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This Month’s Freebie From Artist Chiara Torsi of PaperCatLab on Etsy
Mother Coloring Page From Artist Chiara Torsi of PaperCatLab on Etsy Download Your Free Coloring Page PDF Here: mother free coloring page Chiara Torsi is an italian artist, writer, painter and illustrator. She had the chance to grow up in an artsy family because her father is Maestro Luciano Torsi, a professional painter. She is a doctor in experimental psychology. In April 2017 published an essay book (currently on sale) about artificial intelligence and affective computing (“Emozioni umane e Affective Computing“) but she never stop making art. In the middle of a bad time of her life, she felt the need to share her art with…
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Notes from the Apothecary
Notes from the Apothecary: Cow Parsley Anthriscus Sylvestris or cow parsley is a member of the Apiaceae family, just like the carrot and hemlock. It has tall, hollow stems topped with a flurry of delicate white flowers. In Europe it is a common hedgerow plant, and a familiar sight to walkers and foragers. It’s one of the first flowers to appear by the roadside in spring. With many common names including the grand “Queen Anne’s Lace” and the morbid “Mother Die”, this plant is a piece of living history and an intriguing part of the British countryside. The Kitchen Garden Encouraging cow parsley into the garden would…
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Celebrating The Old Ways in New Times
Celebrating The Old Ways in New Times for January 2020 Bright Blessings and Happy January! By the time you read this, I trust all your holiday celebrations are over, and you are trying to remember to write “2020” instead of “2019” on everything! If you are like me, January is a welcome break from the hubub that started late Fall and lasted until New Years! So, let me say again HAPPY JANUARY. One thing I like a break from is listening to people complain about how something or another holiday related offends them. Now don’t get me wrong, we all complain about something or another, and sometimes, we…
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Retha’s Crystal Reflections
All You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About Quantum Quattro Quantum Quattro is a combination of multiple minerals. Different sources state different combos, but the most prevalent is shattuckite, chrysocolla, dioptase and malachite. “Quantum” means 4 in Italian. It’s also believed to contain silicon dioxide and smoky quartz. And sometimes even ajoite, azurite and cuprite. Quantum Quattro comes from only one deposit on earth, in Namibia, Africa. It comes from an oxidation zone of copper deposits. Whether it includes some or all of the individual minerals previously mentioned, it still encompasses the properties and energies of them all, as they all grow together in the larger matrix that the…
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The Promise
Move slowly and speak not a word And we may catch A glimpse of HIM yet. The night is dark But I have seen the Icy thread of HER cloak. Crystal blue eyes and Hair black as the midnight sky Grace a face of pale beauty Poised on a body that is tall and lithe. She has etched the night sky with Fingers long and fair painting starlight and Holding the breath of new dawn In HER hands’ cupped embrace. SHE has embraced the world In the longest of nights. HER Promise held deep within. The forest is hushed and white with snow. Ice crystals glisten round and all…
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Peeking in the Shadows: Crafting a Book of Shadows and Light
Last month we began the exploration of what a BOS could be. This month I’d like to spend some time on ..Selecting the Perfect Book… (Photo by Plush Design Studio on Unsplash) Let me begin by saying that I have MANY journals that have at one time or another served as my BOS. I have a tendency to begin using one journal that I especially like and multi-purpose it, allowing it to morph into whatever my needs happen to be at the time. When I move on to another focus, of course I also need a different journal/Book for those endeavors, and a new BOS is born. This…
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19-Days of Illuminated Darkness Course Offering
19-Days of Illuminated Darkness Winter Solstice 2019 December 21st @ 11:19p.m. (EST) Join me, once again, as we count down to the Winter Solstice and “19- Days of Illuminated Darkness”. What was begun as the veils of Samhain parted and the Witch’s New Year turned another cycle of the Great Wheel, continues as we welcome the Winter Solstice and the burgeoning of the Solar Light! Topics will include: … The deeper meaning of the Sabbat, consciousness, honoring and fueling the spark of the Divine within and more. And, a few bonus posts with new writings and experiences to enjoy. The countdown begins on Tuesday, December 3rd as the…
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Notes from the Apothecary
Notes from the Apothecary: The Christmas Tree Straight away, I know many of you will be wondering why I’m bringing Christmas to the table, when most of us are looking forward to Yule or the Winter Solstice. Well, it’s because I absolutely adore the tradition of the Christmas tree. And, despite what many people think, it’s not an inherently Pagan symbol, although there are definite Pagan roots, pardon the pun. Christmas trees are so popular today that they are grown in all 50 American states, including even Hawaii, and most other places in the world. From candlelit trees in Germany in the 1800s to fiber optic light shows…
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Modern Yuletide Tales
**This is an excerpt from my first book, A Modern Celt: Seeking the Ancestors. The Winter Solstice has always been an incredibly magical time for me, despite not being (as far as we know) typically a Celtic festival. Here are some of my more mysterious experiences during the shortest day and longest night. My most precious memories of the winter solstice all seem to be of going to a specific lakeside on the longest night. I remember it always feels later in the day than it is, because despite it only being early evening it is already pitch black, and once you move away from the roads there…
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She Who is All – Goddess of Ten Thousand Names
Hestia & Vesta, the Goddesses of Hearth & Home As we enter into that time of the year when folks gather together with family and friends, what better time to honor Hestia and Vesta, the Goddesses of Hearth and Home, in Greece and Rome respectively. (Photo credit: goddessgift.net) Hestia is the Greek Goddess of Hearth and Home. She took no human form, but was only seen in the fire of the Hearth. Homes were built from the center outward; this center always being the hearth, in which Hestia was always welcome. She was honored each morning and evening with an offering from each family, at their respective hearths, Hestia’s sacred…