As school and volleyball season has wound down and spring has warmed up, I’ve had time to try a few new things. I suppose spring is the season for new ideas and experiences.

For Beltane I was too busy for much celebration, but I actually put more thought into the sabbat this year than I have before. I never really connected with Beltane; the kind of loud, obvious (and very heteronormative) sexuality that usually attends it just isn’t for me. But this year, as I’ve been really deepening my connection to the craft and spirituality in general, I dug a little deeper in to Beltane and this time I found out it’s also a great time for magic of protection and blessing, with hopes of a fertile and peaceful summer growing season. This idea really spoke to me. Ever since that strange man jumped into our yard and stalked my daughter last fall I’ve been a bit anxious about keeping my home and family safe, so this seemed the right time to make some very simple witch’s ladders and place them around the yard to bless and protect us. They make me feel a bit better and I learned a lot from the process.

I’ve also been trying some witchy tea blends. At Septicemia’s suggestion I’ve been trying Alchemy of Avalon, but I think they deserve their own post. Today I’ll just mention the teas I got from Witchwood Teahouse. Witchwood sells wellness blends and blends designed to enhance ritual and have spiritual/emotional effects, but this time around I was mostly sampling for flavor.

The packaging is lovely, with beautiful labels and pretty little wax seals on the back. I tried three blends. Witches Brew has warming cinnamon, nugmeg, star anise, and clove combined with the deeper flavors of rosemary and mugwort. It tastes like a dark twist on chai and I like it. Coconut Chai was my least favorite of the three–I was intrigued by the idea of mellow coconut sweetness combined with the heat of ginger but neither came through as much as I’d like. Dark Faerie, though, was a wonderful surprise. It’s a blend of black tea, cherry, star anise and chili. After I ordered it I started to worry the cherry would make this too sweet and fruity, but the balance was wonderful. It has a hint of cherry sweetness balanced nicely with the deeper star anise, with just the right amount of chili heat at the end. I will definitely be ordering more of this one.

After trying all those exciting blends of tea and herbs it’s fitting that I began to play the herbalist myself, on the computer anyway. I heard an ad for Strange Horticulture, a game of identifying plants and using them to help customers and unravel a spooky mystery, and I had to try it. The graphics are cute and the game is easy to learn and moves quickly. The mystery was exciting and there are several endings, depending on choices you make at key points in the game. Hardcore gamers might find this too quick and easy, but I enjoy cute games I can just revisit once in a while when I want to relax, and Strange Horticulture is perfect for that.

My next experiment was a sensory deprivation experience. I’ve always been curious about float tanks, but I’ve never tried one. Hair dye can leach into the tank water, especially vibrant fantasy colors, and if it does they charge you thousands of dollars. So this time, since I hadn’t bleached my roots in months anyway, I decided to try it out before I added the color back in. It’s pretty expensive, but after the stressful year I’ve had I decided I deserved it as a Mother’s Day treat.

I didn’t have any of the hallucinations or mystical experiences some people do, but I did find it profoundly energizing and pleasant. It was wonderful to feel truly alone and undisturbed for a while; I hadn’t realized how much I’d needed a quiet dark place to just rest for a while. Since it is expensive and I really love having purple hair, I probably won’t go back anytime soon but I’m glad I went.

My last little treat was a new tarot set. I do own four sets already, but I actually haven’t bought any new cards in a few years so I didn’t feel too guilty getting another. The Bone Tarot deck is so beautiful and unique, designed by Sam Sawyer. I’ve been very careful shuffling them because they’re so shiny and I don’t want to ruin the finish or the gilded edges. I really like the more minimalist imagery. Only time will tell whether I really connect with this deck, but I have high hopes.