Welcome…

Welcome to Autumn Surise: The Road Home.

 

To view the latest entries, check the sidebar at the right under “Recent Posts” for most recent top ten.  Or, to view by subject matter, check the sidebar at the right under “Categories”.  But, for a more in-depth understanding of this blog, why it exists, who created it, and how it works, please read below for a complete tour of Autumn Sunrise: The Road Home.

 

Blog Name: The Road Home

User Name: Autumn Sunrise

Given Name: Wendi Friend

Age: 36

Born: August 10, 1972

Aspiration: Writer / Spiritualist

Occupation: Food Server

Location: Kentucky

Marital Status: Divorced

Maternal Status: Single mother of three – two teens at home, one adult child living in Vegas.

Sun Sign: Leo

Moon Sign: Aries

Rising Sign: Aries

Chinese Astrology: Year of the Rat

 

 

Over the years, I’ve had several blogs, each with its own flavor and purpose.  Some were personal, some professional, and some were… well, chaotic and misguided.  Having gone through a few trials, tribulations, turbulance, and transformations, I’ve since deleted all of those blogs, which then left me feeling lost, alone, and confused.  I’ve created The Road Home as a compilation of all the blogs I used to have, including my personal and professional aspects… not only to gather and store all of my writings, studies, and random musings in one location, but as a way to get to know myself all over again, accepting all of the pieces and parts of me – including the good, the bad, and the ugly.

 

The first category I’ve included in The Road Home is called Know Thyself. Here, I’ve included the reasons I’ve chosen Autumn Sunrise as my user name, the meaning and numerology behind my given name, Leo profile according to Western astrology, a description for those born in the Year of the Rat according to Eastern astrology, a personality profile based on psychology and the theories of Jung, and have included a page from the book of Destiny – finding my karmic path. These “snapshots” of me are included for my own benefit as ways to identify with myself, analyze my own behaviors, and define the path I walk on The Road Home, finding my own divine truths.  If you’d like to understand more about how I tick, feel free to explore the category Know Thyself.

 

I’m a big fan of being aware, and by aware, I mean being attuned to the seasons, elements, environment, planets, and other natural and magickal influences.  Each morning, I draw a Tarot Card, Fairy Oracle, Animal Medicine Card, and a Tao Card. Then, if and when time allows, I do the daily correspondences - listing the day’s influences, ruling planet, whether it’s a planting or harvest day, the moon’s phase and sign, the sun’s astrological influence, and my own personal horoscope.  Doing this helps me increase my own knowledge base in regard to magickal influences, but it also helps provide a road map for each day.  I call this section The Daily Dose.

 

One thing I know about myself without question is that I am an absolute believer in the faerie realm and otherworldly creatures.  I love to glimpse beyond the veils of this reality and into the enchantments of Faeryland. As part of my journey into exploring and understanding the otherworld, I’ve written a few articles and poems on the various types of faeries and otherworldly creatures.  In time, I will be adding to this category at length.  To cross beyond the veil and enter the Otherworld, visit the Otherworldly Enchantments category.

 

So, I’m a single mother earning a living by waiting tables, dreaming of a life as a writer and a spiritualist. I’m a Leo with an Aries Moon sign and an Aries sun sign, born in the Year of the Rat - on a journey to find and accept my true Self, who believes in faeries. What else? Well, lots of people like to slap the label “witch” on me, although I’m in no way affiliated with Wicca (or any other religion for that matter).  Granted, many of my “quarks” and beliefs can be tucked neatly into the category of Pagan, but that’s another label and I tend to rebel against labels.  What I do know is that I’m a firm believer in magick – spelled intentionally with the k at the end.  I believe every word, thought, and action are “spells” of sorts, and that we can enhance the energy flow in our lives by attuning to the Earth, her cycles, the treasures she offers in the way of natural resources and elements, and the Universe in which Earth exists.  I’ve explored my concepts of magick through writing, and share those thoughts in the category Abstract Magick. I’ve also included a main page of this blog that I call Magick Compass, aligning the four directions and elements with their correspondences and energy flow, and a page called Moon Magick, outlining the moon’s phases and influences. These pages, much like me, are works in progress. I’ll be building on them in time.

 

In addition to the magick of faeries and abstract magickal concepts, I also embrace and celebrate the magick of animals.  I believe animals have wisdom to share with us as totems, guides, pets, in dreams, and in general.  I’ve included my animal totems here – within the Know Thyself and Animagick categories, as well as including other articles, writings, and learnings about the animal kingdom.  To share in my appreciation of animal magick, please visit the Animagick category of The Road Home.

