would there be a sculpted Qilin here?

Gavin: It’s probably because the Qilin is a legendary auspicious beast which prevents evildoing and wards off evil spirits.

Gavin responds calmly. Since this makes sense, I nod, flipping open the guidebook to learn more about this.

MC: “The sculpture of the auspicious beast Qilin was cast during the reign of Qianlong. It sits on a white marble base with lotus petals carved around it. There are seven pearls carved on the base. There’s a treasure carved between the two front limbs of the Qilin... it exudes a mighty aura, and greatly enhances the beauty of the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity.”

My head bobs from left to right as I read the introduction on the guidebook.

Finding this amusing, Gavin crosses his arms, looking at me with a smile.

Once I’m done reading it aloud, I take another look at the Qilin, scrutinising the sculpted scales on its arms.

Seeing that I’m entirely focused, he suddenly asks a question.

Gavin: Does it look that impressive?

I nod vigorously.

MC: It does! It’s incredible and even symbolises good luck. If possible, I’d want to meet a Qilin! That way, it can guarantee that everything I do will go smoothly, and that each day will be happy!

Gavin doesn’t say anything. He suddenly takes my hand, looking at the decorative patterns on the Qilin together with me.

After a moment, he pretends to be casual as he speaks.

Gavin: You probably won’t get to meet a Qilin. 

Gavin: But I can make you happy every day.

LOCATION 9: Shop

Noticing that I’m deciding between postcards from across the display window, Gavin turns to me.

Gavin: Shall we make a postcard? 

MC: Mm! Let’s pick a photo~

At this stage, you can customise your own R karma by selecting a pose and backdrop :>

[ LITTLE SNIPPETS ]

Gavin grabbed a stray kitten which attempted to carry a sandwich away in its mouth

We met a fortune teller, and he appeared to tell Gavin something secretively

A boy was trapped on top of a bronze cow, and Gavin carried him down

A little bird hovered over your heads. Perhaps tired from flying, it suddenly landed on Gavin’s shoulder and took a short break

At the city wall, Gavin carried you up to look at the distant scenery

When you’re tired from walking, Gavin immediately carried you to a wayside pavilion

While on a boat, there was a soothing breeze on the Kunming River. You leaned against Gavin’s shoulder and fell asleep

Passing by ginkgo trees along the west dyke, Gavin caught a few drifting ginkgo leaves and gave them to you

[ MOMENTS ]

MC: I saw quite a number of ladies taking pictures in ancient costumes. I regret not preparing an outfit...

Gavin: It’s okay, we can come again next time.

-

MC: The “Sacred Tree” is very beautiful this season. No wonder it’s a must-see.

Gavin: If you like it, we can stay here for a while longer.

-

MC: There are so many people. Should we come back again later? 

Gavin: Sure. How about walking around the Garden of Virtue and Harmony first?

[ EVOLVED KARMA ]

Just as you said, there’s a different feeling when seeing the historical architecture of the Summer Palace up close.

I took many pictures today. There are photos of you, but there are even more photos of us.

When we head back, let’s look at them together.

- Gavin

[kyogre-blue]

Dragonspine lore

Just gathering all this in one place, for my reference.

Information about the Frostbearing Tree, from the Frostbearer catalyst:

When the daughter of the priestess of Vindagnyr was born beneath this white tree, the king in the verdant mountain was filled with joy when she received her blessings. Surely, the blessing of Sal Vindagnyr would be everlasting, just as the undying silver-white tree whose roots pierced the earth.

When the nail that froze the world descended suddenly, and that tree, too, would be shattered by it, that girl took the most complete branch, thinking to breathe new life into the tree that once overshadowed a nation.

But in the end, the grafted life could not flourish. The cutting snowstorm eventually covered the moonlight like a curtain of countless blades...

A long, long time later, yet still long ago - when the deathmatch between the dragons of darkness and wind was decided at last, when corrosive blood stained the ashen valley red, the tree, at last, remembered that it had not died with that entombed city,

And it extended its greedy roots towards the warm ichor that irrigated the land. And as a certain someone poured a crimson essence upon it, the tree that should have long died remembered its past, and bore a single fruit from the gathering of all its might...

Here for those who dwelt in my safe shadow, for the priests who eulogized me, for that lovely maiden who oft painted upon my form, for all the happiness they could not possess - I enjoin them all into this crimson, icy fruit.

To the ones who can render recompense upon this poisonous world shall it go, and may they carry my innocent, bitter fruit as they enact justice.

To summarize: Long before Durin, the Dragonspine was called Sal Vindagnyr. It was a prosperous, verdant kingdom that worshipped a Leyline tree. However, one day the Skyfrost Nail fell from the sky, breaking the tree and engulfing the mountain in perpetual ice. The last princess of the kingdom had preserved a single branch from the tree, which lay dormant until the mountain was tainted by Durin's blood. Absorbing the tainted blood, the former silver Leyline branch sprouted into a crimson Frostbearing Tree...

The Ancient Writings on the tablets:

"...far from snow and strife, and came upon this verdant paradise. A monument was laid down in this place, and it was named Sal Vind[agnyr]..."

"...guided to where the pale white tree stood. That month, the underground waterway..."

"...dreamed of the black dragon that blotted down the sun, and knew it to be an omen of doom. That same month, the outlander..."

"...its soul, and Starsilver its bones. But the one who could wield it, the ice-breaking outlander, Imunlau[kr]..."

"...attempted to heal the Leylines, but the tree had already withered. After burying the princess..."

"...without result or reply, Varuch proceeded on to the summit..."

"...snow whipped across the skies. The pillar that fell from the heavens was riven in three..."

"...ended. There is no more need for records. Yet I regret nothing more than having been unable to watch her finish the fresco within that great hall..."

To summarize: The people of Sal Vindagnyr tried to stop the perpetual snowstorm, including the king (named Varuch) heading to the summit himself. However, only an outlander named Imunlaukr was able to wield the Starsilver weapon they forged for this. He was too late, and the princess had already died. Somewhere along the way, the Skyfrost Nail was split into three pieces, which is how we find it.

From Snow-Tombed Starsilver, the claymore in question:

Tainted black blood dripped from the blade of his greatsword, as he trudged through now-foreign snowy paths.

But when he returned to the great hall of that mountain country, naught but ringing deathly echoes welcomed him.

"So even here, there is nothing left for me to protect... You who dwell in the heavens, you must wish for naught but to watch our ashen suffering here below. In that case, then let me help you pass the time with a song of iron and blood."

The outlander left the Starsilver originally meant to shatter snow and wind alike between the frescoes. Then, he descended the mountain to search for a land full of war and strife - a place he might paint red with blood.

Note that the Imunlaukr clan is also mentioned in the Sacrificial Greatsword description. They were a clan that sought battle in the belief that it would amuse the gods and joined the new Mondstadt that Venti created after Andrius melted the ice across the region. Interesting point: This is also the description that says, "On the cliff facing the eastern sea, the ancestors worshiped the masters of Time and Anemo together." It also again brings up "brave warriors stained black with blood."

Purely speculating, Sal Vindagnyr was probably BEFORE the rebellion in Old Mondstadt (they are mentioned fleeing "snow and strife" to settle in Vindagnyr, which sounds like Mondstadt pre-Andrius unfreezing it and the Archon Wars, respectively). So the founding clan perhaps picked up these traditions of "fight for Celestia's amusement" from this specific dude after he left Dragonspine.

There's also this image of the inner chamber and the frescoes that the princess had been painting, which I saved from a tweet that doesn't seem to exist anymore (not mine):

Completely irrelevant small point: The eight letters outside the great hall which you have to make light up spell "veremini," which wiktionary tells me is second-person plural present active indicative or imperative of "vereor," which means "to revere" or "to dread."

Aside from this, there is a series of Ruin Guard remains which spell out, "For the nation, we can't forgo this skyborne power, but we failed." We know the Ruin Guards were created by Khaenri’ah, so they were probably sent to retrieve the Skyfrost Nail after Sal Vindagnyr had fallen but were unable to make it through the ice and snow. 

Most of this isn't particularly relevant to the main storyline, but there are two points that link back to the ongoing themes:

Even though this was before the Cataclysm, Gold, and Durin, Imunlaukr fought something with "tainted black blood," so the whole business with tainting is OLD. Gold wasn't the origin as such, they just used it. Imunlaukr particularly seems to have thought that going the Abyss (assumed) might have some answers re: the Skyfrost Nail.

Both the Frostbearing Tree and Imunlaukr consider what happened to Sal Vindagnyr to be unjust, and Celestia's fault. Now, this might be just their bitterness at what feels like meaningless suffering, but it could also be that the Skyfrost Nail didn't fall on them accidentally. (AKA Khaenri'ah was not the first or only case of human nations getting slapped down by the divine.)

[ms-circely]

✨Dream Symbols✨🌌

A's:⭐⭐⭐

Abundance - desire for independence

Accident - something unplanned

Actor//Actress - desire for recognition

Adultery - guilt

Airplane (Transportation)

Altar - self sacrifice

Anchor - stability. Sometimes a desire for a permanent home

Anniffil - the feminine aspect of the individual. Guide to the inner world. Receptive, prospective, and nurturing.

Animal - defends on your feelings for the particular animal. A helpful animal normally represents the instinctive self.

Animus - the masculine aspect of the individual. Uncompromising conviction. Force.

Apple - desire

Arrow - pleasure, festivity

Auction - promise of abundance

Automobile (Transportation)

B's: ⭐⭐⭐

Baby: Crying - frustrated plans, Laughing - plans fulfilled, Sleeping - waiting period, patience

Balloon - frustration

Basement - a place of refuge or retreat

Battle - inner conflict

Bells - fulfillment of plans, joy

Bicycle (Transportation) - hard work will bring plans to fruition

Birds - usually transcendence from one being to another

Birth - transition to new phase or new aspect of self

Bridge - overcoming difficulties, a change

Broom - the ability to sweep or clean up

Bull - animal nature, stubborness

Burial - end of a phase, time to take a new direction

C's:⭐⭐⭐

Candle - constancy

Cane//Crutch - the need for support

Capital (City//Town) - the center

Castle - ambition

Cave - a place of retreat or refuge, a need for time to think and meditate

Circle - totality, perfection, infinity

Cities - gatherings of consciousness

Climbing - the self mastery process, rising consciousness

Clock - the passage of time, the need to take action

Clothes - attitude, personality

Coffin (Burial)

Cradle - potential for advancement

Crossing a River - a fundamental change of attitude

Crying - emotion, usually a sad event

Crystal - union of matter and spirit

Curtains - concealment, adornment

Colors🌈🌈🌈

Red - strength, health, vigor, sexual love, danger, charity

Orange - encouragement, adaptation, stimulation, attraction, plenty kindness

Yellow - persuasion, charm, confidence, jealousy, joy, comfort

Green - finance, fertility, luck, energy, charity, growth

Blue - tranquility, understanding, patience, health, truth, devotion, sincerity

Indigo - changeability, impulsiveness, depression, ambition, dignity

Violet - tension, power, sadness, piety, sentimentality

D's:⭐⭐⭐

Darkness - the spirit world, the subconscious, turning inward

Death - the end of something, opportunity for new beginnings

Dog - loyalty, laziness, anger

E's:⭐⭐⭐

Eating - need for new interests, stimulation

Evening - descending into the subconscious world

Eye - perception, self-examination

F's:⭐⭐⭐

Falling - failing to live to expectations

Fish - transcendence from one state of being to another

Fire - anger, purification, abundance of energy

Flowers - contentment, pleasure

Flying (Transportation)

G's:⭐⭐⭐

Girl - immature feminine aspect

Glass - perception, being able to see (sometimes in the future)

Graduation - initiation, completing a phase

H's:⭐⭐⭐

Hair - thought, grey or silver hair indicates wise thought

Hammer - power to drive forward

Helpful Animal - the instinctive self

Highway - the path, the way ahead

Horse: White Horse - symbol of life, prosperity; Black Horse - change of fortunes; Wild Horse - uncontrolled instinctive urges; Winged Horse - transcendence from one state of being to another

House: The symbol of personality and conscious interest from the spiritual view. The particular room represents particular interest >> Bathroom - cleansing, elimination of the undesired; Basement - place of refuge, retreat, concealment; Bedroom - place of rest and recovery; Dining Room - place of sustenance, refortification; Kitchen - a place to prepare the sustenancen; Living Room - place of socializing

I's: ⭐⭐⭐

Ice - coldness of character, frigidity, rigidity

Illness - boredom, delay

Individual Self - the "real" you, the inner you, the all-wise, all-powerful spiritual self

J's:⭐⭐⭐

Jail - confinement, frustration, inability to act

Journey (Transportation)

Judge //Jury - your conscience

K's:⭐⭐⭐

Key - the answer to a problem

Kiss - satisfaction, completion

L's:⭐⭐⭐

Ladder - ability to climb (note the length of the ladder)

Left (as in side of direction) - the subconscious side, sometimes the wrong side of direction, the logical side, the scientific side

Light - hope

Lines: Broken lines - represents the feminine aspect; Solid lines - the masculine aspect

Lizard - transcendence

Lock - frustration, security

M's:⭐⭐⭐

Man//Male - animus, the masculine aspect, the age indicates the maturity or lack of it in the individual

Mask - falsehood, deception, concealment

Mirror - need to reconsider

Mother - heaven, comfort

N's:⭐⭐⭐

Nakedness - real, true, without false attitudes, exposed, natural

Night - greatest strength of the super-consciousness

Noon - the greatest clarity of consciousness

Numbers 💯💯💯

Even Number - signify balance and harmony

Odd Number - signify imbalance and discord

The beginning, the source, the ego

Duality, the male and female, positive and negative

Father, mother, and child; past, present, and future

The material universe, consciousness, reality, and law, physical power, initiative, religion and spiritual evolution

It represents materialism, expansion, change, understanding, and change

The number of cooperation and balance. It represents interaction between the material and the spiritual, mental and physical. It signifies psychism, peace

Completion, old age, endurance, evolution and wisdom. The seven stages of spiritual transformation

The number of dissolution and separation. The law of cyclic evolution and invention

