Savory Shepherd’s Pie

This recipe is an old-school comfort food at its finest and is very filling and festive. Many of us are working mothers with very busy schedules, so it’s good to make a double recipe of this family favorite. Make one to serve piping hot out of the oven, and freeze the second for an after-school and post-work reheated repast. You will need the following ingredients for one pie:

• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• ½ cup carrots, sliced
• 1 cup button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes (or tomato sauce)
• 4 to 5 potatoes, boiled (or for a keto/low carb alternative, use an equal weight of young turnips, which are quite tasty mashed)
• ½ cup milk
• 2 tablespoons sunflower or olive oil
• ½ cup grated Cheddar cheese
• 2 cups sautéed ground beef (or substitute soy protein for a meat-free option, or ground turkey for a lower fat meat)
• ⅓ stick unsalted butter (preferably organic for best taste)
• seasoning herbs (cook’s choice; see below)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Mash the potatoes with unsalted organic butter, adding a splash of milk until you have the desired consistency. As you mash the potatoes, make sure you can get peaks so the pie will be impressively landscaped! Slowly heat the olive oil in a sauté pan and cook the onions until they soften, then fold in and cook your meat or veggie protein. Lastly, add in the carrots, mushrooms, and tomato and cook through. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add in your favorite herbs—parsley, sage, rosemary, or whatever your heart desires. Transfer to an oiled pie dish and spread evenly. Sprinkle the grated cheese on the filling. Lastly, spread the mashed potatoes on top, creating peaks and valleys. Dust a sprinkling of parsley and chives onto the potatoes and pop it into the preheated oven for fifteen minutes. Once the tater topping begins to turn a lovely golden brown on top, remove from the oven. Serve this hearty homemade savory pie in bowls alongside a crisp salad of homegrown greens and allow its coziness to melt all mundane matters away. Good for any day of the week and impressive enough to bake for high holidays.

Flint

Flint is probably not thought of as a crystal, let alone as a healing crystal, but it is a variety of quartz whose crystal structure is not visible to the eye. Flint most commonly occurs in the form of rounded nodules in a grayish black color. If it is found near chalk, it will have a white coating. Flint can also be red or brown in color, and it is found all over the world.

Early humans in the Stone Age cultures of the Pleistocene era appreciated the hardness of this practical crystal, and they used it to make crude tools and spearheads. More-modern men used flint to set off the gunpowder in flintlock guns. It is unfortunate that flint came to be so relied upon for weapons, as its energy can actually be very beneficial to the tissue of the human body. Flint gives an allover sense of well-being, not just in the body but also in the mind. The special gift flint gives is a renewed sense of strength and gentle healing power to those suffering from degenerative diseases. Flint in your home will ground you and create a sense of safety and comfort.

Coral

Coral is another stone formed from organic material. In this case, it is the skeletons of many sea creatures. Coral can be found all around the world in our oceans. Ancient cultures revered coral for its medical benefits and its beauty. The ancients attributed much religious significance to coral as well. Coral comes in a nearly infinite number of shapes, and the colors range almost as widely—from white to black. The different colors of coral have different properties:

* Pink is comforting

* Red is invigorating

* Gray brings accord

* Black absorbs energy

* White brings constancy

Coral abets the bones and the blood and is a cleanser, good for inner organs and mental processes. Edgar Cayce used it to pacify and soothe. Since coral is made up of many generations of organisms, it is a gateway to the past. Because it was so readily available—by washing up on shore and being easily harvested from the seas—ancient man believed sailors could calm the waters with it. It was commonly worn as an amulet or pendant, with the most powerful coral having been freshly taken from the ocean unbroken. The ancients believed the living being remained inside the coral until it was broken, giving it enormous power. Moonlight is supposed to intensify the healing power of coral. Use the color guidelines above to help you choose the coral you need at any given time. You should provide yourself with an entire wardrobe of corals in all shades. Wear a red coral necklace to rid yourself of a chest cold; wear gray if you are squabbling with your mate. Wear white if you need more “Zen” in your world.

Amber’s Emotional Healing Power

 

The Norse believed it to be Freya’s tears that fell into the sea when she wandered the earth weeping and looking for her husband, Odin. Her tears that fell on dry land turned into golden amber. For this reason, amber is believed it to be very helpful and comforting to those who are separated and/or getting divorced, especially women, and especially those experiencing grief.

Crystalline Calm For Your Happy Home

To begin enjoying the powers of crystals in your home, you must first set the stage: the perfect environment where you experience comfort and joy. You’ll do this by building a stone shrine, which will become your touchstone for daily conjuring and contemplation. By preparing your home and sparking your inner flame, you can clear away anything blocking positive energy. It is of the utmost importance to have in your home a shrine or altar, a power center, where you can keep your stones and can ponder both their power and their beauty. This is your energy source where you can renew yourself and your spirits every day.

On a low table, place a white scarf and candles from each of the colors of the spectrum: white, violet, blue, green, yellow, orange, pink, red, and black. Place them in the miraculous arching shape of a rainbow. Take your favorite incense and place it in a quartz crystal bowl at the center of the rainbow. Amber is good for creativity and healing and contains crystalline grains of rock resin from Mother Nature. Keep a wand of sage or a smudging stick in a fireproof bowl or seashell on your altar, and use it to clear the energy and sanctify the space every day.

