Where Faeries Live Blog

13 December 2010

2010-12-13T22:28:00.001-08:00

Hey everyone!

We were just thinking about how close Christmas is (ten days away) and how this coming Saturday December 18th is the last Saturday before the holiday.

We're also going to be open until 11 pm that night because ICU (http://www.wherefaerieslive.com/icu.php) will be having their monthly meeting in our back room.

What does this mean for you (you may be asking yourself)? Well, we're going to keep the doors open and try to ramp up the old Christmas cheer with some sale action. Check back here, periodically for updates.

Hope to see you there!

3 December 2010

2010-12-02T23:09:00.000-08:00

Because it's pretty.

That's why I put this picture up.

I was photographing the tumbled stones for the website and discovered Apache Tears have a whole world going on inside of them. This one looks like Jupiter and now I'm kind of sorry I chucked it back in with the rest of the tumbled stones in the tray. Oh well. At least I have this picture to remember it by.

25 November 2010

2010-11-25T14:57:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone...

I have to confess I messed up a little. I forgot to update our website calendar to reflect the date change for Jay Saka's Drum Making Ceremony (it's been bumped to February 13, 20, and 27th 2011).

Please accept my sincere apologies for any confusion this may have caused!

24 November 2010

2010-11-25T10:55:00.001-08:00

New athames in stock!

13 November 2010

2010-11-13T18:00:00.001-08:00

So we've taken on local artist Brad Johnson as a consignor. He's got roughly ten pieces of his art for sale at Where Faeries Live. Some are framed originals, some are framed prints, and there are unframed prints available for all of them. Please come down and see his work for yourself - my photography does not do them justice.

We've been getting in a whole lot of other new stuff in as well, including pillar candles dedicated to Hekate, Brigid, Isis, and Lakshmi as well as a large variety of spell type candles and kits. A few weeks ago some ladies from the Edmonton Journal came by and took some pictures and some of the candle spell kits might be in the special Christmas pull out section later this month.

The Witches Tarot has come back into print and all of our backordered copies have arrived. It's a decent enough deck and well worth having a look at.

Also back in stock (finally!) larger cauldrons (6" opening). We're still working valiantly at getting some even larger cauldrons in. We've had an outstanding order for them for about two years now and when I recently enquired about it, I was told that the order was still in process but there were "fears that the people who make them may have fallen into one". I'm not sure what that means.

Other things: many beautiful new stone pendants in the old favourites including amethyst, citrine, malachite, carnelian and the like. Look for those to be out on display by Wednesday.

And, last but certainly not least, the online store is making progress. I realize I've been saying this for over year but you have to trust me on this. It's happening. I'm making great strides thanks to Timmie who appears to be completely unperturbed by having to explain the same basic concepts to me over and over again. Eventually it sticks and stuff happens.

When it's done it will (hopefully) have been worth the wait!

26 October 2010

2010-10-25T11:34:00.000-07:00

We've been getting new things in stock lately including more of the "Wicked Witch Mojo" line of candles as wells the "Motor City Hoodoo" brand.

Also of note, we have Devil's Showstring back in stock. Devil's Shoestring, according to Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs, is for protection, gambling luck, power, and employment. It is supposed to ward off evil if worn around the neck and protects the wearer against accidental poisoning. Gamblers carry a piece as a good luck charm. Another way to use it is to cut the root into small pieces and steep in whiskey mixed with spirits of camphor. When you need power of any kind, take out a piece of the root and rub your hands with it. Then use the root in the appropriate way (for example , if you want money, put it near your money or in your wallet). A piece of Devil's Shoestring carried in the pocket while seeking employment (or while having problems at work) will either help get you hired or will smooth out the difficulties at your current job. The book also says to carry a piece of Devil's Shoestring when asking for a raise in pay. All in all this is not a bad thing to keep around!

27 September 2010

2010-09-27T08:19:00.000-07:00

So we're having a Fall sale...

This is a great time to take care of Christmas shopping (yes, in spite of the recent warm weather, Christmas really is just around the corner).

From now until Sunday October 3rd, everything in the store is 10% off. There are two tables of extra special stuff (including some "unique" items, some old store fixtures we never use and a couple of items of furniture we are are sending along to new owners).

We've also got a shocking amount of incense that we're liquidating in order to make room for some newer, better, more exotic stuff.

The fine print: nothing gets put on hold during the sale. Things that were put on hold prior to the sale or special orders are not included in the sale. Everything sold during the sale is considered "as is" and "final sale" and will not be accepted at any future time for exchange or refund.

That being said...let the games begin!

22 September 2010

2010-09-22T10:33:00.001-07:00

So this Friday is Fireside again.

The topic: "show and tell" of magical tools. Bring your favourite tool and tell us why you like it and what you do with it.

Same as last time, this is a potluck style event. Please bring munchies to share if you want.

Also, the fee has been dropped to $2.00

19 September 2010

2010-09-19T18:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Mabon everyone!

I know, I'm a little early. It sure feels like Fall though. Or possibly winter.

It's just before 8pm and it's already full dark. Long gone are those lazy days of summer when it seems like the sun was up all the time.

Hm. I appear to be waxing eloquent.

9 September 2010

2010-09-09T10:57:00.001-07:00

So these are ammonites (fossilized snails). I believe these ones were actually found in Alberta (I know that Alberta is a good source for these). The ones in the picture are about an inch long (everything can look huge when photographed from a distance of 3 cm).

The reason I'm posting about them today is that we've got a bunch of them and they're quite beautiful (I coudn't find the right angle to shoot the picture at to adequately show the rainbow sheen they have - this is my lack as a photographer and not any comment on the quality of the ammonites).

We were selling them at $4.50 each and last week I got another batch from the same supplier at a better price, so much better in fact, that what was $4.50 is now $2.00! We got some bigger ones in as well (average 1.5 inches across) which will be selling at the $4.50 price.

According to the Crystal Bible 2 (Judy Hall)(which we sell)(and I'm paraphrasing the text):

Ammolite (pearlized ammonites) activate metaphysical powers and inter-dimensional exploration. Is particularly effective when placed on the soma chakra (?) and the third eye. Represents coming full circle and knowing a place for the first time, has the soul's path encoded within it and is a useful support for rebirthing. Spiritually takes you into your center and into completion. Activates personal empowerment and spiritual will and converts negative energy into a gently flowing positive spiral. Is a powerful karmic cleanser and when placed on the third eye releases mental obsessions and past life soul imperatives.

Also stimulates survival insticts and fosters perserverence. Is good for anything physically needing structure and clarity, relieves birth trauma that interferes with cranial sacral flow (spinal) and good for all cranial sacral work. Is an effective earth healing stone.

There's more...but I'm going to stop here. You're more than welcome to drop by and read the entire entry in our store reference copy and to have a look at these wonderful stones!

4 September 2010

2010-09-04T16:08:00.000-07:00

Women's Mysteries will *not* be meeting tomorrow (Sunday September 5th). The next one will be the first Sunday in October.

24 August 2010

2010-08-24T10:50:00.000-07:00

I can't believe summer is nearly over. I especially can't believe how close Christmas is. Do the math, people!

Anyway, the Gift Show has come and gone and I've met with many of our regular suppliers. A fresh batch of fairies is on its way. Our leather journal people have come out with a new line of cloth covered books - with the same great cotton paper inside - and designs sewn onto the covers. I got goddesses and triple moons and...I can't remember the third one but I know it was nice (it will be a surprise for me when the order arrives, I guess).

Also coming...more pentacle ritual candle holders and a whole new line of candles from Dorothy Morrison (please see http://www.wickedwitchstudios.com/WickedWitchMojo.html for more information).

And finally...a minor note (rant) for the person who spray painted an 8 foot high tag on the stucco side of the store. What took you 10 seconds to do is going to take me half a day of time and money that could have been better spent elsewhere. Couldn't you just have peed on the corner of the building to mark your territory...like the other dogs?

16 August 2010

2010-08-16T13:24:00.000-07:00

So I've been remiss in my blogging duties. Summer was busy and I'm still (believe it or not!) working on the website.

Not much to report other than that we have our calendars in already (had them in July, in fact).

Also, someone came in today and sold us a First Edition copy of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft. It's in brand new shape and we're flogging it for $13.00. First come, first served...

Things have been very quiet, one could almost say "undramatic" here the last few months. It's just been business as usual. Happy people coming in and just being generally mellow. Touch wood, I hope it all keeps on like this. Last year was a little too exciting, on many levels, for my taste.

Also, one last thing: please keep in mind that the street in front of the store becomes a "no stopping" zone between 3:30 pm and 6 pm on weekdays. They do check it and enforce with great glee. Just so you know.

5 June 2010

2010-06-05T18:19:00.000-07:00

So we got more excellent used books in today. They're in excellent condition and more than a few of them are currently out of print. I'm not going to list them all here but feel free to drop by and check them out!

10 May 2010

2010-05-10T14:58:00.001-07:00

Posted as a favour for a friend:

Part time secretary wanted (must be female) to take dicatation by author Subject: The Goddess (must understand the concept of the Goddess!). Call Isis at 780-455-6351 (urgent!)

7 May 2010

2010-05-07T10:52:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

Just a teaser to let you all know that we've got some new stones in:

Orange kyanite (yes, *orange*)
Herderite
Tiffany Stone
Eilat Stone
and Azeztulite...
all at an excellent price!

30 April 2010

2010-04-30T07:57:00.000-07:00

Happy (almost) Beltaine everyone!

Today is also the last day of our sale. We still have some great sale stuff left (I found a bunch more things on the table in the back and put them out earlier this week).

Thank you to everyone who came down and took advantage of the sale. There were some amazing deals and I'm glad things finally were able to get to go home with people who are going to appreciate them!

So if you're not busy tomorrow, you might want to go down to Ritchie Park and check out the Beltaine Fair. It goes all afternoon and there's no charge to attend. From what I hear, there's going to be the Maypole again, a variety of merchants, and a lot of other activities for the whole family.

19 April 2010

2010-04-19T19:38:00.001-07:00

So with all the busy-ness of getting ready for the sale I forgot to blog. Sorry. It will happen again.

The sale is going well (and still going until Sunday!) There are many fine items still out there on the sale table and there will be more to come. I found a tray of crystal generators and pendulums that were damaged over the past year and I should have them out by Thursday or Friday.

Also, starting Thursday I'm having a little garage sale in the back room. I was planning to have it for the duration of the sale but we had the room rented out all weekend, and also on Wednesday night. I don't imagine the Medieval dancers would have appreciated having to dodge an obstacle course of my old possessions. They're having enough trouble with the throw rugs already there.

Items of interest: some store fixtures we got last year and never used, odds and ends from the storage area, some stuff from my garage. I'll post a more thorough list once I figure out what's what.

3 April 2010

2010-04-04T17:48:00.001-07:00

Here's some breaking news: Timmie has added "classes" to the navigation bar of the website and I've managed to add meaningful content to it.

What else...let's see...yesterday Fred got into a kiddie swimming pool full of stagnant meltwater that had last fall's dead worms and rotting leaves in it...and went for a swim. Now he smells like he died. I'll never understand why dogs, who have such sensitive noses, will subject themselves to things that smell so...very...bad.

2 April 2010

2010-04-03T18:19:00.000-07:00

So I've been told by a blacksmith that I need to post more often to the blog or people will get bored. While I agree wholeheartedly in principle (and vow to do my absolute best), unfortunately I find I lose entire weeks of my life to everything else.

I guess what I'm saying is: I'll do my best. I'm not one foolish enough to argue with a man who swings a big hammer for a living.

Also, there are few things sadder than blogs that really don't say anything, that are just put up there because the author feels he or she needs to say something...anything...

And I just don't want this to be that kind of blog.

Anyway, seeing as I've gone this far and not really said anything yet...

What to say? We're gearing up for that big sale in a couple of weeks. Jennifer has entered about 2000 e-mail addresses into our book and we're going to be spamming the world in a couple of days.

I have to say how impressed I am with Jennifer's efforts and it's a crazy thing because our till system is technically set up to automatically download the addresses but for some reason, includes all of the contact information for the manufacturer. The last time we did an e-mail blitz, we ended sending our message to the supplier nine times. Needless to say they weren't amused. So this year we did it differently. Hats off to Jennifer, who managed to complete this herculean task in less than two weeks!

1 April 2010

2010-04-01T16:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are open regular business hours this weekend (Friday 11am to 8pm, Saturday 11am to 6pm and Sunday 12 to 5 pm)!

Also, we just got in a new shipment of sarongs, candleholders, candles, incense (including four new scents fromMorningstar), and assorted strange and wonderful things!

22 March 2010

2010-03-22T10:50:00.000-07:00

A graduate student in ethnographic studies at the UofA is doing a documentary as part of her course. The film will only be see by 12 people (her classmates and instructor) and then destroyed. Confidentiality is assured. She is looking for a follower of the Dianic path and a follower of the Gardnerian path. Her name is Lisa and her contact info is lprins@ualberta.ca

11 March 2010

2010-03-11T09:35:00.000-08:00

So many changes afoot!

First off, we would like to say a hearty welcome back to the CWAA, who will be holding their March ritual in our back room!

