HELLO WORLD

Hello all! 

First and foremost, welcome to the Lunalux Blog! I have officially decided to use this space to begin publishing regularly about myself, Lunalux Botanicals, and the creation process. It's been a long time since I've dabbled in blogging (hello Xanga), so I'm excited to start publishing this content!  

If you don't know me already, my name is Cass / Cassie / Cassandra, and I'm the creator and owner of Lunalux Botanicals. I was born and raised in the Bay Area of California. Growing up, I spent a lot of time at the ocean and have always had a very strong connection to it. Some of my earliest memories are of spending time each day at the beach with my mom (who was often collecting shells and sea glass). Despite living so close to the ocean, as I grew older, I wanted a change of scenery. I had always dreamed of rainy days and forests of the Pacific Northwest. I moved as soon as I could to Portland, OR, where I would attend college and spend the next 7 years of my life.

Unfortunately, life circumstances ended up taking me away from the Pacific Northwest and to the Mile High City of Denver, CO. I had originally moved to Portland because I wanted to live somewhere lush and rainy, and now I was back in a similar climate to California, but worse. The air is thin and the landscape is dry. Worst of all, there was no ocean. For the first time in my life, I was completely landlocked. After moving to a place where I didn't know anyone in an environment I didn't like, my depression and anxiety started reaching an all time low. I became wreckless, self destructive, and felt hopeless. At my lowest point, I sought help through therapy and other more conventional methods. Overtime, it wasn't enough and I began to turn to nature.

I have always been drawn to the moon (and nighttime in general), but it wasn't until I was during one of my really low points where I started to feel really drawn to her. I was suddenly filled with all these questions like, "What does it mean?," "Is this significant?," "Am I being called to something?". Sure enough, I was being called to something. 

It was also around this time that I started taking baths regularly to help soothe my anxiety. It wasn't just the act of taking a bath that was soothing my anxiety. I was taking sea salt baths in an attempt to recreate the ocean in my bathtub. Ocean water is something that has always brought me great comfort and I thought, "If I can't drive to the ocean, I'll make my own!"  

My research into the lunar cycle was deepening, and rituals began to form. I was now consciously moving with the phases of the moon and using water as my tool. It felt powerful. My depression became less oppressive, my anxiety startd to become manageable, and I was beginning to believe in myself for the first time. I was changing for the better. My baths started getting more involved. My interest in herbalism was also budding around this time and I began incorporating herbs into my bath rituals. After taking a small series of herbalism courses and workshops, I was hooked.

This was the very beginning of Lunalux Botanicals: I was taking my favorite parts of nature (the ocean, the moon, healing herbs) and using them to improve my wellbeing. Slowly but surely, I started making bath soak gifts for friends and family. It was then when loved ones started to encourage me to start considering selling my products.

The rest is history! Lunalux Botanicals launched in the Spring of 2019 and has been steadily growing ever since. It's still just me pouring my heart and soul into these products. Every batch of products is handmade by me with delicate care and attention.

While I'm still located in Denver (and yes, it has grown on me a little bit), I have dreams of moving to a sleepy, northern coastal town and having a personal garden so I can grow all of the herbal goods for Lunalux's products. In the meantime, I'm working on so many exciting things that I can't wait to share with you. I'm extremely grateful for you, reader (especially if you've read this far!). Thank you for your love and support! I'm so excited to have you here and along for the ride with me.

Here are some more random facts about me:

• I am a Capricorn ↑ , Capricorn ☼, and Pisces ☾ (salt and water baby!)
• I'm a coffee lover and occasionally roast my own coffee beans
• I knit A LOT
• I have an extremely chonky cat named Batman
• I originally went to school for photography, but ended up dropped out. I still have a deep love for film photography and have all the equipment for a darkroom (just not the space!)
• I've worked on some award-winning short films as a producer and an art director
• I can name all of the countries of the world
• I have a borderline unhealthy fascination with true crime 

I'd love to hear about you, reader! Please tell me who you are and a little bit about you in the comments below!