 

Of course, there are several areas of interest that are unexplained or curious that can’t readily be defined as magick.  I love all things paranormal and delight in learning all I can about unexplained or paranormal phenomena, including but not limited to ancient Mayan predictions, Indigo and Crystal Children, ghosts and hauntings, vortexes, the crystal skulls, crop circles, alien abductions, and more!  The best way for me to learn is to study, read, take it all in… and then spit it back out by writing it in my own words.  If the paranormal is intriguing to you, please feel free to visit the Paranormally Speaking category of The Road Home.

 

As part of my appreciation for all things enchanted, magick, or paranormal, I also am intrigued by the realm of divination.   I’ve been reading Tarot cards for many years – personally as well as professionally.  Recently, several of my friends, acquaintances, and co-workers have developed an interest in learning Tarot, but are frustrated with the learning materials currently available on the market.  At their request, I am including a section of The Road Home that outlines my process in learning, understanding, and practicing Tarot, as well as other forms of divination.  I stand by my philosophy that I am not here to teach, but to learn.  But, in keeping with the theme of including all of my pieces and parts as well as gathering my own study materials in one location, it is fitting to include my own process of learning and practicing divination, and if others can find benefit in my experiences, that only enhances the gift.  For these purposes, I have created a Divination category.

 

So, that sums up my metaphysical self (although I’ve recently added a new Dreamscapes Category – see below) - but wait! There’s more!  True, I’m an enchanted, magickally minded soul, but I also have an extreme passion for writing.  I’ve been writing since I can remember… as early as age four, and continue to do so today.  Some of my writings are fabulous, some suck on a major scale, but that’s all part of the process.  More than anything, the art of writing is therapy to me, although I did seek a career in the field for some time… some of which was a successful journey.  I’ve served as Content Director for a major Las Vegas Internet Solutions Provider wherein I was responsible for creating website content, newsletter content, instruction manuals, advertising materials, and more.  One of my most prideful accomplishments was serving as Editor-In-Chief for RITRO.com, an online community based on Real Insight Through Raw Opinion, a position I proudly held for five years.  My work has been included in anthologies, online resources, and traditional print magazines.  Recently, however, my writing purposes and passions have changed, so rather than pushing for the byline and fame, I’ve been content paying the bills by waiting tables and taking the pressure off of writing as a profession.  Nonetheless, my love of writing remains.  That being said, I’ve created the following writing-related categories:

 

The Art of Writing: exploring the more creative and technical aspects of the world of writing.

 

Poetically Yours: my poetic expressions of past, present, and future.  I can’t claim they’re all “good” writing, but they are real, raw, and a part of me.

 

Miscellaneous Writing: Writings I’ve done based on writing prompts, writing exercises, contests for writers, or general prose and articles that didn’t fit within my other categories.

 

Writing for Children:  Many, many, many moons ago, as a young mother, while still trying to find my writing voice, my favorite type of writing was that which was inspired by or created for my children.  For years I dreamed of being the next Dr. Seuss or Shel Silverstein, though in retrospect, I can see I was far from it.  Some of the stories are gems, some are chunks of worthless coal… but they were all a part of my development as a writer and as a mother, so even in cases where the writing itself stinks, I’m proud to share these pieces and parts of me. Most of these are between fifteen and twenty years old. My kids were tiny tots when I wrote these – and the baby is now entering high school.

 

Journal - Naturally, I’m including the journal, the untamed, unchained, unchoreographed, unedited, loose-cannon thoughts that fall out in Dear Diary style. Sometimes I like to write just because… about my day, about my kids, about my moods, about whatever… and that, naturally, is a part of finding myself on The Road Home, and discovering my own divine truths. This is also where I’ll post updates, announcements, or other tidbits pertaining to The Road Home.

 

Additionally, I’ve created a Dreamscapes Category for recording and analyzing my own dreams. I believe our dreams can communicate with us, if we care to pay attention to the symbology, colors, numbers, shapes, reflections, and circumstances of our dreams.

 

 In summary, this blog has been created as a way to unify the various aspects of myself, to store all of my personal interests and studies; it’s a spiritual mirror, a metaphysical road map, and a playground for my soul.  It’s a solitary journey, but I welcome guests and visitors.  Please, take off your shoes, nestle into yourself, and stay for a while.  You’re invited to share your own insights, opinions, and comments – all I ask is that you do so with respect.

 

Bright Blessings,

 

Wendi Friend

 

a-k-a

 

Autumn Sunrise