The floor and painting is all done and I hope to have the curtains up soon.

Yesterday I stayed late and rearranged things in the storefront a bit (well, a lot). Not sure how well the new layout will work but...keep in mind that things will be in the process of being refined for the next few days. Please bear with me today, if you come down, because there's going to be a bit of construction going on (ladders etc).

I'm not sure why I do these things. It's not like I'm bored or anything. That being said, I do believe the new set up will make more sense once it's done. And I was totally amazed at the number of dust kitties there were under stuff. We vacuum...a lot...but there was still enough fluff there to build a second, albeit dustier, Fred.

1 March 2010

2010-03-01T17:04:00.000-08:00

So just in...a run of used copies of SageWoman, Issues 58 to 76 inclusive, all in excellent condition. I'd like to sell them as a set (works out to $87.50, which is half the cover price).

Any takers?

14 February 2010

2010-02-14T18:23:00.001-08:00

Yes, we are OPEN on Family Day (February 15th) regular hours (11 am to 6pm)!

13 February 2010

2010-02-12T19:48:00.001-08:00

Try us on Facebook ("Fred Canus Domesticus")!

And, a little special we're offering in honour of Valentine's Day (and, apparently Saturday February 13 as well...):

February 14th: all day, spend $35 or more and get a free 1 inch stone heart! (rose or clear quartz, while supplies last...)

7 February 2010

2010-02-07T15:58:00.001-08:00

Hello everyone...

A few updates:

The website. Argh. We're transferring to a new server tomorrow. I feel like I'm wading hip deep in molasses on this one. The only saving grace at this point is the fact that we've got Timmie on our side and she's untying the Gordian knots...one by one by one...

Rest assured...we getting there.

Other news:

Remie is back in the Western Hemisphere and will be reading Tarot for us again starting this coming Thursday February 11th!

17 January 2010

2010-01-17T16:39:00.000-08:00

...in the last few days it has come to light that some people have had a less-than-positive experience shopping at Where Faeries Live. Ed and I (Chris) have always worked to make our store a welcoming place for everyone and it grieves us that on occasion this has not been the case. To anyone who feels they have been given less than excellent customer service, we would like to talk to you about your experience and see if there is anything we can do to rectify it. Please contact me either by my direct e-mail at chris@wherefaerieslive.com or by phone at 780-454-0187.

15 January 2010

2010-01-15T19:53:00.000-08:00

My how times they are a-changing...

On Monday, we had an unexpected turnover in staff and have spent the last four days interviewing people. I cannot believe how many people submitted resumes, especially since all I did was post on Facebook and on our website. I also can't believe how incredibly hard it is to interview people, especially when there were so many excellent candidates.

Anyhoo...we've closed down the application process and I want to say "thank you" to everyone who applied. We're just hammering out details and will let people know tomorrow what's what.

Other news...
It's a new year and I'm getting the hankering to push furniture around. Don't be surprised if the layout at the Store changes again.

And finally, we have another new reader: Joshawa , who practices "psychometry", which is the art of fortune telling simply by grasping your hands. He also does tea leaf and palm reading. He will be coming in on Saturdays for the next few weeks. If you have any questions, feel free to drop us a line!

11 January 2010

2010-01-11T10:40:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone...

I hope you're all enjoying this break from the cold weather.

News from this end: thanks to the courageous efforts of Timmie, I now have a (very basic) grounding in HTML. I don't have a lot of knowledge when it comes to computer type things. I sometimes think the task she's taken on (explaining this stuff to me) is what it would be like to teach Fred calculus.

Work is progressing on the website and I already have herbs A through B finished. It's not connected to the site yet but as soon as I get the category finished, we'll launch that part of it. And then the next part and so on...

6 January 2010

2010-01-06T15:46:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!

Sorry for the delay with the updates. That retail tsunami called "the Christmas shopping season" really made things interesting around here.

So in the news:

Elowynn (the Tarot reader) has moved on to bigger and better things. Currently we have nobody reading Tarot through the Store until Remie gets back from the Phillipines at the end of February. If you're thinking of getting a reading from Remie when she gets back, we strongly encourage you book now because I have a feeling she's going to be pretty busy.

Doug Lester has graciously agreed to do shamanic readings at the Store. Instead of cards, he uses stones and is able to divine a great deal using them. He will be here this coming Friday from 11 am to 2:30 pm. His readings run either 45 minutes ($45) or 1.5 hours ($80). Feel free to call the Store at 780-454-0187 to book an appointment.

If you're interested in learning more about Doug's readings, his blog is at: http://shamanstones.blogspot.com.

Other news: we are (honestly!) working on the site. Timmie (our great grand guru of the web) has designed the template and we're working feverishly to get this done. Thank you everyone for your (continuing!) patience!

19 December 2009

2009-12-19T22:40:00.000-08:00

Hey all...

Just a short note to the nice couple (petite blonde lady with a white hat and a taller gentleman in your thirties) who were in today at around 4 pm and purchased the following:

The Everything Tarot Book,
Power Spellcraft for Life,
Palm Reading for Beginners,
a pink Wish Bracelet, a Pocket Goddess,
a Radiant Rider Waite Tarot Deck
and a purple velvet Tarot bag
...for a total of $82.14 with the tax...

Somehow in the confusion we neglected to actually run your debit card and neither you nor us noticed. As you are not listed in our system, we have no way to contact you. Please check your account and you'll notice the money is still there.

While we realize this is completely our fault, it'd be really, really great if you were to get in touch with us regarding payment for these items. Trust us, we would do the same for you (and have done the same for others in the rare occasion we accidentally overcharged).

8 December 2009

2009-12-06T20:04:00.000-08:00

So on Friday I placed three large orders with our suppliers with the idea that they should all come this week. Then, after the deed was done, I realized that three large orders are going to be arriving, with my luck, on exactly the same day, later on this week. So...don't give me points for intelligence or planning. That being said, there's going to be some awesome new stuff on the shelves...hopefully by Saturday.

Also, if anyone is planning to move, we'll likely have a few boxes and some packing material to give away.

On that note, if anyone has excess plastic bags from the grocery store that they're stockpiling with the idea that someday they might have a use...well, feel free to bring them down to the Store. We can use them (provided they don't have any holes or food in them). I'm astonished at how many bags we go through and I'm also very proud of all the people who are okay getting their stuff packed into a reused bag. It's a win-win as far as I'm concerned.

And yes, it is indeed Fireside Friday on the 11th. No one has offered to facilitate so it's going to be a social event. It will be "potluck cookie" style.

Please note that because the fourth Friday of the month is Christmas Day, there will be no Fireside. I realize it seems strange to for a Pagan store to observe a Christian holiday but hey, that's the way the cookie crumbles.

Also, we will be closing at 5 pm on Christmas and New Year's Eve. We plan to be closed on New Year's Day as well. But, that being said, we are going to be open all the days in between.

Stay warm everyone!

1 December 2009

2009-12-01T18:50:00.001-08:00

So the fairy stickers are back in stock! There are a number of new designs including some in the large size.

28 November 2009

2009-11-28T18:33:00.000-08:00

So the Yule Market has come and gone for another year...and it was, as far as I can tell, a resounding success. This is the fourth one I've been to and it seems like we had a large number of people through the door this year (probably more than the last two Yule Markets combined).
It was really excellent to see the vendors selling to customers rather than to other vendors.

I'm really not sure what we did differently this year for advertising that made such a difference. I know Facebook was a valuable tool as was the listing in "What's On" in the Journal (and both are free!). I also want to thank Janie who took and distributed a stunning number of information slips about the Market as well as Jennifer who took time to put up posters.

The hall we had it in was good too (thanks to Dina for finding it). I think we're going to have it in the same hall next year.

Two comments we had were: why was there no concession? And why were there so few signs?

The first, about the concession: I did have someone lined up until Wednesday, however, he discovered he had to work today and couldn't make it. I am going to approach a number groups in the community to see if anyone wants to do this as a fundraiser next year.

With regard to the signage...well, I'll be honest. I did my best with the time and resources I had. I realize how I could have done better, like, for example, figuring out that by late November the ground is too frozen to stick a wooden stake in. Also, fluorescent green and yellow letters really aren't all that visible on a white background. That being said, many many people were able to find the hall even though it was on a one-way street.

If anyone out there has any other constructive comments or feedback to help make next year's Market even more successful, please drop me an e-mail.

24 November 2009

2009-11-25T18:05:00.000-08:00

So we have official confirmation that Kriket will be facilitating Fireside Chat this coming Friday November 27th!

I'm not sure exactly what she's planning to talk about but I know Kriket and I know she always has interesting things to say.

Fireside starts at 6 pm and runs to 8 pm. There will be tea. If you plan to have some, we request that you bring your own mug.

With respect to cookies...in light of the fact that the cookies cost about $19 each for Fireside (more if Ed buys them - he's a lavish kind of guy) and there's been $6.85 and $4.76, respectively, in the dish for the last two Firesides I'm thinking maybe I'm doing something wrong here.

Effective immediately, Fireside is going to be "potluck" rules. If you all want cookies, please feel free to bring them. If you want to have tea, again, please feel free to bring it. We'll provide the hot water and the plates for the cookies.

24 November 2009

2009-11-24T17:48:00.001-08:00

So the Yule Market is coming up this weekend. We have 14 confirmed vendors including:

Helen Yuhasz …..................jewellery, cards, runes, chakra stones
Creations by Lara............... jewellery, journals, Yule decorations, scarves
Janies Jewellery Design.... silver gemstone jewellery
Urban Goddess …...............fairy doors, Celtic goddess effigies, altar objects
Divine Treasures ….............psychic readings, bags, jewellery
Chris Wityshyn …................altar boxes & trays, pendants, Yule ornaments
Brambles & Broomsticks... handpainted ceramics, spell jars, broomsticks
Levanah's Workshop ….......altar cloths, meditation cushions, robes, shawls, cloaks
Gordon Bailey.....................altar boxes, small altars, beeswax candles
Paleocreations …..............crystal knives, fossils, crystals
Mojo's Creations................spell kits, Goddess prayer beads, spell candles, jewellery
Mystic Spirit Design ….......jewellery, wands, amulets, altar pieces
Demedriana …....................sea glass pendants, ribbon gypsy scarves, gold wire crochet necklaces
Luna Forge.........................weaving, copperwork, silver jewellery

All of this stuff is handmade by the vendors and I guarantee you're going to find something there to like. Please come out and support the artisans of the local Pagan community!

It will be at the Westmount Community League (127 Street and 109 Avenue) this coming Saturday November 28th from 11 am to 5 pm. Any further questions please call Chris at 780-454-0187.

11 November 2009

2009-11-11T06:11:00.000-08:00

Greetings everyone...

Three items of news today:

1. We *are* open today regular hours (11 - 6 pm). As far as it stands now, we plan to be open statutory holidays except for Christmas and New Year's Day (the former because we have family out of town who requests our presence for festivities and the latter because...well...do you really want to shop with a hangover?) If this ever changes we'll be sure to let you know.

2. We would like to welcome Elowynn to the Store. She will be reading cards here today (Nov 11) and Nov 21. There is a good chance she will be taking over Remie's days (Mon, Thur, Fri) while Remie is in the Phillipines for the winter. We'll keep you posted as this develops.

3. We hope everyone takes a minute of silence today to remember the sacrifices of those brave souls who came before us (and also those who are still today putting their necks on the line) so that we can live free of tyranny.

6 November 2009

2009-11-06T18:36:00.000-08:00

So we're working on processing and putting out something like six orders (coming, as soon as I can get them done, to a store near you...). I'm putting price tags on a new line of stick incense from Satya called "Romance" and I read the back of the box and (as Dave Barry would say) I swear to you I'm not making this up, it says: "For Fragrance Purposes Only". Which is made ever more baffling by more text on the box that says: "Rekindling your thirst for fine fragrance". The final clincher is: "Creates a space for you that you would never want to leave."

Now...is there some other, alternative use, for stick incense that I'm not aware of? Do I even want to know?

2 November 2009

2009-11-02T08:32:00.000-08:00

Hello all...

I hope your Samhain was a beautiful and profound one...

Thank you to everyone who participated in our micro-sale. We will have more scrying mirrors in shortly as well as a number of other awesome things just in time for the Yule gift giving season!

On a completely unrelated note: a few weeks ago I purchased some textured soy protein "minces" (think the consistency of "Grape Nuts" cereal). I had no idea how much I was buying and ended up with a very large amount (this stuff is very light in its dry form). It is not in the original packaging (we have mice) but was transferred immediately after purchase into glass bottles and will be put into a brand new clean Ziploc baggie for anyone out there who wants it, free of charge. Just call me at the Store and let me know if you can use it and it's yours...

28 October 2009

2009-10-27T18:58:00.001-07:00

Breaking news! Wednesday to Saturday October 28 to 31 we are having a 50% off sale on quartz crystal balls, all scrying mirrors, and all selenite crystals. Mention the code word "banana" and get free wooden crystal ball stand with purchase of one of these items. Limit one free gift per person while supplies last.

24 October 2009

2009-10-24T12:07:00.000-07:00

So Samhain will soon be upon us...

