I once fancied myself a stamp collector. And a coin collector. Those days are no more. But really, they didn’t last very long in the first place.
At some point in my childhood, a relative gave me a large box of random stamps. I can’t say for sure how old I was, but I think we can safely assume I was younger than 10.
At first, I questioned why they had accumulated so many stamps to begin with. When it was explained to me that some people collect them—and due to the fact that I was now suddenly in possession of a large number of stamps—I felt it my duty to continue the tradition.
But since I rarely received mail, and thereby encountered new stamps quite infrequently, this collection did not go very far. Also I quickly became disinterested in the entire topic. I mean, what exactly does a small child do with stamps anyway? What’s the end goal, there? Simply put, it bored me.
I did, however, manage to put together a small coin collection.
When the US State Quarters were first issued, I made it my mission to collect one of each. And not just one of each design—I wanted a version from each individual minting location. It would have been 100 in all.
And that brings us to the boring fact of the day. On the obverse side of most quarters, there is a single letter that indicates where they were made. “P,” for instance, denotes an origin at the Philadelphia mint, while “D” denotes Denver. So you see, there were really two coins to collect for each state.
When I got change from a purchase, I would excitedly rifle through it to see if I had received any new and worthy specimens for my collection.
My enthusiasm for coins quickly waned, however. It might have lasted longer than my excitement for stamps, but it waned nonetheless. I still have a binder of coins hidden in a closet somewhere. I never finished it.
Good morning and happy Monday, friends.
- New Book Review: Witchcraft Unchained by Craig Spencer
This week has not been kind.
People are getting sniffly. The cold weather keeps deciding to stick around. And every waking hour of my life has been consumed with reading and schoolwork—I’m not sure why there’s been so much of it, but it’s been keeping me up until 2 or 3am each evening and I’m still not anywhere close to finishing it. But enough complaining.
We had an inner court coven ritual on Friday night. And on Saturday, Selene and I went out for Thai food.
Throughout the week, I processed some more Etsy orders. People were still buying Brigid’s crosses, but maybe now we’re starting to move back into Kyphi season. Does Kyphi have a season? I don’t know. It smells good all year round.
Here are a few things that are coming up on the horizon.
Let me focus on one of those for a minute… the greenest one. The one that is the most plantastic of them all. The place where herbalists go to pontificate about things that grow.
Yeah, Botanica Obscura. It’s less than a month away! Here’s a short teaser of the workshop I’ll be presenting:
The Harmonic Herbarium: Songs, Spirits and the Music of Plants
Discover the ancient link between plants, planets, and music in this immersive workshop. Learn the harmonic tones that resonate with common magical herbs, create a personal “sonic sigil” for a plant spirit, and explore how music can be a powerful offering to the green world. No musical experience required—just a voice, an open ear, and a willing heart.
Don’t wait to get your tickets!
Speaking of festivals and conferences, I’ll have a short little summary of Turning the Tide for you to enjoy later this week.
Oh, in happier news, I tried Starbuck’s strawberry cold foam. I added it to a mocha. It was basically like drinking a chocolate covered strawberry. Absolutely delicious.
(I’m not sure what my handwritten message was supposed to say, though… I read “aerjo!”)
And book wise? I’m currently working over 58,000 words. I’ll be crossing the 60,000 word threshold any day now… probably this week.
Oh, and I have started recording for my next season of M3. It doesn’t really feel like I took any time away from it, though. And I guess I must be pretty wicked because I haven’t found any rest for a while. Nonetheless, you can be assured of new episodes.
Stay tuned for more soon!
Aerik Arkadian 
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