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Bread and Butter Merry meet Consider making bread and butter part of your Imbolc ritual. There is a focus on dairy this sabbat – because it is the festival of the lactating sheep – and nothing is more simple and pure than turning some organic heavy cream into butter. One way is to let the cream come to room temperature and then pour into a jar, filling it about 2/3 of the way. Secure the lid and shake. It will take less than 20 minutes. First, the cream will turn into whipped cream. Continue shaking. One recipe I saw called for adding a clean marble to the jar. After it…

Blessing Seeds Merry meet! One of the things I like to do on Imbolc is bless the seeds I will plant in the spring. The seeds represent what I wish to sow in the coming months – both figuratively and literally. For me, they help mark the turning of the wheel. At Imbolc, they are blessed, at Ostara some are planted indoors in pots to be put outside at Beltane. Others are planted in the garden as the soil warms and the weather allows. They will grow and bear fruit to be harvested at Lughnasadh and continuing into Mabon; their seeds are then saved from Mabon to Samhain. While most…

  Kiara, Episode 7 Jeremiah returned home tired and disappointed after his search for Kiara. His mother seemed distracted. Much to his relief, he did not get the expected lecture and there were no questions as to where he had been. She felt his forehead and then sat him down at the table and set a large bowl of beef broth and a huge wedge of bread in front of him. She then chased him off to bed. There was no sign of his father, even though the bakery closed earlier on a Saturday. The strange atmosphere in the house had unsettled him, and he took out his copy of…

The Lessons of Professor Snape Mama Bear sits here looking at the 2” of snow that was dumped upon us last night without warning, and at the pile of cats holding me here in my chair. How on earth am I supposed to get a blog written? Do you know how hard it is to type with paws and claws and purring motors everywhere? I shan’t write a long entry this month, however, I did want to speak on something that has affected us all; the death of Alan Rickman. I know, why aren’t I writing about Lenny or David or any myriad of stars that have passed to Elysium…

  Finding the Pagan Way This is your world! Have you ever wondered if the possibilities in your life are much greater than you have been led to believe? Have you had moments when your mind seemed to expand and the world seemed a brighter friendlier place? What happened to bring you to that moment? Take a deep breath and exhale… then close your eyes for a minute and think back … For some it could be a new job or a journey to a beautiful place. For others the moment of expansion may be caused by love, friendship or a spiritual experience. For a little while we are flooded…

Crystals for Irritability Carry or hold these stones to help calm your irritability. Jade Jade is a relaxation stone.  It reduces tension in life and wearers feel calmer.  It brings emotional   said to give off peace.  Thought of as a good luck charm to ward off evil.  It aids the stomach and digestive tract.  An Ancient Chinese stone for health, wealth, and harmony.   Amethyst A Stone of spiritual upliftment.  Mind quieting, wear it to reduce anger and impatience.  It aides in sleep and helps with nightmares.  Stress reliever.  Headache reducer.  Aids with sobriety in addictions of any kind.  Famous ancient detoxifier, especially helped with poisons and alcohol.  Worn…

Ixcacau In honor of Valentine’s Day and the exorbitant amount of chocolate that is given as gifts, this month we honor Ixcacau, the Mayan Goddess of Chocolate and Cocoa (the word “cocoa” comes from Her name). Ixcacau was a symbol of strength. She was one of the Ancient Fertility Goddesses, a Goddess of the Earth, a Goddess of Abundance. Hunger was banished as She took responsibility to feed Her people. Her people never feared under her protection. She was also worshipped in Central and South Americas, and for the Azteccs, She was Xochiquetzal, Goddess of Fertility, Flowers and Fruit. There are several stories of Her that stand out in the…

Ten Light Bodies of Consciousness *Commencing this month, I will be expanding the column to include other aspects of Kundalini Yoga, while still talking about meditation along the way. As always, I am more than happy to answer your questions.* **The Ten Light Bodies of Consciousness are a combination of Kundalini Yoga and Tantric Numerology, which will be discussed more in depth later in the column.** You, as an individual, are more than just your physical body. You have ten light bodies. Like the chakras that we have talked about the last 7 months, the light bodies are all extremely important to your well-being and, at times, overlap in their…

Notes from the Apothecary: Lovage It is an herb of the Sun, under the sign of Taurus. (Culpeper, 17th Century).   Lovage is a tall, beautiful, leafy herb in the same family as Angelica and carrots. Similar in aroma to celery, this herb is just as edible if not as popular in our modern kitchens. It is native to Europe and Asia, so may be harder to find in the Americas, however you can certainly buy seeds online to grow your own. The name may originally have been ‘love-ache’, which actually means ‘Love Parsley’, which is understandable as the leaves have a similar shape and smell to flat leafed parsley.…

Witches Soul Work: Surviving Mercury Retrograde   There is a superstition bounding around the Wiccan, Pagan and New Age communities that communication will somehow be horribly affected when mercury goes retrograde within the astrological chart and all hell will break loose. The fear it invokes in some is truly surprising! People believe that because Mercury rules communication, clear thinking, truth and travel when the planet goes retrograde things to do with communication and travel seem to be difficult, problematic and messy. (1) Sometimes this is just a self-fulfilling prophecy; we believe communication will get screwed up so it does. If we are looking for validation that it’s real, we find…