The Thinning Veil

Tonight's the night of the thinning veil, the skin between the world of the living and the world of the dead becomes less a barrier and more a sieve. It isn't a one-way trip, either. As easily as they come here, so you can go there. So batten down the hatches and put the Ouija boards away. They need no coaxing, only honoring. Burn incense, preferably something made by your own hand, and light a candle or two, set an extra plate at the dinner table, fill their wine glass to the brim.

Second Batch

The second batch of October Super Fragrant Soap is on Etsy. These were poured into a cylindrical mold and cut into half-moon crescents. Still weighing in at about 2.5 to 2.7 ounces each. There are only five in this offering. They have been blessed with kyphi and white sage smoke.

The bar I 'stole' from the first batch is still going strong, even being as small as it is. It's been used daily and refuses to give up. I guarantee it will last a good long while so long as you keep it dry between bathing/showering. 

For other products from The Scented Djinn, search sapobubbles at Etsy.

Sage Wands and Herbalariums

I've gotten rid of Artfire as a primary site for selling my perfume and other products. I just wasn't happy with it. I've set my sights back onto Etsy for now, then as I slowly build my website up by adding new perfumes, I suppose I will sell only those discontinued perfumes on Etsy. Etsy drives me mad, but it works. And now Facebook is charging to add feed you want your subscribers to read, which is so not going to happen for me. So I'm getting Twitter-pated. All my short blurbs are going to be there on Twitter, links to blogs, sales, giveaways, et cetera.

I got my hands on some primo white sage grown by my friend in her garden herbalarium. She grows just about everything and when it's harvest time, I offer my services for trade. The sage was bundled into wands and is selling at the Etsy shop. Also have about two quarts of lavender buds I need to deal with. I'm thinking of doing a little tea blending for the holidays ...

Anyway, I have more projects going now than a person can shake a stick at, and I'm running on fumes at the moment -- not perfumes, but energy -- not getting goodly amounts of sleep and I can feel myself stressing over the coming holidays. I've been burning a lot of incense to alleviate the stress, but stress is a creepy creature, tightening the neck and shoulder muscles even while sleeping, foretelling doom and disaster in ominous dreams. Hence the no sleeping.

I'm hoping after a few cups of Earl Grey saffron tea my outlook changes for the better.

Been Away For Too Long

I know, man, I get lazy and post pictures of stuff to keep you occupied while I do -- well, not much. No writing to be found. Sad. So, so sad.

But here I am, hot and sweaty and just in from the j-o-b translating and cleaning toilets and whatnot. We won't go into what exactly the 'whatnot' is ...

Then when I get a shower (in a bit here) I'll be off to the other other job to do some data entry, then home to burn some incense and veg -- that's the plan anyway.

Broke as a joke and happy as all hell I am! Oh, no, not because I'm broke, but because it just doesn't matter. I have what I need. What more can a person ask for? Oh, yeah, everything -- and binders of women to boot. No, I'm not going to go there.

The incense class last Saturday went swimmingly. Beautiful. Spiritual, really. And I didn't get a single damned picture or second of video! We just started and forgot to get the cameras and video going and about 10 minutes in the videographer came in and said, "Hey, do you want me to start now?" I was on a roll so I declined -- it was a private matter, this kyphi class. There were some really special students in the group (all of them) and we were having a moment during the class. I just love it when the room is in consensus -- everybody 'got' it, the spiritual bit of kyphi, and it wasn't something that I felt should be subject to public consumption. Having said that, I will be doing a demo video on the construction of kyphi within the coming weeks, along with a bit of text so anyone unable to make it to the class can at least see what we did, sans the praying and reverence and the multitude of hands stirring the pot. I promise it will be something worth watching.