And we think we have the ghosts exorcised from the website. We have a Very Smart person working on this...

Other news...we have a vast number of crystals that we are slowly inventorying and putting out. I'll post specifics once I get it all sorted out.

Sandra has taken over making the book orders. I'm not sure how this is going to change the selection in the Store. She's very thorough and I think having her take on this task is going to mean interesting things to come.

11 October 2009

2009-10-11T12:22:00.000-07:00

So we're going to be open Thanksgiving Day regular hours 11am to 6pm!

Other news: our website is in some freaky kind of limbo due to an ill-timed upload by our web guru during a server platform upgrade. My fault totally because I neglected to inform her.

Any...at some point, hopefully soon, check for website improvements...

5 October 2009 Part 2

2009-10-05T08:45:00.000-07:00

If you know either of these two people, please contact the Edmonton Police Service. Call us too. I'd love to have a chat with them about Karma and why it's wrong to take other people's stuff.

5 October 2009

2009-10-05T06:26:00.000-07:00

Hello World...

I saw three different crystal suppliers last week - I'm working hard to get it all inventoried and put out. Look for new things in the coming days. I'll post more details as I get it done (I don't want to mention things here until they're actually out and ready for sale)

Also, pentacle rings. We're going to have all the sizes in again shortly (ie. this week).

Other, other news...starting tomorrow and every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon for October we will be welcoming Jennifer who is going to be working for us as part of a government sponsored work experience program. She seems to be very bright and enthusiastic and having her here should be an interesting experience for everyone.

And lastly...the geode. I know. You're probably tired of hearing about it. I know I'm tired of thinking about it. I was so angry about it the other day that I actually broke one of my molars because I was clenching my teeth so hard.

We were able to pull some adequate pictures of the thieves from our security cameras. If you're interested, we will have them by the till. Have a look. If you recognize either of these people please let us know. If you can provide information that leads to the safe return of the geode, we would be most grateful.

We are going to have to strictly enforce the "no bags or backpacks" policy. I *really* hate to have to do this because it punishes the 99% of the people who shop here who are honest because 1% of the people who come throught the door are idiots.

I promise you that if we do request that you leave your bag or backpack at the till, we will safeguard it with our lives. And please accept my apologies, in advance, for such invasive treatment. But that geode...it was worth more than my car.

3 October 2009 Part II

2009-10-03T22:04:00.000-07:00

Crappy luck...no. I'm certain this was a planned job. In retrospect all the signs were there. What's embarassing is, looking back at the camera footage, just how clumsy a job it was. But it worked. And that's all that matters.

And, if this follows the pattern of the last time we were jacked (for the Food Bank donation jar back in the spring), they'll be back again. Smart people, or people capable of connecting the dots or who don't vastly underestimate those around them, don't tend to commit petty crimes like this.

And now, because of this, we're going to have to add one more layer of security. Coming soon to a friendly Pagan store near you: an RFID tag sensor/alarm system. Honest people have nothing to fear from it. And had we had it today we could have at least had an inkling that something was up and possibly gotten the geode back before it got too far away (it's pretty hard to run with a twenty pound rock in your knapsack).

But it really really sucks sending that message of distrust out to everyone because a few a#$*les have decided to make a buck at our expense.

What next? I have no idea but this whole thing just makes me so very sad.

3 October 2009

2009-10-03T18:31:00.000-07:00

Hello world...

I've posted this on FaceBook and I figure I'll post it here: today we had a $400 citrine geode cathedral shoplifted from the store!

What's goofy is that we got it on camera. You can actually see them picking up the geode and stuffing it into a backpack!

The problem is, it was busy at the time and I didn't think to check the camera records until long after the couple had gone.

But...here are the details:

They were a native couple, young (early twenties is my guess). The woman was of average height and build with long black hair pulled back. She had a big grey backpack. The man was slightly shorter than average with stocky build. He was wearing an orange ball cap. They were both wearing purple hoodies and black jeans. She had white shoes and his were brown.

The theft happened at 12:32 pm today. The geode was citrine, about a foot tall and about 18 inches wide. It was the one that was to your left as you went through the archway. From the way the other geode had been moved, it appears their original target was the larger geode but, unfortunately (!) it was too big to fit into the knapsack.

So here's the message to you two miserable exuses for human beings: WE DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE BUT WE KNOW WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE! EVEN IF WE NEVER CATCH YOU, A HIGHER LAW WILL. GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!

Yeah, I'm mad. Can you tell?

Anyway, if you see this couple, be advised that they're thieves. If someone tries to sell you a suspiciously cheap citrine cathedral, it *is* too good to be true. If you wanted to do a good deed, if you see either the geode or this couple, please give us a call at the store at 780 454-0187.

Grrrr....

30 September 2009

2009-09-30T07:54:00.000-07:00

Many changes are afoot. If you're reading this, you've no doubt noticed that we've been doing a little work in the digital realm (thanks again to Timmie who is magically able to take things that are simple for most of us - but for some reason very difficult for me - and make them so simple that even I understand them...).

The picture that is the new header on the blog is one of our pentacle stones, photographed in the Pembina River at noon a couple of weeks ago. It looks very large because I was quite close to it. In reality these stones are the size of the palm of your hand. I'm not sure why I didn't drown attempting to take that picture seeing as I had to submerge the camera (and myself) to make the shot.

At any rate, I feel like I should have webbed toes from all the sloshing around I've done in rivers and other bodies of water lately.

People may have noticed that Fred and I haven't been around the Store the last few weeks. We've been travelling. A lot. On Monday we got back from the Kootenays with a fresh shipment of brooms. This year we ordered them sight unseen and the good people who make the brooms picked out some amazing specimens (far better than, I think, if I had taken two hours to pick them out). These guys really know their stuff.

Also yesterday we had a visit from our crystal and jewellery people. In stock soon...every size of just about every sterling pentacle ring we've ever carried. And crystals I've never heard of before but apparently *do* exist (according to Melody) including something called "hypersteine" which looks like a low grade ruby or sapphire (or perhaps "black star" diopside) but isn't.

Good for business relations and other stuff, it looks like we're going to keep one in a special place in the till. Or, perhaps, seeing as the ones we got are the size of sparrow eggs and very heavy and hard, we may just keep a bowl full of them and chuck them at people who come into the Store to annoy us (also a valid way, I think, of maintaining one's business relationships!)

Let's see...other news...

Somehow the store computer password protected itself. Much fun and mayhem ensued until we figured out how to unlock it (interesting too seeing as to my knowledge we have never ever actually set a password for it). I can attest that it is impossible to guess a password that does not exist (can you say "divide by zero"?)

Anyhoo...it's all figured out and we all learned a little something about ourselves and the computer in the process.

And, lastly, even as I write this, Rasa is no doubt sitting on a jumbo jet on the tarmac somewhere waiting to embark on the next leg of her 24 hour journey to the fabled lands of Uruguay.

We all wish her the best in her new life and we're going to miss her dearly.

6 September 2009

2009-09-06T08:15:00.001-07:00

So it's September 6th today. Noteworthy only because all day yesterday I thought it was September 4th.

Anyhoo...

To answer the already asked question: yes, we will be open regular hours tomorrow (Labour Day).

Other news: this week we received a large book order of most of our backorders. If you were looking for a particular book that hasn't been in for awhile, odds are good we have it in now.

Website development continues (slowly, but that's totally because I'm being glacial about it)...

Oh and a point of clarification: last night I was working late at the Store and, as so often happens, people came by about 9:30 pm and bounced off the locked door (I really need to reprint our hours in a larger font). Fred ran up to the inside of the door, barked twice and then sat there, the picture of utter abandonment and desolation, looking entreatingly at the people on the other side. People who promptly said, when confronted with this visage of utter sadness, "aw, poor dog. I can't believe they lock him up in there all night by himself."

This is not the first time this has happened. Trust me when I say this: if Fred's there, odds are very good I'm there too. You just don't see me.

Anyway, my point is, don't be fooled by his puppy dog eyes. He's playing you.

4 September 2009

2009-09-04T08:42:00.000-07:00

So here's what's new in our world...

We have a new website thanks to Timmie. Like I say to my accountant on a fairly regular basis: "I'm glad there's people in the world who like to do what you do because it means people like me don't have to."

The site will actually be shop-able (is that even a word?) shortly. I just need to input some of the 17,328 items we sell...

Also, the calendar connected to the new site has been updated. I will endeavour to do my best to keep it as accurate a reflection of the paper version we have in the store as possible. Well, the printing will be neater and there won't be all those crazy arrows and squiggles from when stuff gets changed. But otherwise...exactly the same!

I kind of gave up on the old website calendar because, for some bizarre reason, it always kept defaulting to March 2007. Nothing auspicious happened in that month other than, I suspect, that was the month the calendar was created.

Anyway...keep checking back for exciting things to come...

24 August 2009

2009-08-24T08:05:00.000-07:00

So I went to Kriket's Shamanic Retreat at Elk Island Park this weekend. The event was well attended. Most people I knew, some I met, and with everyone had a good time (though the Elves are The Best - and I realize you're only going to get that reference if you were actually there).

I'm not going to talk about what actually went on there, other than to say that there was journeying, some new stuff to learn, and a rather profound ritual around the fire on Saturday night. I don't think anyone who was there is going to forget it.

I'm sure there will be enough pictures floating around in cyberspace because I did see a few cameras in our group. And I do wonder what the tourist who came along the hiking trail and started snapping shots of us was thinking (look, Herr Stein, at the strange rites I saw the barbarian Canadians performing deep in the woods, all standing on one leg and chanting in time to a drum!)

But...it is not my intent to discuss the particulars of the Retreat. Suffice to say, if you're at all interested in following a Shamanic path, you may want to consider attending next year's retreat. And I do want to say a big "THANK YOU!" to Kriket for organizing and running the event, and to everyone else who was there and made things run so smoothly.

I found it oddly appropriate that the topic of this year's retreat was Spirits of Nature, especially in light of the weather. Friday night's blow was expected. All the radio stations were trumpeting the arrival of this violent weather system. Even the warden at the gate to the Park advised us of possible extreme weather. I thought I was ready for it. My tent was mostly ready, I guess. It didn't actually fall down around my ears, however, I now know what a bean in a tin can feels like, if the tin can were made of tarps. I can say without hesitation that my tent was the loudest structure on site. I actually felt the need to apologise to my neighbour for the flappity flappity all night long. At any rate, we all survived and Saturday was an absolutely gorgeous day - warm with just enough wind to keep the critters from munching us.

Well, except during the one exercise in which we instructed to go out into the woods, find a spot to sit and just "be" for an hour. This sounds like a hard thing to do - it actually isn't if you approach it with the right frame of mind.

The spot I picked was an area with long grass beside a row of shrubby trees. I started the exercise lying on my side with my head on the ground but after about fifteen minutes had to change position. I watched a grasshopper eat a blade of grass (they start in the middle, bite a long piece off, hold it in their little front "hands" and then proceed to eat the entire piece bite by tiny bite - in case you were curious). As a data point, grasshoppers also try to eat people (not very successfully because their mouthparts are made for grass and not flesh), provided the people are sitting unmoving in the forest as a part of a shamanic exercise.

After about the halfway point of the exercise I noticed red dots moving along the grass stalks. Bigger than a spider mite (but not much bigger), it didn't take long for me to realize the red dots had eight legs. Then I noticed two or three other red dots where I'd previously lain my head. They looked like spiders but didn't behave at all like spiders normally do (weave webs, try to eat other spiders). Then I looked reeaallly close at one of the dots and realized that even though it had eight legs, they were the curvy kind of legs with little white claws on the end that I've only ever seen on critters attached to Fred's shaggy mane after outings in BC or Ontario.

And then I saw the pattern to their movement. Slowly (one could say "inexorably") they were moving toward me, going from one blade of grass, to the next. Where each blade crossed another, they would always pick the one that led closer to where I was sitting. I swear to you I'm not making this up. It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do - sit completely still and watch as something (albeit a very tiny something) approached with the intention of making me its lunch.

And this is where I leared a valuable lesson. There is a line that must not be crossed. It's all well and good to immerse yourself in your studies but when your own personal well being is at stake, it is all right to take care of yourself. Nature takes care of its own and so should we. So I (silently so I wouldn't disturb the others in the group) flicked those little red dots as far back into the woods as I could, as well as the grass spider that had taken up residence on my foot.

And the other lesson I learned was this: we take having fresh water for granted. I realize this is almost a cliche because it's been bandied about in the media for so long but it is the truth.

I arrived at the retreat with eight liters of spring water I had to purchase at Superstore because, due to some logistical packing decisions on the last camping trip (ie. too much stuff, not enough vehicle volume) my usual five gallon water jug ended up on an acreage west of Busby.

The UN says the rule of thumb for humans is that we should all have access to 10 litres of clean water, per day, in order to meet basic needs such as drinking, cooking, and washing up. I had less than half that. Which means I had to get creative.