Rebirth and reformation. Intuition, travel, karma

0. The circle, infinity, the universe

O's:⭐⭐⭐

Ocean - opportunity, spirituality

Owl - wisdom, need for further evaluation

P's:⭐⭐⭐

Pearl - joy; Broken string of pearls - misunderstanding

Pirate - suspicion

Pyramid - thirst for knowledge, seeking

R's:⭐⭐⭐

Railroad - a set path to follow

Rainbow - great happiness, opportunity

Reading - learning, gaining in knowledge, perceiving

Riding (Transportation)

Right - the consciousness, correctness, the artistic side

Ring - completion, loyalty

River - spirituality, a boundary

Rocket (Transportation)

Rocks - the unchanging self

Rodents - transcendence or a less-than-nice person, distrust, betrayal

Roller Skates (Transportation)

Roses (Flowers)

Ruins - failure of plans

S's:⭐⭐⭐

Sacrifice - overcoming pride

School - a need to learn

Scissors - distrust

Sea (Ocean)

Self-image - the inner or spiritual self

Shadow - the subconscious, insubstantiality

Ship (Transportation)

Skeleton - the basics, the root of a problem

Snake - spiritual wisdom, transcendence into a state of wisdom

Snake-bites - infusion of wisdom

Soldiers - force, power, regeneration

Spade - cutting, tough work lies ahead

Sunrise - clearing of consciousness, awakening

Sunset - need to protect assets

Swan - beauty, comfort, satisfaction

Sword - conflict

T's:⭐⭐⭐

Table - support, a platform for presentation

Telescope - need to get closer to a subject

Thief - loss or fear of loss, insecurity

Thunder - anger

Touching - healing. On rare occasions it may mean a curse. Can be comfort, security. The manner of touch and your feeling about it is important

Trains (Transportation)

Transcendence - achieving full realization of the individual self

Transformation (Transcendence)

Transportation - spiritual advancement. The more efficient the mode, the more effective and rapid is the advancement

Tree - the life principle, psychic growth and development, progress

Tunnel - hiding, being afraid

Turning - changing or developing. Turning in a circle represents lack of progress

Twins - ego and alter ego

U's & V's:⭐⭐⭐

Umbrella - shelter

Veil - insecurity

Volcano - emotions

W's:⭐⭐⭐

Wall - frustration, inability

Water - spirituality, emotion

Wedding - culmination of plans, happiness, success

Witch - supernatural ability, wisdom

Wreath - self pity

[koeii]

Nationwide festivals in Japan

New Year (正月, Shōgatsu

Date: January 1–3 (related celebrations take place throughout January)

Other Names: Oshōgatsu (O is an honorific prefix)

Information: New Year observances are the most elaborate of Japan's annual events. Before the New Year, homes are cleaned, debts are paid off, and osechi (food in lacquered trays for the New Year) is prepared or bought. Osechi foods are traditional foods which are chosen for their lucky colors, shapes, or lucky-sounding names in hopes of obtaining good luck in various areas of life during the new year. Homes are decorated and the holidays are celebrated by family gatherings, visits to temples or shrines, and formal calls on relatives and friends. The first day of the year (ganjitsu) is usually spent with members of the family.

People try to stay awake and eat toshikoshisoba, noodles to be eaten at midnight. People also visit Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. Traditionally three are visited. This is called sansha-mairi. In the Imperial Palace at dawn on the 1st, the Emperor performs the rite of shihōhai (worship of the four-quarters), in which he offers prayers for the well-being of the nation. On January 2 the public is allowed to enter the inner palace grounds; the only other day this is possible is the Emperor's birthday (February 23). On the 2nd and 3rd days acquaintances visit one another to extend greetings (nenshi) and sip otoso (a spiced rice wine). Some games played at New Year's are karuta (a card game), hanetsuki (similar to badminton), tako age (kiteflying), and komamawashi (spinning tops). These games are played to bring more luck for the year. Exchanging New Year's greeting cards (similar to Christmas Cards) is another important Japanese custom. Also special allowances are given to children, which are called otoshidama. They also decorate their entrances with kagami mochi (two mochi rice balls placed one on top of the other, with a tangerine on top), and kadomatsu (pine tree decorations).

A later New Year's celebration, Koshōgatsu, literally means "Small New Year" and starts with the first full moon of the year (around January 15). The main events of Koshōgatsu are rites and practices praying for a bountiful harvest.

Doll Festival (雛祭り, Hina-matsuri

Date: March 3

Other Names: Sangatsu Sekku (3rd month Festival), Momo Sekku (Peach Festival), Joshi no Sekku (Girls' Festival)

Information: This is the day when families pray for the happiness and prosperity of their girls and to help ensure that they grow up healthy and beautiful. The celebration takes place both inside the home and at the seashore. Both parts are meant to ward off evil spirits from girls. Young girls put on their best kimonos and visit their friends' homes. Tiered platforms for hina ningyō (hina dolls; a set of dolls representing the emperor, empress, attendants, and musicians in ancient court dress) are set up in the home, and the family celebrates with a special meal of hishimochi (diamond-shaped rice cakes) and shirozake (rice malt with sake).

Hanami (花見)[ Hanami party along the Sakai River in Beppu, Oita

Date: April

Other Names: Hanami (flower viewing), Cherry Blossom Festival

Information: Various flower festivals are held at Shinto shrines during the month of April. Excursions and picnics for enjoying flowers, particularly cherry blossoms are also common, as well as many drinking parties often to be seen in and around auspicious parks and buildings. In some areas the peach blossom, the traditional flower of Japan (the Cherry being a symbol from the Edo period symbolising the Samurai culture), is viewed as well though this flowers earlier than the Cherry. In some places flower viewing parties are held on traditionally fixed dates. This is one of the most popular events during spring. The subject of flower viewing has long held an important place in literature, dance and the fine arts. Ikebana (flower arrangement) is also a popular part of Japanese culture and is still practiced by many people today. Some main things people do during this event are: games, folk songs, folk dance, flower displays, rides, parades, concerts, kimono shows, booths with food and other things, beauty pageant, and religious ceremonies. Families go out during weekends to see the cherry blossoms, and participate in the many festivals and activities.

Hanamatsuri (花祭り)

Date: April 8

Other Names: Flower Festival Information: Hanamatsuri celebrates the birth of the Buddha. On this day, all temples hold 降誕会 (Gōtan-e), 仏生会 (Busshō-e), 浴仏会 (Yokubutsu-e), 龍華会 (Ryūge-e) and 花会式 (Hana-eshiki). Japanese people pour ama-cha (a beverage prepared from a variety of hydrangea) on small Buddha statues decorated with flowers, as if bathing a newborn baby. The tradition of bathing the Buddha originated in China and was introduced to Japan where it was first held in Nara in 606.[9] Lion dancing is also a major tradition practiced during Buddha's Birthday and has become associated with the festival in Japan.[10]

Tanabata (七夕)

Date: July 7 / August 5–8 (Sendai)

Other Names: The Star Festival Information: It originated from a Chinese folk legend concerning two stars-the Weaver Star (Vega) and the Cowherd Star (Altair)-who were said to be lovers who could meet only once a year on the 7th night of the 7th month provided it didn't rain and flood the Milky Way. It was named Tanabata after a weaving maiden from a Japanese legend, named Orihime who was believed to make clothes for the gods. People often write wishes and romantic aspirations on long, narrow strips of colored paper and hang them on bamboo branches along with other small ornaments.

Japanese Floating Lantern Festival (灯籠流し), Tōrō nagashi

Date: July 19

Information: One traditional custom to mark the end of the Bon Festival. Small paper lanterns containing a burning flame are either set afloat to a river, lake or sea or they are let go and float away into the night. Their light is intended to guide the way for deceased family members' spirits. Usually the person who lets the lantern go will write a message on the side.

Bon Festival (盆, bon)

Date: August 13–16

Information: A Buddhist observance honoring the spirits of ancestors. Usually a "spirit altar" (shōryōdana) is set up in front of the Butsudan (buddhist altar) to welcome the ancestors' souls. A priest may be asked to come and read a sutra (tanagyō). Among the traditional preparations for the ancestors' return are the cleaning of grave sites. The welcoming fire (mukaebi) built on the 13th and the send-off fire (okuribi) built on the 15th and 16th are intended to guide the ancestor's spirits back to their permanent dwelling place.

Momijigari (紅葉狩)

Date: October-

Information: The Japanese tradition of going to visit scenic areas where leaves have turned red in the Autumn. The tradition is said to have originated in the Heian era as a cultured pursuit.

Pocky no Hi (ポッキーの日)

Date: November 11

Information: The Japanese tradition of buying and eating Pocky sticks.[11]

"7-5-3" Festival (七五三, )

Shichi-Go-San

Date: November 15

Information: Three- and seven-year-old girls and five-year-old boys are taken to the local shrine to pray for their safe and healthy future. This festival started because of the belief that children of certain ages were especially prone to bad luck and hence in need of divine protection. Children are usually dressed in traditional clothing for the occasion and after visiting the shrine many people buy chitose-ame ("thousand-year candy") sold at the shrine.

Preparation for the New Year and Year-end fair

Date: late December

Other Names: Year-end (年の瀬, toshi no se), Year-end Fair (年の市, Toshi no Ichi)

Information: Preparations for seeing in the new year were originally undertaken to greet the toshigami, or deity of the incoming year. These begin on December 13, when the house was given a thorough cleaning; the date is usually nearer the end of the month now. The house is then decorated in the traditional fashion: A sacred rope of straw (shimenawa) with dangling white paper strips (shide) is hung over the front door to prevent evil spirits from entering and to show the presence of the toshigami. It is also customary to place kadomatsu, an arrangement of tree sprigs, beside the entrance way. A special altar, known as toshidana ("year shelf"), is piled high with kagamimochi (flat, round rice cakes), sake (rice wine), persimmons, and other foods in honor of the toshigami. A fair is traditionally held in late December at shrines, temples or in local neighborhoods. This is in preparation for the new year holidays. Decorations and sundry goods are sold at the fair. Originally these year-end fairs provided opportunities for farmers, fisherfolk and mountain dwellers to exchange goods and buy clothes and other necessities for the coming year.

Ōmisoka (大晦日,)

Date: December 31

Information: People do the general house cleaning (Ōsōji) to welcome coming year and not to keep having impure influences. Many people visit Buddhist temples to hear the temple bells rung 108 times at midnight (joya no kane). This is to announce the passing of the old year and the coming of the new. The reason they are rung 108 times is because of the Buddhist belief that human beings are plagued by 108 earthly desires or passions (bonnō). With each ring one desire is dispelled. It is also a custom to eat toshikoshi-soba in the hope that one's family fortunes will extend like the long noodles.

[saxxxology]

THE CURSED - Ch.3

Being an English Princess in 1739 is everything for Y/N, a Princess from a prosperous, powerful kingdom, to be happy about… until her parents arrange for her to marry a Prince from a nearby kingdom against her wishes. Unable to join her on her journey, the Royal family hires the Winchesters, two experienced Rangers, to guide her. However, the Princess and the younger brother begin to display affection for each other, and when her heat threatens her life, Sam makes a possibly deadly decision to save it.

PAIRING: Alpha!Sam x Omega!Reader

WORD COUNT: ~3300

OVERALL WARNINGS: a/b/o dynamics (heat/rut, claiming, knotting), age gap, smut of varying levels, descriptions of injury and gore, a tad of dub-con and 18th-century sexism from time to time, occasional bits of angst, fighting, and violence, eventual minor character death

NOTE: Edited by @crispychrissy and @quiddy-writes - please heed all warnings! Please keep in mind that this series is set in the 18th century - society is not what it is today. I do not control where your eyes go; if you feel disturbed or think something may trigger you, it is your responsibility to either stop reading or scroll past.

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THIS WORK IS 18+ ONLY. DO NOT REPOST MY WORK ON ANY OTHER SITES.

Y/N’s scent was starting to get to Sam; he hadn’t smelled an Omega that tantalizing in three years. It was rare that an Alpha took notice of an Omega after losing one, but as they traipsed down the road, Sam wondered for the millionth time if maybe he might have found another Omega to claim… he hadn’t felt the need in a long, long time.

No. She’s meant for another. You can’t.

But just as the sun rose above, the early morning light bathing their backs and freeing them from the night’s chill, Y/N doubled over in pain, falling to her knees in the center of the road. Pala jerked on her rope and whinnied before nudging Y/N’s side as the girl grabbed at her lower belly, fingers splayed wide over the fabric of her bodice.

“Y/N!” Sam fell to his knees beside her, a hand on her shoulder as he tried to get her to straighten up. Then her scent slammed into him with the force of a charging horse.

Dean smelled her as well, but didn’t suffer the same effect as his brother. “She’s in heat,” he said roughly. “Come on, we need to move faster if we’re going to make it.”

Sam stepped back, trying to hide the trembling in his body as Dean lifted Y/N into his arms and helped her into Shadow’s empty saddle. She groaned and curled her fingers in the horse’s mane.

“It hurts,” she whimpered, tears already brimming in her eyes.

“I know, I know.” Dean picked up the pack she had been carrying and fastened it to the saddle. “How long have you been in pain? Why didn’t you tell us?”

Y/N shook her head. “Since last night, but I’ve never felt a heat this strong before, I’ve never been allowed around Alphas… ahh!”

She doubled over again with a cry, and Dean shot his brother a look. He could tell Sam was barely restraining himself, but they had a mission; get the girl to the wedding, stay for that, and return home. If Sam acted on his impulses and claimed her, the punishment for his crime would be horrible.

So they trudged on, traveling over a range of hills before coming to rest in a group of trees well away from the road. They tethered Pala to a thinner tree and pulled the saddle and packs from both horses. They set up their shelters in a ring of trees just as the sun began to dip over the horizon and Dean built a fire, using two sticks to support strips of meat from a couple rabbits Sam had shot earlier as Y/N busied herself with plucking the stems from the wild berries they’d collected earlier. Her cramps had gotten so painful she was constantly on the verge of emptying her stomach, but Dean forced her to drink and kept a linen sheet soaked in water wrapped around her shoulders in order to keep her fever at bay.

