Self-discipline and journaling... also, thoughts on a BoS

I've been reading blog posts and discussing the topic of the Book of Shadows lately and it made me start thinking about my goals for a BoS.

I, like a ton of other people, really want the picturesque, plucked-out-of-some-well-done-witch-film, tome that contains information compiled over a lifetime.  Something elegantly crafted and created that becomes a reflection of the person or persons involved in its making.  Alas, I am a college student.  While there are some absolutely gorgeous handmade blank tomes out there, it will be some time before I ever manage to purchase one, or get up the nerve to actually write things in it.

This admission leads me to the topic of journaling, and keeping detailed notes about my magical workings of all sorts.  I want to keep track of the crafts I do that relate to my path, the things I plant and harvest, recipes for incense, oils and food that all have spiritual tie-ins and the like.  However, I am terrible at actually keeping a journal, I've tried over my lifetime to write about the things that go on with me, my dreams, thoughts, you know... but I never manage to keep to it for more than a month or so (thus the whole 'self-discipline' thing)...

I have therefore resolved to use this lovely (albeit inexpensive) journal that I recently purchased a Michael's to start keeping track of the things I do.  If I run out of space, the journals are cheap, and their compactness should make them easy to tote around.  Then, once things like recipes and spells are polished and refined, they can be lined up to be put in the BoS that will eventually happen.  I like the idea of writing things down (even if I do keep electronic copies of a lot of witchy things I come across...) and taking note of how things evolve as my practice evolves.

Spring and an overdue story of when Starhawk came to Kent...

So spring is finally starting to arrive in Northeast Ohio, and frankly, I am so pleased.  I went outside and took some pictures of buds and new growth around my parents' house when I got home today... It's so exciting!

My cat was also around briefly, so I took this neat (and what to me is kind of artistic) picture of him... He is gorgeous.

Also, I realize that I haven't posted anything in ages, so I apologize.  That doesn't mean things haven't been happening in my life, because Starhawk came to the Kent campus in the beginning of March to give a lecture on "Women's Hidden Histories: Goddesses, Witches, Hags and Wild Women"... The lecture was okay (I don't mean to offend, but it was a lot of things I'd heard before, and she skipped over things I would have liked to hear more about...) and I met some really nice local Pagans, which is always a cool thing.  After the lecture (even though it was about 20 degrees outside) we went into this plaza outside the theater she gave the lecture in and danced a fairly large spiral dance which was amazing.  Then Starhawk had a book signing back inside, unfortunately my 20th Anniversary Edition of Spiral Dance was back at my parents' house and not in the city of Kent... Ah well.  I still had a lovely time and gained great respect for the Women's Liberation Collective for hosting such a prominent pagan speaker.

Other than that, things have been sort of slow, I picked up Clarissa Pinkola Estés' Women Who Run With the Wolves at a local used bookshop in Kent. I remembered reading quotes from her in another books that I really love, so I thought I'd pick it up (and for $5 you really can't go wrong).  School has been sort of busy and my Spring Break is fast approaching.

I hope to start posting more regularly again, I don't intend to blog-fade. ;)

Edit: I took some more pictures after dinner, enjoy!

I couldn't resist this picture of Misty outside. :)

And, not like it's at all related to Spring or Starhawk... but I adore when I come home at 2AM to see this: