Barjon's Books

& Curiosities

What’s New

by

A May Day Tradition

Remember sharing May Day baskets as a child?

The tradition derives from the ancient holiday, Beltane, also known as May Eve, May Day, and Walpurgis Night, on the eve or first day of May.
It celebrates the height of Spring and the flowering of life. Now is the time to wear bright colors and flowers in your hair. Light a fire and dance in the warmth of the new season.

The fun and excitement with may baskets in addition to the craft derived from having to place in secret without getting caught – making it an engaging lesson for young ones in good will and charity.

In honor of this season of new growth and prosperity and prepare a “tussie mussie” or May basket by filling it with flowers and goodwill and then give it to someone in need of healing and caring, such as a shut-in or elderly friend.

According to Seasons of Witchcraft, by Ellen Dugan, some styles of tussie mussies include:

  • A Hand Tied Bouquet – a traditional European method of holding a small bunch of flowers in your hand and tying together tightly with a ribbon.
  • The Beidermeier – a dome shaped bouquet with larger flowers in the middle with smaller blooms arranged in concentric circles
  • Monochromatic Hand-Tied Bouquet – popular for weddings (tis the season!), mixing and matching a variety of blooms with similar colors.

by

Amethyst for Transmuting to Positivity

Color: Purple
Chakra: 3rd Eye
Associated with: transmutation, intuition, creativity, positive manifestation
Resonates well with: Citrine and clear quartz

Amethyst is a powerful addition to anyone’s toolbox for energy work. In her book, Crystals and Dragons, Linda Thomas calls it “the alchemist of stones”, as its unique vibration transmutes toxic energy into love, making it a good stone for healing physical, mental and emotional addictions. In fact, amethyst derives from the Greek word, amethystos, meaning “not drunken”, and was used to prevent drunkenness in ancient times.

The purple colors strongly resonate with one’s third eye, amplifying creativity and intuition. Its transmutation properties make amethyst an excellent stone for transforming anxiety and negative thoughts to love, blocking the manifestation of one’s fears and opening the way for positive energy to influence your thoughts.

Bonus tip! Place an amethyst under or near your pillow at night to help relieve nightmares and promote lucid dreaming.

by

May Astrological Insights – Your Inner Work Will Serve You Later

by Jen Freeman

After traversing the fiery heat of Aries, the sun’s journey through the fixed earth sign Taurus is all about getting down to some serious business of making MORE. More leaves, more fruit, more babies. More earth, people! I like to think of Beltane as the time of year when Mother Nature brings out her inner Barry White and gets all the ladies ready for another round of creation.

Against this giddy backdrop of procreation, there are some stormy waters asking us to dive deep into our shadows and truly deal with the issues we’d rather keep hidden. Pluto, the planet of underworld dark goddessness, went retrograde on April 24th in the sign of Capricorn. We will be getting the chance to take a good hard look inside at our fears of survival and our desires to control (the shadow side of Capricorn), between now and October 3rd.

The remedy for navigating these shadow waters is twofold. One, realize it’s non-optional—Pluto doesn’t ask if you want to, it tells you you are going to! Whatever is coming up is there for you to face and to integrate and you will be much better off for doing so. Resistance is futile.

For private astrological insights, contact Jen Freeman at jen@jenniferlfreeman.com.

..

by

A Shaman’s Guide to Deep Beauty

The beauty of wild creation, within us and surrounding us, can help us heal, and can bring happiness and real magic into our lives – we can become joyful and free! A Shaman’s Guide To Deep Beauty shares stories and lessons from over 30 years of dedication to the shamanic pathways and teachers of indigenous wisdom traditions – including his gratitude for the gifts of the Toltec legacy and the mysterious beauty of Teotihuacan.

Join us in exploring this guide to moving into the spiral of Creation’s energy and discovering the deep beauty contained within each moment. Explore each step on the spiral path, that will help you to embody the ageless wisdom of Spirit — bringing happiness, healing, and real magic into your life.

Join us at Barjon’s
Wednesday, April 24,
7 – 8pm
for our Wild Readers Book Club meeting!