Fire season trumps gardening

Orbs are dust and smoke particles.

Given the heat wave (no surprise, right) and the hazy and smoke from the wild fires, my gardening season may be over with. *sigh* We will have to see, but I am going to be cautious. Heavy exercise (including clearing out large areas of weeds) is not good for the lungs while the air is full of smoke and haze.

Remains of the Undesirables (Open Full Moon follow-up)

For those who attended the June Hearthstone Community Church's Open Full Moon Ritual, where I told three slightly warped myths, and for those who could not attend (but are still curious): Here is a picture of the remains of the "undesirables," those things that we did not want to have in our lives anymore. (Information for those who did not attend:) We gathered a little note from everyone stating something that they did not want in their lives, and placed the notes in a shoebox coffin and duct-taped it shut. The shoebox was burned in the possession of the other lodge members that weekend (because it wrong to burn things in a church that has already suffered a major fire). We discovered that duct tape burns faster than paper and cardboard---a helpful tip that I might use for magical effect in the future (I do a lot of fire sacrifice magic). The reason for the photo being posted so late is simply that it has been sitting in the camera for days on end.

Tip for lighting candles

There are some problems once you see the solution, you find yourself wondering why it was ever a problem in the first place. For me, one of those problems were lighting pillar candles (you know the ones contained in the tall glass holders).

At one time, lighting pillar candles were not a problem. They used to make long wooden matches (a foot long) for lighting fireplaces. Now, it is a major hunt to locate these matches.

So how to do it without these special matches?

I have tried lighters set on high; needle-nose pliers and wooden matches; using taper candles. A lot of burnt fingers and wax drops have occurred.

Ironically, the best solution was so simple that I was amazed that I didn't think of it myself. During one ritual, I saw someone using a furnace lighter (gas grill lighter or fireplace lighter). I have been using the same trick ever since.

Lighting candles with this type of lighter (a lighter with a six-inch metal tube to extend your reach, useful for lighting pilot lights in hot water heaters, furnaces, etc.) brings a whole new meaning to the term "fire wand."

If you want to cut down on burnt fingers, wax drops and frustration, consider adding this type of lighter to your working tools.