Halloween Carnival, Art, Burning Woman and Witches

 It's one more Halloween indulgence before I hang up my witches/gypsy costume for another year.


Yesterday was an exciting day I was the fortune teller at my grandsons Halloween Carnival the Midnight Sun there were kids lined up to hear their fortune told.



Afterward I went to Teresa Ascones Studio  http://www.alaskaberryfairies.com/  for the 2nd Annual Burning Woman Festival. Teresa invited me to show some of my encaustic pieces and talk about encaustic wax. The Burning Woman was conceived last year as an answer to many of us who have always wanted to see the Burning Man http://www.burningman.com/ but may not be able to attend and also to honor women who have died from breast cancer or survived breast cancer. It was very flattering to be asked and talk about my art. I met new women and some I already knew. We had a celebration in which called out names of women we know who had died of breast cancer and lit a huge Japanese lantern that should have flown straight up but instead went sideways and alarmingly too close to the trees . We all laughed and made jokes; "No officer we do not know what that was" as the headlines in the Frontiersman  reads Witches Coven uncovered in Meadow Lakes.

Into the Burning Woman effigy which was almost 12’ tall we added names, affirmations and sparklers to the lady and them lit her on fire. Sadly because of her heavy seaweed head she toppled over before it was totally engulfed in flames.

Later in the kitchen Teresa, Jana  http://www.articrosegallery.com/ Beth and me  talked, drank, ate and laughed, as I was among the last people to go to bed and then only because it was rude to keep the others up.
I wanted to add to the Salem Witch slide show I found on Facebook and again honor those souls who were hung as witches! Tomorrow I’ll lighten up, promise. Christmas is coming!!!!Then Costa Rica!!!!!

For Halloween Please Enjoy My Slideshow of the Salem Witch Memorial

October my thoughts turn spookey; thoughts of witches, gholls, ghosts, and all things macabe and scary
While I was as the Encaustic Conference I played hooky from one of the presentations and took the train from Beverly, Mass to Salem, Mass. While I was sorry that I missed it., I could not miss going to Salem! I visited the Peabody Museum http://www.pem.org/, a great place to visit, I also visited the Witch Museum watched a play and saw the dungeon where they kept over 300 people accused of witchcraft some cells only large enough to stand in, the water table is high so these cells would become flooded so disease rats came, the cruelty and ignorance of the Puritans is quite astounding http://www.salemwitchmuseum.com/.  I woonder if we can compare it to anything that goes on in our time 2010? still it is a strange page in our shared American history: Wikeppedia:  "The episode is one the most famous cases of mass hysteria, and has been used in political rhetoric and popular literature as a vivid cautionary tale about the dangers of isolationism, religious extremism, false accusations, lapses in due process, and governmental intrusion on individual liberties."
Salem, Mass. has a strong Witches community, some O the shops it a little Kitchey but fun! I did not have enough time to really get into the Salem scene but it looks like they have a ball (a witches ball).

This is my slide show of the Memorial next to the cemetary in Salem of the  19 Souls falsely accused of being witches and hung with the exception of  Giles Cory who refused to give into pressure and say he was a witch was pressed to death. Giles Corey endured the torture for two days. On the third day, Corey cursed the Sheriff and Salem, then promptly died. But he never entered a plea. He was eighty years old. Corey Giles was buried in an unmarked grave in Salem on Gallows Hill as ordered by the Judge.

The dog they hung is also not in this memorial the poor creature was accused of turning from a witch into a dog.

"If it be possible no more innocent blood be shed...I am clear of this sin" Mary Easty, hanged Sept. 22, 1692

For the Love of Ravens @ Alaska Crafters

I Love Myself The Way I Am

This is the song I use to distract myself from negative nonproductive thinking. I have now been fasting (only eating 500 calories a day) for 25 days and heading toward 40. Tonight I had a little slip, I ate some Crispini crackers, just like an addict once I tasted one I wanted the whole box. After that debrachury I got down on myself and started to call myself mean names. Up to this point I was near perfect in following my protocol. When I get off center this one of the little tricks that I use to get back on I simply sing this song it distracts me long enough to forget what I was thinking about.

Today I swept the cobwebs away, mopped the floors, and organized my studio. As the fat melts away so will the clutter and chaos. It's time for a new start  a new me! but right now it's time for bed. U-tube always keeps me up too late. Sweet Dreams