This summer, i was finally able to go home , and visit. Nc is beautiful!!
Gorgeous, GREEEN, and soo full of nature everywhere!!

I'm having a really hard time, feeling "magickal"... living in a desert, one basic season
mostly brownmtns, grass, yr..round...in southern ca.. yes lots of green palm trees, but not the same!!

I live in an apt complex, and tho i have trees outside, no real privacy, as neighbors.
No car and my walking ability is pretty bad, at this time.

So..i'm looking for SUGGESTIONs!
.....

I used to live in the country, private, could go outside, sit by the weeping willow, next to the creek, do my circle, feel in touch w/ nature
.....

I can barely see the moon most nights and i'm feeling out of touch, w/ nature.
My apt feels "blah"..... i'm home too much.. (illness, etc)...
....

Any ideas what to do to spice up my apt, make it feel more magickal,
[B]feel closer to nature...note i do Not have a green thumb!! lol

I have tons of candles, silk flowers around... I've thought of moving, but its just not in the cards, right now..
and i admit my apt is very very um messy/ cluttered, right now.. blush

I'm feeling stuck... so how do others do it????!

I'm a country girl and living near a big city...there is no place, to go outside and do magic..

I have an alter set up in my bedroom, but ...

maybe my whole feng shui is off!!

I hate not living in the country, really really miss it!!!..

*the ? is how i do i get used to apt living and feel more magickal/
(this is after 5 straight yrs, living in the same place, a record for me!!

note: if anyone feels like doing a reading, I'd appreciate it, thanks and thanks
for any suggestions dance:

BB
Whispered~ (thats me bouncing off the walls!!!) [/B]

It's worth trying a plant or two. Busy Lizzies and Begonias are quite hardy, and succulents and cacti can be easy to look after.

If you aren't completely occulted by streetlights, it might be worth getting a telescope for looking at the stars.

When I'm on the train into London, I do a chakra meditation which helps me to feel in touch with things. Bear in mind that Nature is there. You can't be apart from it. It pervades everything. Just sitting in your apartment, you only have to be aware of this wonderful web of biosphere. You are not really any further from it than you ever were, although it may feel that way.

All you have to do is sit quietly and be aware.

I've been cautioned many times about not "doing magic" while ill. I've been feeling unwell for about a year now, to the extent that this has become my normal state of being. There's a point at which you have to do what you need to - but understand that it may not come right if you don't have the concentration.

How about looking into getting one of those sealerd in glass bottles with plants in? They take care of themselves basically - bottle gardens.

Or else an aquarium if it would be possible for you to maintain it?

Indoor water fountains are also lovely and soothing. By hetting just the pump bit, you can create your own using container, stones, etc.

Again on a watery theme (maybe to combat the aridity?) I once had a lovely door poster. It was a photograph of a waterfall with trees and mosses. It was on the back of my bedroom door and the last thing I looked at at night, the first thing again in the morning. I could enter into it.

Anything else? Well, I love stones, driftwood, anything that speaks to me. There are wee piles of things all over this place! Basically if a thing looks and feels good to you, then it will BE good for you too.

And of course, one's altar. Lighting a candle and incense, changing the water or the flowers is both uplifting, protective, soothing and grounding.

How about an aquarium with lots of fish? When the lights are out and you are working by the light of the water it can be very tranquil.

And paint something nice on the window using glass paints?

No two ways about it - the city is stressful. I'm a country girl too but lived in cities since about the age of 16. I now live in the capital of Rwanda which sucks for any form of spiritual wellbeing. It's a small capital but it's extremely Christian, there are no seasons except wet or dry, no solstices - it's equinox every day of the year and there are no wide open spaces or green places you can just go walking without attracting a stream of followers and comments. It's more than a little stressful sometimes - especially now all white people are 'Germans'

But, on the other hand I do have a very nice little house which is spiritual in itself. The polls outside the door are carved with religious symbols from around the world and the thatching on the inside from reeds is beautiful - ironically built by a German lol

Some things that might help:

1. Lighting. I'm a huge fan of 'mood lighting'. Get some nice lamps or oil lamps and candles. Bright lighting is a mood killer.

2. Plants - fill your apartment with them Bring the outside in.

3. Form a bond with your pots and pans and cook. Washing-up can be spiritual lol The pots that cook your food, the knives that cut your meet the things you use on a daily basis that you often overlook but, without, you'd have a much harder life Things have a spirit and the kitchen has a lovely one. Cooking can be a pleasure.

4. Get to know your neighbours and the people you live near. A sense of local community can increase your sense of spiritual well-being and connectedness to a place.

5. Nice artwork - collecting pictures which can transport you to other places or evoke certain feelings.

6. Open the windows from time to time and let the air circulate. I always leave my front and back doors open in the evening. Makes me feel there's less of a barrier between me and the outside world - even if the outside world is full of traffic and people.