They ate in mostly silence. The only sounds were the chirping of crickets and the wind whistling through the tall trees and the rippling of muscle as the two men ripped the still-sizzling meat apart. Sam ate in an attempt to distract himself from the primal ache in his gut, and Y/N barely ate at all. Afterwards, the brothers washed their hands and faces in a nearby stream while Y/N situated herself in their tent. Dean, who knew all too well what Sam was feeling, took the opportunity to speak to him.

“It would be wrong,” he said quietly.

Sam glanced over at him. “What are you saying?”

“If you claimed her, it would be wrong,” Dean muttered. “She’ll have her Beta in two more days, she can survive this.”

Sam shook his head. “If she survives the next two days and is satisfied by a Beta,” he scoffed as if offended by the term, “I will be impressed.”

Dean noted his brother’s assertive body language and knew exactly what Sam was contemplating. “Don’t. What she needs is to marry her Beta and be with him—”

“No, what she needs is an Alpha!” Sam growled, “not some stinking, useless Beta who can’t give her the satisfaction she needs.” He sighed and shifted, looking back towards the camp. “I should never have come on this journey.”

“Why?”

Sam inhaled slowly and pointedly said, “bad timing.”

“You—” Dean folded his arms, “your rut?”

Sam nodded. “I can feel it coming. If I lose control around her…”

“Brother, she’s barely of age—”

“And children are wedded all the time,” Sam interrupted. “She’s eighteen, older than most. And I would claim her if I could,” he affirmed with confidence. “I’m better, stronger than the man her family wants her to marry.”

Dean scoffed. “You’ve never met him.”

“He won’t be right for her.” Sam growled, turning and stalking through the trees towards the slowly dying campfire. “I’m going to sleep. The sooner this mission is over, the better.”

***

The next morning, Y/N’s heat had gotten even worse. She’d tossed and turned all night, practically weeping with the pain, and the scent of her heat made its way to Sam. More than once he fought the urge to take her right there, two feet away from where his brother lay fast asleep. And all those times he told himself that it would be wrong.

But Y/N was young, at her most fertile, and Sam was beginning to fantasize about claiming her, knotting her throughout her heat and seeing her grow round with child… his child. If he could, he’d impregnate her over and over again, building a family bigger than he could ever dream of.

The next evening they found another tavern. Upon seeing Y/N’s condition, the old innkeeper took pity and allowed them to stay in two adjoining rooms upstairs. Dean kept busy with wrapping the feverish Omega in cool towels and making her drink her special tea to ease the cramps.

Sam remained in an adjoining room, picking the twigs and burrs from his fur cloak in an attempt to distract himself from the ache of his rut, which was nearly in full swing. His balls were full and heavy, practically begging for release even though he’d already snuck off to the private bathroom twice to ‘relieve’ himself. He wouldn’t be satisfied until he knotted an Omega, and there was one lying ten feet away, in heat and ready for him. Dean had gone downstairs to fetch food and water, and when he announced that he was going to retire for the night, Sam knew it was only a matter of minutes before he could make his move.

Soon after Dean’s soft snores filled the room, he quietly turned the knob of the door that separated their rooms.

Y/N lay naked on top of the blanket, her body covered in sweat. Her slick glistened on her inner thighs, and her trembling fingers were anxiously pressing at her belly, trying to soothe the cramps that were only getting worse by the second. Her scent engulfed him, and once again he felt himself harden almost painfully. It appeared that his scent had affected her too, as she arched up off the blanket, eyes flying wide open.

“Sam—”

“You need me.” He muttered stiffly. “You won’t survive another two days like this, it’s killing you.”

She exhaled heavily, chest heaving as she sucked in another breath of frigid air. “Please, Sam, don’t hurt me.”

“I won’t hurt you.” Sam growled as another wave of her scent washed over him. “Y/N, you know exactly what you want. Just ask and I will help you.”

“I n-need…” Y/N hissed and pressed at her belly again. “I need it, Sam.”

With a growl, Sam moved closer. “I know you need it. Do you want it?”

She looked torn between refusing and giving in. Finally, she made her decision.

“Yes.”

The second the word left her mouth he was on top of her and laying a harsh, bruising kiss on her lips. Her teeth bit at his lower lip, and Sam felt his cock throb eagerly in his pants at the pain.

At the best of times, Sam was kind, sweet, and understanding. But this acknowledgment of their bond, what they both needed in that moment, had flipped a switch. They were about to cross a line that they knew was wrong, immoral, and neither of them cared.

She gripped him tight, legs wrapping up around his waist as her hands tugged at his shirt, threatening to rip the already worn-out cotton. A chuckle escaped his lips as he leaned back to help her pull it up, exposing his firm, chiseled chest. Y/N skimmed her fingers over his skin, feeling every last ripple of muscle and scar that covered his body. Without hesitating, Sam crawled down her body, caressing her skin until he was able to shove her legs apart and bury his lips between her thighs. She was bare, and he pressed a quick kiss to each lip of her pussy before turning his attention to the most sensitive piece of her.

Y/N had never felt anything remotely close to that before. She writhed on the thin mattress, mouth open in a silent scream as Sam licked and sucked at her sex. "Sa-Sam…!”

He promptly shoved slid two fingers inside her and began roughly pumping back and forth, searching for her sweet spot. She cried out against the palm of her hand as her toes curled, her core fluttering and clenching around the Alpha's long, nimble fingers.

"I'm—" she never got to finish her sentence. With a harsh suck of her clit, Sam sent her over the edge, growling possessively as her slick trickled over his hand. He worked her through it, fighting the urge to ruin his pants before he could properly knot her. When she was simply a whimpering mess, he crawled up and knelt between her shaking legs.

"Sam, please," she was literally sobbing with need now, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. "Please, Alpha, I need you."

"I know," Sam reached down and wrenched the tie of his pants open, allowing his length to spring free and into his waiting hand. He used the arousal that coated his fingers to slick himself before notching himself at her opening. He expected her to buck her hips away at the feeling of him there, but she wrapped her legs around him and pulled him close, scratching at his arms and emitting quiet, needy moans.

“Alpha,” tears brimmed in her eyes as she begged for him. “Please, I—”

Sam silenced her with a kiss. “Quiet. I don’t want anyone to hear us.”

She whimpered against his mouth as he ran his length through her folds, coating himself in her slick. When he began to press into her, she flinched, nails digging into his shoulders as she gasped out in surprise. He stopped, looking down at her with nothing but lust coursing through him. “I forgot… you’ve never been with a man before."

“No,” she whispered, “but I don’t care, I just want you…”

He assured himself that he could knot her without claiming her. He had just enough restraint to take comfort in that.

When he began to push into her, past that thin barrier of her maidenhood, he felt her walls flutter and clench around him as her legs shook around his waist. She cried out against his mouth and scratched at his back as he pushed deeper inside her, reveling in the warm, soft wetness of her womanhood around him. She was better than he’d imagined, tighter, softer, warmer.

The perfect Omega for him.

Y/N was surprised at how easy it was, how, after the initial shock and burn of his entry, Sam just pushed inside and seated himself there, resting heavy and thick. Other women, including her own mother and handmaiden, had warned her about the pain, about how it hurt for so long, how virgins always bled and fought… but then she realized that there was no way it would ever hurt, no way she would ever bleed or have to fight the Alpha off.

She was supposed to be with Sam.

And she was all that mattered to him.

On Sam’s first thrust, she nearly cried out in pleasure. He clapped a hand over her mouth and dug his knees into the thin mattress, using it as leverage to push forward again, and he swore she melted around him. His head dropped onto her shoulder as he moved harder, faster, careful to keep the sound of his hips slapping against her as quiet as possible. The little bed rocked on the floor, creaking slightly as they moved in tandem.

He felt her tighten around him and lifted his hips just enough for him to get his other hand between their bodies, rubbing his thumb over her sensitive bud in small, slow circles.

Y/N could barely discern fantasy from reality. The hot, thick length of the Alpha inside of her was more than she could have hoped for, and she clawed at his skin as he filled her over and over and over again, her gasps and cries muffled by his huge hand. Her fingers would never provide the pleasure of him rutting inside her, and her eyes rolled back into her head as she pictured what their bodies must look like together. The room was dark, only lit with moonlight, but as Sam lifted himself up on shaking arms, she glanced down, trying to see where he was entering her.

“Oh,” Sam panted, “God, I need you… need to knot you. Roll over,” he pulled out and helped her move onto her hands and knees before pressing her down against the blankets and thrusting back into her.

It felt even better in this position. Y/N yelped quietly as his length pounded against the perfect spot deep inside her. He was holding her perfectly, both hands on her waist to hold her still as he began moving faster, more urgently. The wet, slick sounds of him inside her filled the room. Sam curled over her, bracing one hand over her shoulder as he kissed the side of her neck hungrily.

Then his hips began to stutter, and she felt a sudden tightness where he was entering her. His knot.

She panicked, trying to pull away and whimpering with sudden fear. Sam went still and kissed her shoulder comfortingly.

"Shh,” he soothed her, “it's okay. I’ve got you."

“It’ll hurt.”

He nodded and dropped his forehead between her shoulders. “Maybe, but only this first time, I swear.”

“Y-you're sure?"

Her voice was wracked with need, but Sam could hear the hesitation. "I promise," he murmured. “Do you trust me?”

“Yes,” she turned her head, looking back at him over her shoulder. “Yes, I trust you.”

Sam kissed her again and rolled his hips. They were a long way from just knotting, he thought. This was becoming something a lot more.

“Good,” he whispered, “let me make love to you.”

He slipped one hand down between her thighs and rubbed his fingers over her clit. When her sex throbbed around him, he continued to move. His knot had relaxed during their moment of conversation and he took the opportunity to stroke in and out of her, getting her to peak before edging her away, not letting her cum until he did as well.

Then, when Y/N tightened herself around him and arched her back receptively, Sam lost control. He snapped his hips forward, managing a dozen hard, feral thrusts before he released inside her, his knot swelling rapidly and locking them together. Both of them silently moaned out each other’s names, mixed with gasps and the sounds of Y/N’s whimpering as the tightness between her legs nearly became too much to bear.

At the feeling of his release filling her in thick, warm bursts, Y/N finally fell over the edge, shaking violently as her climax scorched through her, prolonging when Sam brought his hand up and cupped her breast, his fingers teasing the nipple.

When he was at the height of his pleasure, Sam lost the ability to think and allowed his primal instincts to take over. All he wanted to do was make her his forever… the last love he’d ever take.

With a ferocious snarl of the word “mine” he dipped his head and sank his teeth into the back of her neck.

She did cry out then, this time with pain. Nevertheless, her body spasmed as another earth-shattering climax washed over her, and Sam pressed his free hand over her mouth, forcing her to stay quiet. He collapsed on top of her, uselessly bucking his hips in an attempt to fuck himself deeper into her filled cunt. With a breathy moan, he pulled his teeth from her neck and lapped at the bite marks, already feeling them begin to heal under his tongue.

He cursed himself silently, even as the soft moans and contented sighs she emitted threatened to arouse him again. He’d broken his promise to himself that he wouldn’t claim her, that simply knotting her would be enough to relieve them both until they left her at the castle with her groom.

God, have mercy on our souls, he thought.

“Sam...”

The soft pant of his name was enough to alert him to the fact that he was nearly crushing Y/N underneath him, and he slowly turned onto his side, cradling her close so that his knot didn’t tug. “Yes?”

“You—” Y/N’s voice was thick with post-coital bliss, “you claimed me.”

He buried his face in the uninjured crook of her neck and bared his teeth in a mixture of regret and pleasure. He could still taste her blood, hot and coppery on his teeth as he ran his tongue over them. “I’m sorry.”

“Don't apologize,” Y/N murmured. “I… I wanted you to. It was perfect.”

Sam chuckled and nosed affectionately at the curve of her shoulder. His heart was pounding in his chest, cock still hard inside her. “I’m glad. Are you in pain?”

“Not as much as I feared,” Y/N laughed quietly and tilted her hips so that Sam fit more comfortably inside her. However, the feeling of his knot sent a shock of fear through her blood. “I can’t be married.”

“I know.”

“You could be jailed, tortured,” she let her head rest on his arm as he extended it underneath her neck.  “Sam, you could be killed.”

“I know.”

“And you don’t care?”

“Who said anyone will find out that you’ve been knotted?”

“You claimed me.” Y/N brushed her fingers tentatively over the mark, wincing when she felt the already-healed skin under her fingertips.

Sam grimaced. Of course, he was stupid to think that his claim on her would go unnoticed. “Right…” he caressed her skin with a feather-light touch and nipped playfully at her jaw. “What if we never arrived?”

“They’d send a party to find us.”

“Well then,” Sam kissed over her shoulder and reached to fill one palm with her breast, “what if they don’t?”

Y/N sighed and arched herself into his touch. “They might, Sam. And I have to do this for our families. Our marriage is sealing an animosity and without it…"

“I don’t care about that,” Sam growled and pushed his hips forward, making sure Y/N felt him still locked inside her. “I care about you. You’re my Omega now. Mine. Say it.”

Y/N trembled at his words. “I’m yours, Sam.”

“Good.” Sam nuzzled her shoulder and pulled one of the blankets over their still-entwined bodies. “Let’s sleep. We can discuss the situation in the morning.”

She reached down and brushed her fingers over her inner thighs. “I need to clean…”

“Shhh,” Sam brushed his lips over the shell of her ear and splayed his hand out over her lower belly, where his cock and seed were still nestled in her fertile body. “In the morning.”

If you want to see chapter 4, reblog and leave a comment! Feedback is my fuel!

TAGS FOR THIS SERIES ARE CLOSED

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[amaris-october]

ANISE STAR APOTHECARY. Dried Herbs. For Clarity, Awakening & Clairvoyance.

Tied to the familiar taste of black licorice, Anise is known to suddenly snap you out of the mundane mindset & shift your attention to something new. It 'awakens' your mind to bring clarity to a situation, as it helps you "see" past the current view & bring a better understanding from a new angle. Conjuring spirits or trying to contact other dimensions is enhanced with the powers of Anise, as its crisp aroma takes us to new vibrational levels, helping us to better tap into our subconscious mind & see things through the mind's eye. It elevates our spirit & protects the aura, so that we may find comfort in journeying into the unknown. In the shape of a star, it creates the image of a pentacle, bringing awareness to the associations of the mystery of the occult & the potential we hold when we are 'one' with all things around us. Anise can intensify our dreams & strengthen our connection to spirit.  

