Keep Your Gear Safe & Sound With these Products

We just love sharing tips for a better life with our readers. Recently, we’ve come across a really cool item – and we don’t know how we’ve lived without it for this long! The camera backpack is our newest summer obsession. For those of you who are into nature, especially those of you who enjoy meditating and reflecting – or getting some great shots of your favorite natural wonders – we highly recommend this indispensable accessory.

Two of our favorites by Besnfoto make your outdoor adventures even better than before. The first model is a light and easy bag that is perfect to keep your camera protected, and all the pieces easily accessible. The arc shaped design of this bag helps to keep your specialty lenses safe and sound. We also love the handy strap on this bag; it’s adjustable to be worn in so many ways. The great vintage green color and waterproof feature make it a perfect addition to your next adventure.

If you’re looking for something more heavy duty, this vintage style camera backpack fits the bill perfectly. With its many compartments and large Amounts of storage space, you can fit all your gear plus certain laptop models and even a yoga mat for those outdoor exercise sessions! The magnetic buckle is also perfect for quick access when you’re surprised by the perfect picture taking opportunity.

The style and quality of this gear is fantastic, but the current promotional price is even better! Check out the deal Besnfoto is offering on Amazon, here and here, and stock up to make the most of your adventures in the wild!

"You can get through anything if you stay put in today."

Writer Regina Brett's life lessons are great little nuggets of wisdom. There's something for everyone! I'll be reflecting on this week's lesson: "You can get through anything if you stay put in today."

An old adage that is commonly used in time of stress or discord is "one day at a time."  Each day will bring you joy and sorrow, sweet and bitter.  Make the most of every day of your life, and those moments which are good and bad.  When a problem comes up, or you become immersed in crisis, the temptation to run away from the problem is great.  Ignoring or checking out when things get tough can be a seductive and tempting option indeed.  But, instead of simply shutting down or running away, you are best served to deal with your discord head-on.  By staying firmly grounded in the issues which are in front of you, you will be able to deal with them and to move on with your life -- in peace and fulfillment.


Visit Regina's website here.

Some Basic Facts About Ostara, the Spring Equinox

Ostara is also known as Eostre, or the Vernal Equinox. It is pronounced "oh-STAR-ah." Ostara is one of 8 major Pagan holidays.  It falls on March 21st, the first day of spring.  Many ancient cultures celebrated the first day of spring.  We still celebrate it today in many forms!  Ostara's name comes from an Teutonic goddess of springtime.  This is how the Christian holiday of Easter got its name.  Pagan people often use eggs, hares, lambs, and birds as symbols of celebration for this holiday.  The word "Equinox" means "equal night" in Latin.  During Ostara, the days once again begin to get longer, and nights shorter.  Hot Cross Buns are another popular treat for both Ostara and Easter celebrants alike!  Ostara is the season when things start to grow once again.  It's an excellent time for beginning new endeavors.

Faith For a Spiritual Awakening

Faith is a vital ingredient in a spiritual transformation.  It's easy to have faith in practical things.  If we fall, we know that there will be solid ground underneath to catch us.  If it's supposed to rain, we merely need to open an umbrella or seek shelter.  Whether we possess this faith or not, the ground shall always exist.  A strong shelter will always protect us from the elements.  However, believing in what we cannot see or know is much more difficult.  You do not need to believe in God or any one religion in order to experience a spiritual transformation, but you should have an understanding that the universe is filled with mysteries that you cannot yet comprehend.  The understanding and faith in a higher power, or the might of the universal energies around us, must be present in order to commune with the divine.  There is a love and a spiritual connection that bonds us all to one another.  Faith will open your eyes and help you to see the spiritual meanings in everything around it.  Just as a key can unlock a door to the unknown, your faith can unlock the powerful spiritual mysteries around you.  It can also unlock your heart and allow you to connect with others, as well as with the divine love which binds us all.

What is Imbolc/Candlemas?

Imbolc is also known as Candlemas, or the Feast of St. Brigid.  It is pronounced "IM-bolk."  Imbolc is one of 8 major pagan holidays.  It falls on Feburary 1st or 2nd, the midpoint between winter and spring.  Many ancient cultures celebrated some form of Imbolc, including ancient Eqyptian and Celtic people.  Imbolc honors St. Brigid, and celebrates fertility, fire, and youth.  Pagan people often use candles and bonfires as symbols of celebration for this holiday.  Celebrants often use straw fools in rituals.  These dolls may be kept throughout the year for continued good fortune.  St. Brigid's Cross, a symbol which honors her, is often associated with this holiday.  Imbolc is a time of renewal; it's a great time of year to make a fresh start! :)

Moon Phases for Spiritual Work

The best spiritual works tend to ebb and flow with the changes in nature.  One of the easiest ways to set your spiritual clock is to wait for nightfall, and look up -- let the moon be your guide!

Here are a few clues as to how to use those moon phases to your advantage:

New Moon (also known as "Dark of the Moon")
When the sky is void of a moon, it is like having a do-over.  This is the perfect clean slate; spellcasters can use this phase to help remove unwanted elements in his or her life.  It is perfect for cleansing and banishing negative energies.  Remember, though, that when there's an empty space in your life, it must be filled.  Try to do so with positive, healing energies and thoughts.

Waxing Crescent
This is when the moon begins to grow.  It's the perfect time to do spiritual work involving nurturing, growing, and creating.  This phase is particularly useful for spells of personal power, protection, monetary abundance, and the improving of friendships and other relationships.  Constructive and positive work will be enhanced during this time.