I got another review for Lylli Bleu, my submission to the Primordial Scent Project, written by the lovely Diana Wiener Rosengard on her blog, Feminine Things.  I meant to post a comment there but every time I tried the robot catcher kept telling me the code I was typing in was incorrect -- about 10 times in a row, so I wasn't able to leave her a comment -- sorry Diana! Here is what I wrote to her on Facebook:

Such intense memories, vivid and enrapturing. I truly felt the moment. Thank you for the review of Lylli Bleu -- it pleases me that all the water elementals you received manage to embody aspects of water with which you find a connection. It is difficult to do, and you're absolutely correct about most water scents smelling very little like water. It takes a project like Primordial Scents to get perfumers to dig deep and create scents with soul. Thank you again for supporting the artisan/niche cause. Blessings.

I'll try to write scents more. Right now I'm more concerned with that shower ...

October Super Fragrant Soap Sold Out, But ...

I always try to keep a few bars on reserve, so I've relisted the soap from the reserve stores if anyone is interested in purchasing a bar or two.

Happy Fall!

October Super Fragrant Coconut Cream Soap

Finally! Got 'er made! Listed at Etsy -- go check it out.

Clean Mantelshelf, Clean Spirit

The weekend was spent in clearing out the rubbish. I began rather without a compass, as my destination was meant to be the two main closets in the 'hallway' of the big house, but I ended up beginning elsewhere, the main room and expanded out from there, in willy-nilly fashion, even ending up in the garage for a spell. I worked slowly and meticulously, as I never do, and took great care in dusting and wiping down the heirlooms. It felt so good once complete (though the floors are in dire need of attention, and one closet remains untouched), so I burned a tiny bit of Golden Kyphi to bless the space and this morning the room feels open and inviting, happy. I think this is me getting ready for the kyphi class this upcoming Saturday. I have to be in a spiritual frame of mind for the class to work the way I would like it to work.

It's been a rough month. Lots of latecoming summer bills that drained my pocketbook and lots of people in need who I cannot refuse. In that respect, I am my own worst enemy. That's all that needs to be said about that.

The soap is finally done. Yes, in between the dusting and dragging and folding and bagging, I managed to squeeze in an hour or so to whip up a small batch of -- I don't know what -- fall happiness, I suppose. I want to call it October (the soap). It's beautiful, and pumpkin and spice free. I used a lot of rice bran oil in it, something I haven't used in years, and I'm pleased with how it has turned out. Super fragrant with soft, lush bubbles. Lots of coconut cream in there as well. It has a few days left to set up and cure and I hope to post it on Etsy within a week or so.

I was sad to see the state of the back garden. The soil back there has been leeched of its nutrients over the years from constant sprinklering (is that a word ...?) and before anything good can be grown, it needs lots of mulching and chicken poo and tlc and turning. The mints -- remember the mints I wrote about in the spring? -- well, all but the pineapple have been dessicated by those ugly little green worms. I made a garlic spray for the mint some months ago and that worked, but 'people' 'round here have a problem with upkeep and it's left to me, ultimately, to take care of these things -- not easy with three out of the house jobs, and one home business, plus still being chauffeur and part-time nanny and chef and ... well, I can't be on top of everything, I'd never get any sleep! I also found out why my pumpkin plants stopped thriving a few months back -- they, fortunately, are living up against a fence where they get plenty of nutrients leaking in from the neighbor's chicken run so they were actually looking lovely and budding flowers everywhere -- one of the new tenants upstairs had a large puppy, a bloodhound I think it was, and he/she (the puppy) when let loose to do her 'business' ran through all the garden, her enormous bear paws tearing up everything as she raced back and forth along the fence and back through the cucumbers (who also died) and corn (who also died) and green beans (who also -- you got it -- died). Said unnamed puppy has been placed elsewhere because the new tenant was mortified her dog did so much damage in a single trip to the toilet.

Aaaaaannnndd, Still No Soap.

That's right. No soap. I've just not been myself lately. Tired and sluggish and wishing with all my heart that fall would get here and stop messing around (101 degrees Fahrenheit on Oct 1? Really??). But the brew is still doing its thing, mishing and mashing and turning into something scentatastic. I diluted a little in olive oil yesterday and wore it as perfume to work. I'd walk past someone and they'd say, "You smell like patchouli," or "You smell earthy," or "Is that sandalwood?" I'm hopeful it translates just as well into soap.