7. Invite people over for meals and chilled-out evenings. Other people bring a spirit to the place and memories of good nights had there will build a resonance of calm and homeliness.

8. Good music always helps to build an atmosphere.

9. Get to know the genius loci of your house through sitting in different rooms, washing the floors and taking care of things. Like washing-up in the kitchen or hand-washing your clothes, taking care of a house builds a bond with that house. You take care of it, it takes care of you.

10. Get creative and artistic. Set a space apart and paint some pictures or make some music - whatever you enjoy.

Just a few suggestions to start with. Let us know how you settle in

w about getting a drawing book and some paints and trying to connect with the colours you use. it does not have to be a da vinci masterpiece, just colours and shapes that inspire your mood.

i too am a country girl. i live in a big town but thankfully the sea and woods are not far. why not treat yourself once a month to a cab ride somewhere green. take your shoes off walk in some grass. just get yourself greened up then go home.

i know how disconnected pain can make you feel. it's important on good days to make the most of what you can achieve.

why not take a chair and sit on your front door or just outside your apt. say hello to your neighbours. if only one person says hello or smiles it been nice to connect to someone. if you do this regulary people will soon stop to pass the time of day. making more connections to the world around you.

with trying to bring some nature in catus is a really good option. you can get all sorts of wonderful small plants that take next to no maintenace. give them all funky names and put them on windowsills. so as you pass a window you can see the green inside, and say a passing hello to them.

hope some of this helps and you get your mojo back in place soon

Instead of trying to maintain a connection with the greens of the place you used to live, why not try to establish one with the desert? Tans, ochres, yellows, hints of purple and red. Just because it's not the 'nature' you grew up with doesn't mean it's not still nature.

There is a lot to see in a desert once you adjust your eyes to look. When my brother moved from Nevada to North Carolina he was overwhelmed by the loud, splashy, 'fakeness' of the scenery there after the subtle hues and motions he was used to. It took him a while to adjust to the sheer volume of the scenery.

Relax, accept your surroundings for what they are, and try to get to know them before you start importing foreign bits of nature and super-imposing them on the reality that already exists. You may find that the different flow, the different animals and sense of time will make its way into your consciousness and bring you a new mojo and sense of place more relevant to where you are now.


unsung

Following on from unsung, why not look at some of the artistic expressions of people in your area who have produced local stuff. Go 'native' - but don't buy it from city shops: go looking for it from the people who made it. Buy it from those who shaped it. Look at shapes and colours suitable for the land you're in. Use wood, and mirrors - mirrors are magical. Use pictures that reflect the landscape. Find things which express you in the landscape you find yourself in. Same with household fabrics - curtains and rugs can make a great deal of difference. As can colours on your walls.

Surround yourself with things which mean something to you. Some things can be picked up very inexpensively. One of my most cherished items is a crystal hung at my bedroom window, which sends beautiful patterns of coloured light around the room when the sun shines.

Would it be possible for you to move back to the country? You make it sound so beautiful:


Just another suggestion.

I empathise - we live in a new built first floor flat which feels cheap and soulless. I'm currently trying (after 18 months being here) to make it a bit more homely. Plants and fish are out of the question for us with a very active and inquisitive toddler on the loose. I've found it helpful to have the moon phases up on my web browser so at least I am aware of them, if I can't always see them. I do manage to get to the local rec area most days for a breath of fresh air, although in the cold weather it's not feasible to keep my boy out there very long. I bring leaves, twigs, and flowers back to put next to my altar.

I'm planning a couple of rituals at the moment to get to know or attract land and house wights. I've found it hard to come to terms with the fact that for the foreseeable future this is our home whether I like it or not. If you can face it de-cluttering and reorganising helps. We did this in our kitchen and I've gone from being angry the minute I walked in to enjoying working in there.

Re decluttering - argh! I seem to be continually battling against a rising tide of "stuff". Normally, I would deal with it, but am toophysically and mentally knackered to do so ATM. And yes - it IS bugging the bejasus outta me!

However.... I did make a supreme effort last week and clear all the gubbins from the bog. There was no less than a binliner full of half empty, dusty, congealing tubes, bottles,pots etc of Gods alone knows what. Truly revolting and it made me realise how far my "housekeeping" had slid. Still, it's done now. I only needed three days to recover!

The alternative is shoving stuff in boxes/bags and hiding them under the bed until you have some energy and oomph to contemplate dealing with them. (Usually about six months! )

Good luck!

Ours is awful. I am quite a tidy minimalist by nature, especially in what I count as "work" areas - the kitchen, my desk etc. Tiny boy is following in his father's footsteps as a hoarder He picks up little bits of sock fluff that he refers to as "a bit, a bit" and won't let you put them in the bin without a battle. He has to keep nappy boxes to give his teds rides in. And he follows me round unpacking the kitchen cupboards and drawers and secreting the contents around the flat, taking socks off the airers and hiding them, and just strewing stuff everywhere. It's like having my own personal mess imp. I've restricted myself to two tidies a day - one at 12 and one at 5 or I'd become a complete neurotic

It really is worth tidying up, even though it looks like a huge and boring job, because if you live in clutter, your whole awareness is cluttered. As without, so within, to paraphrase.

