Happy Earth Day (please do not recycle the brains of dubious occult leaders)

Happy Earth Day! Please remember that the brain of Abby Normal, the world's greatest Witch Queen is not recyclable. A single bit of such brain matter can destroy the value of all the other recyclables that you have used in the creation of a brand new esoteric system. Check with your local recycling system for further restrictions.

Which brain should we use in the creation of the greatest esoteric tradition ever?

Oh right, the brain of a dubious occult leader.

On a serious note, one needs to learn the ins and outs of recycling. For instance, do not recycle garden hoses--they get tangled up in the machinery used in recycling. Also do not recycle broken glass or food waste because such items will destroy a whole batch of recycled paper. And remember that certain recycling programs do not accept certain types of recyclable material, so always check with the website of your local recycling program to see what material they can't process with their existing equipment. Together, we can make a greener planet.

The more you know...the fluffier the unicorns get.

How did Earth Day sneak up on me?

Somehow this year, Earth Day sneaked up on me. Wild guess how it did it---it enlisted the aid of evil university professors (ok, my professors are not evil...maybe). So do I feel any guilt about not realizing that is was Earth Day before turning on the computer and reading the internet headlines? Not really. I garden (in a drought zone scented by the smell of burning forests). I have a compost pile (actually I am trying to make a golem out of leaves---don't tell my neighbors). And I was the first person on the block to get a recycling bin from the city (my father would have been so proud of the fact that I was "bloody neighbor that cared" and caused several other neighbors to follow suit). So yes, Earth Day sneaked up on me this year---but in my universe, everyday is kind of an Earth Day.

Gathering cardboard

I am in the midst of collecting cardboard for the creation of some new teaching aids. Or rather the creation of some better teaching aids...I have used the technique before; I am just upgrading my props.

With the cardboard, it is a matter of beating my wife to it. Much of our cardboard goes towards supplying an elementary school art room (usable cardboard that is, the rest goes into the recycling bin).

I am particularly interested in the round cardboard pieces from the pizza boxes.

A few years ago, I used some pastels and paper to create a set of small sephiroth floor markers. The goal was to have the spots on the floor labeled as per the Tree of Life/Grade ritual diagrams.

At first, they were purely for my own personal use. When I started using them, I was working in less than ideal conditions (ritual in the living room of a very small apartment); anything that would help remind me that I was working in sacred space was a good thing.

Then when I ended up in Bast Temple as training officer, I brought the technique over into lodge.

I am not sure if any of the current members have seen me use them; but then again, the current membership has seen things that former members have not seen. Let's call it even.

Anyway, I am hoping to make a new set of sephiroth floor markers. I am kicking around using them at the June Open Full Moon ritual to illustrate something, and I definitely need them for an upcoming lodge session.

So here is hoping that I gather enough of them before my wife decides she needs them, for around here recycling occasionally means supplying material for elementary school art projects.