Botanical Name: Illicium Verum

Element Correspondences: Air / Water

Planetary Correspondences: Mercury / Jupiter

Chakras: Third Eye (6th) / Crown (7th)

Zodiac Correspondences:

Magickal Uses: Clairvoyance, Luck, Spiritual Offering, Protection, Power Generator, Banishing Evil, Consecration, Death, Ritual, Burial, Divination, Psychic Development, Happiness, Clarity, prophetic visions, lucid dreaming, witchcraft.

Magickal Tip: Add Anise to a hot drink to enhance prophetic visions & spirit communication. During Samhain, decorate with Stars of Anise as an offering to the spirit realm. Make a necklace talisman of Star Anise when the veil is thin for protection & psychic awareness.

Holistic Uses: A salt bath of Bay Leaves & Anise, help to relax the body, detoxing the mind of stress. Add to food to help with digestion issues.

* Please Note: Anise Stars may not be whole & are often broken up.*

   CHAMOMILE FLOWER APOTHECARY. Dried Herbs. For Calming, Peace & Blessings.

A bright, cheerful & calming herb, popularly used in tea to help one relax, Chamomile has also been used for centuries as a key ingredient in spells to bring about blessings & prosperity. When burned as an incense, it illuminates the mind to match a higher frequency, making new avenues for abundance & good luck to flow in.  When mixed with lavender in a face wash, it can be used to cast a spell of beauty & youth. In ritual or celebrations honoring the Sun, Chamomile can be used as a talisman or offering. The Summer Solstice reminds us to take it easy, soak in the sun & relax, so try adding some Chamomile to your Litha Ceremonies. Anoint your altar candles with a mix of olive oil & crushed chamomile flowers, 'wrapping' them with the power of the Sun. Smudge a new home or space with the smoke or scent of chamomile, to welcome cheerful blessings, peaceful vibes & happiness.  

Botanical Name: Matricaria Recutita

Element Correspondences: Water

Planetary Correspondences: Sun

Zodiac Correspondences: Leo

Magickal Uses: Illumination, Prosperity, Blessings, Honoring the Sun, Litha & Summer Solstice, Purification, Peace, Meditation, Youth, Calming, Sleep, Energy Clearing, Joy, Healing, Inspiration, Centering.

Chakras:   Solar Plexus (3rd) Holistic Uses:  Frequently used to calm anxiety & stress. Prepared as a tea or used in a bath, it soothes nerves & calms the mind, for better focusing or sleep. Added to tinctures & smudge spray, Chamomile helps one to relax. Also may be used to counter an upset stomach.

     CINNAMON CHIPS APOTHECARY.

Dried Herbs. For Prosperity, Money Drawing & Strength.

For centuries, cinnamon has been used in all kinds of spiritually protective rituals, magic spells and potions amongst several cultures, as it is known for stimulating the Sacral, Solar Plexus & Crown Chakra, inspiring spiritual insight, psychic powers, healing and of course protection. However, one of it's main intentions in magick is to propel success or bring in abundance, as it's spicy & warm scent can work to spice up your own energy, thus raising your vibrations, warming the spirit & projecting positive energy, which in return will find it's way back to you three fold.

Botanical Name: Cinnamomum Cassia

Element Correspondences: Air & Fire

Planetary Correspondences: Sun / Mars / Mercury / Uranus

Zodiac Correspondences:

Magickal Uses: Spirituality, Love, Protection Money Drawing, Passion, Luck, Power, Success, Strength, Prosperity, Healing, Psychic, Warmth, Sex Magick. Mabon, Samhain & Yule Rituals.

Magickal Tip: Add Cinnamon to a food dish or hot drink to promote the element of Fire, bringing an abundant drive to your energy & attracting prosperity. Holistic Uses:  * Cinnamon can be a mild skin irritant. * Cinnamon repels insects if kept in cabinets. Cinnamon Tea or Cinnamon Gum can help with digestion, motion sickness or stomach issues.

         CORNFLOWER APOTHECARY. Dried Herbs.

For Psychic Awareness, Self Knowledge, Ritual.

Cornflower's natural indigo coloring vibrates to heal the Third Eye Chakra, working to awaken one's psychic awareness, enhance self knowledge, heal intuitive blocks & access inner wisdom. Cornflower is a powerful took for Indigo Children that seek their spiritual connection, when carried as a talisman, consumed as an herbal tea or used in meditation rituals for spiritual abundance.

Botanical Name: Centaurea Cyanus

Element Correspondences: Earth & Air

Planetary Correspondences: Venus & Saturn

Zodiac Correspondences: Cancer & Virgo

Magickal Uses: Psychic Awareness, Ritual, Third Eye Awakening, Self- Knowledge, Spirituality, Abundance, Love, Magick, Fertility, Growth, Creativity.

Chakras:   Throat (5th), Third Eye (6th), Crown (7th)

Magickal Tip: Add Cornflower to tea to help aid in divination practices & psychic development.

Holistic Uses:  A Cornflower tincture or tonic can be used to help heal weak eyes or blemished skin. Cornflower petals can be used to create natural dyes.

            DRAGON'S BLOOD RESIN APOTHECARY.

All Natural Incense. For Manifestation & Spell Power.

Dragon's Blood has long been used in magick to enhance rituals & strengthen manifestation power in spells, whether dealing with issues of banishment, love, healing or clairvoyance, Dragon’s Blood is a powerful booster to anything you put out into the universe. The resin comes from the rattan palm tree, known as Daemonorops draco & is harvested in Sumatra. Historically the 'Bleeding' sap of the 'dragon' tree, resembled blood, and has harvested in order to make a paste to help heal wounds and protect an individual from infections, creating a 'natural bandaid' upon the skin. In Ritual, Dragon's Blood Resin has been added to anything from magickal inks to protection sachets & continues to be a favorite among practitioners for it's powerful properties.

Botanical Name: Daemomorops Draco

Element Correspondences: Fire

Planetary Correspondences: Mars

Zodiac Correspondences:   Aries, Sagittarius

Magickal Uses: Power to Spells, Manifestation, Intention, Protection, Love Drawing, Money Attraction, Healing Rituals, Emotional Strength, Heightening Ritual Energy, Banishing, Love, Protection, Healing, Increased Potency, Honoring the Gods, Goddesses, Spirits or Ancestors.

Magickal Tip: Add some powder of Dragon's Blood Resin to ink or paint, then write down or draw out your intentions to heighten their manifestation power.

Chakras: Root Chakra (1st) / Heart Chakra (4th) / Crown Chakra (7th)

Holistic Uses: Traditionally it was used to stop bleeding & aid healing of any wound or 'broken heart.' It was said to lower fevers & reduce stomach problems.

* Please note, Dragon's Blood Resin comes in large chunks and should be broken up or powdered via mortar & pestle before use. Jar holds approx. 1oz. which may appear only 'half full.'  *

      EUCALYPTUS LEAVES APOTHECARY.

Dried Herbs. For Purification, Healing & Protection.

Healing comes to us when we open ourselves to it. Eucalyptus carries strong healing vibration with it & it is said it you light a blue or white candle in the middle of a ring of Eucalyptus leaves, while focusing your 'trouble spot' healing, the Universe will hear your prayers & send forth powerful healing energy. Eucalyptus has long been used in spells or ritual to cast out evil, making it a frequently hung herb over doors & windows in the early days. The protection & good health that it brings, makes it an ideal ingredient for potions or sachets that require harvesting earthly energies to find grounding & channeling higher vibrational entities into one's aura.

Botanical Name: Eucalyptus Globulus

Element Correspondences: Air

Planetary Correspondences: Moon

Zodiac Correspondences: Pisces, Cancer

Magickal Uses: Healing, Warding off Evil, Protection, Healing Sickness, Energy Clearing, Purification, Spiritual Growth, Raising Vibrations, Exorcisms, Banishing, Healing Addiction.

Magickal Tip: To help a sick loved one or to protect your valuables, place Eucalyptus leaves near a photo of the one that needs healing or near a jewelry box.

Chakras:  Root (1st) & Heart (4th)

Holistic Uses: Bathing in Eucalyptus, helps to detox the body and rid one of a cold or flu. It is also known to heal lung congestion & open up the nasal passageways for a stuffy nose or slight Asthma attack, by gently & deeply breathing in the natural aroma or broken leaves.

          FRANKINCENSE RESIN APOTHECARY.

All Natural Incense. For Illumination, Consecration & Meditation.

Frankincense holds such powerful properties for purification of the body, mind & spirit, for meditation, prayer or magickal practices, in which the user intends to build a stronger connection to source / God. Frankincense can bring about intense spiritual growth as it works to clear the chakras & energy bodies of any negativity, offering protection & strength. With that said, Frankincense can greatly enhance one's mood and bring a great energy to help one focus on their personal enlightenment & overall happiness.Frequently used in perfumes or potpourri blends, Frankincense can also double as a paint, as it was used in Ancient Egypt to paint the eyelids of Women, keeping them blessed with the gift of 'sight.' Often before Mass, the Catholic church uses Frankincense resin burned over charcoal, to cleanse the sacred space & consecrate the environment before prayer or ritual, Helping to attune one's vibrations to a higher light. Frankincense makes for a powerful tool when one is working on deepening their communication with their higher self during a meditation. Incorporate Frankincense as an offering at for your next ritual or ceremony, honoring the gift of illumination.  

 Botanical Name: Boswellia Carteri

Element Correspondences: Air, Fire

Planetary Correspondences: Sun

Zodiac Correspondences:   Leo

Magickal Uses: Cleansing, Exorcism, Meditation, Generally Lift the Spirits, Purification,

Protection, Spirituality, Sacred Space Preparation, Consecration, Blessing, Love, Courage, Ward Off Evil, Illumination, Ceremonial Incense.

Magickal Tip: Burn Frankincense prior to ceremony to purify your sacred space & welcome illumination.

Chakras: Solar Plexus (3rd) / Crown Chakra (7th)

Holistic Uses:  Said to once be used as a wax like, hair remover, Frankincense can also be used as a way to balance one's emotions when taken internally. Powdered resin may be added to water, forming a tincture, later rubbed on the skin to treat arthritis & muscle pain.

    JUNIPER BERRY APOTHECARY.

Dried Herbs. For Good Health, Protection & Spirit Communication.

A must have for any magickal apothecary cabinet, as Juniper Berry carries so many magickal uses!  

An active magickal ingredient use to guard against theft & build an energy of protection, Juniper also works to awaken creativity, activating the throat chakra & helping one to find the true joy in self expression. Historically, Juniper was often hung at the front door to reflect evil spirits, bad elements & sickness. It's crisp, pungent & strong aroma awakens many of the senses, aiding in growth towards enlightenment & drastically raising one's vibrations. This high vibration helps to banish curses, hexes or bad luck, resulting in a fun-filled, care-free lifestyle. Used for centuries to create incense, Juniper's positive, earthly energies promote a powerful belief in self manifestation, awarding the user with great strides towards their goals & dreams. This makes Juniper a magickal element for blessings, enchantment & true Joy.

Botanical Name: Juniperus Communis Element Correspondences: Fire Planetary Correspondences: Jupiter Zodiac Correspondences: Sagittarius

Magickal Uses: Good Health, Love, Protection, Wisdom, Purification, Clarity, Prosperity, Banishment, Spirit Communication, Anti-Theft, Increased Visions, Creativity, Male Potency, Raising Vibrations, Manifesting.

Chakras:   Throat (5th), Third Eye (6th)

Magickal Tip / Spellwork: * To detour thieves, grind up dried juniper berries into a power and lay a line across your front door. You can also add the powder to a sachet or tied black cloth and place in a car or jewelry box.

* You can make a home guardian poppet, by adding a blessed Juniper Berry over the heart and leaving the poppet either buried next to your front door or near it.

* It was believed that you could keep evil witches away by planting a juniper bush near your front door, as for them to enter they would have to count the needles upon each leaf, which would most likely detour them from wasting their time.

* Make an amulet Necklace or bracelet made of juniper berries for protection & heightened clairvoyance for deeper meditations & ritual work.

Holistic Uses: Antiseptic, Bladder Infections & tea.

(Tea Preparation) To make a tea, lightly grind a spoonful of berries and add to hot water. Let steep for several minuets. You may add natural sweetener or honey to desired taste.

  LAVENDER BUDS APOTHECARY.

Dried Herbs. For Relaxation, Divination, Meditation & Sleep.

Once tied to 16th Century Prostitutes, who use to bathe & wash their clothes in the perfumed water of Lavender, to attract lovers, this gentle herb has long been associated with Love. It 'calms the waters' of the spirit, reducing stress or anxiety, that may plaque the mind from underlying doubts or fears. It entices one to dig deeper within their subconscious mind, creating a portal for lucid or vivid dreams, which may help one along their path or answer questions that have been troubling the individual. Associated with the Third Eye, psychic practices & meditation, Lavender was ritualistically tossed into bonfires, to open the window to the spirit realm, while diverting evil spirits & offering protection against the Evil Eye.

Botanical Name: Lavandula Angustifolia

Element Correspondences: Air

Planetary Correspondences: Mercury

Zodiac Correspondences: Virgo

Magickal Uses: Clairvoyance, Cleansing, Consecration, Happiness, Healing, Love, Midsummer, Passion, Peace of Mind, Protection, Purification, Tranquility, Spirituality, Blessings, Chastity, Divination, Dreams, Energy, Gentleness, Good Luck, Creativity, Grieving, Harmony, Keeping Secrets, Increases the Duration of a Spell, Meditation, Memory, Psychic Development, Retention, Ritual, Sleep, Stability, Virility, Weddings.

Chakras:   Third Eye (6th)

Magickal Tip: Tip: Place a sachet of Lavender Buds in your pillow to promote vivid dreams & peaceful sleep.

Holistic Uses: Frequently used to calm anxiety & stress. Aids in headaches or sleep when left in a sachet near the pillow, bathed in or taken as an herbal tea.

    MUGWORT APOTHECARY.

Dried Herbs. For Clairvoyance, Protection & Consecration.

