Tiffaknee

Hello friends!
My name is Tiffany, I'm 31 years old and currently living in central Pennsylvania. I was born and raised in Rhode Island (the smallest state in the US, with roughly 300 miles of coastline), so I'm a beach-baby at heart.

This is where I grew up That is me sitting on Purgatory Chasm (basically in my backyard); It is 2nd beach in Middletown, Rhode Island. I love where I grew up; the environment and geography was very nurturing to my imagination and soul.

I earned my degree in Criminal Law from The Pennsylvania State University in 2008. I work at an inpatient rehab facility as a Drug & Alcohol/Addictions Counselor. Specifically, I work in the women's unit, ages 18 and up. I love my job so much; it is the most rewarding work I've ever done.

** Aside from working and taking care of my pets, I also enjoy hiking with my boyfriend and dogs. I try to be outside as much as possible, for I truly feel grounded in nature.**

This past year, more than ever, I have found myself picking up again on studying green witchcraft. Now that I'm out of my 20's, I've become more disciplined about celebrating the sabbats. I can't really put myself into a "category"; I've always been very free-spirited, and this is probably why I'm more drawn to green (earth-based) witchcraft. I'm also an air sign (constantly changing and seeking adventure). My father's side is full Cherokee Indian, so I have a strong intuition. I came across this piece of advice from a fellow sister and I find it to be the absolute best piece of advice you could ever gift to someone on their path of learning. Here it is:

"Find a place that speaks to you. Adopt that place. Go there at least once a week. Pick up any trash you find there. Do not disturb the animals, do not remove anything from that place that belongs there. Make it known that you are there as a guardian and as a student. Do this for a year and a day. Take notes. Make sketches. Look at the clouds. Note the changes in weather. Take photos. Record your observations about the animals you encounter, what flowers bloom and when and where they bloom. Find out which birds come and go. Learn the names of the trees. Sit quietly from time to time, and just listen. Do this for a year and four seasons. When you have done that, come back and then we can talk about how this experience has changed you."

I realize to those of you who do not "agree" with or understand wicca that it can come across as "weird" or "scary". Please be neither scared or offended by my pursuit of happiness; I welcome all walks of life into mine and do not judge others by their religion. I believe in polytheism and animism, and it is something that I will continue to learn about for the rest of my life. To be a green witch does not mean that I am casting harm on others or playing with fire, it simply means that I worship Mother Earth, take responsibility for my actions and will do my best to protect society. Being that I'm also Cherokee Indian, I feel it is my duty to protect this beautiful planet in any way I can. I hope to learn, heal and teach, and I also welcome others to help guide me on my path as well. Any guidance or advice is a blessing.

**As mentioned earlier, I am very independent and free-spirited; I dropped my job for 3 months and hit the open road with only a suitcase and a tent. I explored our country with only $2,000 (this mainly went to gas and food, as I camped and stayed in hostels and with friends in different states). I have traveled our country extensively, solo and with a best friend, and am very "road smart". I have hiked in the National Redwood Forest in Northern California, camped and hiked in the Grand Canyon, traveled by car up Route 1 in California, stayed in a hostel with people from other countries in San Francisco, floated in the Great Salt Lake in Utah, partied with Brits in Austin, TX, crawled my way through and survived a weekend in New Orleans, played in the bluffs where The Lost Boys was filmed in Santa Cruz, and frequented Nashville, Miami, and all the other major cities on the East Coast. I was born to explore! Also, I am truly a Gemini; I tend to have two personalities and my directions in life are always changing!

