My favorite part of Fall are the items that come out for the Season. After years of working at Starbucks nothing says Fall like Pumpkin Spice. So, this year, I decided to try four Pumpkin Spice products for comparison to see which one does it best.
Starbucks Pumpkin Spice I don't have a picture of this one. This was the regular Creamer with Sugar so it's not an apple to apple comparison to the Coffee Mate below. This was amazing and tasted a lot like the Pumpkin Spice flavoring from Starbucks. This is exactly what I look for when it comes to Pumpkin Spice flavoring. I didn't need to add any additional sweetner as the flavor was well balanced. I only used about two tablespoons in my coffee and it was the perfect amount to flavor the coffee. I used this in the Columbian Coffee I reviewed recently. I highly recommend the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Creamer. Unfortunately, my Target only had it for one week in August and it hasn't come back. Coffee Mate Pumpkin Spice Creamer (Sugar Free) First, I have Sugar Free Pumpkin Spice Creamer. I am not diabetic but I've had Sugar Free stuff since I was borderline while pregnant with my second child. The smell is creamy Pumpkin with a hit of spice. This one has a really strong artificial taste to it. I can taste the Pumpkin first followed with a swirl of Spices. I imagine this is what a pumpkin Spice candle tastes like. I don't think it's awful but it doesn't taste natural. There is also a strange after taste of the Spice that lingers. I don't think I will get this one again. I added three packets of Sweet n Low and the Flavored improved. The extra sweetness helped cover up the artifical taste. I added the Pumpkin Spice to a Columbian Roast that had a neutral coffee flavor (and I reviewed just recently). So, I know it's not the coffee. Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Coffee This was on sale at Winco for $7.99 while it was $10.99 at Target. Usually Winco doesn't sell the Seasonal Blends or Flavors so it was a real treat to find this there. They had a small seasonal display that will probably be gone next week. I find Starbucks Flavored package coffees are always interesting. Most of the time they don't taste anything like the Latte thst they invoke (Barristas use syrups which make a huge difference as opposes to the coffee beans being flavored). They usually do blends of different regional coffees instead of flavors. My favorite so far was the Honey and Madagascar Vanilla blend they did around Spring. Smell The smell of the coffee does hit as artificial. The Pumpkin is the primary smell is very sweet and the spices are a residual. I may be confusing the Spices with an artifical smell but the initial smell opening the coffee is not Pumpkin. As A Plain Coffee Smells sweet with some spice flavor. I mostly taste the strong regular coffee flavor when it's plain. There is a note of Pumpkin and spice as more of an aftertaste. With Milk I used 1% Lactaid (I'm lactose intolerant). I didn't really notice a difference in taste compared to the plain coffee. With Sweetner I used Sweet 'n Low since I avoid sugar. The Pumpkin flavor really popped with a little sugar. The spice remained more of an after taste. As A "Crafted Beverage" There is a little recipe for making a crafted Pumpkin Spice beverage at home. It consists of a little half and half, Pumpkin Spice seasoning and sugar. Luckily, I have all of these at home so I decided to try this method for my second cup. Smell I mostly smell the flavor of the spices. Taste I mostly taste the Spices. I don't think I would do this again and if I did I would probably use less spice. A pinch of pumpkin spice is probably enough. The flavor wasn't what I expected. Red Brick Pumpkin Spice Coffee This was selling for $5.99 at Winco and this is the primary coffee they sell. The Toasted Chestnut flavor from Red Brick is my favorite flavor for Christmas. Smell: This coffee does have an artificial pumpkin flavor. That's normal for this brands flavored coffees. It actually smells really good. Plain Coffee The Pumpkin Spice flavor is prominent. It's not overpowering, however, and this is more of a dark roast coffee compared to the Starbucks. Like the Starbucks the Spice is the most noticeable taste. With Milk The milk doesn't really make much of a difference. I used 1% Lactaid so that might be part of the reason. With Sweetner This coffee really shines with the sweetener. Once sweetner is added the Pumpkin Spice flavor is sweet and the spicy notes compliment it. Overall I would probably stick to the Starbucks Creamer for my Pumpkin Spice needs. Since I see it as an indulgenc I can justify the sugar for it. The other offerings were okay but they're just not that Starbucks Pumpkin Spice that I am looking for. The coffees I tried last year from Joffery's out does all of these and remain the best Pumpkin flavored coffees that I've ever tried. So, unless I can convince the husband to let me order those again I think I will probably skip the pumpkin spice flavored coffees and stick to the creamer.