There is a lake adjacent to the campsite. The water in the lake is quite low, the bank is muddy and churned up from buffalo, moose, etc. who go down to drink the water. The only way to get anywhere near the water is by walking along a "dock" made of slippery, barkless dead tree branches and bits of firewood that someone has chucked out there. And, even by balancing precariously on those dead branches, you can only just get to the very edge of the lake.

So I would go down there with a pot and a little cup and carefully scoop off tiny amounts of water from what amounted to a mud puddle next to the shore, being careful not to scoop up any of the cooties that were darting around in there. Then with a heavy pot full of water, do the balance beam thing back to the shore and up the bank to my tent where I would boil the water for ten minutes. And this was just so I could wash my hands before eating or after using the...um...facilities.

The second day I lost my balance, fell off the branch, managed to get my foot onto one of the chunks of firewood and still sank up to my calf in muck.

It doesn't sound like a big deal except that there was simply no way to clean that up. I couldn't reach the deeper water (not without drowning in the muck at the shore first) and the amount of water painstakingly gathered in my pot was for handwashing. And there was no way I was going to sacrifice a quarter of my drinking water for this. So I learned to live with having one crusty foot.

There was a bit of a respite the second night when we were hit with violent lightning and heavy rain (no hail, thank goodness!)

Early the next morning I was out there harvesting (much cleaner!) water from Tote Bin lids and scooping it off the big silver tarp that was left out on the ground.

I have to note that at least three people at the event did offer me water from their own jugs and I did (politely) turn them all down because for me this is something I wanted to experience.

And it was eye opening. As was the fact that nobody except one brave soul (and I suspect he was just being polite) would accept coffee that I'd made even though I'd made it using my store bought spring water. I guess I don't really blame them.

I am grateful to be home where I can access safe clean water just by turning on a tap in the next room. And I am grateful for the experiences I had this weekend and for the people I met.

5 August 2009

2009-08-05T09:24:00.000-07:00

So we're back from the great summer journey that Ed, Fred and I take to Clinton BC every year.

The Store managed to acquire some very spiffy Celtic knotwork patches as well as some interesting leads on possible new items to carry.

That being said...

I can honestly say I have never seen the site we camp at every year (a horse pasture in the hills above the town of Clinton, about 1.5 hours north of Kamloops) so dry and dusty. The ground was so parched that even the grass had blown away. The moss on the mountainside, usually so moist and squishy, was brittle. The grasshoppers, normally found in great whirring clouds there, had taken off for better climes. Either that or they were all blown down the valley by the incredible wind/dust storm that hit on Saturday and couldn't make their way back up. I happened to be eating lunch when it happened. I had a gluten free bagel I had been saving with special lunch meat, cheese, gluten free mayonnaise and lettuce. I had been looking forward to this particular lunch, saved carefully in its own cooler and vehemently defended from the the others in my encampment, for days. When the wind and dust descended on us, the lettuce was ripped from my sandwich, hurled at high speed down the site...I cannot even begin to tell you some of the sailor's curses I uttered. It became a grudge match - me against Mother Nature - me huddled up against the lee wall of the tent keeping an eye out for flying tents and debris and Her flinging dust and dirt like someone had emptied a full bag from a vacuum cleaner into a wind tunnel. I managed to finish that bagel though it was covered in dust and powdered horse dung and the mayonnaise was speckled black with dirt. It was the best bagel I'd ever had in my life.

There was a fire ban for the entire time we were there. Ominous drifts of smoke kept coming over the ridge, presumably from the Lilloet fire (our thoughts and best wishes to the people there). Everyone was on high alert for any hint of fire either in the camping area or on the ridge especially after a lightning strike there during Saturday's dust storm.

Things I learned on this trip:

The town of Clinton has a library (on Tingley Street!). They give away their old magazines. If you take them and hang them on strings in the porta potties on the event site, people will actually tear pages out of them to use even though there is toilet paper available in quantity. I think it must be an editorial statement against the publishers of "Good Housekeeping". Oddly, not one of the "Mad Magazines" suffered the same fate.

Rum is substantially cheaper in British Columbia which makes me wonder just who really benefitted from Alberta's move to privatize liquor stores.

There are people in the world who carry magnets on their person at all times because they believe that if they do not, they will fall off the planet. I know this because I actually met one this weekend.

Horses will eat an amazing variety of things - whether on purpose or by accident I don't know - including bottle caps, survey tape, and plastic zip ties. I am a little nervous to report that I did find a horseshoe in one pile of dung which leads me to think that one of horses may have eaten one of the other horses. I want to point out that I really don't know much about horses but after seeing that, I kept a wary eye on all of them...

Fred goes completely berserk when he hears a horse whinney and actually stampeded one of them right off the site before we could stop him. He also refuses to tolerate people yelling (much to the chagrin of the people whose job it was to herald the news on site), people running, and little kids bopping each other with foam swords. He got very, very grumbly during the actual "war" part of the weekend when people were in armour bashing each other with rattan swords to the point where he had to have a doggy "time out" in his cube. I really do think he's relieved to be at home, even in spite of the fact that he has to put up with two evil cats there.

Other things I learned:

There is an apparently bottomless lake 18 km from the town of Clinton (Kelly Lake, part of Downing Provincial Park). The locals say it was formed when a giant meteor hit there and then the hole filled with spring water. The water is crystal clear and ten paces from the shore you cannot see the bottom. The edges have been sonared but so far as I could tell, nobody has ever figured out how deep it actually is.

When Fred swims, he does not move his legs as though he were walking (as I always thought) but instead strokes with the right side, then left, then right. I have it on film. The underwater view of Fred swimming is quite hilarious.

It is very hard to get a steady camera angle whilst treading water in an apparently bottomless lake.

And lastly, learned on Monday night from an older couple camped in an RV at the place we stopped at on the way home, about that windstom that cut a swath west of Edmonton on the weekend. Our hearts go out to the people who were at the Big Valley Jamboree.

19 July 2009

2009-07-19T18:34:00.000-07:00

So it was an awesome sale...

Thanks to everyone who came out and took advantage of the great deals...

And the games...

Well, apparently my "penny drop" game was a little too easy (lots of winners).

We've discovered that the reasonable working height for a tower of deer antlers is 40 inches. It's a very stable structure. In fact, it's still standing in the back room and likely will be until someone knocks it over (or the next Fireside Chat, whichever comes first). You're welcome to come have a look at it if you like.

And the answer to the "Jar O Stones" mystery is 518. Ben, who guessed 510, is our winner. He doesn't know it yet. We're going to call him tomorrow...

Our winners in the "Guess the Herb" contest got ten right out of twenty. I guess I made that one a little too hard. I really liked the creativeness and utter vagueness of some of the answers, like:

"Old Man's Finger"
"A Herb"
"Dustweed Root"
"Dillspore"
"A Stick"
"Baby Flowers"
"Bark"
and my personal favourite "Pungebits"

We've raised a fair amount for the Food Bank (I'm not entirely sure yet because I'm waiting for the "Penny Drop" money to dry before I count it.) Again, thanks to everyone who came out, especially in light of the fact that we were competing with the Ex.

And the weather. Don't even get me started on the weather. Yikes. We sure know how to pick a night for "Midnight Madness".

16 July 2009

2009-07-16T15:53:00.001-07:00

So for one of the contests: we have the "guess how many stones are in the jar" game. The cost will be $1 per guess (funds going to the Edmonton Food Bank). Stones include: muggle stone (jasper), blue calcite, botswana agate, tumbled petrified wood, white calcite, peacock ore, sea shells, leopardskin jasper, tree agate, selenite gypsum sputnik, desert rose selenite, quartz points, lava rock, aventurine, starry jasper, howlite, sodalite, aragonite sputnik, amethyst, aura quartz, Alberta petrified wood, dumortierite, and tumbled fluorite. Includes the jar which is really cool.

15 July 2009

2009-07-15T18:05:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's true. We're having a sale. Here is the copy that went, hopefully, everywhere:

This message is to inform you of the
SUMMER CLEARANCE SALE EVENT at Where Faeries Live (10991 - 124th st),
this Friday July 17 through Sunday July 19th.

- 50% off on most jewelery, crystals, and incense
- Special deals on other select items!
- Spend more than $299 on any single receipt, and choose a free piece of stone-set jewellery!

Saturday evening come to our MIDNIGHT MADNESS!!!
Refreshments!
Contests! (How high can *you* stack 20 deer antlers? Just how many tumbled stones are in that jar? Play "identify that herb")
Prizes!

Friday 11:00 am to 8:00 pm! Saturday 11:00 am- Midnight! Sunday- Noon- 5:00 pm!

Hope to see you!

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at (780) - 454 - 0187.

12 July 2009

2009-07-12T11:42:00.000-07:00

So deer antlers. If you're looking for some, we got 'em!

I found some at a garage sale about a week ago and when I brought the box back to the store, a person who happened to be in the store at the time said "deer antlers, I've got boxes of them that we've picked up off the fields because when the deer shed them, they land points up (the antlers, not the deer) and poke giant holes in the combine's tires!"

So deer antlers. We've got a bunch, reasonably priced. And somewhere out there, farm equipment has been spared.

30 June 2009

2009-06-30T13:17:00.000-07:00

So the phone lines were only down for a few hours that day - it's been business as usual ever since.

Speaking of business as usual - we *will* be OPEN tomorrow regular hours (11 am to 6 pm) even though it's Canada Day.

Other news...this weekend we (literally) picked up a new line of jewellery. It's hand crafted by a gentleman in the Portland Oregon area. It's mainly brass, bronze and copper, hand forged and well built. I'm going to attempt to upload a few pictures...

Look for these items in the store after July 2 (I'm going to need time to process it). Also, although we acquired a lot of pieces, we do not anticipate being able to get any more for the forseeable future because the gentleman who makes it has "gone up to live on a mountain somewhere". I know there's a long story there and I wish I knew what it was. But I don't.

Happy Canada Day everyone.

18 June 2009

2009-06-18T10:36:00.000-07:00

So the phone company is working on the lines in the neigbourhood. If you try to call the Store and you get a "this number cannot be completed as dialed" message, don't be alarmed. We're still here and open for business! Hopefully the problem resolves itself soon.

If you need to get in touch, our internet is cable based. storeinfo@wherefaerieslive.com.

11 June 2009

2009-06-11T08:02:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone...

Things are starting to heat up at the Store - both literally and figuratively. It's that time of year for, a few weeks at least, it's not too warm or too cold in the building. Fireside Chats will run through June, however, they will be cancelled July and August and will resume in September. There is a Fireside happening tomorrow (June 12). As we do not have a facilitator yet, it will be an open meet and greet.

And in other news, we're starting to receive new and different products as well as new book titles weekly.

In the used books section we acquired a number of fiction titles most of which, according to Ed, are "girly". Interpret that however you will...

Trespasser Ceramics of Calgary just sent us a shipment of some rather amazing pottery pieces - really they're more art than craft. He works heavily with "sprigs" which are basically three dimensional stamps that cause an image to be raised on the surface of the piece. Be sure to have a look at the "Warrior and Dragon" bowl in the display case and you'll see what I mean. Other noteworthy items include the World's Largest Chalice (at least it's the *biggest* I've ever seen). And ceramic beads. 86 of them. All different kinds. And bottles, also sprigged, with matching "shot glass" sized cups (perfect for ritual wine...)

And...I discovered (finally!) where to buy those little wire cages for wearing tumbled stones as jewellery. They haven't arrived yet but I expect them any day now.

And speaking of jewellery, we've discovered a whole new line of pagan jewellery. They are made of sterling silver and many of the pieces have gold vermeil (a thick plating of gold) accent. Keep an eye out for them as we plan to get in a few new pieces each week (depending, as always, upon availability from the supplier).

Yesterday I picked up a number of Ganesha statues - many of them in cast brass and some of which are teeny-tiny and perfect for putting on one's altar. Ganesha is, of course, the Elephant God and the remover of obstacles (among other things), and generally the all-around jolliest of the pantheon. And he rides a rat...

I also managed to acquire some Lakshmi (Laxshmi) statues. They're cast resin and about two or three inches high as well as some small cast brass Durga statues.

I picked the best I could from the vast assortment of mostly identical statues. These statues are one of the few items I get to actually go to the supplier and pick out myself. It's a surreal experience being confronted by shelves full of boxes of hundreds of little statues. The only way to select them is to rummage through the boxes looking for the ones that are just right. I always do it as respectfully as I can (I mean, these are images of Deity, after all) but it's necessary to do it or else we end up with an army of one-armed Ganesha and headless Buddhas. And there was one box full of cast resin Ganeshas, Lakshmis, Buddhas etc with the odd Jesus head mixed in...our supplier really doesn't play favourites when it comes to God and Goddess statues...

And horseshoe nails lucky charms are back in stock. I was able to find a source for Really Big Nails. I admit I'm vaguely disturbed by the idea that there's a horse out there with hooves so enormous that they would require a horseshoe nail longer than my index finger and I confess I'm quite glad that horses are skittish herbivores because a horse that size, under the right conditions, could rule the world.

And lastly, I feel compelled to post a notice here with respect to the grassy area between Where Faeries Live and the dollar store to the north. Last week a guy came to paint the metal bits on the billboard. It is now a lovely chocolate brown. The painter, for whatever reason, left his extension ladder chained to the base of the billboard. At some point earlier this week, an unknown person(s) had a little "accident" right on the ladder which required the removal of some...er...badly soiled undergarments...which were left on top of the ladder as well as all around the ladder.