** Lastly, I have 4 stinky, rescue cats that I love to death, named Chibbs, Crookiebeans aka Monster Beeb, Babyhead and Ragnar (yes, like the viking). But when Ragnar is acting up, we refer to him as Jefferson: Raggy? Are you being a Jefferson again?" Sorry, we're crazy cat people over here. That's his evil alter-ego.**

~~~~PLEASE NOTE~~~~ I send ALL of my swaps and ON TIME. If you don't receive a swap from me, please contact me before rating poorly. I have not had any lost mail yet (knock on wood). Also, I mark sent on my swaps the day it leaves my hands and is either brought into the Post Office by me, or dropped into a USPS blue bin. I do lean towards sending closer to the deadline, mainly because I am usually in a few different swaps at a time, while simultaneously hosting a few swaps, running a WTA or my group in general, and working 50 hours a week. If you are a stickler for send-by dates, please take into consideration that my marked sent-by date is not always the date the USPS picks up my item out of the blue bin and moves it along. I am very reliable and will always message you should I need to send even a day late.

+++ I would like to think of myself as a kind soul. I am very sensitive to others' feelings and can read people like a book. I believe in respect and karma, and have zero tolerance for liars, rude people, and people who think they are better than someone else.

Point of all of this ---> Seniority doesn't earn you respect on this site; fulfilling your swaps, tags and ratings, as well as kindness and not judging others so harshly does. We're all adults here. So, if you're one of these people, or you're into making fun of other people's art, talking poorly about others, BULLYING or standing on a big soap box with an even bigger attitude, then please take your miserable energy and move on.

~~THINGS I APPRECIATE~~

1. Papyrus greeting cards.

2. Animals. Especially kitties.

3. The beach/ocean. I grew up surrounded by water (literally on an island, Aquidneck Island to be exact), so I love anything that reminds me of that.

4. Nature. Gaia. I love our planet, and I love our change of seasons. Rocks, leaves, fossils, plants, flowers, etc.

5. Cool movie art, such as old posters, reviews, cartoons, advertisements. I'm very fond of Stanley Kubrick, Wes Anderson, H.R. Geiger, and Ridley Scott.

6. Hot beverages, especially black and green tea, matcha and espresso.

7. Boats. I grew up by a shipyard and worked on a mini-vessel during my high school summers, so reminders of that, like anchors, cleats, wheels, compasses, maps, buoys, nautical stationery/stickers.

8. Music festivals. I love live music and camping. I've frequented AllGood, Mountain Jam, Grass Roots, etc.

9. Horoscopes/Moon Cycles. I am a strong believer in the phases of the moon and planets affecting our emotions and behaviors.

10. The Grateful Dead.

11. Ephemera, stickers, stamps... I really love stationery with prints like feathers, maps, old Paris and London/vintage feel.

12. Books and reading. I love Bukowski, Emerson, Kerouac & Vonnegut.

13. Native American culture. I'm half Cherokee Indian, so I appreciate the Native American way. I try to abide by the Cherokee 10 Commandments (look them up, they're FASCINATING). Native American art, pictures, stories, artifacts, symbols, etc. Please do not send anything stereotypical or offensive, such as cartoons, stories depicting "cowboys and Indians", Thanksgiving, Christopher Columbus, redskins, etc.

14. Spring and Fall. I enjoy those two seasons the most, so flowers, bumble bees, baby animals, birds, leaves, twigs, pumpkins, rich fall colors and scents...you get the point.

15. Traveling/The Great Outdoors. I love to travel, and the number one thing on my bucket list is to hike to Machu Picchu. I am also planning a backpacking trip through Malaysia.

16. Anything that would be considered "taboo". I collect odd artifacts like bones and antique, glass medicine bottles.

17. Vintage items. I mainly sell vintage jewelry on my Etsy shop, but I have an array of items (fur, hats, purses, marbles, pictures, etc).

18. Pagan/Wiccan literature or information. Pentacles, anything related to the deities, especially the green man/woman. I would love to start a pagan ornament collection.

19. Anything related to the women's rights movement, especially Roe v. Wade, and other Supreme Court cases. I am a feminist (which means I support women's rights, NOT that I am against men's rights; there's a big difference that most can't seem to grasp).

20. Sentimental Circus ephemera and stationery.

21. Crystals and gemstones, herbs and essential oils.

22. Favorite scents include lavender, clary sage, green tea, sweet-grass, pomegranate, mango, strawberry and anything with an earthy or musky undertone.

Path: Green

Goddess: Gaia, Bast

God: Cernunnos

Symbol: Triple Moon Goddess

Element: Air

Mythology: Greek, Egyptian

Spirit Animal: Bat, Cat

Tarot: Wildwood, Gaian

Incense: Frankincense, Sandalwood

Herbs: Lavender, Lemongrass, Sage

Crystals/Stones: Lapis, Jade, Malachite, Amethyst, Rainbow Moonstone, Aqua Aura, Green Moss Agate

~~THINGS I DO NOT APPRECIATE~~

1. Kawaii/ Hello Kitty stuff.

2. Anime.

3. Religious artifacts that are monotheistic.

4. Hunting. Or anything that relates to it, like camo or pictures of dead animals.

5. Country anything. That includes music and country "bumpkin" decoration stuff, like wooden stars, straw crafts, etc.

6. Children's/Baby items. I don't have kids.

7. Butterflies. While I do love them and think they are pretty, I'm not a fan of them on stationery, ephemera or jewelry.

8. Easter, Thanksgiving or Columbus Day items. I do not celebrate those holidays.

9. Pro-life or fanatic propaganda in general. I respect everyone's opinion, but don't slip me in with your swap little snippets on your stance against reproductive equality for women. I've received a number of UNICEF and March of Dimes (both pro-life organizations) items, and while I'm not completely against them, I just don't support those organizations. Please respect my views!

10. Cloves or black licorice.

11. Tea by Celestial Seasonings or Lipton. I hate to be picky, but these brands just do not taste fresh or good to me and I'd rather not waste.

