I realise that I haven’t  produced a ‘Witchy Wednesday’ post in a VERY long time, so here’s a quick post. Today is Ostara after all, a time for new beginnings and fresh starts, so I felt spurred on to write for you all; but what to write about?

In need of inspiration, I took a trip over to Witchfest island Mall.  In real life I used to be a member of the Children Of Artemis, so it’s always pleased me no end that they have representation in world. But truth be told, the mall is looking somewhat depleted these days. The always wonderful Artemis Tavern is still going strong, and servicing the community with pride, but I can’t help but feel that it’s time for an image change.  I stayed and had a good nosy around, but I didn’t see many sculpted items for sale, let alone any mesh.   In fact compared to other areas of Second Life it looks very dated indeed. This saddens me, and it pains me to say that, because I have a lot of admiration for the people that put in their time and effort to run the community there, but  I really do think that the area desperately needs freshening up and a re-model is past due. That aside the area is still VERY popular with Witches, Wiccans and Pagans in Second Life, and rightly so, so please don’t think I’m dissing it entirely, I just think an image change would bring even more people to the shops and into the wonderful community that resides there.

After my quick wander round I felt a tad-deflated, so I had a nosey at in-world search and an ad for Raven Keep piqued my interest.  I’ve never heard of it before, so I TP’ed over to take a look, and it’s rather interesting!

There are a great array of items here for any Second Life Witch to enjoy.  You’ll discover lots of home ware at great prices, with many unique, pleasing touches.   It’s clear that the owner, Karra Babii, has a great imagination which is just what you want to see when it comes to all things Witchy! You’ll see cauldrons in various sizes as well as weather-vanes, wiccan signs and textures and ritual equipment.  There’s a black Altar that would certainly look the part at the centre of a ritual; with the black and shiny marble giving it a really masculine feel. Something for the male Witch in your life perhaps?

You’ll also spy some  really nice prim spell books, goblets mugs and drinking vessels, and my favourite part of the store was the herbal collection and apothecary.   This is great fun; a startling array of jars and potions all with labels detailing the concoctions inside; Earthworms, Petrified Butterflies or Dragon Flesh anyone?  Stick a few of these in your kitchen and see who notices!The Wiccan Attic Wash Table’s are very pretty and modern, with a sort of shabby chic, and would look good as a mini-altar in the home. There’s space to fit a Crystal ball or statue, wand and candle on the top, and at L$99 they’re not going to break the bank.

A quick sprint to Sable Rose so I can quickly  mention of an old favourite of mine, the Ostara jewellery set.

I’ve always liked Rosie’s designs, and I’ve always loved the male and female versions of this particular set and worn them both with pride (I’ve kinda always liked the male version better..shh!) but it’s the perfect item to wear to an Ostara ritual, or to gift to a friend on the Spring Equinox, so do go and check it out.

I’ve just learned  that my favourite altars of all time, from Peculiar Designs, have been upgraded to make them even more awesome!   Alas, they’re a little too prim heavy for my everyday use, but I’m hopeful that in the near future perhaps esteemed creator Poppy Teskat will come up with something to alleviate the prim count a smidgen, because to be perfectly honest I’ve yet to find altars that are this good. I’ve seen some that come very close, but there’s just something about the way her items are constructed that makes them worth the L$450 price tag. That may seem steep, but consider these an investment as you will never need another altar in-world again. In my pictures above I’m displaying the older versions which are still stylish after a few years, but  I notice that Poppy now has new versions for sale that feature different rezzable props for each Sabbat. If you‘re planning your ritual for this weekend let me tell you that the Ostara version of this altar features a moon-gazing hare!  How delightful is that?! (Picture below taken from Poppy’s marketplace listing)

The Altars themselves are available in some really lovely wood textures now too. as well as featuring previous details such as their changeable textiles and metals .I know I said they’re prim heavy BUT if you have the spare prims to accommodate these altars then I seriously wouldn’t think twice before  splashing out.  I notice from Poppy’s profile that she’s got quite the year ahead of her but I really hope she finds the time to come into Second Life and add even more to her range of amazing Wiccan items..wouldn’t some sculptie prims or even mesh be just wonderful?

Last but not least, I zoomed over to Gaia Rising,which is probably my favourite Pagan sim in Second Life, to see if they were having an Ostara ritual there. I’ve featured their lovely rituals on these pages before, but sadly when I got there I couldn’t see anyone around.  Instead I lit a candle and threw a wish into their wishing cauldron  before taking a slow, enjoyable walk around.  (I had some fun taking a few pictures of the area using the ‘depth’ feature in the camera options, and then added some light via Picmonkey, the result is below)

Whatever you’re doing for Ostara, may it be a very blessed time for you indeed.

I hope I can find some lovely Witchy items to feature again here in the near future, especially quality  sculpties or mesh items, so if you know of any be sure to drop me an IM in-world and let me know!