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Astrology
This Full Moon is at 6 degrees of Aries. Six is the number I associate with the Divine Feminine and in esoteric traditions it represents relationships. In numerology this is perfection and compeltion. Saturn is now in Pisces and, finally, not in one of the signs it rules! The Saturn energy will finally be lifting and being constructively use by restricting Group Think and perhaps the Media. Again, we have a mostly harmonious chart but we're locked into the same pattern with the outer planets. Neptune is still Sextile Uranus and Pluto while Uranus and Pluto are in a Trine while Pluto squares the North Node. The Collective Narrative is changing. The Sun is Trine Pluto so we are consciously thinking of those Capricornian endings that are in their final stages as Pluto will leave Capricorn early next year. Mercury is in a supportive trine with Jupiter and Uranus in Taurus but opposed by Neptune. We're thinking about the changes and disruptions we've seen in the material world even though the Media doesn't want us to be thinking about that. Lilith is Trine the North Node and opposed Saturn in Pisces. She's ready for moving on but not a big fan of Saturn restricting the Group Think. Oracle Stone: Clear Quartz This is the stone of amplification and magnification but I always think of purity or clarity. This stone energizes everything around it. There is also a stone that can help direct energy. This stone works with the Soul Star Chakra that is above the crown Chakra.
I did forget to include the mineral companion in this video. The Mineral Companion was Hypersenthe so it feels as though it will be a pretty interesting Libra Season. What we see here is the option to explore something new but really the collective is not really ready to shift. Change is here whether we like it or not. A lot of people are not going with the change that could bring more unity.
Unity is an interesting topic in such a divided community these days. That we are being offered Unity here if people would explore to new ideas is really interesting. If there were a cannidate that was running on Unity they would probably go far but right now everyone has been polarized. I've been thinking about Unity and Oneness a lot lately. I've been debating making a video or blog on the subject. There is something, when you are tuned into Unity, that allows so much room for people. Knowing that most people are stuck within an isolationists mind set, truly believing that they are seperate and they need an angle to survive explains so much strange behavior that we see out there. This perception has completely changed how I view human behavior. I see most people going from event to event like a drunk. People love the idea of change and transformation but they change it on every level of their being. The basic ideas that I live under- The Illusion of Seperation (here is a video on that: https://youtu.be/Agl772t69vA?si=3L4qiq1Pv9ZWCZW6), understanding Group Think (https://youtu.be/AGjF1cFHTeY?si=_Rr79DxSDZKgNAjr), and Oneness- brings a lot of peace and paitence with other people. These Oracle Readings, for example, are really fun to make. I really enjoy doing the different Astro Oracle Readings every week. Each Oracle has its own story which I enjoy. Does it really apply to every single perosn? I don't know. People seem to enjoy the videos. I've told myself as long as I get more then 10 views on the videos I'll keep doing them. One week I had 400+ on one of the videos but most of the time I have one that goes over fifty which seems to be based on what the title is (not the thumbnail as YouTube seemed to suggest). For me it's just fun to do the readings. I don't take them too seriously. I do wonder about a Self-fulfilling prophecy. Do people let these readings color their weeks? If so, I approach them with a lot of care trying to teach the concepts that have brought me peace, joy and prosperity. In a way, because I know such peace, joy and prosperity I feelits my duty to share with others what it is that I know and how I approach life. People can see all of the details of the last few years of my life on this blog if they care to look into my past. I haven't hidden a thing but put it all out there for people to see. Either way I hope you enjoyed this reading. I hope you seek unity in all things. I am not sure when I will be posting a blog on how I view Oneness now but it will be coming out. I may do that in video form. See ya soon. So, I started TikTok to see how easy it was as a creator. What I discovered surprised me. I really didn't like it as a creator because things couldn't be scheduled. Thr App is really made for people to spontaneously upload their videos off their phone.
