Pantry Power – Plant Infusions For An Abundant Life

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 placing one cup of the dried herb into a quart canning jar and filling it 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 healing aspects of this comforting brew. Many of the favorite kitchen garden herbs contain minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals including the list herein. 

What do you need to attend to 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 as follows:

• Caraway Seeds: aids in relationships
• 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
• Nettle Leaves: hex breaking
• Pine Needles: increases skin health as well as financial health 
• Sage Leaves: purifies energy, antibiotic 
• St. John’s Wort: antidepressant that lifts spirits
• Thyme Leaves: a protectant for you and your property
• Yarrow Flowers: reduces fever, brings courage and good luck

Herbal Wreaths Make a Home

Oftentimes, your kitchen is the heart of the home. Something about cooking and sharing food brings people together. An herbal wreath hanging on the kitchen door can be a source of love and luck. You’ll need the following for your creation:

• Freshly cut herbs of your choice
• A wire wreath frame, available from most craft stores
• Either string or florist's wire, ribbon, and a hot glue gun

This is truly one of the simplest craft projects you can ever make–simply use the wreath frame as a base, and use string or the florist's wire to anchor the fresh herbs into place. Finish it off with a colorful ribbon or other magical decorative touches you may want to add.

Curative Wreath: These are the ideal herbs for a wreath that brings curative properties including lavender, barley, comfrey, rosemary peppermint, borage, olive, eucalyptus, and apple blossom. Brown and green ribbons add a touch of healing color.

Security Wreath: Hang this guardian wreath on your front door using heather, holly, dill, foxglove, garlic, sandalwood, snapdragon, mustard, foxglove, mistletoe, and mugwort. White and blue ribbons add security and serenity.

Prosperity Wreath: Greet prosperity at the door with herbs associated with money magic which include clover, chamomile, sunflower apple, cinnamon, myrtle, basil, and bay leaf. Weave in gold and green ribbon to add to your luck. 

Inspired Clarity: Breath of the Gods Incense

Burn this mixture of incense on your altar to generate a positive and peaceful atmosphere to set the stage for your ritual. Rose hips and mint are for heart, enthusiasm, and keen thinking. The yellow candle, yellow rose, and the yellow citrine crystal are used to symbolize intelligence and mental clarity.

Gather together

• 1 tablespoon dried rose hips
• 1 teaspoon fresh or dried mint
• a charcoal cake for burning incense
• a fireproof clay or glass dish
• a yellow candle
• neroli essential oil
• a yellow rose bud
• 1 cup (240ml) of fresh water in a bowl
• a citrine crystal

Timing: Perform this rite during the new moon, when the moon is dark and not visible.

Using your mortar and pestle, grind together the rose hips and the mint. Once they are nicely mixed, place the herbs on a piece of charcoal in a fireproof clay or glass dish. Light a yellow candle anointed with neroli oil and place a single yellow rose in a vase to one side of the incense burner. On the other side, place the bowl of water with the citrine crystal in it. Light the incense and breathe in. The word “inspire” comes from the Greek word for “breath of the gods,” so allow this divine essence to fill you with grace.

Libra: Scleranthus Serenity

Our favorite Librans are often caught in a balancing act of weighing—and reweighing—their options before they make a decision. This can lead to vacillating in a cycle of indecision. To spur more decisive determination, try Scleranthus flower essence for more clear thinking and real balance.

Gemini: Madia Mental Magic for Twins

Curious Geminis are can overwork their brains by engaging in research and analysis to the point of overthinking. Preserve your intellectual power with a mental balancing tonic. Madia may be a great flower essence to try, as it’s said to calm the waves of a wandering mind.

Taurus: Chestnut Bud Benefits for Bulls

Home, prosperity, and security loving Taureans prefer safe harbor and no surprises. This routinized life can lead to getting into a bit of a rut and sameness. Freshen up your day-to-day with Chestnut Bud.

