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What is a Kitchen Witch? A Kitchen Witch is a woman who has placed magick in every aspect of her home, her hearth. She  ensures it is safe, cleaned of negative energies and it is nurtured on all levels.  The kitchen is, after all, the heart and hearth of many households. A Kitchen Witch acknowledges the magickal energies in her home.  She puts direct magickal focus into whatever meals she makes and the way she cleans house. A Kitchen Witch attunes with the energies of Nature and incorporates as much of Nature’s energy as possible into and around her home. When you take the time to put meals together from…

Blood Mysteries ÓSusun S Weed In the beginning, according to the Wise Woman tradition, everything began, as everything does, at birth. The Great Mother of All gave birth and the earth appeared out of the void. Then the Great Mother of All gave birth again, and again, and again, and people, and animals, and plants appeared on the earth. They were all very hungry. “What shall we eat?” they asked the Great Mother. “Now you eat me,” she said, smiling. Soon there were a very great many lives, but the Great Mother of All was enjoying creating and giving birth so much that she didn’t want to stop. “Ah,” she…

Creating a Book of Shadows The Book of Shadows is a combination cookbook and journal. In it you record your magical workings, the ingredients and methods you used, and how it worked. In this way you are able to learn from your magical experiences and build upon the successes you have. Over the course of time you add various information you acquire from other people, books, coven work and other sources and the book becomes a valuable reference.. It can be a spiral notebook, or an embossed calf hide bound collection of calligraphy on parchment, it’s up to you.. Traditionally the Book of Shadows or Grimoire was the record of…

(Oh-star-ah) – Lesser Sabbat – Spring/Vernal Equinox, March 20-21st – when the Sun enters Ares Other Names: Ostre, Oestre, Eostre, Rites of Spring, Eostra’s Day, Lady Day, First Day of Spring, Easter, St. Patrick’s Day, Alban Eiler, Bacchanalia, Mean Earraigh, Pasch, Caisg, Pess Date: Spring Equinox (March 20-22 in Northern Hemisphere) or when the Sun is 1 degree Aries. Symbolism: The beginning of spring, new life and rebirth, the God and Goddess in Their youth, balance, fertility Goddesses: all love, virgin, and fertility Goddesses; Anna Perenna (Roman), Aphrodite (Greek), Astarte (Canaanite, Persia, GrecoRoman), Athena (Greek), Cybele (Greco-Roman), Blodeuwedd, Eostre (Saxon Goddess of Fertility), Flidais (Irish), Gaia (Greek), Hera, Ishtar (Assyro-Babylonian),…

Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) Coltsfoot is common in roadsides, hedgerows, waste ground and stream banks and is one of the first plants to flower in Spring. It produces its flowers before its leaves.  It is a perennial herb with yellow daisy like flowers and heart shaped polygonal leaves.  (It does look a lot like the summer flowing Butterbur to make sure you have the right plant). Its Latin name Tussilago means ‘cough’ and farfara or flour refers to the white, cottony down on the underside of the leaves. Both flowers and the leaves can be used medicinally, especially as a cough remedy.   Harvest the flowers in early spring and the leaves…

The Opposite of Multitasking The act of meditating is mostly about not doing anything else at the same time. That’s why last month I discussed how to measure the time of your meditation practice without letting the act of measuring time become overwhelming; you have to be able to let go of worrying about time. When we let go of being concerned about one thing, most of us seize onto something else to concentrate on. If it’s not the time, it’s the laundry; if it’s not the laundry, it’s the dog; if it’s not the dog… We are constantly tugged on by the past and the future, and as a…

This class is designed to show the practical application of herbs to assist with everyday needs.  The lessons printed will not outline “magical” uses for the herbs, but, if questions on this topic rise, please feel free to ask. Also, please remember, the information in this class is a look at herbal therapies that may show promise as adjunctive treatments to conventional medical approaches, and is not meant to give specific recommendations or advise for the treatment of a specific illness, nor is it intended to be a replacement for good medical diagnosis and treatment. Lesson 5 herbal allergy relief The following 5 herbs help with the cough and inflammation…

A couple of years ago I read about using the energy from the full moon to charge water for future use in spells, cleansing, whatever.  I don’t remember which author it was to give proper credit, but I use it quite often and Ostara happens to come under that category.  It’s best to use spring, ocean, or rain water, something from the elements and catch it in a non-metallic container.  Put the container outside where the light of the full moon can shine on it unobstructed all night and then bring it in before it is touched by the sun.  Keep it somewhere dark like a closet, etc., and dip…

Greetings!  This month’s article is inspired by a Greek feast day called the Anthesteria, the festival of flowers.  It fell on March 4th and was dedicated to Flora and Hecate. FLORA Flora is the eternally youthful Roman goddess of flowers, flowering plants, flower magic, grain, human sexuality, fertility of vegetation and is associated with the element of Earth. Flora was the consort of Zephyrus, the god of the South Winds who announced the arrival of Spring. She was mostly worshipped by young girls who gave her offerings of fruits and flowers.  Flora was one of the many ancient goddesses that were depicted carrying a flower garland which links her to…

Are you cyclically confused? In a ceremonial quandary? Completely clueless? Wonder no more. *Ask Your Mama™ Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Spirituality and Didn’t Know Who to Ask™ by ©Mama Donna Henes, Urban Shaman A Question of Egg Balancing Dear Mama Donna, First let me say that I have great respect and gratitude for the work that you do. As a long time organizer in the neo-pagan community I have followed your activities with pleasure in the media through the years. But there’s one thing that really irks me; this spring equinox egg balancing hoax. The fact is that it is no easier or harder to balance an…