Now the ladder is still there in all its fragrant glory. I don't know whether the ladder's owner has simply not made it back yet or whether he came back, saw the condition it was in and just said "screw this, I need to buy a new ladder" and abandoned this one.

At any rate, the reason I mention it here is out of courtesy to those with weak stomachs as well as for health and safety: avoid the ladder and the grassy space between the buildings until this situation is resolved.

4 June 2009

2009-06-04T05:27:00.000-07:00

Hello World...

If you've come by the Store recently you probably will have noticed some changes. Last week we managed to score a huge pile of display fixtures like slat wall, shelves, etc. from a store whose owners have decided to retire after being in business for something like 40 years. We owe our gratitude to Western Educational for their kind generosity. They were so incredibly civil about it and made it seem like we were doing them the favour, getting rid of heavy shelves and stuff so that they wouldn't have to chuck it all into landfill. All in all it was what you'd call a "win-win" situation. We wish the good folks at Western Educational all the best.

We also acquired from them an RFID tag security system (the same kind that Shopper's Drug Mart uses) that I have yet to install. It's going to be an afternoon of swearing and frustration and a rented hammer drill making holes deep enough to put the lag bolts into the concrete floor. All that is needed is the addition of copious amounts of cheap alcohol and you'd have a pretty good recreation of an afternoon in my younger days that probably are best forgotten (to be clear - *this* time I intend to be stone cold sober. Respect the drill. Truly respect the hammer drill)

Another change you'll see here is the fact that we've had to install real, working security cameras. (For everyone who thought that big brown "camera" that was mounted over the books in the corner for years was real...surprise!...it wasn't.)

Anyway, this is not a decision we made lightly. In fact, I've been putting off getting them for as long as I could because even though I used to work full time installing such devices for corporate clients (or perhaps *because* I used to) I'm really on the fence as to the use of such things.

What tipped the balance for me was about three weeks ago: it was a slow afternoon (snowing sideways - you may recall the day) and I had Fred outside in the alley beside the Store for a well deserved bathroom break (for Fred, not me. Though I bet we could toilet train him. But I digress). I saw the guy coming up the street and go into the Store but Fred just wouldn't come back so I could go back into the Store. I realize it sounds like I'm blaming Fred. I'm not, really, but what it meant was that the guy had about fifteen seconds alone in the Store.

When Fred and I came back in, the guy was facing the till. As soon as he heard me, he turned away, browsed the incense for a minute, and then left. After he was gone I realized that the Food Bank donation jar (that salsa jar we keep by the till) was gone.

Because Rasa was doing a Tarot card Reading, I couldn't leave the Store to go after the guy. I did, however, see him a couple of minutes later, come back down the street and go into the Dollar Store. I swear he smiled at me as he was going in. When Rasa's reading was finished, I went back up the street to where I saw the guy come from and lo and behold...there was the Food Bank jar...empty on the ground beside a hedge.

What's most disturbing about this is that this jerk has been back to the Store at least twice more since then (once per week) and walks by out front a lot. He has the attitude of someone who is "scoping" out the premises and, as we now know from hard experience, he is a thief simply waiting for the right opportunity.

The Edmonton Police Service have been advised of the incident and I desperately hope this cocky SOB comes back at least once more so I can get his image to show them who he is.

The other reason the cameras really became non-optional is because I think we're starting to get a reputation in the "underworld" community as being easy to steal from. We've identified at least one couple who, even though they live two blocks away, regularly came in with big shopping bags. One would distract the staff while the other filled her bags with stuff. In retrospect, they were almost laughably transparent and once we figured out what they were up to, we made it clear we knew and they were smart enough not to come back since.

And I want to say to the 99 out of 100 people who come in the door who are honest and well-meaning...I'm sorry. Truly I am. It is *not* our intention to treat you like criminals. Unfortunately, we need to protect ourselves from that 1 person in 100 who is coming from a not-so-virtuous headspace.

When it's all finished, the system will be a true closed loop on a secure server - and the only time the files will be accessed by anyone but me is if there is an incident severe enough warrant police involvement.

Anyway...

The other news I have to share to day is that we've finally managed to get our hands on five copies of "A Brief History of the Celts" by Peter Berresford Ellis. This is for a limited time because for some bizarre reason, none of our regular suppliers carries this title. Which is sad because the book comes extremely highly recommended by a member of the local Druid community (who really knows her books).

And did I mention we got more fairies? The nice kind? With the metal wings?

20 May 2009

2009-05-20T18:34:00.001-07:00

So we've got the following back in stock:

Protection Oil
Protection Bath Salts
Prosperity Bath Salts
Jasmine Oil
Rose Oil
and Vetiver...

Also, it *is* Fireside Chat this coming Friday May 22. The topic, so far as I know, will be Smudge Fans: How to Make and Use Them. Stacey will be facilitating this one.

Not much else to report except that I'm glad the snow is gone. I hope it stays away for a couple of months so that the flowers can actually grow. There's nothing more depressing than seeing the apple blossoms all covered in white stuff...

Anyhoo...if that's the worst I have to complain about the my life must be pretty good.

14 May 2009

2009-05-14T12:44:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are OPEN regular hours (11 am to 6 pm) this coming holiday Monday May 18th!

8 May 2009

2009-05-08T02:10:00.000-07:00

So it's Fireside again tonight! Lee is facilitating "The Art of Storytelling".

We have Stacey tentatively confirmed for the next Fireside on May 22 with the topic being "Feather Smudge Fans".

A hearty thank-you to both of you for stepping up and volunteering to facilitate!

Other news: we just got an extremely large shipment of those leatherbound blank Books of Shadows with the awesome leatherwork and beautiful stones set into the covers.

If you don't find what you're looking for, just ask because we've got a number of them in the back. Now 100 % "mystery stone" free. (They were sending us some with green/white/black stones with a swirly pattern that, for the life of me, I could not identify in any book including Melody's behemoth toe-breaker. Athough I have no doubts the stones - like all the rest in the books - were authentic, I found it's impossible to give the magickal qualities of a stone if you don't have any idea what the heck it is!)

They've also started sending little cards in each book and the other day I actually got the chance to read one of them. Salient facts: the dye use in the covers is non-toxic (though prone to rubbing off a little at first), the paper is made from 100% recycled cotton, and the books themselves are fairly traded out of India by a really great couple in Calgary.

Other news: we're still in the throes of year end inventory count up Hell. Yes, I know there is no concept for Hell in most paths of Paganism but if there were, thy name would be 18,682 and 1/2 tumbled stones, some of which are identical in size, type and quality (or same stone, different size and quality) but have a different wholesale price or had a different supplier, some of which were bought prior to us implementing the new point of sale system (can you say: "deciphering three year old hastily handwritten inventory logs scrawled in ball point on decaying binder paper at 3 am"?)

The situation lends itself to some unintentional yet bizarre 3 am humour such as stock item "#5514 Tumbled Stone Coprolite Fossilized Poo". All of which information is printed on the invoice when one is sold. Good times...

And, unlike the renovations back in December, this is not something we can impose on a large number of people's good natures to help us (thank you again, everyone who got dirty and paint-y on our behalf!). Only one person at a time can enter the stock into the computer system. Because our computer network consists of a single computer tower that, for security reasons, is not connected to anything else (including the internet) the data entry computer doubles as our cash register. What this means is that someone (me) has to stay and work when the Store is closed. And, seeing as we're open what seems like all the time, this translates into Chris working the night shift (cue eerie music here). Remind me, sometime, to tell you about the Things I've Seen go down on 124 Street at 4 am...or the strange folks who should be at home in bed are instead shuffling up the strip and who press their faces up to the glass of the front windows and actually watch me, for a creepily long time, standing there doing nothing more exciting than counting bags of stones and entering data on the computer. As Comic Book Guy on the Simpsons would say "worst live theatre EVER"!

On the plus side, once all the existing stock information is entered we will never have to do it whole hog again. Had I to do it all over again, we would have gotten this system when we first re-opened in 2005.

And, quite frankly, I'm astonished we don't see a complete staff turnover every year at this time. My complete gratitude goes out to Rasa and Sandra for putting up with the chaos and those times when I'm sure I desperately needed a slap across the chops to quell the hysteria...

3 May 2009

2009-05-03T06:09:00.000-07:00

Hello all...

We're in the midst of our year end inventory count up...so please excuse our mess.

The Store isn't that big on the outside but there sure is a lot of stuff on the inside - a point I am always reminded of each year when we have to count every single thing here. We're also entering the last items into the new (well, new-ish) bar code tracking system. It's only taken us 16 months to actually accomplish this.

Entering all the stuff into the database has exposed an interesting phenomenon - the "dog faced" faeries appear to be breeding in dark corners (by parthogenesis, apparently) because although we only have one left, I swear I do not recognize it. I don't recall ever having it, buying it, or counting it in any previous inventory. Either they're mutating, or else someone is playing a cruel joke on us and brought it into the Store when we weren't looking and abandoned it here like an orphan.

Anyhoo...in other news...I managed to tear myself away from inventory for long enough to check out the Beltaine Fair. It warms my heart to see how the Community has pulled together to put on such an amazing event! Kudos to everyone who particpated in that venture. I'm just sad I couldn't stick around long enough to see the May Pole danced (but 3 pm was my bedtime because I've become a creature of the night lately).

Well done everyone! We're all looking foward to next year's event!

23 April 2009

2009-04-23T14:09:00.000-07:00

So it's Fireside Chat tomorrow night. Kriket has once again graciously offered to facilitate. The topic: Trance versus Visualization. Starts at 6 pm.

Other news: we've received a whack of books (four boxes) from someone who was downsizing. We're hoping to have them all priced and put out by Friday evening. There are some great titles in the mix (and some not so great titles, though that's personal opinion and just because I don't care for something doesn't mean you won't find it relevant or fascinating...it's taken a long time but I've finally realized I'm not the centre of anyone's universe but my own)

Fairies...oh goodness the fairy statues. We've been promised that they will be available to order in May and June, so don't fret...just because we don't have many right now...doesn't mean we aren't working on getting more. Stay tuned for further info.

And a short note to the Weather Gods (or Goddesses)...what the *&^%...? Did I miss something? Like Spring and/or Summer?

8 April 2009

2009-04-08T20:36:00.001-07:00

Yes, we WILL be open regular hours all weekend (Friday 11 - 8, Saturday 11 - 6, Sunday 12 - 5 and Monday 11 -6)!

7 April 2009

2009-04-07T09:35:00.000-07:00

Hi all...

Just a short note to confirm there *will* be Fireside this coming Friday (even though it's Good Friday). Animal Totems is the topic, which was held over from a few weeks ago due to some unforseen circumstances.

Also, the pagan services association (psa) will have representatives there to take care of business with respect to memberships, coming events, etc. If you're currently a member or would like to become a member of psa, or would like to help out with psa's many functions such as the Witches' Ball, this is your chance.

We look forward to seeing everyone there!

31 March 2009

2009-03-31T20:14:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who participated in the sale!

I can't believe how much jewellery we sold (and how much we still have - Ed and I both have a weakness for sparkly things, apparently).

We're getting some new things in this week including:

Strange and exotic stones (Purpurite, Variscite, Mimetite, and Golden Labradorite)
New tumbled stones including, for the very first time, tumbled Kunzite. The pieces are relatively small but of good quality (and only $1 each)

Fairies, some of a new type. We've gotten word from our supplier that they are expecting more to arrive in May and in June. All the Zodiac fairies (some of which have been in backorder for six months or more) should be here then as well as some of the old favourites. Keep your fingers crossed!

Glass suncatcher ornaments - solid coloured glass with images pressed into them while the glass is still hot. Suns, moons, and kitties, oh my...I'm aiming to get them out by the weekend...

And the books. What can I say about the books other than "argh"? Our distributor has been holding onto an order we placed two weeks ago. Last week's order is...somewhere. We've been told that both orders shipped on March 27th. Our distributor appears to have a serious case of biblioconstipation. Hopefully these two orders arrive this week - and then we'll be swimming in books. Well, not literally but you know what I mean...

29 March 2009

2009-03-29T16:53:00.000-07:00

News flash: it's been pointed out to us that many people don't get paid until Tuesday so as a courtesy, we're going to hold over the sale until 6 pm Tuesday evening! Spread the word!

23 March 2009

2009-03-23T07:54:00.001-07:00

So the rumours are true...

We *are*, in fact, having a SALE again this year!

Details:

10% off:
Essential oils
Books/magazines
Leather books
Tarot cards

25% off:
charcoal
herbs
resins
wall hangings, mirrors (*not*altar cloths)
cauldrons
statuary
crystals (including crystal wands and large specimens in cabinet)
scrying mirrors
athames
mortars and pestles

50% off
all sterling jewellery *except* pentacles
pendulums
incense
fairies
wood boxes
amber jewellery
candles *except* ritual (1/2"x4") and figure candles (cats, male/female etc).