12. Non-organic perfumes, lotions and chapsticks with high alcohol and chemical contents (I have allergies/sensitive skin). Examples would be brands like Chapstick, Nivea, Lip Smackers, Bonnebelle, Calgon and most brands found at Dollar Stores and Walmart. I do well with scents, as long as they're organic (like Lush, Burt's Bees, 2Chic, Badger, h2o, The Body Shoppe, Alba and Pacifica. I don't mean to come across as picky, but my skin just says "NO!" :)

~The Grateful Dead ~Conspirator ~Umphreys ~Lotus ~Allman Brothers Band ~Modest Mouse ~The String Cheese Incident ~Dire Straits ~Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers ~Susan Tedeschi ~Tedeschi/Trucks Band ~Alabama Shakes ~State Radio ~Dark Star Orchestra ~Hendrix ~Buckethead ~Primus ~Dave Matthews Band ~Red Hot Chili Peppers ~The Avett Brothers ~Fiona Apple ~Florence and the Machine ~STS9 ~FIRST AID KIT ~KT Tunstell ~Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

I'm really open to a lot of music. I love live music and jam bands. Things I'm not into include country and pop music (pretty much anything played on the radio nowadays).

I don't watch much TV, but some of my favorite shows are:

**Dexter **American Horror Story **Sons of Anarchy **Game of Thrones **Breaking Bad **Lost **Bates Motel **Hemlock Grove **Vikings

I mostly enjoy foreign/international and independent films. Some of my favorites include:

**Blue is the Warmest Colour **Palm Trees in the Snow **Colonia **I'm Not Scared **Slumdog Millionaire **Victoria **The Revenent **Gia **Snatch **Crimson Peak **Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels **500 Days of Summer **The Grand Budapest Hotel **No Country for Old Men **The Shining **A Clockwork Orange **The Whistleblower **The Others **The Strangers **The Pianist **Slingblade **Girl, Interrupted

I am a voracious reader.

I just finished The Girls Who Went Away by Ann Fessler. It focuses on the hidden history of women who surrendered their children for adoption in the decades before Roe v. Wade. It's truly captivating and haunting, and I highly recommend it!

I'm currently reading two books. The first is Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History, by S.C. Gwynne. The second is Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estes. I highly recommend ALL WOMEN read the latter.

I love Native American history, essays by Emerson, poetry by Kerouac, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series, books/journals about traveling the great outdoors.

Some of the best books I've read include:

~The Wind is My Mother by Bear Heart ~Scar Tissue by Anthony Keidis ~Travels with Charlie by John Steinbeck ~God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut ~Battle Royale by Koushun Takami ~The Killing of Crazy Horse by Thomas Powers ~To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee ~The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger ~Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen ~Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer ~Anything by Jack Kerouac, especially: ~Visions of Cody ~Maggie Cassidy ~The Dharma Bums ~On the Road (this book inspired and fueled my cross-country road trip in the Summer of 2011)

TEAS: chai teas, chai latte mixes, matcha tea, genmaicha matcha (brown rice green tea), black teas (like english breakfast and earl gray), teas with ginger and lemon. I prefer organic brands (like Two Leaves, Numi, Stash), but will drink non-organic (like Tazo and foreign teas) as long as its not Lipton or Celestial Seasonings.

FOOD/RECIPE FAVORITES: -Seafood, but NOT fish. -Rice (all varieties) -Spicy food -Vegan Recipes -Casseroles -Pot Roasts -Dishes with hearty vegetables (onion, potato, carrot)

It looks like "wish lists" are the popular thing on here now, to help people with swap ideas. Please do not view this as a "shopping list". If we get paired in any swaps and you are wondering what to send, anything related to my "Things I Appreciate" category would make me super grateful. Here is also a little list of stuff, to help you out, that I would love to receive in swaps.

~Any note cards, notebooks or paper by Christian Lacroix. His art is fantastic and I'm especially fond of his "surrealistic", "astrologie" and "voyage" works.

~Loose or bagged tea! And cute or vintage teapots!

~Pretty stationery/sets. I write a lot of letters.

~Crystals and gemstones.

~Cooking herbs or cinnamon sticks for crafting and cooking around the sabbats.

~Big, gypsy-style earrings. I love earrings and wear them every day.

~Anything with moons on it or related to her.

~Anything related to the Earth Mother or the Green Man.

~Essential oils, especially clary sage, lemongrass and lavender.

~Small, decorative ceramic dishes to burn votive candles or resin incense in.

~Washi tape (no neon colors please. I mainly enjoy pretty prints and fun patterns).

~Sharpie pens (not markers) in any color.

~Nice, THICK ENVELOPES. I always need envelopes, but I get a lot of the tiny, really thin ones from people that I can't really use.

~Postcards (not a fan of cheesy- touristy ones. I like ones with pretty landscapes, vintage shots, shabby-chic decor, rare scenery, cool prints/painting.

~Any LIP BALM or HAND CREAM from Pacifica, Alba or Burt's Bees, or a similar organic or vegan line. I go through this stuff like crazy, and it's always appreciated. I only stick with natural and/or organic lines, as I have allergies to the chemicals in non-organic products. I enjoy all scents except peppermint/mint and cinnamon.

~Butter Socks. I'll accept these any time of year, lol.

Thank you for reading my rather lengthy profile; I always appreciate a well filled-out profile for people I'm sending to, so I only hope mine helps others.

Permanently banned @SheisCrafty from the GWE group for flaking on a swap and chronic late sending.

@SheisCrafty has not rated me for the Prayer Flag- Sorceress- Swap Series. Tracking confirmed delivery to her home on 10/13. She has logged in to SB multiple times after that and ignored my message and profile comment asking to rate, as well as the swap creator's e-mail asking her to rate me.

Forum Post regarding @SheisCrafty

http://www.swap-bot.com/forums/topic/138934