Mugwort has been used by magickal practitioners for ages as a dream associative & enhancing psychic skills. It calms the energy of a person, especially when ingested as a tea & helps to awaken the Third Eye, aiding in deeper subconscious travel & spirit world communications. It enhances dreamwork, helping one to better recall dreams for journaling & deciphering messages.  When burned as an incense at Samhain, it works as an offering to call upon the Ancestors, Creating a stronger bond between the thin veil of the physical world & spirit world. Mugwort is an important herb to incorporate into practice, when one is trying to awaken their psychic senses & evolve spiritually.  

Botanical Name: Artemisia Vulgaris

Element Correspondences: Air / Earth

Planetary Correspondences: Venus / Moon

Zodiac Correspondences: Taurus / Libra

Magickal Uses: Clairvoyance, Protection, Prophetic Dreams, Ward Off Evil, Purification, Astral Projection, Ancestor Contact, Spirit Realm, Third Eye Awakening, Consecration of Divinatory Tools, Dream Work, Lucid Dreaming, Seance Work, Psychic Skills.

Magickal Tip: Add a pinch of Mugwort to your Divination tools when in safe keeping to keep their energy & aura protected, strong & enchanted.  You can make a tincture of Mugwort, adding other clairvoyant crystals to the mix, and using the tincture as a consecration wash for your divination tools, to enhance their metaphysical powers & become a stronger aid in clairvoyant practices.

Holistic Uses: A tea of mugwort can aid in sleep & dream recall. It can be added to massage oil or bathwater to calm anxieties & insomnia. Freshly crushed Mugwort leaves, can be added to scratches, burns or cuts to alleviate skin irritations.

      MYRRH GUM RESIN APOTHECARY.

All Natural Incense. For Healing, Divination & Renewal.

Helping to gently expands upon our inner wisdom, Myrrh ties us to the subconscious, lifting a cloudy veil that blinds us from the 'unknown.' Feminine in nature, Myrrh, works with the energies of Goddess Isis & Mother Moon, aiding us in seeking deeper through the mysteries of the Universe. It raises the vibrations to illuminate our soul & reflects any negative energy that might create doubt or fear, so that one may better connect to their higher purpose, also making it a powerful source when working through tragedies. It is a great healer to the mind, body & spirit, which is why it was traditionally used in an amulet or herbal sachet to bring about a quick healing. Often mixed with Frankincense, not only within the Catholic church, but through various spiritual practices, Myrrh help's one to 'travel' deeper into a meditative state, building a rich connection with the divine, through prayer & magickal practices.

Botanical Name: Commiphora Molmol

Element Correspondences: Air / Water

Planetary Correspondences: Sun / Moon

Zodiac Correspondences: Cancer / Leo

Magickal Uses: Spirituality, Divination, Healing, Meditation, Energy Amplifier, Raising Vibrations, Peace, Renewal, Consecration, Blessings, Intuition Strengthening, Hex Removal, Moon Rituals, Third Eye Healing & Activation.

Magickal Tip: Raise your crystal ball over the smoke of Myrrh, to strengthen your psychic vision.

Chakras:  Third Eye (6th) , Crown (7th)  

Holistic Uses: Often used to make perfumes, Myrrh also repels mosquitos when burned as an incense. Due to it's Antiseptic properties, Egyptians traditionally burned Myrrh for fumigation to sick rooms.  It can also help fight bad breath, when used as a powder or extract.  

       OLIVE LEAVES APOTHECARY.

Dried Herbs. For Peace, Healing & Balance.

Olive leaves are a symbol of divine peace & fragility. The trees grow best in hot & dry climates, tying them closely to the element of Fire & the Sun. It is highly sensitive, as it can die with a tad to much water or frost. It flowers the Olive fruit & loves growing in sunny spots facing the South. It can grow stabile & strong even on slopes & hills, but still needs balanced weather conditions. It can teach us to find this balance within ourselves, we are fragile & strong. It serves as an important reminder that too much of one thing can be hazardous to us & that no matter what darkness we find ourselves in, we can find growth when illuminated by the light.

Botanical Name: Olea Europaea

Element Correspondences: Fire

Planetary Correspondences: Jupiter & Sun

Zodiac Correspondences: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius

Magickal uses: Calming Energies, Meditation, Balance, Peace, Zen, Raising Vibrations, Wisdom, Generosity, Releasing Negativity, Good Luck, Dispelling enemies.

Magickal Tips: Stash Olive leaves in each corner of a room to keep the home peaceful, banishing family arguments & bringing luck to those in the home.

A ring of Olive leaves can help raise the vibrations of the aura & help with spell-casting dealing with manifestation.

A branch of Olive Leaves wet with rain water or natural spring water may be used to bless a home, by thrusting the water off the leaves & envisioning white light.

Drink as a tea during Full Moons to stabilize emotions & calm your energy.

Chakras:  Heart (4th) & Crown (7th)

Holistic Uses:  Taken as a daily tea, Olive leaves can help with stimulating brain function & cardiovascular health.

      PATCHOULI APOTHECARY.

Dried Herbs. For Money, Prosperity, Lust & Manifestation.

Patchouli is said to attract prosperity & dispels negativity to promote good dreams. Energetically, Patchouli increases energy & attention in the sensory levels and the outer fields, causing the spiritual self to drop into the physical body. Patchouli also slows down the sense of time perception, allowing one to better work in the realm of magick. This enchanting sweet & earthy scent is a popular ingredient used in spell-casting to draw in money, offer protection, defend against negative energies or evil intent. It holds true in the spiritual power of releasing, whether it be certain vibrations, addictions or banishing harmful people from one's life. Patchouli is tied to the Earth element as well, bringing great grounding frequencies & enhancing focus, which is why it makes for such a great manifesting tool.

Botanical Name: Pogostemon Cablin

Element Correspondences: Earth

Planetary Correspondences: Saturn

Zodiac Correspondences: Scorpio

Magickal Uses: Money, Prosperity, Love, Lust, Manifestation, Sexual Power, Courage, Banishing Evil, Protection.

Chakras:   Root (1st ) Solar Plexus (3rd) & Crown (7th)

Magickal Tip: Sprinkle Patchouli in the wallet to bring about financial success & prosperity.

Holistic Uses:  Create tinctures to help with Athlete's Foot, Dandruff & Eczema.

          PUTKA PODS APOTHECARY.

Dried Herbs. For Warmth, Comfort & Family Togetherness.

These tiny & adorable "Mini- Pumpkins," are sure to bring a smile to your face. Named Putka Pods, they actually spawn as little fruits from the Glochidion Ferdinandi tree, which grows these pods & are enjoyed by many birds & critters. The Tree itself, creates a home and shelter for many species of birds. It's roots grow deep & wide, creating firm grounding energy. Putka Pods carry a bright Orange color, & when dried can last many seasons. They provide wonderful decorations for the Autumn season, enhancing the energies of warmth, comfort & 'coming together,' as their shape holds many little wedges, forming 1 small pod.  Let the magick of Putka Pods enrich your Samhain altar & celebrations this season.

Botanical Name: Glochidion Ferdinandi

Magickal uses: Home, Grounding, Comfort, Nurturing, Death, Light, Gatherings, Family, Friendships.

ELEMENT: Earth

PLANETS: Sun

CHAKRAS : 2nd- Sacral Chakra

Magickal Tip: String a putka pod for each loved one onto a string & hand over the Hearth, as a symbol of Family togetherness.

            RED ROSE BUDS APOTHECARY.

Dried Herbs. For Love, Trust & Innocence.

Love and Roses go together century after century, a well known symbol of Love, Roses help soften our energy and open us up to the energy of love. This beautiful energy can heal us, bring us joy, protection & peace within our hearts. It promotes the joy of giving & gratitude, as when Roses are gifted or received, it pleases both parties. A cup of rose tea, enhances one's magic, with a pure energy, Divination practices become enhanced, as well as prophetic dreams, because Roses allow us to lower our guard & trust. Roses are a symbol of confidence as well, so much so, that a Rose petal medallion was often plastered to the ceilings of law offices or courtrooms, serving as a talisman of trust, truth & confidence of the words spoken within the building. As a symbol of innocence, it reminds us to live from the heart, see the beauty around us & embrace each moment as if it was the first & last.

Botanical Name: Rosa Canina

Element Correspondences: Water

Planetary Correspondences: Venus

Zodiac Correspondences: Taurus

Magickal Uses: Love, Lust, Innocence, Confidence, Trust, Divination, Healing, Truth, Romance, Sexuality, Luck , Protection Against the Evil Eye or Jealousy, Psychic Love Matters, Honoring Venus, Joy, Peace, Happiness, Dreams, Aphrodisiac, Healing the Root Chakra.

Chakras:   Root (1st) & Heart (4th)

Magickal Tip: Sprinkle Red Rose buds around the perimeter of the bed to promote romance & sexuality.

Holistic Uses:   Rose eases headaches, dizziness & menstrual cramps when taken as a tea. It helps with physical issues of the Heart & calms anxiety. Red Rose provides a good source of Vitamin C, when added to drinks, foods, lotions or creams. Rose Water replenishes the skin, leaving a vibrant glow.

        ROSEMARY APOTHECARY.

Dried Herbs. For Warding Off Evil Spirits, Psychic Detox & Purification.

Often tied over a bed to ward off evil spirits, nightmares or sickness, Rosemary has long been associated with Protection in the physical & metaphysical world. It's purification properties make it ideal to be added to a smudge blend, driving away any negative energy. It's crisp & refreshing scent it said to also help with memory recall, whether it's where you last left your car keys, or traveling back in the mind to the life before this, an herbal tea blend containing Rosemary can help you remember. The spruce -like leaves can grow in abundance, and often planted near doorways to turn away jealousy or anger. It is said, 'where Rosemary grows, Women rule,' tying this wonderful plant back to the old folklore of Witches. Traditionally, Rosemary was tied to  a Besom and either used for hand-fasting rituals or hung over a Hearth to bring purification & positive energy to the space or union. Some old spells of attracting a love or healthy relationship, required making a Poppet filled with Rosemary, and leaving it under the bed from full moon to full moon. Whatever you choose to do with this magickal herb, know that Rosemary will always protect you.

Botanical Name: Rosmarinus Offiicinalis

Element Correspondences: Fire

Planetary Correspondences: Sun / Moon

Zodiac Correspondences: Leo

Magickal Uses: Warding Off Evil Spirits, Psychic Detox, Good Luck, Protection, Purification, Nightmare Protection, Banishing Negativity, Love Matters, Rituals, Strengthening Memory, Drawing in Faeries, Bringing Blessings, Clarity, Earth Element, Past Life Recall.

Magickal Tip: Lay a line of Rosemary across a threshold to block negativity& sickness from entering a home.

Chakras:   Sacral (3rd), Heart (4th), Crown (7th)

Holistic Uses:  Fresh Sachets or wreaths made of Rosemary can be used as natural air fresheners. Added to a vinegar & Lemon base, Rosemary can become quite the delightful cleaning aid.  Used as a hair rinse, it is said to help cure split ends.

    ST. JOHN'S WORT APOTHECARY.

Dried Herbs. For Protection, Sun Energy, Depression & Happiness.

Ties to the magick & energy of the Sun, in association with celebrations of 'Litha' or the Summer Solstice, St. John's Wort is an herb to dispel negativity, rid of depression & bring cheer & happiness to one's life. This positive sun filled energy, works to block against dark arts or negative energy, inspiring healing & banishing sickness.  It recharges the Solar Plexus, driving courage to an individual & balancing a healthy ego.

Botanical Name: Hypericum Perforatum

Magickal uses: banishing, preventing sickness, blocking the dark arts, protection spells & negativity, courage, Litha, happiness, divination.

ELEMENT: Fire

PLANETS: Sun

CHAKRAS : 3rd- Solar Plexus Chakra, 4th- Heart Chakra

Magickal Tip: Sprinkle St. John's Wort by your mirrors to repel a negative self image.

Holistic & Medicinal: As a tea or pill, it can aid in depression, loss of apatite, anxiety & helps to balance mood swings from PMS & Menopause. If made into an Antibacterial tincture, St. John's Wort applied to a cotton ball, may help with inflammation from Eczema, hemorrhoids & offer relief from burns.

How to use it: Commonly used in capsule form or as a hot tea.

          WHITE COPAL RESIN APOTHECARY.

All Natural Incense. For Clearing Energy, Creativity & Raising Vibrations.

White Copal Resin is often used to create a sacred space in your environment, clearing the stagnant energy in a room & creating a warm and loving space for creativity and abundance to flow. Although it vibrates at a higher level, White Copal can also offer grounding qualities, aiding in your stronger connection to earth, emotional healing and physical manifestations. The all natural fragrance gives off a warm, earthy, citrus pine scent, to help ease your spiritual journey. It was frequently used by the Mayans & Aztecs during ceremony dealing with purification. It is considered to be "young Amber," resin, as it holds many of the same properties of Amber, but forms in far less time. It inspires our own inner light & happiness to illuminate our aura.

Botanical Name: Bursera Microphylla

Element Correspondences: Fire

Planetary Correspondences: Sun

Zodiac Correspondences: Aries, Leo & Sagittarius.

Magickal Uses: Smudging, Raising Vibration, Happiness, Spiritual Growth, Healing, Grounding, Creativity, Blessings, Manifestations, Protection, Energy Clearing, Love, Consecration, Anointing Rituals, White Magic, Sabbat Offering for Litha.

Magickal Tip: Brighten the energy of a darkened home by burning White Copal at SUNrise on a SUNday.

Chakras:  Crown (7th)

Holistic Uses: Revitalize one's energy system & brighten emotional thoughts through means of creating a White Copal Tincture.

        WHITE SAGE APOTHECARY.

Dried Herbs. For Purification, Wishes & Ceremony.

White Sage can be used to spiritually cleanse spaces, houses, rooms or environments of any kinds of subtle, old energies and prepare the space with fresh intent. It can also be used to cleanse the aura of a person from stagnant old energies to prepare for ceremony or spiritual work. For centuries White Sage has been used in ceremony to encourage psychic detox, raising one's energy levels and enhancing manifestation & purification on many levels. It works to diminish any turmoil in one's life, as they prepare to embark on new ventures & positive vibrations.