In order to be fair to everyone, we are suspending our "hold" policy for the duration of the sale (ie. "first come, first served). Anything currently on hold will be held, however, no new holds will be allowed except for special orders (to which the terms of the sale will *not* apply). Anything currently on hold will remain at the price it was when it was put on hold prior to the sale.

As a bonus, we will have a treasure chest at the till - any customer whose receipt that totals $35 or more will get to choose an item from the chest!

The sale runs from today until close of business Sunday March 29th.

17 March 2009

2009-03-17T10:42:00.001-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Though I imagine the only green we're going to see today comes not from the tender shoots of Spring buried deep under our recent snows but from whatever colourful garb people choose to wear today...

So it will be Fireside Chat again on March 27 and Dorothy has graciously volunteered to facilitate the topic "Neo-Paganism as pertains to 19th Century Romantic Literature" (translation: she's found some awesome fairy tales that she's going to re-tell).

Other news...we've got books, books, and more books. Rasa and Sandra are doing an amazing job getting new and exotic titles in!

We are also expecting an order from those strange folks down south and it is to include more figure candles, altar cloths, and other things not available elsewhere.

And fairies. Yes, there should be a fresh batch hatching this week (or whenever Doug the CanPar guy delivers them).

Also, for the last five weeks, we have been bagging and tagging all of our store brand incense (hanging on the slat wall with the white cardboard hangtag). We've done away with the 50 stick packages and also with the 20 stick packages that include the holder. The reasoning is that having three different formats for the same incense sticks is visually confusing, at best. Also, with those packages that include the holder, since each holder is different (I found a "Scorpio"), we figured it would make more sense to sell the holders separately so people could choose the exact one they wanted.

We have discontinued a few of the fragrances (Meditation, Relaxation, Yoga, Yin Yang, Tranquility, Ylang Ylang, and Vetivert) but at the same time we have introduced new ones including:
Sweetgrass,
Astral Travel (smells a lot like "Tranquility" and available in both cone and stick form),
Truth,
Love,
Courage,
Healing,
Blessings,
Psychic Power (which is Lemongrass based),
Anti-Theft (Vetivert based),
Protection (Juniper based),
Purification (Rosemary based)
and Sensuality (which smells great but I haven't yet had a chance to burn one).

We've kept other popular fragrances including:
Dragonsblood,
Frankincense,
Frankincense and Myrrh,
Rain,
Egyptian Musk,
Sage,
Patchouli,
Jasmine,
Nag Champa,
and Sandalwood.

Other news...

Ashterah will be hosting a meditation tomorrow evening (Wednesday March 18) in the Back Room starting, I believe, at 7:30 pm. Everyone is welcome. Please call the Store for more details.

3 March 2009

2009-03-03T22:04:00.000-08:00

Hello all...

After having requests for it for years, I've (finally!) managed to locate a somewhat reliable source of magnetic sand.

We've got 60 bags currently in stock so if you've got a hungry lodestone...

In other news...Kriket has tentatively commited to facilitating this coming Fireside (March 13). I won't know for certain if she's coming until she confirms...

And thank you to Allison Currie for facilitating the last Fireside. I'm very sorry I couldn't make it - I was in a remote corner of Saskatchewan at the time (actually, all of Saskatchewan's corners are pretty remote when you think about it).

I know there's a bunch of other stuff I should be posting here but it's after 11 pm and I'm tired.

When (if?) I recall what it was I was originally going to blog about, I'll log on and finish. Until then...

23 February 2009

2009-02-23T19:04:00.000-08:00

So we've (finally) gotten our new magazines in...

Currently we have:

SageWoman #75
New Witch #18
Circle #103

Hopefully we've resolved the bottleneck with respect to ordering these...

And...it's Fireside this Friday!

16 February 2009

2009-02-16T05:29:00.000-08:00

It's been twelve days since the last blog...where did the time go?

At any rate, to let everyone know...the Store *will* be open regular hours today (Family Day).

Other news: the furnace has been fixed (sort of - more fixing to come...) But...at least now it doesn't sound like a giant hamster is running on a giant wheel in the back room (it was so loud it actually frightened a small child). Our sincere thanks to Jens who took time on Saturday to help us out with this. I'm grateful he chooses to use his awesome powers for the forces of good...

It's going to be a busy week around here - the Wholesale Gift Show is this week (we get to order stuff for the summer season) and one of our best crystal suppliers is in town today so keep an eye out for new stuff in the coming days and weeks.

Also, it's incense galore here. We're adding a few different kinds of incense to our line as well as improving current packaging on the bulk stuff. Look for some specials in the coming weeks as we blow out some of the slow sellers...

Stay warm everyone and have fun today!

4 February 2009

2009-02-04T20:14:00.000-08:00

So we're going to launch a new line of ritual soaps, hopefully before Valentine's Day because one of them is a Love Attraction blend. We're thinking of a "Lust" blend too but that might cause some trouble.

We're also going to have our full line of bath salts in again (sorry for the delay - we haven't exactly been organized the last few months). We're going to go ahead and keep using the same containers. Word of warning: the Aphrodite and Psychic blends eat the containers they're in (Orange and Lemongrass essential oil will do that). Not entirely through, mind you, but enough to soften the plastic. The only solution I can see for this is to make those blends with less oil. And I really don't want to do that because they're quite amazing bath salts as they are.

As a side note, not to be irreverent, but the Psychic blend, because of its high citrus oil content, is excellent for removing gum and glue from things. So there. A remarkable product with more than one use.

Anyhoo...

As of today Fred has 71 friends on FaceBook. Not bad for a dog who can't type.

Other news...this coming Friday is *not* Fireside. The Friday after that is. And we're going to be talking animal Totems.

Any cookie requests, feel free to e-mail me at chris at wherefaerieslive dot com.

Also, more than a year ago, it was requested that we get Pomegranite flavoured tea. The reason I haven't gotten any yet is because tea keeps showing up (thank you to whoever's been bringing it). Or is it simply multiplying like coat hangers in a dark closet? I'll leave that for you to ponder.

4 Feb 09

2009-02-04T17:50:00.001-08:00

So Rasa...just to let you know...the comments are moderated...

1 February 2009

2009-02-01T18:17:00.000-08:00

Happy Imbolc everyone!

As of today, Fred has 61 friends on FaceBook. I always knew he was the most popular of any of us at the Store.

He's also managed to start up a FaceBook page for Where Faeries Live. It's going to be interesting keeping it up as well as this blog and that but we'll see how it goes.

Not much to report - we're just trying to put everything back in order after that exciting and event-filled holiday season. Yesterday I (finally!) got the back part of the new side organized and production has started again with herbs, oils, etc.

Sorting out the essential oils was quite a task. There were three oils we sell that had no testers out at the storefront. I still don't know why we sold so much Peppermint oil seeing as there was absolutely no indication that we even carry it. The problem has been solved now. And to the person(s) who walked off with the Palmarosa tester...well...good luck using that for ritual. I'm not sure how well stolen components work but maybe your version of the Divine is more forgiving of things like that than is mine.

Anyway, there were some price changes for some of the oils, most notably Patchouli. I have no idea why, but in the last eighteen months or so the wholesale price of the stuff has quadrupled. I was either getting a *very* good price for it before or else something happened to drive the price up. Was there a civil unrest or drought in the place Patchouli comes from?

I am faced with a dilemma. Until now, the Patchouli oil we were selling was 100% pure essential oil. If we continue to sell it pure, we're going to have to charge $25 for a 10 ml bottle. I can dilute it to 10 or 10% like we do for some of the more expensive oils like Sandalwood or Rose and that would bring the cost down. I just don't know...

On a related note, our in-house blends such as Healing, Prosperity, Protection, Psychic, Aprhodite and Banishing used to be 10% in Jojoba oil. This has changed and after we sell the last five bottles of Healing (which are 10% oil in Jojoba), our in-house blends with the exception of Altar will be pure essential oils.

This means that if you've been using them bare on your skin before, please stop. Some of the essential oils we sell will actually burn you (Cinnamon is one I have first-hand blister experience with). We've started carrying pure Jojoba oil in a 50 ml bottle complete with eyedropper so that you can mix it with the essential oils and dilute them to a skin-safe level.

And on a completely unrelated note...I believe I have impressed our neighbours at the CUPE buildig that I am not someone to be trifled with. We've been having issues with their members using our lot as overflow parking during their meetings...which is annoying when we go to park and some ignoramous has parked diagonally across three spaces and we have to park on the street.

Today I showed up at the Store and it was obvious CUPE was having some union meeting. Their parking lot was completely full and two of their members was parked behind the Store, waiting in their vehicle. I drove into our parking lot, attempted to back in (if I go in front first, I get stuck because the parking lot, like much of Edmonton, is a single sheet of glare ice). I got stuck anyway, gunned the engine and went shooting into the alley which is, if anything, even more slippery than our parking lot, couldn't stop and crashed into fence of the people whose back yard faces the back of the Store.

Luckily I hit the corner post which was very competently and solidly installed and nothing much happened other than my car bounced off with a gunshot loud crack. No damage to the fence and the car...well...I think all I did was knock some dirt off the bumper.

And of course, whenever I do stupid stuff there's always an audience. Murphy's Law. So I backed up, took another run at the parking lot. Ended up parking sideways. Got out of the car, went over to where the CUPE people were still idling in our lot and, without blinking an eye or in any way acknowledging the indignity I had just perpetrated on the fence, very politely asked them to move their vehicle. Which they did, immediately. I think they were a little scared at what I might do next.

26 January 2009

2009-01-26T11:34:00.001-08:00

So at some point last night Fred managed to get onto the computer at the Store. Clever little dog that he is, he managed to set up a FaceBook account and then proceeded to send out a gajillion "Friend" requests to everyone he could find...

FaceBook red flags any last names that sound suspicious, like "Dog" or "Cat" so it looks like Fred had to get a little creative (Fred Canus Domesticus? Sounds like something from Looney Tunes' Road Runner cartoons...which is funny because I don't think Fred has ever actually seen these - though Ed and I really don't have a clue what he does the rare times when we leave him home alone).

Anyway, you've been warned: he's armed with the knowledge and the dexterity to type (I'm guessing the "hunt and peck" method because I'm pretty sure one needs opposable thumbs to touch-type)...

23 January 2009

2009-01-23T21:11:00.000-08:00

Hello all...

First off, I want to give a great thank you to Heather who stepped up and taught us all a thing or two about reading tea leaves at Fireside tonight!

Fireside Chats really do depend on volunteers to keep things interesting. If you have a topic you'd like to present to the group, please by all means, contact me either by e-mail at chris at wherefaerieslive dot com or by phone at 780-454-0187.

In other news...there are three cats out there who need homes:

The first is an orange tabby, male, neutered, about a year old. Indoor/outdoor...

The other two are, I think, sisters, about three years old, one is black and the other is black and white. Both spayed as far as I know. I'm not sure of their exact circumstances, however, they need to find new homes before the end of the weekend.

If you find you have space in your home and heart for one or all of these cats, please give us a call at the Store...

Lastly, both our herb orders arrived. We now have Mugwort back in stock and we're working on the Myrrh resin.

Stay warm everyone...

20 January 2009

2009-01-20T17:53:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's been 16 days since I last posted...

Anyway, here's the goods:

Fireside this coming Friday has a theme: Heather has graciously offered to facilitate a session on tea leaf reading. Bring your favourite tea cup (due to attrition of cups vs. floor as well as the garage sale last Spring we won't have enough cups for everyone).

Other news:

We have even more books. New titles. Too many to mention...

Also, at long last we will also be getting the next 10 titles in the "Inner Alchemy" meditation CD series. Go to www.newmindrecords.com for more information.

I'd write more but I have to go to the bank to exchange about $80 worth of coins that someone stuffed into the Food Bank donation jar we have beside the till. There's a weird back story to this involving a strange woman who came to the Store, handed out Oracle cards (we're thinking one of Doreen Virtue's Goddess decks) to all the customers, told them their fortunes briefly, went to the Dollar Store next door, got a red felt pen, completely and utterly defaced the Food Bank donation jar we've had here for years (I'm kind of sad about losing the original label because it was original artwork done by then-staff Amanda) and then stuffed it full of coins.

I'm not sure I totally understand. I'm not sure I want to.

4 January 2009

2009-01-04T22:33:00.000-08:00

So it's the end of another holiday season...

While I'm sorry to see some of the festivities go, I can honestly say I'm happy to be moving on into a new year. December was, at least for me, a blur of work, not enough sleep, and more work with a big measure of drywall dust, postal dust (your average mail is surprisingly dirty), and paint.

We've got essentially a brand new store now, or as more than one person has expressed "it's just like a real store now". Which leaves me wondering: what exactly did they think we were going for before?

Anyway again, thanks to the many wonderful people who have helped us out along the way...like Cam Marshall who kept showing up, day after day, and working like a dog. We would not have been even close to finished as we are if it were not for him.

And also thanks to Jens Nyboe who gave up a precious Sunday afternoon to reroute a strange little sink that was at the back of the main sales space into the service corridor where it more rightly belonged. He also discovered some very...odd...things about the furnace on the new side. It's surprising it didn't get up and walk away under its own power considering how unbalanced everything is in there.