I had issues logging in on my laptop. My Spyware did not like the app at all so that was totally blocked. I thought that was really interesting. I was really interested in uploading my weekly astro on there but thr laptop is where I create those so being unable to long onto the app prevented that. With the inability to schedule when videos drop I just felt it was too much work. Everyday I would have to log on and upload a video...which in my life is a bit tough. That really didn't work for me. Also, the first few videos had about 800+ views but similar to YouTube instead of more exposure I was put on a limit where I received about 200+ views. That was more than YouTube but with the fact I couldn't upload from my Laptop and I couldn't schedule videos it just didn't work for me. I also tried the app out as a consumer and I have mixed feelings. The majority of people who popped up were just average people with nothing special to say. There were a few trends I really didn't like. Overall, I really didn't like the vibe of the majority of the people I came across. There was a darkness to the people on that App. They all felt like Hungry Ghosts...searching for something to satisfy them either with views or with content. The Spiritual Community on there that popped up on it for me was mostly witches and spammy gypsy junk. Thankfully I came across none of the LGBTQ stuff. There were some cute videos- from dental assistants and teachers- but those were few and far between. I did see how interested my daughter was in it. There are no parental controls on the App. There is a lot of bad language, not to mention really horrible grammar, so there is no way I would ever let a little kid watch TikTok and any parent who does is bananas. I thought Facebook isn't that healthy for kids but TikTok is that on Meth. I can see how teens who use that app would come away with horrible self-esteem. So yeah, I just didn't like the App and decided it wasn't for me. If I don't want to watch what they offer I don't really want to publish my stuff on it. To me it's a validation machine. Anyone who searches for Validation through others approval via views is cruising for mental disorder and disappointment. In fact, I saw quite a bit of mental illness including someone suicidal on there which was very disturbing. People just make crap posts that they once did on Facebook but now they are shared with more then just friends. Being successful is a combination of rare traits. I don't think that I have all of them myself which is why I am not totally successful on YouTube. One is passion for what you're sharing (I'm not as passionate as I once was), having something to say l, offering a service and being attractive (shallow but true). Sometimes people take off that don't fall under these but it's not often. Ultimately, this is Facebook on Meth and I see it as just a brief fad. I don't intend to let my kids on it but hopefully it will be gone in the next five years or so. Add on that China uses TikTok for spying (Federal Employees can't have it on their phones) and there is no benefit to TikTok. I did get some followers and I could have probably continued to build on that but the fact I didn't even want to tell the husband I was checking it out really told me it was a failed experiment. If the App had more built on to it like YouTube where things could be scheduled and if I could log on with my laptop I may have stayed even though I didn't like the majority of the content. Overall, it was a terrible experience. If you haven't checked it out you're not missing out on anything. Today I'm trying a Coffee from a region I've never had before- El Salvador.
I loved the smell. The smell is complex and bright with earthy and slightly sweet tones. This is definitely a light blend medium roast. The taste was not very strong but very smooth. This is the type of coffee thst really doesn't need crean or sugar. There is a little bit of an earthy flavor followed by a little citrus. Overall, a great coffee. With cream the flavors really pop. The blend becomes more sweet so I do recommend milk to go with this coffee. Sugar (Sweet N Low in my case) didn't add much to the overall experience but it did bring out a little bit more of the citrus notes. I strongly recommend El Salvador El Rosario Blend coffee. I really enjoyed this one. Astrology
This New Moon is at 21 degrees of Virgo breaking down to 3. Three is the number of growth through communication. This is a mostly harmonious chart and not much new energy. We seem to be locked in a pattern similar to the last New Moon. The Sun and Moon are in practical Virgo. They are being Trined by Jupiter in Taurus, Uranus in Taurus and Pluto in Capricorn. We're really focused on the Endings and disruptions we've experienced on the material level. Neptune in Pisces is opposed this focus. Mercury in Scorpio is still opposed by Saturn in Aquarius. We also have that same outer planet energy of Neptune sextiling Uranus and Pluto. Uranus and Pluto are still in a Trine. The Indigenous Moon Hunters Moon The first Moon of the West, the direction of Water and what I like to call perfecting. On