Botanical Name: Salvia Apiana

Element Correspondences: Jupiter

Planetary Correspondences: Air

Zodiac Correspondences: Aries & Sagittarius

Magickal Uses: Ward Off Evil, Repel Enemies & Negative Energy or Spirits, Spiritual Aura Healing, Physical Healing, Purification, Protection, Cleansing, Removes Negative Psychic Energy, Consecration, Longevity, Emotional Chakra Balance & Centering, Concentration, Clearing Spirits, Creating Sacred Space, Circle Casting, Money, Prosperity, Immortality, Wishes, Manifestation, General Healing & Wisdom.

Chakras:   Crown (7th)

Holistic Uses: Traditionally used as a ceremonial smudge, when burned as incense it can be used as an insect repellant. A Sage Tincture can be used to help straighten hair as a final rinse. Very small portions can be added to tea to 'detox' the mind.

          WITCH HAZEL APOTHECARY.

Dried Herbs. For Inspiration, Healing, Wisdom & Cleansing.

With it's branches long used for the art of dowsing, Witch Hazel is a powerful plant often used for remedies regarding healing.  In magick, this is also the case, as it's strong 'healing' nature works to mend a broken heart, reverse hexes & cleanse the aura, offering inspiration to matters of love, creativity & calm emotions. Witch Hazel works through powers of divination when needed, bringing forth wisdom & enchantment. It enhances beauty through the power of healing, encouraging empowerment.

Botanical Name: Hamamelis Virginiana

Element Correspondences: Fire

Planetary Correspondences: Sun / Saturn

Zodiac Correspondences:

Magickal Uses: Mending a Broken Heart, Protection, Divination, Love, Inspiration, Chastity, Healing, Cleansing, Calming Emotions.

Magickal Tip: Burn an herbal blend of Witch Hazel or place it in a sachet to remove Hexes & mend a broken heart.

Holistic Uses:  First Aid for minor cuts & scrapes. Tincture can be made to clear facial blemishes.

            WOOD BETONY Dried Herbs.

For Protection, Ghosts , Blocking Negative & Evil Energies

An herb that's "Good for the Head." Wood Betony is long associated with casting out evil & darkness, it is said to be the cure-all for almost every disease, problem or curse. Women would add a little Wood Betony to food to help resolve and argument with a loved one or end a grudge that caused a rift between lovers. It is said that the druids have long used this powerful herb during their midsummer rituals, to help aid in fertility & health, with the banishment of sickness or infertility in mind. For those who suffered night terrors or sleep paralysis, Wood Betony would offer a protective shield to the subconscious mind when kept in the pillow or by the bedside. When added with a pinch of Patchouli for manifestation power and ground into a powder for incense, it's believed that any darkness in your life will be banished & removed upon burning. Why does Wood Betony work so well with ridding us of the darkness? Because it blends with our energy & emotions, to build a protective barrier of our subconscious or overly conscious thoughts that come from a place of fear. It helps to raise our own vibrations, shifting us into an energetically higher vibration, helping to ward off the lower energies that no longer resonate with us.

 Botanical Name: Stachys Officinales (aka) Bishop's Wort

Element Correspondences: Fire

Planetary Correspondences: Jupiter

Zodiac Correspondences: Cancer, Sagittarius

Chakras: Throat (5th) & Crown (7th)

 Magickal uses: Protection, Protective Teas, Shielding, Leading Ghosts Astray, Blocking Negative & Evil Energies, Uncrossing Hexes & Curses, Purification, Healing Fear of Travel, Nightmare Blocking, Calming Nerves, Bishop's Wort, Tinctures, Enhanced Visions, Midsummer / Summer Solstice Blessings, Release Public Speech Fears, Anxiety Healing

Magickal Tip:

* Gift a sachet / amulet or serve tea of Betony to end a quarrel or disagreement in a relationship.

* Cast out negativity in a friendship by burning Wood Betony.

Holistic Uses: A tea or tincture of Wood Betony can be used to dispell headaches, anxiety, influence better sleep & resolve toothaches. It is said to calm anxieties through lowering blood pressure.

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Progressed 3D Visualization Tech Solutions for Architects That Aim to Be Cutting Edge

One small step at a time, every day brings a few developments. If we suppose again longer than 10 years prior, we are going to recognize that extraordinary Sci-Fi movie forecasts have come to be our existence. Various present-day preparations have influenced all ventures throughout all verticals, and architecture has considered something real looking of headways also.

The existence of the place robots and robots can boost a structure, the place multi-dimensional pix have to emerge as sizable and strong,an architectural 3d visualization  world that allows you to enter the domains of computer-generated actuality and improved fact continually – that is our contemporary circumstance.

In any case, in some cases, it seems to be that such tech preparations are miles away, even even though they're quickly accessible, moderate, and earlier than our noses. This implies that many men and women do not comprehend all the available prospects.

Given that, right here are some tech headways which will allow you to increase structural visualization to every other level. We must inspect and find out how to use bleeding facet visualization tech arrangements!

3D printers can do extra than assist us to create 3D models

3D printers have been around for some time, but how humans use them persistently changes. Albeit really designed to create little objects – 3D constructing fashions – utilizing frail plastic materials, the most latest 3D printer preparations are forefront innovation.

Rather than using simply one form of plastic, you can make a company or adaptable aspects using materials, for example, ABS, PVA, ASA, PETG, HIPS, PLA, polycarbonate, polypropylene, nylon, and some more.

Today, you can do masses of matters utilizing a 3D printer and you can print something that rings a bell, inclusive of gems, food, medical supplies, prosthetics and bones, supports, instruments, textures, and footwear, shop parts, weapons, furniture, and in particular, you would 3d be capable to print greater designs, for example, lofts and extensions.

Fast Prototyping

Like 3D printing, quickly prototyping lets you make basically anything. Effectively utilized for checking out and in any event, turning in improvement aspects and gear, speedy prototyping is altering how we gather objects.

Large scale manufacturing of improvement factors made utilizing a 3D printer, simply as the advent of exclusive segments, will exchange the complete business.

Not at all like regularly occurring substances and development works, constructing 3D-printed homes by way of gathering little components at the constructing web page will reduce the fees and the time vital for the complete cycle – the entire costs of these real looking homes are about $7,000, and the work at the constructing website online can be performed in simply fourteen days.

World's First 3D Printed Steel Bridge

2018 will be identified as the yr when Dutch superior mechanics employer MX3D made the absolute first architectura 3D Visualization -printed metal connect, which will be put throughout a waterway in Amsterdam, Netherlands. This 12-meter-long scaffold is made from layers of liquid steel.

''The light-weight tree-like development is primarily based on 4 precept carriers. The fear used to be that if one of these conveyors receives hit via a boat, the building may want to basically fizzle,'' clarified the organization, and they delivered that they modified the thought due to the fact of graph concerns.

"Accordingly a without a doubt new thinking was once made that viewed all that we discovered up to that factor about the material, the close by particulars and guidelines," they uncovered.

World's Largest 3D-Printed Concrete Bridge

A twice longer 26.3-meter-long extension made using a 3D printing strong framework is the world's largest 3D printed connect. Educator Xu Weiguo designed this mild and prosperous piece of craftsmanship throughout the Shanghai Wisdom Bay lake.

To coordinate the underlying execution of universal materials, the scaffold's improvement was once made of forty-four emptied stable segments, made of polyethylene fiber concrete.

These fashions are solely the affirmation that 3D printing innovation is towards the beginning of its flip of events. These front line preparations will enhance over the lengthy haul! At this moment, it seems to be that in a couple of years, excessive rises will be developed like riddles in solely a few weeks. For more information click here

Augmented Reality

With regards to the most current tech arrangements, we mustn't bypass up on the possibility to current likely the exceptional innovation of the twenty-first century – computer-generated reality. Supportive in exclusive cycles of constructing visualization, VR will trade architecture, simply as unique enterprises, quicker than we can envision.

Organizations in several businesses, which include land, gaming, design, the enjoyment world, and some more, have simply figured out how to current such an answer. Loads of agencies in the structure enterprise are now using this superior hardware.

Also, humans are in any event, buying VR headsets for no specific reason. The volume of VR headsets bought in 2018 is above 4.6 million gadgets and the estimated sum for 2019 is 6 million units.

Since it appears that evidently purchasers are eager on utilising this innovation, we can brazenly say that structural visualization agencies will commence to zero in intensely on VR visualization in the coming years. How about we find out why that is so. Here are the two essential blessings of VR.

VR software-enter the digital actuality world in real-time

Corresponding with VR gear, engineers have designed a wonderful deal of 3D showing and handing over programming preparations that assist computer-generated reality. Utilizing the latest variations of well-known projects, for example, Autodesk's 3ds Max, drafters can enter the universe of computer-generated facts and alternate their scenes progressively.

The way towards exhibiting and altering the 3D mannequin using VR goggles lets in greater precise work and furnishes designers with the hazard to experience the complete house earlier than the beginning of the improvement works. Besides, making a 3D mannequin with a VR headset appears extensively greater fun!

Exhibit Your Projects in the Virtual Reality Environment

After the cycle of Architectural 3D Visualization and delivering, it is the best chance for the introduction! You can pick out a greater traditional way and take pictures, in any case, for great insight, you can make VR activity.

With regards to introducing your work to customers, you ought to supply a valiant effort to stun them – your companions will recognize your thinking via your specialized drawings, but clients and speculators won't. Additionally, we can uninhibitedly say that structural visualization is the task dealer.

VR is the great equipment when we're discussing visualization – monetary experts and clients will have the alternative to stroll via your diagram making use of VR headsets, and you may have the choice to restore the feasible troubles earlier than the beginning of the works, and in this way, set apart thousands of cash.

Both you and your clients will be fulfilled – it is a jointly really useful arrangement!

Increased Reality

Like computer-generated simulation innovation, and but one-of-a-kind and predominant elevated the fact is some other mainstay of contemporary compositional visualization. As the overlay of superior substance, this sophisticated innovation lets men and women come upon improved actuality making use of one-of-a-kind devices and instruments, together with mobile phones, tablets, and different versatile gadgets, simply as savvy AR glasses and headsets.

Even although VR hardware is moderate, the circumstance with AR is shockingly higher – instead of buying headsets and glasses, clients can enter the universe of improved truth inner a couple of moments, as lengthy as the cycle of software institution maintains going.

Since there are several functions pushed through AR innovation, every utility works unexpectedly. Here are the 5 first-rate AR functions for constructing visualization.

1. ARki

Accessible for Android and iOS, designed each for layout and introduction purposes, ARki overlays 3D fashions onto present 2D flooring plans. With highlights, for example, ongoing shadow investigation, fabric exchanging, and bodily science reproduction, ARki is an extraordinary choice each for visualization and improvement projects. Moreover, it is completely free!

2. Keen Reality

Designed each for VR and VR, Smart Reality is a mobile phone smartphone software that utilizes a mobile phone's digital camera to overlay intuitive BIM models, making 3D visualization. This easy-to-utilize software lets customers find principal layers, zoom, file pix or recordings, and appreciably more. Keen Realty is on hand both for Android and iOS gadgets.

3. Pair

Dissimilar to a massive element of the different AR applications, Pair is a shopper-centered application. Because of the vast and constantly refreshed fixtures list, purchasers can add 3D fashions in actual local weather and photo their lofts alone. iOS consumers can make introductions, allowing consumers to stroll via their pristine designs once more and again.

4. Sorcery Plan

This free improved fact application, reachable each for iOS and Android gadgets, was once made especially for engineers and designers, allowing them to draft ground plans making use of simply a mobile phone's camera. 2D ground plans can be saved as JPG, PDF, and in particular, the DXF design. Accommodating, correct?

5. Enlarge

Accessible for iOS and Android gadgets, Augment is an enlarged actuality utility designed for structural visualization studios and understudies. Helpful for interior and backyard plan visualization, Augment, on account of its massive library, lets you drop extraordinary 3D Visualization models, but in addition to alter, change, and provide your ventures with your associates. Nonetheless, the cost goes from $300 to $1000 each month.

These profoundly handy preparations areas but developing, and we are positive that there will be greater AR-based functions accessible. Up to that point, you ought to recognize and inspect the possibilities of these remarkable applications!

Blended Reality

What happens on the off danger that you consolidate two reducing facet innovations, for example, computer-generated truth and enlarged reality? The fantastic response is easy – blended reality. Blending the nice components of VR and AR, blended truth lets purchasers ride and see this existing reality, as enlarged reality, whilst moreover seeing digital articles from the universe of augmented reality.

By "dropping" the digital articles in actuality climate, blended truth considers a totally new diploma of graph visualization.

Present Your Objects in truth

After applications, for example, Pokémon Go pulled in more than a few purchasers throughout the globe, clients in the architecture enterprise have gotten profoundly eager on this kind of introduction.

Anyway, what will introduce your work higher than "dropping" your shape in the metropolitan local weather continuously? As the most developed arrangement, the blended fact can assist you to exhibit your clients and speculators exactly how your shape will discover a way into the scene barring squandering a ton of electricity on after advent errands.

Dissimilar to in any case pics that you can make making use of PhotoShop and related vector programming arrangements, blended actuality functions allow you to supply movements.

Lift the Works at the Construction Site Using Mixed Reality Apps

BIM purposes upheld by way of blended fact can assist and enhance distinct cycles at the constructing site, diminishing the danger of any missteps.

Plus, such blended actuality functions can peruse exclusive document designs, which implies that engineers can switch specialized documentation (CAD documents), simply as renders. Developers can make use of a blended fact machine to test the cycles at the site, and the software will exhibit to them what to do subsequent relies upon on the project subtleties.

Since misconceptions between the builders and engineers many times fizzle, the blended fact will enhance the diploma of safety through enhancing correspondence.

Holographic Architectural Visualization

As we referenced, these tech preparations used to be incomprehensible solely a couple of many years back. Nonetheless, possibly the biggest accomplishment of the new age hitherto is surely the spectacular association referred to as "holographic compositional portrayal framework".

This easy to save and speedy to create a system designed through Zebra Imaging affords full-shading holographic visualization, and it very properly may additionally be included with oftentimes utilized Autodesk's product arrangements. The gadget's dainty floor turns into a nitty-gritty 3D model, enabling you to introduce your work to your customers, challenge speculators, our companions on account of a halogen or LED mild source.