We also learned that repeatedly cleaning out painbrushes, rollers, and trays without running enough water afterwards leads to the plumbing equivalent of hardening of the arteries. Perhaps I should not have said that. Our landlord could theoretically be reading this blog.

So just a head's up - we're not quite finished moving stuff around. The floor on the new side is non-slip but also abrasive like sand paper. I suspect the wooden shelves are all two inches shorter now just for being dragged around that floor so much as we tried to figure out the most logical places to put things.

It's also a crazy and somewhat traumatic time for Fred...most of his hiding places have been changed or eliminated.

Speaking of trauma...I should probably write this down so there is a record because the story is already changing from the retelling of it:

On Dec 30th, we decided to move the cash till from the old side to the new side of the building. It just makes sense, especially since the door on the new side is better.

As part of our alarm system, we have what is known as a hold up button. It's what the staff presses if we're being robbed or need a quick police response and 911 just isn't an option. I won't go too much into detail about how the thing actually works it except to say that we had to disconnect the button temporarily in order to move the till. On the evening of the 30th, I left the button hanging out of the ceiling. We called the alarm company, advised them that we'd be doing this and to ignore alarms from the button until the technician could come to fix it.

Early (I mean 7:30 am) on the morning of Dec 31, I went to the Store with Fred so that I could finish re-routing the telephone cable to the new side. Just before I disconnected the phone, since I had the ladder handy, I decided it would be a good idea to tuck that panic button up into the ceiling. Past experience has taught me that cryptic hanging wires coming out of the ceiling can spook customers. So I took care of it (and in the process somehow unknowingly managed to trigger the button) and then I went happily to my task of running phone lines.

About five minutes later, I went to the front of the Store and I have to say it was quite beautiful how the blue and red lights strobed across our newly painted walls (keep in mind it was still really dark outside).

And then I had police officers hammering at the door. I let them in and I swear I'm not making this up...two of them had their hands on their guns. Apparently when I'm stressed, I lose control of my hands in what, in some situations - like this one- could be considered a somewhat threatening manner.

They were taking it seriously because the protocol when the hold up button is pushed is for the alarm company to call, and then for the police to call. Which they did. I have the two hang-up messages on the voice mail to prove it. What I didn't get was the actual calls, which could have prevented the whole situation except...did I mention I was in the middle of re-running the phone cord so that the staff wouldn't have a cord dangling down in front of their faces as they were working cash?

So I explained about the button but it didn't seem as though they believed me much (I was dressed in filthy work clothes..oh, and did I mention I was freaking out?) So they actually searched the building looking for, I'm guessing, hostages. At one point I heard them laugh in the back (by that point I was on the phone to the alarm company trying to figure out what the heck was going on seeing as we'd called to inform them that this work was being done and to put that button on "ignore" for the time being. Apparently they had a new guy working the day we'd called and "New guy" interpreted "for the time being" as "turn the button back on precisely at 6 pm the previous night so that Chris can have the daylights scared out of him by grimly efficient polices officers the next morning. "New guy", wherever you are...dude...you really have to work on your active listening skills.

Eventually the two humourless officers left (I honestly think they were just a little disappointed that nothing more than some simple confusion was going down) and the third officer took some notes.

The entire time Fred lay sprawled out on the floor like a throw rug. Apparently that's what they had been laughing about earlier. I'm guessing he must have flopped onto their feet as they were searching the place. Fred is a pretty face and a charmer but he's no guard dog. Either that or he's smart enough not to mess with cops (did I mention the guns?)

So that's the actual story. No SWAT team. I didn't get strip searched. Fred did not try to be a hero (for which I will be eternally grateful because it would be a very hard thing to explain to Ed and everyone else if I'd gotten Fred shot)

And I'm happy to say that everything, at least when it comes to the wiring of various devices and buttons has now been taken care of.

Other news...it's Fireside this coming Friday. No topic set yet, however, hopefully that changes.
The Fireside space is cleaner and less cluttered than it's ever been (I even cleaned the carpets! With a new brand of cleaner! They are, quite literally, minty fresh!).

We look forward to seeing everyone. It will be very nice once things get back to normal, or what passes for normal, around here.

26 December 2008

2008-12-26T10:17:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone is having a good holiday so far...

We have decided to have a "Boxing Week" Sale...

Copy is as follows:

BOXING WEEK SALE!**
Dec 26 - 31
Stone set jewellery 25% off!
Nag Champa Incense 40g box ½ price!
Everything else 10% off!*
* excludes consignor items
**please note: sale does not apply to items already on layaway or hold. In order to receive sale price, item(s) must be purchased in full before close of business on December 31, 2008

Als0, if you make it in, please be advised that there may be wet paint (we're doing the purple side in piecework fashion...it's a lot harder to paint around the stuff). I'll do my best to flag the wet spots...

Finally, at the last Fireside Chat it was decided that Boxing Day was pretty busy and everyone was okay cancelling tonight's chat. That being said, feel free to drop by and say "hi"!

23 December 2008

2008-12-23T11:11:00.000-08:00

So just a quick post here to let everyone know that we plan to be open later tonight (Tuesday)(until 8 pm) for any last minute shoppers. We will be open Christmas Eve until 6 pm.

We'll be closed Christmas Day and New Year's Day but *open* Boxing Day regular hours. There may be some sales happening on Boxing Day but right now I'm not sure on what (yes, I'm just that organized right now).

In other news, the painting is coming along. Ceiling's done, walls are coming along. Office is, officially, no longer "icky".

13 December 2008

2008-12-14T17:30:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update...

We've finished painting the new side and have started slowly painting the original side. I've got about 1/3 of the ceiling done. It's tedious because I have to use a brush so that I can jam paint into all the little holes in the ceiling tile because that's how the original dark purple paint was applied. They sure rammed it in there...

We also, for some bizarre reason, decided to start painting just the front wall by the windows. Wasn't really planned. It's hard to explain and I blame overwork mixed with paint fumes.

Anyway, long story short: the store is a bit of mess, quite disorganized, and everyone is a little shell shocked from the speed of change.

Also, apparently, the staff has decided that the very back office space on the new side is "icky". Energetically, I guess, because physically it's a whole lot less gross since we reboarded the walls. I should say "since Cam Marshall reboarded the walls" because he's done the bulk of that work and a whole lot of other stuff. For free. Out of the goodness of his heart. I can't thank him enough.

But the energetic fug in the back office space - I honestly don't feel it. If anything, the space feels revitalized by the removal of the dank carpet, rotting walls, flickery-dead fluorescent lights and the (you guessed it: dusty rose) plastic tablecloth that was screwed over the window.

It's already so bright in there during the day that a couple of times I went to switch the light off and realized it was just natural daylight coming in through the window. And it's December!

I think once it's properly painted, the new floor is in, and there's nice curtains hiding the forbidding array of metal mesh, welded security bars, and the glass break detector hardware on the glass, it will be quite a nice space. I'm putting a lot of energy into this particular space because I know it's where I'm going to be spending the bulk of my time.

That being said, we're still going to do a proper cleansing of the entire place just to remove anything that might be hanging around...well, except for the strange but friendly little creature I've been seeing ever since we took over the space a couple of weeks ago. Of course, that could just be entirely a by-product of my lack of sleep...

7 December 2008

2008-12-07T06:24:00.001-08:00

So we've got the new side open for business. It's a temporary set-up until we get a chance to paint the original side to match (yes, the purple is going away...)

The fairy/gnome mural that was in the archway has found a new home. It is to be installed in a children's playroom on an acreage outside the city. It will be, I'm sure, appreciated for years to come.

The Grand Re-Opening Sale has been held over until today. We've got 40 g Nag Champa on sale for half price ($2.50/box or $30 for a carton of 12). Any jewellery with a stone set into it (earrings, pendants, rings) is 25% off as well (excluding consignor items).

There is still a prodigious amount of food including chocolates, really good meat and cheese, vegetables, cookies and crackers...

Additionally, the Congregationalist Wiccan Assembly of Alberta is holding their Women's Mysteries in the back room this afternoon around 2 pm. If you're a woman over the age of majority, or a (female) minor with a (female) guardian, feel free to drop by and participate.

5 December 2008

2008-12-05T07:37:00.000-08:00

So no...we're not dead...yet...

It's been what they call "a flurry of activity" the last few days. The last of those nasty wooden shelves has been painted. Very painstaking work, that, because they're made of slats of wood spaced far enough apart that you can't use the roller on them and when they're brush painted, they're prone to dripping paint like crazy. It is my belief that they are the original shelves purchased from Zellers or Ikea or somewhere, for cheap, way back when the store was stil in its infancy. I occasionally think somewhat unkind thoughts at the person who, at that time, decided it was a good idea to them dark purple (what on earth was wrong with the natural wood finish?) Anyway...

My eternal gratitude to Allison Currie, Alexis (sorry, I can't recall your last name right now but as far as I know you're the only Alexis around...), Chris Wityshyn, Craig Sheppard, Alice Borawski, and Cam Marshall for taking on that daunting task. It's taken the better part of the week just to get these done because we have to shift them out, three shelves at a time, so that the product currently for sale has somewhere to live. If you come to the Open House and find something you want to buy has bonded to the not-quite-cured paint on the shelf, please let us know...we'll free it for you using a variety of clever methods that we've already had to work out.

Also, I want to thank Cam twice here because he's given up an entire week of his life to help us out with some really awesomely disgusting jobs. Jobs that *I* probably wouldn't do for any amount money, he's doing for us, out of the goodness of his heart, and I have no idea how to repay him. Example: there is a room on the new side of the store that faces out onto the back parking area. I have no idea what the Leprechauns were using for this space but OMG (yes, *that* bad) was that room a pit from a dark and firey region of Christian Lore. Let me be clear: I don't think the Leprechauns had anything to do with the state of the room. I just think spaces get old and stale and deteriorate all on their own given enough time and an ambivalent landlord.

Imagine a bedroom sized space, painted a dilute Pepto pink, with um...stains...soaked into the walls. There are holes in the wall, including a cat door sized square cut right through into the bathroom hallway in the corner. Actually, I'm pretty sure it *was* a cat door. The carpet, an anonymous dark brown, is nasty. It's also recently been flooded by a mishap involving a handyman who actually thought it was a good idea to fix one of the toilets using rotten plywood from the old Where Faeries Live sign that was out by the Dumpster. I wish I was kidding but I'm not.

And the room is cold...I mean...*cold*....like someone there needs an exorcism or something. But it's not that. It's the fact that, looking through one of the holes in the wall, you can see two inches of airspace and then the concrete cinderblock of the outside wall. There is absolutely no insulation in there except for the still toilet-water-soggy yellow foam that someone has painstakingly and thoroughly shoved in all the cracks where the drywall meets the floor.

There is a window in that room - a steel mesh covered window that has a...you guessed it...pink! tablecloth stapled over it with yellow insulation shoved behind it. Oh, and another layer of clear plastic stapled over that. I shake my head with wonder at the person who did that...could they not feel the icy air whistling in through all the other cracks in the wall?

So...long story short, Cam helped me tear out the carpet, tear down the two outside facing walls' drywall, jam bats of insulation in there and reboard. Sounds easy. Wasn't. Trust me on that.

But that room is going to look SO much better soon.

There's more to write but we are late for an appointment.

Later...

Also, don't forget , our Open House is...ack! Tomorrow!

2 December 2008

2008-12-02T22:27:00.000-08:00

So we've spent the day repainting the former Leprechaun kingdom. The acid green faux brickwork is gone. It took surprisingly few coats of paint to cover it. We chose a semi-gloss paint called "Lemon Pearl". It's a very subtle creamy yellow. It's also very shiny. We could see the lights reflected in it even after it dried. It will be very, very bright in there once all the lights get fixed tomorrow.

With all that drying paint, the humidity got crazy high in Part II. There were rivulets of paint mixed with condensation running down the windows by the time we were done. We had a bit of a dilemma with that and finally solved it by removing the mural in the arch. It had to be done sooner or later. We just chose the sooner option.

Anyway, we managed to get the mural out mostly intact. It is, in case you were curious, painted directly on drywall panels. Two of them, in fact. The mural is in two pieces now (split right down the middle) but should be relatively easy to reassemble and touch up. I'm pretty sure we did more damage to the building than we did to the mural, so careful were we removing it with the intention of saving it. Geepers I hope our landlord doesn't read this.

Sorry, it seems to me I'm very not being coherent much. Blame paint fumes mixed with lack of sleep.

Anyway, the archway is open again for the first time in I don't know how many years. We've got a lot of fixing to do tomorrow.

I want to express my extreme gratitude to the following people who showed up and generously donated their precious time and efforts toward the cause today:
Alice Borawski,
Cameron Marshall,
Allison Currie,
Craig Sheppard
and Rob Swyrd

You guys absolutely rock!

We're back at it tomorrow. Now that the painting is done we're going to clean up and get started on the floor...

On a related note, if anyone has a good recommendation as to how to get paint/primer out of a dog, please drop me a line.

2 December 2008

2008-12-02T02:20:00.000-08:00

Hello all...