First Quarter
Between the new and full moon comes the First Quarter.  This is the middle of the waxing phase, when the moon is "half cooked."  As the moon continues to grow in size, you may find the best time for attracting and pulling positivity toward your life.  Love spells and personal power spells flourish during this time.

Waxing Gibbous
The moon is getting bigger and approaching full-moon status.  If you have any loose ends (such as unfinished spells or other spiritual work), this is the appropriate time to bring those to a natural conclusion.  You may also wish to use this phase to plan ahead in what you'd like your future spellwork to include.  Some also say that either Gibbous phase is an excellent time for divination and for doing protective spells or prayers.

Full Moon
A full moon is famous (or perhaps infamous?) for its mystical power.  This is a perfect time for meditation and to gain strength.  It's a wonderful time for practices that require the most powerful and potent magicks.  If you're looking to use the power of the full moon in your spells, check the moon phase information for your area online and try not to wait until the full moon begins waning.  (NOTE:  Sometimes, a Blue Moon will occur; this is when a month has two full moons instead of just one.  Use that extra full moon well.  It can add a special power boost to your favorite full-moon spells!)

Waning Gibbous
For those negative or annoying influences in your life, you will do best to banish them during the waning parts of the moon's phases.  The waning gibbous, being the largest waning phase, can help with the really troublesome issues that you need to conquer.  Just as with the waxing gibbous, it is always a good time for divination, as well.

Last Quarter
As the moon begins to finish its cycle, you can use this time to seek balance.  Focusing on eliminating negativity, while restoring positivity, and replacing the bad with the good, can be especially effective at this time of the month.

Waning Crescent
As you're waiting for the new moon to arrive, you can use this waning crescent for banishment of illness, depression, and to prevent harm against others.  It is a cleansing and reflective time.  You may also want to use this phase as inspiration to tie up loose ends and finish anything that you've been procrastinating.

Reflections For Winter

The winter solstice is, of course, the one day of the year when our side of the Earth is tilted furthest away from the sun.  It is the darkest day of the year; a time when we have the least amount of daylight, and the longest night of all.

Winter has various spiritual meanings in all sorts of different cultures.  Many of these deal with rebirth, as the ground is covered with cold snow, you must keep in mind that the soil beneath all of that cold, hard ice is filled with the greenery to come.  It is incubating beneath the ground and preparing for the day when it shoots outward and upward.  This is an excellent metaphor for what I like to do each winter; I tend to use it as both a "wrap up" of the year -- taking stock of all that I've accomplished, keeping careful records of what has proven itself to be effective and what has not -- and as a planning stage to prepare for the upcoming seasons.

I enjoy the comforts and festivities of winter as well; I keep warm, I enjoy time with my family.  I shop, I cook, I decorate for the holidays a bit.  I create a warm, safe, loving little nest to shield those whom I love from the harsh, cold world outside. It feels nice to think of my home as a wonderfully safe haven for weary travellers and those who need to forget their troubles just for a little while; the wintry winds blow bitterly outside, yet within my home is a cozy fireplace and a hot cup of tea to welcome all who enters my little world.  (What can I say, I'm a consummate hostess!)  And, while I'm enjoying the warmth and laughter of the people who are closest to and most loved by me in all the world, I'm planning my moves for the year to come.  Winter is the ideal time for being slow, and still, and festive; yet still being productive and accomplishing much with all of the zeal and zest for life what one possesses.


Photo credits:  Thanks so much to David Blackwell and timo_w2s for their breathtaking winter photos!

Reflections for Autumn

According to Wikipedia, "

An equinox occurs twice a year, when the tilt of the Earth's axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun, the center of the Sun being in the same plane as the Earth's equator. The term equinox can also be used in a broader sense, meaning the date when such a passage happens. The name "equinox" is derived from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night), because around the equinox, the night and day are approximately equally long. It may be better understood to mean thatlatitudes +L and -L north and south of the Equator experience nights of equal length.

At an equinox, the Sun is at one of two opposite points on the celestial sphere where the celestial equator (i.e. declination 0) and ecliptic intersect. These points of intersection are called equinoctial points: classically, the vernal point and theautumnal point. By extension, the term equinox may denote an equinoctial point.

An equinox happens each year at two specific moments in time (rather than two whole days), when there is a location (thesubsolar point) on the Earth's equator, where the center of the Sun can be observed to be vertically overhead, occurring around March 20/21 and September 22/23 each year.

 "

Fall is a special time of year; in fact, it's always been my favorite.  There's something about the leaves changing colors, looking so amazing even though they are dying; the crispness of the air; the cozy feeling of getting all nice and warm; kids going back to school and grown-ups' yearly routines kicking back into place; the preparations for the coming winter.  Apple picking, pie baking, drinking cider, jumping in piles of brightly-colored leaves... It all seems very homey and magical to me.  It's a time when all is right with the world!

Autumn is an excellent time to incorporate peaceful reflection into one's life, as well as to find creative ways to express oneself.  I do a lot of cooking and functional crafting at this time of year.  It feels like the beginning of a new year, finally.  Out with the old and in with the new!  The sun is entering Libra, which is a sign of balance and openness.  With the leaves dropping from the trees and our part of the world cooling and preparing for the cleansing winter, now seems to be the perfect time to cast off unwanted elements from your life, and to incorporate new and wonderful things... like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

Stunning pics by Pink Sherbet Photography.  Thanks again! :)