"With our innovation and 3D print administrations, 3D records can be freed as soon as once more from the PC and into the consumer 3D presentation market at an average cost. The affiliation is tied in with motivating innovativeness and new methodologies for envisioning in 3D," clarified Brian Hill, GM Zebra Imaging Print Division.

He likewise stated that the necessary section of their visualization is3D data and he brought ''The development of the Autodesk 123D team of purposes offers the units to mass purchaser produced 3D substance and broadens multi-dimensional picture introduction capacities throughout the globe."

Other than being pretty useful and fascinating, the pleasant element about Zebra Imaging 3D Hologram Display is that it is amazingly reasonable. You can get your visualization exhibit nowadays for simply $49.99!

Accessible Holograms – The Next Level of Holographic Visualization

This might also show up to be extraordinary, but a gathering of Japanese researchers from the University of Tokyo, Department of Complexity Science and Engineering has given us the innovation referred to as "Accessible Holograms". Indeed, even general visualizations are in reality a super arrangement, but there is more.

Without sporting any hardware, you can come upon the hallucination of contacting holographic, fantastic things.

Haptoclone works on account of a synchronized haptic-optical improvement in combination with Airborne Ultrasound Tactile Display (AUTD) and Aerial Imaging Plate (AIP). At the factor when you contact the attractive article, Haptoclone will supply stable urgent factor, and you may stumble upon the hallucination of contacting a 3D photo most the whole lot being equal.

Utilizing an "accessible" multidimensional image, engineers and designers will have the choice to introduce their visualizations in an appreciably extra sensible manner than prior.

The Bottom Line

At the factor when we reflect on consideration on all the mechanical accomplishments referenced above, we want to concede that it is tough to say which of them is the most supportive in the diagram visualization industry. Every association can increase the diploma of hyper-authenticity, but additionally, inspire and enhance extraordinary cycles.

It would be an immoderate quantity to request some other high-level mechanical association considering each one of these that we have referenced is amazing. Nonetheless, we can believe that these gadgets will flip out to be a lot greater reasonable and directly handy and that the utilization of these units and functions will get standard.

Since we have considered that the combination of VR and AR has introduced something completely new and special, we want to ask you the accompanying thing: Which two of the earlier stated mechanical preparations would you consolidate into one to enhance the engineering visualization industry? Tell us in the remarks!

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Archiol’s 2021 Render challenge

Archiol’s 2021 Render challenge, Architecture Competition, Design Contest

Archiol’s 2021 Render challenge Competition

6 June 2021

Archiol Render Challenge Competition Winners

Archiol’s Render Challenge Winners Announced!

Presentation skills are just as important as designing; one of the best mediums to present your architectural designs is through rendering. Architectural rendering aims to create life-like experiences of the buildings before they are built. Rendering aids the designer to convey ideas, an image that represents the designers’ imagination most realistically.

Archiol’s 2021 Render Challenge received 113 entries, scroll down to see the finest of architectural graphics from participants from all over the world.

• First Prize Winner_ Jiaman Xu, Ruiheng Zeng & Xiaoxin Wang (China)

• Second Prize Winner_ Antonella Marzi, Chiara Marzi & Marta Dituri (Italy)

• Third Prize Winner_ MiroslavNaskov (UK)

• Honorable Mention_ Niu Yifan (China)

• Honorable Mention_ ZHIXIANG XIA (China)

• Honorable Mention_ Tim CheC (US)

Archiol Render Challenge Winners in Detail

First Prize Winner_ JIAMAN XU, RUIHENG ZENG & XIAOXIN WANG

Forest fires have always been a desperate topic. In the case of severe forest fires, it is difficult to protect the lives of animals. The Amazon rainforest in 2019 and the Australian forest fires in 2020 caused devastating damage. Countless wild animals died in the fire or were displaced, causing people’s attention. It is precise because of these facts that the rescue of wild animals in fires needs to be widely recognized, and we need to provide them with a temporary shelter.

The refuge site is in New South Wales, Australia, which is hot and less rainy, which is one of the places prone to forest fires. When a fire occurs, the building uses the collected water to spray water through a spray device to form a low-temperature environment and attract animals to take refuge.

In order for our animal shelter to be self-sufficient to the greatest extent possible without human intervention, the operation of the building depends entirely on natural forces. According to realistic theories such as energy conversion, we set up rainwater and fog collection devices to solve the water problem of the building. The fog is converted into water and rainwater is collected to the water storage device at the bottom of the building, which can provide a continuous supply of the ecological environment inside the building. Provide water resources.

The refuge restores the original living environment of Australian animals as much as possible and ensures internal ecological diversity. In order to reduce the damage to the natural ecological environment, we spiral up the ecological layer to reduce the footprint of the building and recreate different ecological environments on the spirally rising ramps and natural environments that can provide sufficient refuge space for animals. Including the basic natural environment such as pools, swamps, grasslands, woods, etc., so that it is divided on each layer but connected to each other.

For example, kangaroos like to run in the bushes, koalas will sleep on eucalyptus trees, wild dogs are used to hunting in the desert, platypuses usually hide in caves by the water, and ostriches with strong adaptability are suitable for most environments, such as open plains, forests or the desert doesn’t matter to them.

After the fire, the forest is slowly recovering, and the animals can return to the natural environment and rebuild their homes. Of course, the animals can continue to stay inside the building, and the food chain can maintain the relative balance of the ecological layer. Animals can enter and leave the building at any time to increase the sense of familiarity and belonging. Perhaps more lives can be saved the next time a fire occurs.

Second Prize Winner_ Antonella Marzi, Chiara Marzi & Marta Dituri

ICE TOWERS “A powerful and evocative gesture, a reinterpretation of the monument in a modern key.” Our concept design is stemming from abstract ideas and shapes in inhospitable environments that become an architectural project. The site context aims to stimulate people’s thoughts on the consequences of human intervention in the living environment and adaptation to architecture.

Two crystalline monoliths emerge in the Arctic landscape. The building’s volume explores the sense as an ice sculpture on the rocks, by means of materials, textures, and colors. As generated by tectonic forces, they guard and conceal an entire underground world. The towers rise from a submerged area, bursting through the surface, which integrating into the landscape – between the cliff and ocean waves.

Third Prize Winner_ MiroslavNaskov

The Forest House, nestled in the serene verdure of the Northern Italian countryside provides its visitors a unique experience. It is nonconformist yet resonates with the rawness of the nature around it.

The stilted housegives one the feeling of being lifted and placed in Nature’s lap, capturing breath taking views of the lush green clad mountains as well as the calm lake set between them. The fluid design and soft volumes of the space add to the tranquillity of the space. The transparency provides panoramic views, inviting nature to become part of the space. Blurring the boundary between the interior and the exterior, the house and nature are in perfect symphony with each other.

The structure uses prefabricated 3D Printed structural elements. This not only eases the process of fabrication and significantly reduces cost but also has least impact on the natural environment. Bespoke furniture designed for the space uses a similar language in design and materiality providing a wholesome yet luxurious experience in all.

Honorable Mention_ Niu Yifan

The globalized new coronavirus epidemic has thrown architectural problems with meaningful thinking to architects. Now in the post-epidemic era, how should architects rethink and define the contemporary attributes of physical public spaces? How to tap and strengthen the quality and value that cannot be replaced by virtual space, and make a targeted response in the design?

My work intends to show the current social situation in a warmer and more hopeful post-epidemic era. Through the architectural vision of the post-epidemic era. I designed a city with extremely prosperous traffic, because traffic is a prerequisite for urban development.

I also designed a public transportation transfer station that can be rotated to facilitate the transfer and transfer of people. This rotation takes five minutes. When the turntable returns to its original position, the station will welcome the next wave of people, and people will meet in this regular and random space. The transmission lasts ten minutes. Then continue to spin for the next five minutes.

This work shows the sense of science and technology that people yearn for in the post-epidemic era and the warm connection between human. The sun shines into your sight through the movable buildings built under traffic, and everything is under the radiation of the sun, with a sense of post-modernity and technology. Everything is very peaceful and full of hope, expressing the prosperous industrial and social development after the epidemic.

Honorable Mention_ ZHIXIANG XIA

The image indicate an architecture which is driven by our minds. I’m always thinking about creating an architecture embodying our souls. The main structure of the architecture can grow and expand as our mind keeps developing. From bottom to top, every part of the structure shows the different stages of our mind, which in the image I visualize it by the people’s activities.

And the connectivity is infinite and continuous; everything is intertwined and bounded together with an invisible force which can be described as the inner inspiration of every thought. Finally, architecture becomes an extension of our minds and it fully shows our inner space.

Honorable Mention_ Tim CheC

The distance between Mars and the Earth is approximately 225 million kilometers, making it the closest “livable” planet to the Earth. Whether the movie” The Martian”, the landing news of the NASA’s “Perseverance”, or even the “SpaceX” company founded by Elon Musk, they all showed us the mysterious appearance of Mars. I am the person who love future technologies and science fiction pretty much. I can’t help but think, when I am 50 years old, will I be able to live on Mars at that time?

In this artwork, I tried to imagine what it might look like when people live on Mars in the future. I took Transit-Oriented-Development (TOD ) as my main concept. The various facilities are connected by channels. The center of the facilities is a big rocket, which will carry the residents transport between different planets.

The main residential facility large greenhouse buildings, which are filled with plants and oxygen. It creates a suitable space for people to live in. On the outer side, there are some Industrial facilities which can mine buried ice and create energy for residents to use.

Is it possible to build a self-sufficient city on Mars? How does it feel like when living on Mars? Are there other planets that can be explored by humans besides Mars? I am curious and excited in the technology and lifestyle of future. I hope through this artwork, everyone can share their imagination about the future living lifestyle.

Shortlisted Entries

• Reality is merely an illusion _ Aditya Bhole

• Echoes of Nirvana_ Chang Wu

• In the middle of Mediterranean sea_ Patricija Gjugjaj

• Parallel 2077_ Lingfang Shao

• House on a Pavilion _ Tanvi Daga

• What is a vertical city _Xinyu Li

• _ Davide Cannone & Ilaria Impagnatiello

• The Blurred Forest _ HAOXIAN CAI

• Residential Energy Gathering Ring _ Wenqi Fan

• Non-To-Scale Megastructures: Where Man Meets the Machine _ Mohamad Alamin Younis

• Gaotai Residential _Bó Hú & Yixuan Yang

• “parts of a whole”_ Lingjing Shi

• A roundabout near the entrance of a small city_ Ioulianos Angelos Karantzios

• _ Shreyash Gupta

• _ Florian Mladek

Archiol Render Challenge Competition Jury

Competition Jury:

• Randy Sovich, AIA Randy M. Sovich, AIA, is co-editor of T3XTURE, an international architectural and design publication exploring texture, ornament, and pattern in a new architecture. He is the founding principal of R. M. Sovich Architecture, Inc., a socially-conscious practice located in Baltimore, Maryland, creating nurturing places for communities, the disenfranchised, and vulnerable populations.

• Nicole Cullinan Nicole Cullinan is an Australian born European writer who has an established career in the architecture and arts industry. Sheenjoys the privilege of working with a number of prominent creatives, discovering what it is that makes their work unique. With a passion for place making and the built environment. She is a published academic author and an alumnus of The University of Melbourne.

With a side hustle in photography, her images have been featured on the National Gallery of Victoria and Heide Museum of Modern Art websites and socials. Recently she exhibited as part of the Photo 2021 collaboration with French artist JR at Federation Square. She believes the architects work can be more than what the eye can see; ‘allegoria dei sensi’. A trinity of function, form and feeling.

• Igor Neminov Igor is an Art Director at Shimahara Visual, based in Los Angeles and has produced an innumerable amount of marketing and competition images for a some of LA’s award winning Architecture firms, which includes Morphosis, P-A-T-T-E-R-N-S, Tom Wiscombe and Frank Gehry Architects. Igor is an award winning artist with over 10 years of professional design experience. He is also a gifted leader who is able to raise the artistic bar of everyone around him.

Organiser: Artuminate: https://ift.tt/3fYIb2H Winners Announcement: https://ift.tt/3uXtrp2

Previously on e-architect:

post updated 29 Apr 2021

Archiol Render Challenge Competition

Due to some technical issues in the initial registration period the organisers were asked to extend the registration dates of the Render Challenge Competition which was announced earlier.

Extended timeline is as follows:

Registration Deadline: 5th May 2021

Submission Deadline: 7th May 2021

Result Announcement: 5th June 2021

All deadlines are 11:59 PM UTC (Coordinated Universal Time).

8 Mar 2021

Archiol’s 2021 – Render challenge Contest

Introduction Presentation skills are just as important as designing; one of the best mediums to present your architectural designs is through rendering. Architectural rendering aims to create life-like experiences of the buildings before they are built.

Rendering aids the designer to convey his or her ideas, an image that represents the designers’ imagination most realistically.

Competition Brief Create one rendered architectural graphic design that says it all. As this competition aims at exploring and understanding rendering (a medium of conveying designs) to an unimaginable extent, so you are free to choose the type, location, scale. The Rendering can be hand-drawn or digital.

Specific Requirements: A single rendered Image A description of not more than 500 words (100 words minimum)

Awards Interview Interview of the all the winners ( top 3 + honourable mentions) Photos, articles and news will be published on our platform

Publication All the winning entries will be published on our platform.

Certificate: Top 3 entries will receive certificates All our winners will receive e certificate. All the participants will receive a participation certificate.

Important dates and judgement criteria Registration deadline: 28th April 2021 Submission deadline: 30th April 2021 Result announcement: 31st May 2021

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Jury To be announced

For more details please visit our website archiol.com Competition link: archiol.com/archiol-competitions/render_challenge_2021

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Archiol’s 2021 – Render challenge images / information received 080321

Korea Architecture Competitions

Recent Korean architecture contests on e-architect:

3rd Generation New Towns in Korea Design Contest 3rd Generation New Towns in Korea Architecture Competition

Main Library Gwangju Design Contest Main Library Gwangju Competition

South Korea Architectural Designs

South Korean Architecture Designs – architectural selection below:

Hankook Technoplex, Pangyo, outskirts of Seoul Design: Foster + Partners photo : TIME OF BLUE Hankook Technoplex Pangyo Top-level executives are co-located with their teams on different levels, which promotes interaction between the key members, and enables a more fluid flow of information within the company.