Lavender Aromatherapy: The Sweet Smell of Serenity

The time you take to restore yourself is precious. Morning is the optimal time to perform a self-blessing, which will help you maintain both your physical health and provide an emotional boost. Today, lavender oil is the most popular essential oil the world over, but the benefits of lavender were actually discovered over three thousand years ago. Because of its deeply powerful calming and soothing effect as well as antioxidant, antimicrobial, sedative, tranquilizing, and antidepressive properties, lavender oil is simply wonderful—even the scent brings joy. When King Tut’s tomb in Egypt was opened in 1923, a faint perfume of lavender remained after three thousand years. In the Bible, lavender was beloved for anointing and healing. Lavender, let us count the ways we love you:

• Anxiety reduction and lessening emotional stress
• Protection against diabetes
• Improved brain function
• Healing burns and wounds
• Better sleep
• Brightens skin health and circulation
• Slows down aging with powerful antioxidants
• Pain relief
• Alleviate headaches

Daisy and Echinacea: Healing the Heart and Body

This faithful flower’s name is derived from the Anglo-Saxon daeges eage, “day’s eye,” since it closes in the evening. The daisy has been used in one of the oldest of love charms. To know if your true love will return, take a daisy and intone, “He loves me, he loves me not” until the last petal is plucked, and the answer will be revealed. This flower is not just a boon for romance, however; it also useful in herbal medicine for aches, bruises, wounds, inflammation, and soothing eye baths. As a flower remedy, it is quite helpful with exhaustion and is a highly regarded remedy in homeopathy. Echinacea, also known as purple coneflower, is a member of the daisy family that has become wildly popular as a healer for colds and as a powerful immune booster; it both increases your T cell count and helps to fight off illnesses both minor and major. Echinacea is an herb of abundance that attracts abundant prosperity, but it can also be used in magic workings to amplify the power.

Angelica, the Digestive of the Heavens

Angelica, said to first bloom on the Archangel Michael’s name day, is part of the carrot family and is a tall, hollow-stemmed plant with umbrella-shaped clusters of pale white flowers, tinged with green. Candying the stalks in sugar was an old-fashioned favorite; angelica was also traditionally used to cure colds and relieve coughs. Nowadays, seeds are used to make chartreuse, a digestive and uniquely tasty liqueur. This heavenly guardian flower is a protector, as one might expect for a plant associated with archangels, and it is used to reverse curses, break hexes, and fend off negative energies. An angelica root, dried and cured, is a traditional talisman that can be carried in your pocket or in an amulet to bring long life. Many a wise woman has used angelica leaves in baths and rituals to rid a household of dark spirits. If the bad energy is intense, burn the angelica leaves with frankincense to exorcise it from your space. While you are protecting yourself and your home from negativity during this angelica smudging session, you will also experience heightened psychism. Pay close attention to your dreams after this; important messages will come through.

Herbal Amulets: Handmade Gifts of Caring and Curing

You will experience years of enjoyment from tending your garden, as Voltaire taught us in his masterpiece, Candide. You can share that pleasure with your friends and those you love by giving gifts from your garden. Your good intentions will be returned many times over. I keep a stock of small muslin drawstring bags for creating amulets. If you are a crafty person, you can make the bags, too, sewing them by hand before stuffing the dried herbs inside.

• For courage and strength of heart: Mullein or borage
• For good cheer: Nettle or yarrow
• For fellow witches: Ivy, broomstraw, and maidenhair fern
• For safe travels: Comfrey
• For fertility: Cyclamen or mistletoe
• For protection from deceit: Snapdragon
• For good health: Rue
• For success: Woodruff
• For strength: Mugwort
• For youthful looks: An acorn

Amulets should be kept on your person at all times, either in a pocket, in your purse or book bag, or on a string around your neck.

Coltsfoot Cures Coughs

Coltsfoot, also called Butterbur, is so named for the leaf’s resemblance to a horse’s hoof. Viewed as a weed, except by those who know, this spiky flowering plant grows wild along creeks, wetlands, or loamy fields. Tussilago, its Latinate botanical name, means “cough dispeller,” and this is a powerful aid to those with asthma or bronchial conditions and is very good medicine for colds and flu. In folklore, young maidens would use the leaves in a simple spell to see their future husband off in the distance galloping toward her. Truly knowledgeable hedge healers have a herd of coltsfoot in the shadiest, dampest part of their property. Coltsfoot’s medicinal mojo can be unleashed by infusing its leaves and/or flowers as a steeped tea. It is also commonly used as an ingredient in non-tobacco smoking blends; though naturally smoking of any sort is stressful to the lungs, if someone is determined to smoke in any case, smoking a little coltsfoot is thought to be a lung tonic.

