Venus has spoken!

And you know what she said?
"Get a hair cut and stop playing with fire!"

Woah! Yep, that's what she said alright.
(Let me explain.)

It was with eager anticipation that I walked into the bathroom to began my meditative bath. I stood over the tub ready to start the 'Venus Connection' and took a hard look at the object of my desire, the tub.  I gave a light 'blow' into the abyss and dust flew back at me. "Hmm..this needs some work. It has surely been a long time!". There was even a dead spider in there! "EGADS!"

I began the process. First off, music then to cleaning the tub, or should I say 'de-dusting' the tub? Once the tub was clean, I started running the bath. I reached to the back of the tub where all the 'beauty' items were on display (and trust me, display is all they were by this time) found some wonderful bath salts in a lovely glass jar and sprinkled some in. (a gift from 1 of 5)
Now for bubbles. I looked, searched and moved things about but alas, there were no bubbles to be had. What does a modern crone witch do in a case such as this? Crones improvise! I grabbed some lavender shampoo and gave it a big squirt into the running water. Two for good measure.

"OH LOOK! BUBBLES!"

(Bubble bubble toil and trouble is what I should have started singing, but I still had 'Venus stars' in my eyes.)

I ran about the house gathering the other supplies I would need for this luxurious relaxing, warm bubble seduction. "Hmm..phone just in case it rings, wine glass, wine bottle, pen and paper for messages from the other side ..OH! Rose oil...and oh yes..candles! I must have candles! I grabbed up some tall wrought iron (imitation I might add) candle holders.."oh look, candles already in place...how convenient!" I gave them a blow off too..puffs of dust billowed forth.  "hmm..oh well, dust burns" and onward to the bathroom I went gathering the last few supplies on my way.
A book to read just in case Venus decided not to speak to me, my cigs (yes I smoke..I'm supporting america..hush!) Matter of fact, I needed to open a new pack, my old pack was empty so I grabbed a new pack from the top of the fridge, the small ashtray and my lighter.
All this was starting to be more like work then a glorious revelation!
I now had all the needed loot and off to the bathroom I fluttered. The tub was 1/2 full and the bubbles were billowing.

Laying out all the gathered booty, I placed the candles around the tub and lit them. As I stepped into the silky warmness of the water I found an extra candle at the back of the tub and lit it too. It was shorter then the others, but would help to give me extra light should I need to write or read anything. I felt pleased with my Venus Offerings as I sank lower into a pleasure I had not experienced in many moons. I was two glasses of wine relaxed too. Yeah, this was going to be a good night.
(Little did I know).

The warmth of the water and the pillow of bubbles was intoxicating. I made a plea to Venus asking that she come and share this bath in her honor with me, to take my hand and lead my down the path of learning to love myself again.

It was at this point that the decadence took a bad turn.
Uuhuh..sure did.
(Stop right here.. go to the bathroom now, because I'd hate to know I was responsible for another Crone suffering incontinence  ..mmk?)

WINE! I needed to sip some wine in Venus's honor. I sat up, turned and poured some wine to sip. This was a good time to grab a cigarette too so I picked up the pack and opened it taking one out. This is when the ability to 'foresee' the future hit me. In my mind I thought, "would be a bad thing to drop these in the water since you just opened them". Before I finished the thought as I was reaching to lay them out of danger I dropped the whole damn pack into the tub. (sigh).

I grabbed them up, laughed at the ability to see that disaster coming and knowing I could do nothing about it and placed the soaked pack on the sink counter. I lit the one I saved,  picked up my glass, put the  inconvenience behind me and began the relaxing process.
The warm water enticed me to lay back and enjoy and that's exactly what I did..laid back to meditate.
I think I relaxed a bit too much. I forgot about the candle behind me, the short one that was on the tub....the last candle I lit.

"What's that smell?" I jumped up quick..something was burning! I jerked my head left and right looking for any signs of smoke! At this point I recognized the distinct smell of burning hair! I reached back and realized that my pony tail had gone into the candle behind me. I pulled off a small handful of hair that was no longer attached, the ends curled and shriveled, looking like the Wicked Witch's feet as she disappeared under the house once her ruby slippers were removed!
"OHMYGAWD!"  I reached again and found more strands frizzled and fried, pulling them off and adding them to the crunchy pile accumulating at the edge of the tub.

I sat dumfounded. How in the hell could I DO that!  I mean I knew I was intending to get it cut SOON..but GEE!  All in all it wasn't much hair, really. Not anything more or less that doesn't come off when I shampoo it, but REALLY! I mean did Venus have to tell me to love myself and to get a hair cut in THIS fashion!

(PUHLEASE! Talk about drastic! and getting your point across!)

I'm also SURE the spirits are telling me to leave flames alone!  Period! Let's think about this...the first circle and the carpet burn, and the second circle and a bigger carpet burn, then leaving out today with an altar candle still aflame and finally tonight? !!! Nuff said..Now it's getting personal!

Ok, so here I am, burnt hair and soaked cigarettes..what's a crone to do? Well, you finish up what you started that's what.
After moving the offending candle I did lay back to relax and meditate.  Thirty minutes later, the fingers were pruned and the bubbles were dead so my time in the tub was up. Of course, I wanted to 'wash' everything so I grabbed up another one of those 'decorative' items I had never used, a homemade bar of soap, again a gift from 1 of 5 and a large all natural loofah sponge that I had purchased a while back but never got the chance to use. It was time to do some sloughing off of the old (even if it was skin).

The soap smelled lovely as I rubbed it across the loofah and began scrubbing up. In my loofah bliss I did not notice right away the little black 'things' floating in the water.  Finally something caught my eye and I looked down. Since the soap bubbles were nearly gone I could see small black oval 'things' floating in my tub! "WHAT THE HELL!?"  I came to my feet with a quickness!

I stared down at the black spots floating on the water and bent over to closely examined one. Loofah still in hand, I poked at the floater. I didn't see any legs on it so there was no immediate panic. Now I'm wondering WHERE did this come from and what the hell was it!. It was not here a minute ago. I looked at the loofah in my hand, turned it round and peered down inside.  There were many more 'black things' inside it.
(I almost threw it.)
Upon closer inspection it dawned on me what they were. "SEEDS! Ohmygawd,  It's just seeds!"
(I was relieved!)
However..I think I've had enough decadent Venus Connection and loving myself spiritual awakening time to last until maybe the tub gathers dust again! This was quite enough.

I was done..

Catch you next time:
Crone of Loofah seeds and burnt hair
Sage