What do you get out in the country? Space! Indoors looks so much more spacious without the clutter. Our current house has quite small rooms and everywhere there's patterned wallpaper and bloody dado rails. I lost patience one day and ripped all the dado rails off the walls in the middle bedroom, and was STUNNED at how much lighter and more airy it felt in there!

If you can clear the walls and paint them white, you can shine blue and green light at them and you'll get a real feel of sky and country. Trust me.

It's all easier said than done when you're disabled, I know. How about you throw out / put away one piece of stuff every day? It would soon make a difference. You've got to get hold of a 'can-do' attitude and hang on to it. No matter how little you can do, there's always something that's possible. Focus on that.

Have I mentioned , that you guys Rock? Seriously! Thks..

I do have tons of nature pics, yes mostly from nc and green trees, bc thats what soothes me and makes me feel at "home>. I DO collect rocks from the ocean, whenever I get lucky enough to go out and get them.. and I love pinecones,, bits of nature, etc..those are from here

When I go out, I am always stunned by the beauty here, the brown mtns, w/ boulders percirously perched on them, we have a year round supply of blooming flowers , it is beautiful and where I live , is rated one of the the most beautiful cities in the world and its true. Its just that I rarely get to see it!!! lol and arghh.,

We do have this wonderful, gorgeous nature preserve and beautiful horse farm,
right down the road.. i used to walk there all the time...right now, walking that and back, .. can't... but its close enough to drive to and my provider is great. She loves nature and horses. So I think I'll take some more drives. Plus, it has the most fantastic SAGE!!! Pungent, strong and wild and free!

Tho I totally understand about relating to ones surroundings, its not total desert, where I live or big big city.. small village (but i think villages mean something different to you all, lol..) Its got 13,000 people, and growing. Its the smallest town/ village, i could find, that yet is close to the big city.../ burbs..

My apt is in the corner, where I visualized it at . So I do have walking grass and not parking lot, to look at .

When i come home tho, I need GREEN, and pics of "home"..

The cats would love some fish around and I do like water fountains a lot...

I think , y'all did inspire me, so I' actually HAVE (gasp) been puttering around, putting some more pics up and tidying things up.

I think its the clutter, thats got to go , or be reorganized!! I have a great helper and she redid my small den , in 3 hrs, what i couldn't do in a year! lol
(((((((julai hi!))))))))....you did hit one of the nails on the head..

I do have tons and tons of things, items i love around the house, but I haven't been giving love to my house.. I hate cooking, but I understand what you're talking about , since i do eat... lol

I'm also quite into FENG SHUI... so I'm going to read more, fix up my place, Clean it up and some myself, rearrange and appreciate it more. Maybe someday actuallyu SEE the counter space , ..
Give thanks for it and treat it better...AND get rid of all the paper garbage!
.....
I'm going to take a lot of your idea's into consideration, my walls, i wish i could paint!! They are FULL tho!! lol... I hang lots of what i call "tapestrys"
(curtains, tableclothes, on the walls , and they look 100 x better then it sounds, lol.
Plus, tons of pics..

I just need to focus and do what I can each day, even a little and get it very clean and unclutt ered...

Add some real plants... thanks guys for all the help!! .. It makes my heart feel good, that so many replied and helped and took time.. and most of all..
You get what nature means!!


ahh to move back... my goal someday is to live part time in NC.. may-oct there and the rest of the yr, here in Sd...

Note: Nc , the area, I love is home to more vortexs, then almost any other place, on earth.. just an interesting fact.
It just has my soul interwined w/ love, pull and richness ... that can't be denied.

I DO need to make this apt , a home and give it a lot more gratitude and love.

Many Blessings all~

peace and fun~
Whispered.. Thanks again!

ps:
thanks fred, tas, opal, thinair, xalle, unsung, snippety (lol about your little witchling!), julai, athena, moonhunter and any others BB [

southern ca - Southern california?

just a thought but can you connect with the land - even deserts hold life, maybe its a different perspective, perhaps a bit of searching about desert life - especially if its the local area.

just a passing thought.

kind regards, fizz

if you are not too far away from San Diego ( the old bit) there used to be a craft type shopping place sort of set in a small town ,thee is a lovely place ther that sells pots windchimes and allsorts of other lovely things that are made in Mexico,they have all the pots have all the colours of the desert,i brought a tin windchime home and its weathered beautifully,it goes in the garden in the summer then in the winter i bring it in and hang it near the window,it sounds lovely tinkling in the breeze/gale
i also bought a wall plaque that is the face of the sun ,its metal but more a tin/copper type metal and it had bells along the bottom i have that hanging in the hall ,i would love to go back there were so many lovely things but i couldnt bring them all home on the plane