Cheer Up with Chives

Allium, also known as chives, is blessedly easy plant to grow anywhere and everywhere—on the kitchen windowsill or in the garden patch. A member of the onion family, this is a lovely case where the entire plant—bulb, leaves, and flowers—can be eaten. Plant the bulbs six inches apart, water them, and you can pretty much ignore them after that as all they require is water. A plus is that this relative of onion has insect repellent properties, so you can plant rows of this beside veggies and fruits and the bugs will stay away. They propagate quickly, so you can dig up mature bulbs, separate them, and replant them. One tip to remember is that chives do lose their flavor when dried, so use them fresh. The flowers are a lovely surprise to add to salads for their edible beauty, and many a kitchen gardener uses chives in all manner of dishes as it is good for weight management and is a plant of protection for both home and garden. Chives were used by healers of old in amulets to ward off evil spirits and mischievous fairy folk. Fresh cut bunches were also hung beside the sickbed to speed healing, especially for children. If you see a home surrounded by rows of allium, you know they hold to the “old ways.

Lemon Balm Soothes Those Aches and Pains (Including Heartbreak)

 

Balm also goes by the equally lovely Latinate name Melissa. From Greco-Roman times, this relative of the mint family has been held to be a significant medicinal. You can grow lemon balm with ease from seed packets in almost any kind of soil, but it likes shade in the afternoon to prevent wilting. This is one of the happy plants that will “volunteer” to spread in your garden, and it can be used in your home to bring love to you and to heal after a breakup or divorce. It can also be employed as an aphrodisiac. Infusions and teas made from lemon balm make good on the offer the name implies as it can soothe the heart and any lingering upset, blue moods, or aches and pains from trauma, both physical and emotional. I suggest we all grow as much as possible and let some go to seed for those new plants that will pop up in unexpected places in your herb garden. An herbalist never complains about a plentitude of balm; anyone who makes much use of lemon balm in brews and cookery will enjoy an abundance of love.

Plenty of Thyme—An Herb for Physical and Spiritual Strength

You could say that thyme is a classic herb, so much so that the venerables, Virgil and Pliny, sang the praises of this medicinal mint relative over two thousand years ago. While thyme loves Mediterranean weather, it can grow elsewhere from seeds and cuttings. Good for the stomach and especially effective as respiratory relief, thyme induces sweats to remove toxins and reduce fever. Thyme honey tea is truly a sweet way to make the medicine go down, so much so you will find you drink it even when hale and hearty. Thyme is also a culinary plant, making it a delightful additive to savory dishes. When I lived in a warmer clime about ten years ago, I planted wooly thyme in among the flagstones of my front yard and let it spread as much as possible. By the hour when I came home from work, the sunny eighty-plus degree sunny weather had warmed the thyme, creating a perfumed walkway; coming home was a heavenly experience.

It has been believed for centuries that thyme brings courage and both inner and physical strength. Even when you are facing seemingly insurmountable odds, spells and smudging featuring thyme can get you on track and bring you to your goal. I think the greatest of all aspects of thyme is to rid your home and family of melancholy and overcome despair after extreme difficulty and loss. If your loved ones have experienced a catastrophe, try thyme for rituals of magic and restitution. I have no doubt that practitioners of green witchery will be singing the praises of thyme for at least two thousand more years.

Sleepy Thyme

This herb improves your quality of sleep; gather and dry thyme it to use in sachets so the divine fragrance freshens linens and laundry. A little bag of this dried thyme tucked in your pillowcase makes for sweeter sleep. As if all that is not enough, the plant itself also repels bugs and pests but attracts honeybees! As we all know, deep sleep is a great healer.

Twenty-Two Healing Herbs: Mother Nature’s Medicine Cabinet Part II

Garlic (Allium sativum)

We have all heard that the Chinese praise garlic for health benefits. It is a powerful antimicrobial, often employed to combat colds, ease sinus congestion, and stave off digestive problems that accompany traveling. It has even been shown that regular use can help gently lower blood pressure. One to two fresh cloves daily are the dose.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale)

From tummy troubles to colds and flus, ginger is beloved for its curative powers. Any greengrocer or herbal apothecary will have plenty or ginger root in stock, and you should always have some around. When anyone in your family feels nauseous or senses a cold or fever coming, slice and mince a tablespoon of the root into two cups of hot water and simmer it low covered for tea. Sweeten to taste and drink twice a day for a surprisingly swift end to your suffering. It also makes a wonderful spicy iced tea when cooled, though for a respiratory or tummy bug, drink it comfortably warm.

Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius; P. ginseng)

Many people rely upon ginseng to relieve and avert mental and physical fatigue. This herb has been shown to reduce the occurrence and acuteness of colds. Some even claim it can help with issues of male virility. It can help to light the fire of vitality within your body; for this reason, if you have spells of feeling too warm, limit your intake of ginseng. Either dried or fresh will do, three times a day simmered in a cup of freshly boiled water for eight to ten minutes. (Note that Siberian “ginseng” is a different plant entirely and is in fact a distinct species from another plant family, Eleutherococcus senticocus; it is also useful as a nutritive and grounding adaptogen, but should not be confused with Asian or American ginseng!)

Hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa)

Beloved for the heavenly sweet perfume of its flowers, hibiscus is also a powerful diuretic and can lower blood pressure. As if that is not enough, it can also help sore throats and colds. Similarly to other herbal applications, steeping a tablespoon of the dried flowers in a cup of freshly boiled water for ten minutes and drinking this infusion twice a day is the desired treatment.

Hops (Humulus lupulus)

As we all know, hops are used for beer-making and excel as a tincture used as a sleeping aid and stress-reliever. Women healers also claim it is very useful to calm hot flashes in menopause. The ideal dosage is forty drops before sleep. It is said it can help anxiety. Lower your dose if you wake up extra sleepy in the morning after using hops.

Kava (Piper methysticum)

This root is also said to be highly effective as a muscle relaxer and for reducing anxiety. Kava can be handled the same as ginger, with one tablespoon of minced root or dried root simmered low and taken as tea. I recommend seeing how it affects you before you raise the dose to two or three cups of tea per day, which is recommended. If you take it as a supplement, when considering taking more than 250 mg. per day (a fraction of the weight of a US penny) or for longer than a week, make sure you are under the care of a qualified health professional. As with many, many powerful remedies, if you take it all the time without breaks, it won’t work anymore right when you need it most.

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra)

This revered candy classic is also a wonderful anti-inflammatory which relieves the discomfort of colds in the sinuses. It can soothe sore throats and coughs and is a curative for gastrointestinal issues. Treat licorice root exactly as you would ginger with one minced teaspoon of fresh or dried simmered low covered in one cup of water twice a day to make a naturally sweet tea. Also, you can add licorice root to other herbal teas as it will sweeten them, besides adding its medicinal virtues, which tend to combine well with those of many other basic remedies.

How We Lost Our Connection to Nature and How We Can Get It Back

On woodland walks, my Aunt Edie pointed out nettles, wild mint, Queen Anne’s Lace, and other herbs which grew by creek beds near my home. We picked, steeped, and sipped concoctions we made together as she imparted her homely wisdom. Little did I know at the time I was being gently schooled as an apprentice kitchen witch. Lately, I have been called upon to craft spells for peace of mind; so many of us are overwhelmed due to the fragmented lifestyles requiring long hours at work, zillions of emails, texts, tweets, and all the demands that don’t stop coming.

How often do you see a panicky pagan or stressed out herbalist? Rarely, I assure you.

We all have to keep pace with the modern world, but our connection to the earth and the cycles of nature help maintain balance and harmony, despite the hurly-burly of these tech-driven times. This chapter is aimed at conjuring wellness so you can stay centered, grounded, and healthy. When our grandmothers and elders who came before us “tended cuts, bruises, colds, flus, fevers, and other illnesses their family suffered, they didn’t have a corner drugstore. Instead, these wise women relied on simple wisdom, common sense, and pantries well-stocked with herbal remedies. These preparations were made from plants that grew in the kitchen garden or wild weeds gathered in the fields and woods surrounding their homes. This stash of kitchen cupboard cures combines the wisdom of our elders with a modern sensibility. Yes, you will save money, but more importantly, you will begin to learn what works for you and master the art of self-care as you bring much comfort to your loved ones.

Beyond Essential Oils: A to Z Oils for Candle Enchantments Pt. 3

Lavender oil is my number one essential oil because it is so versatile. It is a natural antibiotic, antiseptic, sedative, antidepressant, and topical treatment for scalds and burns, as well as a good detoxifier. Lavender promotes healing, and the lovely scent has a calming effect and is widely used in aromatherapy.

Lemongrass oil is calming and balancing with a protective energy. Native to Asia, lemongrass has long been used to repel negative spirits from entering the home. The sharp and bright citrus scent can lift up those who are feeling blue and in a rut. It is also a love attractor. Lemongrass essential oil can help with a fresh start in life.