Next, place symbols on your shrine space that reflect your personal power and spiritual aspirations. I was born on the cusp of Aquarius and Pisces, so I keep fresh wildflowers in a vase beside a statue of a young goddess pouring the water of wisdom, symbolizing Aquarius. I also have abalone shells, which represent my Piscean nature, aligned with a magnetite obelisk and a rock-crystal ball. Let your imagination run wild! Use religious icons and images or photos that have special meaning—whatever expresses your innermost spirit. If you have an obelisk or pyramid on your altar, you can use it for manifestation by placing your desires and wishes on paper beneath the crystal.

Keep the basic principles of feng shui in mind, and put prosperity stones in your far-left money corner and romance rocks in your far-right love corner.

The crystals you select should be a completely personal choice. Browse your favorite lapidary or new age shop and see what you’re drawn to and resonate most with. Here are some crystals you can choose for specific spell work and energy you want in your life and environment:

• For creativity: amazonite, aventurine, carnelian, chrysolite, chrysoprase, citrine, green tourmaline, malachite, yellow fluorite

• For intuition: amethyst, azurite, celestite, lapis lazuli, moonstone, selenite, smoky quartz, sodalite, star sapphire, yellow calcite

• For love: amethyst, aventurine, magnetite, rhodochrosite, rose quartz, twinned rock crystal

• For prosperity: bloodstone, carnelian, citrine, dendritic agate, diamond, garnet, hawk’s-eye, moss agate, peridot, ruby, tiger’s-eye, topaz, yellow sapphire

• For self-assurance: azurite, chalcedony, chrysocolla, green tourmaline, hematite, rutilated quartz, tiger’s-eye

• For serenity: amber, aventurine, blue jade, dioptase, Herkimer diamond, jasper, kunzite, moonstone, onyx, peridot, quartz, rhodonite

• For success: carnelian, obsidian, quartz, selenite, sodalite, topaz

• For vigor: agate, aventurine, bloodstone, calcite, chalcedony, citrine, dioptase, emerald, garnet, orange calcite, ruby, topaz

• For wisdom: emerald, fluorite, Herkimer diamond, moldavite, serpentine, yellow calcite

Soul Stones: Pisces

First Half: February 19–March 4

For their power talisman, early Pisceans have a mutable rock: smithsonite, a soft, calcium-based stone that comes in a variety of lovely pastel colors. It is a stone for creativity, the bailiwick of this sign. Keep smithsonite at your easel, drawing table, or writing desk.

Opal fossils, the heart stones for these sensitive people, are ancient fragments that crystallized and achieved iridescence through an accumulation of water and minerals over time. Pisces is, of course, a water sign and is also associated with history and deep, old wisdom.

Second Half: March 5–March 19

The power stone for late Pisces is the chrysoprase, a gem that has been revered throughout the ages. Chrysoprase was assigned sovereignty and utilized by high priests of nearly every era. This crystal is perfect for the sign that can attain the highest level of spiritual evolution. With chrysoprase, you can help others and yourself through soul attunement.

Late Pisceans can count as their heart stone the all- purpose fluorite, which comes in a rainbow of colors corresponding to the rainbow gills of fish. This stone is found all over our planet and is so universally helpful that it presents a solid foundation for gentle Pisceans. Fluorite at home and work will add comfort and grace to your space.

Plant Infusions That Comfort and Heal

Many enthusiasts enjoy several cups a day of their favorite herbal infusion, which is a large portion of herb brewed for at least four hours and as long as ten. I recommend one cup of the dried herb placed in a quart canning jar and filled with freshly boiled water. After the steeping, strain with a non-metallic method, such as cheesecloth or bamboo. Herbal Infusions can be made with the leaves and fruits which provide the magical and healing aspects of this comforting concoction. Many of the favorite kitchen witch herbs contain minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals, including the list herein. Roots, leaves, flowers, needles and seeds can all be used—depending on which fruit or herb is chosen to be the base. There are some cases when all parts of the plant can be used in some manner, and at others only one or two parts are safe—it is important, when creating a blend from scratch, that the creator has researched ingredients to understand what parts can be used.

What do you need to attend in your life now? This list of herbs and associations can be your guide; one of the smartest ways to approach this methodology is to brew right before bedtime, and you will awaken to a freshly infused herb. Some of the most popular herbs and fruits used to create infusions are:

Anise Seeds & Leaves – soothes cramps and aches

Caraway Seeds – aids in romantic issues, helps with colic

Catnip Leaves – makes women even more attractive

Chamomile Flowers – helps with sleep, good for abundance 

Dandelion Leaves – makes wishes come true

Echinacea – makes the body strong

Ginseng Root – increases men’s vigor

Nettle Leaves – lung function, hex breaking

Peppermint Leaves – rids tummy discomfort, cleansing

Pine Needles – increases skin health as well as financial health 

Rose Hip Fruit – packed with vitamin C and can halt colds and flu

Sage Leaves – purifies energy, antibiotic

Skullcap Leaves – prevents insomnia, cures 

St. John’s Wort, anti- depressant protection

Thyme Leaves – antiseptic, a protectant

Yarrow Flowers – reduce fever, bring courage and good luck