Blessed Samhain all of you and Blessed Beltane for those in the Southern Hemi. Wow has it really been a year… I started writing these article last October.. and how scared I was that they would bomb… but you seem to like them and I enjoy writing them for you..  so here we go.. Here is some basic Samhain correspondences to work with Oct. 31st – Samhain (All Hallow’s Eve) Altar Decorations: Pumpkins, gourds, seasonal fruits and flowers, a statue of the Triple Goddess in her Crone phase, broom, acorns. Herbs:, dittany, flax, heather, mandrake, mullein, oak leaves, sage and straw, mugwort. Spices: Thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper,  poultry seasoning Incense:…

First I would like to say Merry Meet to you all and ask how your summer has been so far. Secondly I would like to ask you all to help me out a bit. I would like to write these columns about the things YOU want. So please e-mail me at [email protected] with your ideas and desires for the Hearthbeats notes and recipes columns… Now as I would like to share a poem with you. It was shared with me years ago and often I remember it when I feel like a crackpot… hopefully it will help you as well and as often Blessings Some wise words from the Kitchen…

Merry meet and Blessings all Mabon, the Autumn Equinox, September 21, is coming up, no longer will the day rule the night. The time for the second harvest is upon us. The fields are becoming very full and soon there will be a hint of yellow in the green leaves. The geese in our neck of the woods are going south. The fruits and vegetables at the farmers market are no longer the sweet, small offerings of summer but are now full, ripen gifts of Fall.. This is a wonderful time of year for food ; The feast is upon us. It is a time for bread and baked goods.…

Merry Meet and welcome to this months notes.. I apologize that chaos has ensued and I was unable to get my column in on time last month… and Loki is still hounding me.. but I am working around that. I want to talk to you all this month about the seasons. Renewal and death.. as that is the season we are in now. It has just passed Ostara in the Northern Hemi and Mabon in the Southern Hemi, Beltane is fast approaching in the Northern hemi with Samhain coming on for the Southern hemi. While we Northerners are preparing to plant and be fertile, We Southerners are settling in to…

The recipes I am sharing today are good for any time of the years.. But spring and fall are particularly potent as we are either planting the herbs to make these.. or final harvest and drying of these herbs.. so I hope that you enjoy these as much as I have and will.. But remember not only the flavorful properties but the magickal as well Basic blends For Beef: Mix 3 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper, 3 tablespoon red pepper flakes, 7 ½ tablespoons garlic powder, 3 tablespoon dried minced onion. Store in airtight container For Fish: Mix 6 tablespoons dried dill weed, 6 tablespoons crumbled bay leaves, 6 tablespoons…

Merry meet all… This month I will be focusing this article on herbalism; recipes for health and healing. Herbal medicine is the medicine of the people. It is simple, safe, effective, and free. Our ancestors used plant medicines for healing and health maintenance. It’s easy. You can do it and you don’t need a degree or any special training. Most of us have the ability to begin the healing process already in our homes. There are some other things we may need to stock up in order to have them when we need them. Much of what we will need can be grown and dried either over the growing season…

This month I wanted to focus of Deity. Since this is such a touchy subject for many of us as well as a subject that will start flaming wars, I will be looking at different kitchen/hearth Gods and goddesses. For no other reason than there have been so many different ones throughout history. I do not wish to annoy, anger or irritate anyone… so please read this for only the informational purposes that it was intended for. I do not mean to seem like I am attacking before I am attacked. But recently I have been getting involved, without meaning to or having the desire to, in arguments about God,…

Soups, Stoups, Stews and Casseroles… Merry Meet  and welcome … Grab a cuppa tea and lets look for some filling easy recipes. This time of year you are either looking for a nice think warming soup or stoup(really thick soup… like a cross between a stew and a soup.. a stoup.) or a quick and filling meal for when you are running around your yard and garden.. so lets look at some that I have here… Some of you may have farmers markets and farm stands now(in the summery south) or have a good place to get the staple veggies… so have a blast.. set the stuff in a crock…

I recently found this amazing graphic…although it is set up counterclockwise (for me) it is wonderful to see how the Sabbats and esbats connect and flow with the death and rebirth of plants as well as the world.. so I wanted to share this as well as some herbal information in this edition of Notes… This is in no way a complete list of herbs… but it is as complete as I have and will use.. Herbs A to Z Aloe Vera – Moon and water. It powers are used for protection and luck. Carry it with you to protect yourself against evil or clumsiness. Aloe is used for its…

Kitchen/Cottage Witchery Kitchen witchery or Cottage witchery is a special kind of magick. Many times you can be in the home of a kitchen/cottage witch and never know it. You may never see a pentacle or any other sign of witchery. We are just your normal every day people. If you sat at our table you would see many of the same things you would see in your home… only we may use them differently. But the earmark of a kitchen /cottage witch’s home is the “feel” of it. Here you will be at peace. Calm, centered, comforted. That is what many of us infuse our homes with. For Kitchen/cottage…