the Medicene Wheel this is the direction where the little imperfections of our creation are removed. This Moon starts with the Fall Equinox when Grandmother Moon and Grandfather Sun are equal. Here we pause to observe our progress as we look to the Harvest ahead and the coming winter. This is a time of generosity. Hebrew Letter Yod We have the Yod again because of the 13th Moon. Again, we have the Divine Masculine version of the Yod. The Yod may be the smallest letter of the Hebrew Alphabet but it is repeated twice in the sacred name of God in the Hebrww tradition. This is one of the most potent letters in the Hebrew Alphabet. Tarot Card: The Hermit Again, we are repeating the symbols of the last Moon cycle because this Moon falls within the same time period. Here we have the call of our Soul twice in a row! The Hermit guides us on the Path but it is none other then our Higher-self depicted in other parts of the Tarot as an Angel. Faery Oracle Card The Faery Godmother The number of this card breaks down to 7 or the Path of the Seeker. In many ways she is similar to the Hermit. Saeree is the Faery Godmother. She is known for giving us grace and often an unexpected turn of good fortune. She is here to give a blessing and asks only that you bless others too. This is a card of good fortune but I also feelsthat she offers a choice. Most Feary Godmothers offer not only a limited time gift but also an adventure. Tools This New Moon's symbology speaks to Ancestors so I made a grid to honor them and the blessing they are bestowing upon us. I believe in working with our ancestors with the greatest love and reverence. I'm using Frankencense Incense for fire as I find that to be the most sacred. I'm alao using Frankencense Essential Oil for the same reason. For Fire I'm using a Brown Candle to honor the Earth where their remains are buried and as this is a New Moon in the Earth Sign of Virgo. Earth Mineral Grid Clear Quartz Generator: One of the most popular stones it works with all of the chakras, is a powerfu l channel to direct energy and amplifies the stones around it. Trilobite: This Fossil works with all of the chakras but primarily the Earth Star Chakra. Trilobites lived sometime between 526 to 250 million years ago. This Fossil can help us tune into the ancient records of our ancestors. Cradle Of Humankind: The stone for ancestral connection and wisdom. This Root Chakra stone comes from the caves in Soth Africa where our ancestors lay encased in limestone for centuries. Septarian: This stone works worth with the Root and Sacral Chakras. Meditating with this stone can help uncover ancestral and past life contracts. Kambaba Jasper : An important part of the Shamanic Path is to work with the Ancestors. This Heart Chakra stone includes stromatolite fossils which are thought to be 3 billion years old helping us work with our human ancestry as they have born witness to much of it. One thing about the news and even the Spiritual Community over the years that I am really over is the constant drama. This event is the biggest even ever to happen- in astrology/in the news- but then in a few weeks its..."this is the latest unprecidented event" happens and I'm just over it. I don't care if Trump is indicted a hundred times, it won't change my opinon of him or the government. I don't care if Biden went by an alias to talk to Hunter Biden's business partners because nothing will ever come of it. I don't care what the latest huge sum of money we sent to Ukraine is because that's some that's not going to change either. I really see us stuck this year in a kind of loop of the same stuff and nothing coming of it...that's partly because the planets are all in retrograde. There will be a real ho-hum spinning our wheels sort of feeling for the most of this year. Aside from the buzz around Oppenheimer and Barbie (neither of which I desire to see really...the former being too long and the latter potentially destroying my appreciation for a beloved childhood icon) there hasn't been much out of the ordinary this year. Neither of those movies would have made a splash in the nineties...so it really says how low entertainment has gone in the last few years that they are so significant. While I am surprised by the amount of stuff that humans tend to create...I have to wonder if we are coming to a dead end creatively. Where do we go when there are no new ideas? Humans like new things. That's one of the reasons we never really get around to or become very good at maintaining what we already have (infastructure). I've been on a bit of a Spiritual Plateau for awhile. While I listen to some tarot (from a friend who's trying to grow her channel) and continue to listen to some astrology (I don't listen to Molly McCord anymore since she talks in circles and Pam Gregory's New Earth stuff is a turn off) it's just not the same as it once was...I mostly pay attenton to my own stuff. I've been on a bit of a Spiritual Plateau for awhile. While I listen to some tarot (from a friend who's trying to grow her channel) and continue to listen to some astrology (I don't listen to Molly McCord anymore since she talks in