The Leprechauns next door have completed their most daunting task and have managed to get all their stuff packed and away by December 1. I honestly would not have believed they could do it in such a short time but they did. They had an incredible amount of *stuff* in that place. I'm not sure where it all went but I do know the empty space now looks positively cavernous, especially with the eye of someone who has to renovate said space in less than a week.

I know the Leprechauns are happy to be moving on to other things (to quell any rumours about a hostile takeover...it was completely *their* idea to move out and it came as an absolute shock out of the blue to us on Samhain when we got the call from the landlord asking if we wanted the space. Trust me...if we'd had anything to say about the timing, we surely would not have picked the cusp of our busiest season to undertake work of this magnitude).

At any rate, our parting with the Leprechauns was an amicable one and I will really miss them both.

On a related note, I realize this doesn't give much time but we've got confirmation of painting happening today, December 2, 2008!

Ed and I and others will be at Where Faeries Live from 9 am onward. The goal today is to get the walls painted in Part II.

We need to move fast on the painting because the flooring we propose for this space is three step process that needs to cure between applications. And the Open House is this coming Saturday. Ambitious timeline indeed.

There is also a large number of shelves that need to be painted, which will be fun because most of them still have product on them. Interesting times but I think we'll be able to figure it out (anyone remember those little handheld games from the 70's where you pushed little plastic squares around in a frame in an attempt to sort them out into a picture? It'll be like that. Erg. I'm betraying my age.)

Anyway, if you've got time and want to drop by to help out, wear your grubby clothes and expect to be worked like a rented mule. The payoff will be a food bribe of some kind. I'm thinking pizza (no beer though...alcohol, ladders, and paint, from my own personal experience, sadly, do not mix well)

29 November 2008

2008-11-29T16:04:00.001-08:00

Hello all...

As the participants of last night's Fireside can attest, we have acquired a Very Large Box of Nag Champa incense. I estimate it to be 8 cubic feet worth of the stuff.

The entire box is composed of 360 packages of 40 grams each of Nag Champa. It's fresh from Mumbai and arrived here in factory sealed condition.

What does this all mean?

On Saturday 6 December 2008, as part of our Open House, we will be offering this incense for sale at half price (reg. price $5, for Saturday only it will be $2.50 per box!)

If you want a lot, we're more than willing to accomodate (did I mention it was a Very Large Box?). A crate of 12 x 40 gram boxes is only $30. That's a lot of incense.

25 November 2008

2008-11-25T12:19:00.000-08:00

So it's been awhile since my last entry here - it's been busy times.

We discovered a portal in our back room. No, no...not *that* kind of portal (it'd be cool to access other dimensions but sadly this portal is of a much more mundane variety). Apparently there used to be double door between our back room and next door. We are considering reopening it. Should be interesting times.

Other news...the Open House is still a "go". And we are still planning to paint Dec 2 to 4th. Thank you everyone who has volunteered to help out. We *will* be in touch...

A new thing we are going to be doing at this year's open house is to have a live auction. I will attempt to be auctioneer (I will have to practice projecting my voice because I know I have a voice that carries like the whine of a mosquito on a warm night).

Things up for bid so far:
- a framed relic of Where Faeries Live (part of the old sign that was taken down)
- possibly the mural from the archway, provided we can remove it intact
- some crystal generators with some slight shop-wear
- a small box of crystal wands that had a little accident last year when a 2 pound garnet sphere took the plunge off the top shelf of the crystal cabinet and landed on them. Now there's twice as many wands - they're just smaller.
- a semiprecious stone and silver necklace handmade by Ed
- one of the first scrying mirrors into production by Where Faeries L ive (yes, we will be making them here now!)
- a gift basket of incense
- a package of our new "Yule" loose incense, only made here
- some Where Faeries Live bath salts

There will be other things, as I think of them. I will have them out for display at Fireside this coming Friday.

Proceeds from the auction will go to help us pay for renovations of WFL part II.

11 November 2008

2008-11-11T16:47:00.001-08:00

So it smells good in here...mostly because of mingled essential oils that dripped during bottling (it's still better than the last time, when I spilled a whole bottle of basil oil in the carpet. It made everyone who came into the back room crave pesto for weeks...)

On a related note: many of the oils we were "out" of have in fact now been bottled and are ready for sale. Lavender, Myrrh, Rosemary, Benzoin, and Altar Oil (among others) are all back in stock. Still out of Bergamot and Chamomile, sadly, but we're working on it and hope to have them available again soon.

We also recently got in a huge shipment of fairies...so now the Faerie Kingdom has been repopulated. In this order the supplier included a pamphlet with some new fairies...so stay tuned...

And...the book order has arrived (finally!). There are new titles we've never carried before. Keep note: we plan to expand our selection so if there's a title you would like to see us carry, feel free to drop us a line.

Lastly, we're planning an Open House on Saturday December 6th to celebrate the grand opening of our second half. On a related note, if anyone would like to help us paint Dec 2 to Dec 4 (payable in pizza and enormous gratitude), by all means give us a call!

3 November 2008

2008-11-03T15:19:00.000-08:00

So big news...

Our neighbours "The Leprechaun's Gold" have decided to shut down operations and as a result, Where Faeries Live will be expanding into their space.

Exciting times ahead...

23 October 2008

2008-10-23T10:50:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone...

So it's Fireside tomorrow (Friday) and the topic is going to be Divination. Your gentle host Ed will be facilitating. Bring your favourite divination tools (whatever they may be...well...maybe no entrails because that would just be messy and our carpets are already quite hard done by) and be prepared for a good discussion.

In other news...we received four shipments today and have a number of new items including:

- Fairy mints, bandaids (you have to see them to "get" them), "grow your own fairy" sets, and tiny, rubber glow in the dark fairies
- Stone sitting Goddess statues (about 3 inches high) in hematite, clear quartz, rose quartz, serpentine, sodalite and blue quartz
- Clear quartz Sacred Geometry pieces in strange merkabas and shapes I've never seen before
- Giant cotton tapestries in a variety of pagan themes
- More mortars and pestles than you could shake a stick at
- Tarot boxes and other sized soapstone boxes in a variety of designs
- Also, we just got in a rather sizeable book order which Rasa is processing as I write this...

15 October 2008

2008-10-15T11:30:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone...

Just to help the CWAA spread the word...they're going to be moving their service out of our back room and into a bigger space at the Ukrainian Centre (just north of downtown) effective November 9th (see our website calendar for more details).

In other news...we've managed to find a supplier who had a number of gold and silver ritual candles socked away in their warehouse. They are, as far as I can tell, the only outfit around who still has them and that's probably only because they deal in such volume. As far as I've been told, the manufacturer in Germany is clean out of them and has been for a number of months now. So...long story short - we've got them in stock. For now.

We also just landed a shipment from a strange supplier down south who deals with Hoodoo, Voodoo and Santeria items. We've got floor washes, odd soaps, oil blends from Anna Riva (Fast Luck Oil, anyone?) and a number of very nice altar cloths. Among other things too odd to mention (I chose not to get the "Lucky Black Cat Bone" because as far as I can tell, it's either not actually from a cat - which means it's not what it says it is and false advertising, or, worse, it actually *is* a bone from a cat)...

13 October 2008

2008-10-13T09:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Just a short note to say that we will be closed today (October 13).

1 October 2008 Part II

2008-10-01T16:45:00.000-07:00

This just in:

The Exploring the Mystical Side of Crystals: an Advanced Crystal Class has been *CANCELLED* at the instructor's request. Sorry everyone. This looked like it was going to be an excellent class.

1 October 2008

2008-10-01T12:13:00.000-07:00

Hello all...

Fred and I are back from our Kootenay trip...

It was quite exciting - our first night we saw a bear walking up the road toward us at dusk. This was also the night that I fell and landed on top of Fred while scaling the hillside at high speed in an effort to put distance between us and the self same bear.

The second night we stayed at Kokanee Creek Provincial Park just north of Nelson. This is a very beautiful campground with a great beach and some amazing walking trails. It is also where Kokanee salmon go to spawn and, later on, to die. Apparently the dead ones are quite the delicacy among crows and dogs and I had to really watch Fred to make sure he didn't eat any because rotten salmon + long car ride + camping = one bad scene.

The third night we stayed at Lockhart Beach Provincial Park north of Creston. There is a hiking trail that starts in the day use area and follows Lockhart Creek for miles and miles (possibly forever). Fred and I walked the trail to the 4 km mark with no end in sight. It's more of a goat path than a nature trail but that being said, the Parks people have done an amazing job with the upkeep. I highly recommend taking this trail if you're ever in the area because you'll see forms of life there that could possibly prove the existence of alien life on Earth. I've seen mushrooms before but what's growing in that little slice of rainforest is mindboggling. I can't even describe some of them but if you look up "bear's head fungus" online you'll get an idea of what's out there.

Anyway, the whole point of this story is...I took the twisty-windy drive up past Creston and and got more brooms. They had more variety of stock this year and I've managed to get some very nice brooms.

We're also starting to get our Christmas stock in and new things should be arriving every couple of weeks or so.

We will be hosting the CWAA Women's Mysteries this coming Sunday Oct 5.

Fireside will be Oct 10. As far as I know no topic/facilitator have been chosen.

24 September 2008

2008-09-24T17:22:00.000-07:00

Hello all...

I hope everyone has had a wonderful summer. I know *I* did. I had such a good time, in fact, that I completely lost track of time and as a result was very neglectful of this blog.

I do apologize for that...

At any rate, we've got a great many things going on here:

This coming Friday is Fireside. Ed will be facilitating and the topic is "Ritual Tools". This is a "show and tell" type event so please bring along one of your favourite ritual tools to discuss.

On Sunday Sept 28 we have Swami Anand Nisarg coming in at 2 pm to do a book signing of his two books "The Three Paths of Ecstasy" and The Song of the Blessed One". He will also give a brief talk on meditation and there will be a meditation session. Swamiji is the teacher of a Mystery School dedicated to assisting people who have committed themselves to awareness and self-transformation. He has been teaching meditation, providing initiation, and offering personal dialogue with students for many years.

Rasa is offering her Tarot class again for four consecutive Wednesdays starting October 8th. The classes run from 6:30 to 9:00 pm and the cost is $100.

Charlene is offering "Exploring the Mystical Side of Crystals: an Advanced Crystal Class". You should already have a basic knowledge of crystals and meditation before taking this class. The class will be held Sunday October 12 and Sunday October 19. Cost is $65.00. Call us at 780-454-0187 if you want more information.

We are also proud to offer an Introduction to Wicca class which will run four consecutive Sundays starting November 9th. I'll keep you posted as I get more information (we're still working out details). Drop us a line if you want to be put on the contact list for this class (I have a feeling it will fill up fast).

30 June 2008

2008-06-30T10:04:00.000-07:00

Hello all...

I forgot to mention...we *WILL* BE OPEN on Canada Day. And today (Monday). Regular hours (11am to 6pm). And we have a really good air conditioner running so it's actually somewhat pleasantly cool in the store.

On a related note, we still have the other, older air conditioner that we were using last summer. It is missing a knob and it works, mostly, and is FREE to a good home. Let me know if you're interested and I'll haul it out of the back room for you.

Also, if you are planning to come by, I'd recommend that you do it earlier rather than later because that afternoon sun is supposed to be quite scorching today. They're predicting 30C with a UV index of 8 (out of 10) which is, from what I can gather, enough to give you a lobster red "suntan" in a matter of minutes. Take care, drink lots (of water), and enjoy the weather while we have it.

Happy holiday everyone!

29 June 2008

2008-06-29T10:00:00.000-07:00

So we had an unexpected visit from one of our suppliers yesterday...

And they brought some amazing stones with them - some of which we have never had in the store before including:

Zincite (very rare - this is the first time I've ever actually seen it in person)...first accidentally made in a smelter in Poland, this stone is good for, among other things, overcoming phobias. It also attracts abundance at a physical and spiritual level (Judy Hall's "Crystal Bible" has a lot more to say about this but I don't have time to type it all in. Also, I think it might be bad karma to type the entire entry into web form, what with theft of intellectual property and all. That being said, we have a copy here and you're more than welcome to come down and read about it).

Also...Creedite. Think "Aragonite sputniks" but smaller and somehow...cuter. I swear I want to tie some up on thread and make an asteriod mobile out of them. According to Melody's "Love is in the Earth", Creedite "helps to align the throat and crown chakras and provides for clarity in expression in the spiritual realm".

And...some really weird stones. They're a form a selenite/gypsum found in the Winnipeg River (so sayeth the ladies who sold them to us). They're shaped like desert rose selenite but they're green and the blades are translucent. We also got the same thing but in brown (from the same place).

On the topic of desert rose selenite...we now have some monster sized specimens of it (one is fist sized) and the prices are pretty reasonable.

And azurite/malachite...
And some wands that look like maple but are in fact a form of jasper...
And more small spheres of excellent quality...
And obelisks...
And a jade egg...
And lions and tigers and bears (oh my!)

Seriously though...we've got a *lot* of crystals right now.

In other news...Fred ate another stitch today. He's going to get the rest out on Wednesday - if there are any left. Yech.