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5-Ingredient Insta Pot Rotisserie Chicken My sister Sue bought me an Insta Pot Pressure Cooker last year for my birthday. I have to admit that until recently, I haven’t used it too much. In my last apartment, there wasn’t enough room for it on my counters – let’s face it, I had no counterspace whatsoever. And I first moved back to Buffalo, I was in the grip of a pretty strong depression that I am just coming out of. I haven’t felt much like cooking – or eating – since I live in a town famed for local food, I have been doing a lot of eating out. But as…

Imbolc Incense Merry meet. The smell of the ocean. The scent of a forest of pines. The aroma of bacon cooking. Each not only has a unique smell, they also touch us in other ways, eliciting memories and emotions, and shaping perceptions. Our sense of smell is strong, and sometimes unconscious, and it can set the mood. (For the record, dogs do not have a better sense of smell than do humans.) Think of it smells as aromatherapy. All I have to do is smell sage burning and my mind relaxes as my body absorbs its healing and my spirit absorbs it wisdom. When cleansing a space, setting the mood…

Notes from the Apothecary: St John’s Wort The first of February is ‘Time to Talk Day’, encouraging all of us to talk more openly about our mental health, and thus work towards removing the stigma surrounding mental health conditions. With that in mind, I thought I’d investigate an herb that has a long history of use within mental health: St John’s Wort. Do any internet search for St John’s Wort and you will be immediately inundated with ads for whole food shops trying to sell you ‘Nature’s Greatest Anti-Depressant’. But does it really work? And does the plant have more to it than being a crucial part of the pharmacopeia?…

  Fiona Horne is a witch of many titles. Lead singer of Def FX and Playboy Cover Girl, just to name a few. Fiona bares all in her new book, “The Naked Witch”. I was given the chance to interview Fiona Horne and after reading her newest autobiography, “The Naked Witch,” I knew this was an opportunity I could not miss out on!     Deanna Lambert (DA): In your book, The Naked Witch, the reader is taken on a journey when you share all the things you’ve done throughout your life. Some of these were quite personal, did you find The Naked Witch to be more difficult to write…

(Image from http://www.kickscount.org.uk/hypnobirthing-hypno-hypyes/)   I promised that I would write a follow up to my first article about hypnobirthing, and truly expected to be doing this in the weeks directly following the birth. I realise, in retrospect, how foolish this was, as the sleep deprivation immediately following the birth of any new-born is quite debilitating! Now I am approaching something akin to a routine (sort of; not really…) I’ve decided to come back to you to let you know how the techniques I discussed previously actually worked in a real-life labour situation. Early Labour My early labour wasn’t ‘as standard’ because I had to be induced, due to various issues…

    _________________________________________________________________________ Cover art: Isabel the Moon Witch Doll with Barn Owl Miniature by Francesca Rizzato of LaVolpeCimina Needle felted animals and magic creatures. Isabel the Moon Witch is a needle felted witch spirit doll, with a barn owl companion. This miniature witch and her barn owl have been carefully handcrafted from wool, and is one of a kind. She is 9.5 cm tall and can stand alone.Not suitable to be placed outdoor though. Isabel is connected to Moon Magic, and will bring positive moon influences to your life! She is for purchase directly at LaVolpeCimina. Francesca Rizzato is a full time (self-taught) artist born in Tuscany (Italy), now living in a little mountain town near Rome. Since a…

“Daily Spellbook for the Good Witch: Quick, Simple and Practical Magic for Every Day of the Year”     by Patti Wigington Published by Sterling Ethos Published: 2017 Pages: 385 Begin a year and a day of witching with the help of the “Daily Spellbook for the Good Witch.” Starting with January’s themes of new beginnings and going though December’s focus on winter’s darkness, High Priestess, Wicca expert and author Patti Wigington presents 366 spells for seasons, moons and astrological signs. Included are spells for protection, abundance, gratitude, blessings and divination. While she notes at the beginning of the book that people often think you need a lot of supplies…

This author works with a technique called sacred (or ecstatic) trance postures. He draws on the work of Felicitas Goodman, Thomas Berry, Ervin Laszlo and others. The idea is that one uses specific meditation postures to access information from the resulting altered state of consciousness. Many of his postures are taken from resources all over the world such as statues, rock art etc. I reviewed another book by him in this same magazine a few months ago: Baldr’s Magic, The Power of Norse Shamanism and Ecstatic Trance. From my point of view that book had a number of serious (structural) flaws and I sincerely hoped to write a more positive…

MUDRAS – YOGA IN YOUR HANDS BY GERTRUD HIRSCHI Personally, I love mudras; they are such a simple way to heal, both physically and emotionally. The mudra book that I currently own is in pieces, and so this one coming to me is doubly welcome. Part I explores the “concept” of mudra, which, simply put, is yoga for your hands. Ms. Herschi introduces the mudra, its’ possible origins and how and when to practice them. This includes how the hands themselves correspond to the chakras (energy centers in the body), Ayurveda (the Indian art of healing through food, acupressure, reflexology using the hands instead of the feet and meridians (energy…

The Goddess we need more than anything else on Earth! I write this during the ancient Celtic new year, Nov. 24th through 28th, the intercessory days the Celts called Samhain (pronounced sahven). These were days of celebration to thank the Goddess for the living of the year and to remember all who crossed over to the Otherworld during the passing skyturn. They called Her the White Tara then, and Her Beloved, the high God, Oghama. And the veil does thin greatly during this time, for She draws very near to remove projects or efforts no longer needed and break them down into that pregnant primordial sea of Hers, awaiting Oghama’s…