Amorepacific Head Office, Yongsan-gu, Seoul Design: David Chipperfield Architects photograph © Noshe Amorepacific Headquarters in Seoul This new rectilinear building is located between the site of a spacious public park currently under development, and a business district of high-rise towers.

Architectural Competitions

Current / Recent architectural contests on e-architect:

Bcome 2020 Competition

2020 Bcome International Ideas Competition

2A Continental Architectural Awards 2020 2A Continental Architectural Awards 2020

Re-imagining Stations Competition Network Rail Re-imagining Stations Competition

London Architectural Competitions

24H Architecture Competition

Flexible Housing Competition for Great Places Lakes & Dales Partnership

Architecture Competition

Comments / photos for Archiol’s 2021 – Render challenge page welcome

The post Archiol’s 2021 Render challenge appeared first on e-architect.

[lovinganvil]

bruja reina - sueños de arbol

more photos soon

grounded and royal.

a 20mm roundish tree agate set in solid brass. size us 7.5

one tiny shooting star decorates the back of the band.

xoxo coco

bruja reina because that’s what i see when i see these rings. and then oh my god also feel this so very much:

. Tree Agate is a stone of inner peace and plenitude. It brings abundance and fullness to all areas of life, including business and agriculture. It can be used to enhance the yield of crops or to maintain the health of house plants. Dendritic Agate creates a peaceful environment, both inner and outer, and encourages the enjoyment of each moment. This stone has a particularly strong connection with the plant kingdom and can enhance communication with that realm. It deepens your own connection to the earth. Psychologically, Dendritic Agate encourages you to remain centered in times of strife or confusion, bringing stability. It lends you perseverance and the ability to see difficulties as a challenge. Spiritually, Dendritic Agate urges you to remain connected with your roots as you grow.

Tree Agate brings our focus to the oneness of us all, dissolving egoism and arrogance. It is ideal for examination of self, and the self-imposed limitations and patterns that make up one's life experiences. It is a helpful talisman for anyone involved in therapy, meditation, rebirthing, a twelve-step program, or any path of serious work that requires a day-to-day behavioral change necessary to achieve desired results.

Tree Agate helps to clear energy blockages in the our energy channels to allow for a greater flow of energy throughout the body. By opening up pathways, it aids connection to the natural cycles in life, opening a flow of abundance and prosperity. Tree Agate is a healer of geopathic stress; by emitting its calming and centering energies into the environment. 

In general, Agates carry a quiet energy that works on the subtle bodies, and are great for achieving stability and balance in many aspects of one’s life. They work behind the scenes on the cause, not the symptom, of an issue. They work slowly and deliberately, this gentle nature of agates helps them to have a lasting impact.

[newyear2019world-blog]

Magical New Year Wishes

Like so many other people, you must be one who enjoys and celebrates Christmas. Christmas symbolizes gifts, shopping, new clothes, and last but not the least bonding and spending time with our near and dear ones. It's a special occasion for everyone, especially children, as this time of year they get a chance of receiving the most awaited gifts. Christmas also gives us an opportunity to rekindle our friendship. However for many people and kids, the most exciting part is decorating Christmas tree. It starts many days before the festive day. Different people have different ideas for the decoration. Now days sizzling decorative items are available in Christmas shopping stores. However some people prefer to decorate their home by making things on their own. It's one's perspective to follow either way. Usually you start wondering for the decoration options- whether to visit the customized Christmas shopping store or to assemble and make the decorative pieces on your own. Either way the choice is your, eventually you will discover that both methods have some pros and cons. If you choose to decorate your home for Christmas by buying individual items from the shopping store, then it is suggested that you make a list of all items that are to be bought. This helps in picking up all needed items only in the available heap. The main items would include decorative lights, Christmas tree ornaments, Items needed for the Christmas feast and the garden decoration items. These items are easily available in most of the stores, and can be easily bought without consuming much time. When time is a factor, you should avoid making your own decorative lights. This can turn out to be one time-consuming task and may not look satisfactory as well. However you can always make your own Christmas tree ornaments. These are easy to make and enough material is available in stores or in your own house. Making your own decorative items has many advantages. You are the best person to know about your house and its corners. This way you end up decorating your house in most suitable manner as everything compliments your home. Also every nook and corner of your house gives a personal feeling. You can make decorative candles at home easily. You just need wax, fixer and color, which is available at all retail stores for Christmas shopping. Small colored paper toys or hangings can also be made to put on Christmas tree. The main entrance door can be decorated by paper cut colored bells and artificial flowers put over a useless ring or tire. Using the last year leftover decorative items in an innovative manner, is another way of giving a personalize touch to your house decorations. Advantages of making your own decorative items are many. On practical points, it saves you the visit to the Christmas shopping store, which could be cumbersome task during the peak season, with Christmas approaching. This also makes your house look most suitably decorated, and not to forget it is easy on your pocket too. On other grounds, it gives your place a personal touch and not to forget a sense of great satisfaction to you. Either way, we should not forget the main objective of Christmas decoration is to bring the festivity, spirituality and positive vibes in our house and inner self. Whether house is decorated by items which are handmade or bought from a store, the goal of bringing happiness and prosperity to your life must be achieved.

[alisonfloresus]

Sacred Space, Sacred Place

Many are realizing the benefits of a sacred space as a place for spiritual development and peace. Setting aside a special place in our homes to meditate, relax and connect with our higher selves helps us to include spiritual development into our daily lives while balancing the demands of everyday living.

What is a sacred space?

A sacred space is a place to which we can retreat for peace, awareness and spiritual development. A sacred space provides us with a place where the energy and atmosphere are conducive to achieving a very peaceful and relaxed state as required for meditation. A sacred space can be as small as a home altar or as large as an entire room, a garden or even a purpose built temple.

A sacred space is not about religion. It is a spiritual place that reflects who you are spiritually, whether you are a devout follower of a particular religion, an atheist or agnostic. How you use your sacred space will also reflect your spiritual self. For many it will be a place of meditation and contemplation. For others it may be a place of worship, or to practice their beliefs in ritual. It may a combination of both.

Locating Your Sacred Space

The energy of a place builds up over time. An area takes on the energy of the events, feelings and thoughts that have occurred there. Over time, this energy can become strong if the same activities and feelings are repeated. A room, place or space where only meditation, spiritual practice and peaceful activities take place will become a place of peace. The calming energy will influence the way you feel when you enter that place and relaxation will come more easily to you. This, I believe, is an important aim of a sacred place.

Although, in some spiritual practices, the home altar is traditionally located in the main living area of the house, I believe, that in our modern world, a sacred space will serve you better if it is located away from the main living and utility areas of the house. This will give you an opportunity to create the desired energy for your sacred space without the influence from the buziness of your daily affairs.

Decorating Your Sacred Space

The decorations chosen for a sacred space will be a unique mixture of pictures, furniture, ornaments, cloth, cushions, color and whatever else appeals to you and others who use this special place. The important thing is that the decoration of a sacred space resonates with you and your belief system.

Symbols and Deities

To increase a sense of inner peace and harmony, a sacred place is often decorated with emblems and symbols of beauty, peace, happiness and spirituality. The symbols that you choose to display will depend upon your own personal preference and belief system. Deities are a common way of representing religious beliefs or associations. Many people demonstrate their religious tolerance by displaying deities from a number religions and belief systems. The deity on your altar and displayed in your sacred space represents the values that you hold dearest and those you wish to embody. For instance the Hindu God Ganesh is said to have overcome great obstacles and therefore embodies this trait. Whether you are Hindu or not, you may identify with the values that Ganesh represents.

Symbols are a powerful representation of spirituality and values. Spiritual symbols such as Om, Mandalas, Crucifix, the Pentacle, Greenman and Triple Moon are popular for altar decoration whether it be as an ornament, a picture on the wall, a decorative cloth that drapes the altar, or on an altar tile.

However, it is not necessary for you to identify with a specific religion to have an altar. For many who just want to celebrate life and the earth, statues of their favorite animals or pictures of amazing places on earth such as a remote beach with bright white sand and cobalt blue sky or a rainforest with huge old growth trees with buttress roots may be their symbol of beauty and harmony.

Crystals

Crystals and gemstones enhance your special place with their beauty and energy. Placed in your sacred place, crystals influence the energy around them with the special values that they embody. They are also beneficial when used in meditation and in healing. There are hundreds of crystals and gemstones to choose from. Some popular stones include:

Rose quartz – love, self acceptance, empathy, compassion, peaceful relationships

Clear quartz – spiritual and psychic development, powerful healing and meditation stone

Amethyst – dispelling anger and fear, creating peace

Moonstone – nurturing, soothing emotions, intuition, balance and introspection

Color

Color may be an important consideration for your sacred space. Each color of the spectrum brings with it particular values and feelings that will influence the energy of your special place. For instance yellow is a good color for concentration, perception and joy. Blue is the color for quiet contemplation, wisdom and honesty. Pink represents love, compassion and receptivity. White represents faith, tranquility, harmony and peace. Purple represents selflessness, dignity, vision and universal conscience. Red is a warm and vibrant color that is cheerful and dynamic. However, if you are sensitive to red, it may be difficult to relax in a room full of this color.

Any one color on its own can be overbearing. Even white can be clinical and harsh if there is too much of it. Light colors tend to provide a more uplifting atmosphere than dark colors. Too much dark color can be dampening and depressive. A theme of two or three main colors that harmonize will be the most tranquil.

Clutter

To achieve a calming atmosphere it is best to avoid too much ‘visual buziness’. Your sacred space will function best if it is simply furnished and decorated and easy to maintain. A high maintenance sacred place will increase the opportunity for stress. Also, it will be easier to empty your mind of the chatter and noise if your surroundings are clear and simple.

Scent for Ambience and Magic

Scent will have a great impact on how you feel in your special place. Burning incense or warming essential oils of your favorite scent will increase the value of your experience, whether you a performing a ritual, meditating or just reading a book. Scents can be used for purification purposes at the beginning of your spiritual practice. They can also have a powerful impact on your mood and you can use this quality of scent to achieve special purposes such as calming, increasing vitality and energizing, focusing and increasing concentration.

However, scents are said to have powers that go beyond just mood enhancement and have been used in spiritual ceremonies for thousands of years for such purposes as creating luck, prosperity, protection, love and spiritual development.

Fresh flowers are also added to an altar or sacred space for their scent, color, beauty and freshness. The presence of plants, whether it be in the sacred garden or as a pot plant in an internal sacred space, will provide oxygen, freshening and improving the atmosphere.

Sound

Certain sound frequencies and vibration are of benefit for cleansing, calming, energizing, revitalizing, healing and raising the vibrational energy of your sacred space. As with scent, the sounds you select will depend upon the activity you are performing and your particular preference. A cleansing Om will purify the energy in a room and raise the vibration. Repetitive sounds such as mantras, chants and drumming increase the vibrational energy. Ringing a bell is traditional for at the beginning of many spiritual practices. In Wicca, the bell is rung at the start of a ritual to invoke the Goddess. A small decorative bell is often a standard item on an altar.

Instinctively, we know what sounds or music to play to best serve our needs at any particular time. A CD player and a selection of music and guided meditations will come in handy in your sacred space. At times you may just like to enjoy the silence, if you are lucky enough to have this choice. If you have a sacred garden or a room that opens out onto a natural setting, listening to the sounds of the birds, the breeze through the trees, crickets and other natural sounds provides the ultimate music for relaxation.

Light

A lamp or lantern that emits a soft glow will provide a relaxing atmosphere for meditation, relaxation and rituals. Salt lamps provide a soft warm light and have the added benefit of ionizing the atmosphere, increasing your ability to concentrate and your general feeling of wellbeing. If you or another member of the family suffers from asthma, salt lamps are a much better choice than candles as they improve the atmosphere by adding negative ions. The smoke produced from candles could affect someone with breathing difficulties. Salt lamps are also much safer than lighting candles.

However, candlelight is the ultimate mood stimulator. It is difficult to replace the candle for its ability to create instant mysticism. The flickering flame is mesmerizing and can be a good focus for meditation. Candle lamps and lanterns also provide a sensual and peaceful atmosphere and have the added benefit of being hangable.

Candles and Ceremony

Candles are also a very important aspect of most spiritual practice. White candles have been of particular importance in religious and other ceremonies as they represent peace and purity. Colored candles have particular meanings also. The standard colors of red, yellow, blue, green and white represent the elements of fire, air, water, earth and spirit. Each candle color is also representative of the values associated with that color. For instance red is for vitality and motivation, yellow is for intellectual ability and acquiring knowledge, green is for wealth and abundance of material things.

The number of candle ceremonies is almost endless. Here is a simple ceremony that can assist you to reach your dreams and goals.

Choose the colored candle that best fits your purpose and your affirmation. You may have an affirmation for each area of your life and therefore you will have a range of colored candles. Say, for instance, you have exams coming up and it is important for you to achieve a good result.

– Write an affirmation. Example: ‘I have excellent recall of all that I have learnt in the subject and I am able to express this information accurately and comprehensively.’

– Ensure that you are totally relaxed. Meditating prior to a ceremony will clear your mind and increase your connection to the higher realms.

– Create ambience in your sacred space – low light and soft music or Om in the background.

– Light a white a candle first and ask that the spirit be present as well any other entity that has meaning for you.

– Light the yellow candle and introduce your affirmation by stating your intention.

– Read your affirmation and visualize yourself in your exam confidently completing each question of the exam. The more detail you can imagine the better.

– On completion, thank the spirit for all that you already have in regards to your studies such as opportunity for an education, a healthy mind and healthy body, intelligence, the wealth that has enabled you to undertake study and anything else that is relevant.

– Extinguish the yellow candle and then the white candle.

A sacred space is a special place for awareness and connection of the mind, the body and the spirit. Your sacred space includes elements that influence each of your senses to encourage peace, harmony and spiritual awareness. It is a place to reflect you, your tastes and your beliefs. In our modern, busy lives, our sacred space provides a retreat where you can quieten your mind and connect with the higher realms – your own sacred temple.

from JournalsLINE http://journalsline.com/2017/05/14/sacred-space-sacred-place/ from Journals LINE https://journalsline.tumblr.com/post/160654583795