circles and Pam Gregory's New Earth stuff is a turn off) it's just not the same as it once was...I mostly pay attenton to my own stuff. I find it really significant that I have been able to predict major events in my life but that's just an interesting aside. After what I have already accomplished and experienced spiritually I don't know if there is anything else...instead I find myself really falling into the routine of maintaining my life and that's about it. I have a deep inner peace and joy...and not much of a drive to share anything. I remember the zealousness I had when I first created my YouTube Channel. You can sense it in the videos that I made. Not only did I have more time to create them but there was a real excitement in my voice. Now I speak much slower and I feel as though I've shared all of my wisdom already. To keep going back to the same places seems to be mundane and boring. I had a little fun with the 13th Moon and Hidden Step of Alchemy video but it hit about 23 views. My video of Angel, who passed away five years ago now, hit a thousand views in Shorts. The stark contrast blows me away. I am building viewers for the Weekly Oracle- which I genuinely enjoying doing- which seems to be the course that the YouTube is going. I wish I could build it off of something like the Alchemy videos but really that doesn't do a service for people. In some ways I feel as though I missed the boat...that if I had started doing Oracle videos five years ago it would have been successful by now. I defintely messed up by quitting. But is my Spiritual Path simply doing Oracle readings and that's it...or will it take me to new places? I feel as though the Spiritual Community is just regurgitating itself at this point. The same tired story lines and ideas keep coming up. I think that's why I am making my video about meeting my Higher Self. I'd like to see the next trend start in the Spiritual Community. Maybe it will be people meeting their Higher Self...or attaining Unity Consciousness like Nicole Brennie (who has some interesting instrgram live videos). Ultimately, I'm about spiritual evolution so I'm curious if that will continue to develop or if the next phase in that is really when I pass to see if my soul decides to do something other then Incarnate on Earth. I made the mistake of checking out TikTok. I was really surprised to find out that was just a validation machine for minor people. There really isn't much to that thing and it is really gross. Some of the trends that popped up were really gross. I get needing to feel validated by others but I think it's a very unhealthy addiction...that sort of self-affirming through the outer world brings no satisfaction and if it dries up...it's not good. So, yeah, I discovered that was a vile cesspool and I'll probably delete the App. I thought it would be more like YouTube and that my shorts would work there but boy was I wrong. My shorts do well but at the same time the app is so repungnant to me that I can't keep on there in the hope of it really taking off. Plus you have to hit 100,000 followers which is a lot (I racked up a few but yeah...it's too much work. Unlike YouTube videos can't be scheduled and I like to make them in advance). So, yeah, that thing is gross. Honestly, I think it's the dead end of creativity. I guess, ultimately, I'm really bored with society at large (nothing interesting is coming out in Entertainment) and with the Spiritual Community. I can only wonder how long this plateau of boredom will last in both communities. If there really will be a change or if it's going to just more of the same. I think it comes down to the old saying, "Before Awakening Carry Water and Split Wood and after Awakening Carry Water and Split Wood." There is no spiritual hack to make life instantly easier and smooth. Life will always be life with it's ups and downs. What changes is the response we have to the events and because our response is more even and smooth...filled witht the fruits of paitence, compassion, empathy, love, etc. The Spiritual Awakening was a fun journey but now it's back to splitting wood...and the same old thing. I wonder if there will be a new call to adventure of if it's really over. People are rediscovering things that I learned a long time ago so it's just not that exciting. I have plenty of videos to make...there are things I've studied I haven't shared that I am excited to share but at the same time...I read and discovered these things years ago. |
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Thank You For Visiting
Brave Soul! May Your Journey On The Path Of The Seeker Bring You Joy and Peace! I'm currently posting every Saturday. With a new addition the family I have pre-scheduled most posts through December 2022. Full Moon Posts will contain up-to-date content when I can get to them. Thank you so much for your support and understanding! This is a place where you can encounter new spiritual ideas that have helped me develop as an Individual On The Path of the Seeker. Take or Leave this information as you see fit. Archives
April 2024
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