Lime oil comes from the fruit of the citrus tree. Traditionally lime oil’s bright and fresh aroma is great for clearing any blocked energy channels and releasing creativity, as well as dispelling melancholy.

Mandarin oil has been in use since twelfth-century China, where it was beloved for its divine citrus scent and applications as a medicinal for both body and mind. This richly fragrant oil brightens moods and emotions and alleviates stress and insomnia. Mandarin can help you reconnect with your inner child and the innocence of youth.

Mugwort has long been used in magical workings starting in Mesopotamia and expanding in Europe, Asia, and now the world. It is used by shamans for dreamwork and achieving new levels of consciousness. Mugwort is especially good for the mental plane as it helps overcome headaches and soothes anxiety for mental balance and calm.

Myrrh is another precious essential essence from pre-Biblical times and is prized for its warm and lightly musky smelling resin. Hailed for the considerable anti-inflammatory benefits it provides, it is great for reducing pain and calming blotchy skin. An excellent anointing oil for candles, for lamps, and for yourself, this will connect you to the sacred dimension.

Myrtle oil is pressed from the myrtle tree, which was dedicated to Aphrodite in Ancient Greece. This slightly sweet and camphor-scented oil contains balancing benefits. It can be used to increase mood quality, prevent allergies, and clarify and cleanse emotional blockages. Myrtle is marvelous for us in goddess rites.

Narcissus oil has roots in classical Greek mythology and is indeed a visionary essence. It takes you to the realm of imagination. If you want to have intense dreams to feed your creativity, narcissus can bring those to you. Use it in conjunction with more grounding essential oils so you can also attend to practical matters as you explore.

Neroli oil is extracted from the bitter orange tree, originally found in Egypt, Algeria, France, and Spain. This essence contains regenerative qualities, making it a perfect topical to alleviate upset skin and even reduce redness. It is a goddess oil with a gentle feminine energy that both lifts emotions and helps overcome fear and worry. It can be used to get messages from dreams as well as astral travel.

Nutmeg oil is a warm, spicy essential oil that is sweet and somewhat woody. It blends beautifully with other essential oils in the same spice family and strengthens the combination. Nutmeg is very lucky and is wonderful in money magic. It is also fortunate for love and instills loyalty in a relationship.

Oakmoss oil has an earthy energy to match the name and can ground you and remind you of what you are supposed to accomplish during your life. It is very uplifting and brings inspiration. Oakmoss essential oil is an attractor of abundance and is highly recommended for money spells. It is also associated with older women and any rituals of cronehood, and elder woman’s wisdom should include oakmoss oil.

Peppermint oil is a wonderful therapeutic for headaches, skin irritations, and depression. It is not surprising that peppermint oil is regarded as one of the world’s oldest medicines. It is first rate in money magic as well as healing work and can be useful in divination.

Pine oil is renowned for its familiar clean scent and will restore your spirit when you feel gloomy. This earthy and fresh-scented oil is very useful in house magic and is connected to longevity and nature spirits, especially those of the woodlands and farmlands.

Home Protection Potpourri

Simmer this mixture whenever you feel the need to infuse your home and heart with the energies of protection. This will safeguard you and your loved ones from outside influences that could be negative or disruptive. Set your intention and gather together the following herbs:

1⁄4 cup rosemary
4 bay laurel leaves
1 tablespoon basil
1⁄8 cup sage
1 teaspoon dill weed
1⁄8 cup cedar
1 teaspoon juniper berries

Mix the herbs together by hand. While you are doing this, close your eyes and visualize your home as a sacred place protected by a boundary of glowing white light. Imagine that the light runs through you to the herbs in your hand and charges them with the energy of safety, sanctity, and protection. Add the herbs to a pan filled with simmering water. When the aromatic steam rises, intone:

By my own hand, I have made this balm;
This divine essence contains my calm.
By my own will, I make this charm;
This precious potpourri protects all from harm.
With harm to none and health to all,
Blessed be!

Lemon Works for Everything

Instead of discarding lemon halves after you’ve used their juice for cooking or lemonade, save them to use as scrubbers for cleaning wood cutting boards without damaging them. You can also use fresh lemon juice mixed with baking soda to brighten white tiles, sinks, or tubs, or make natural wood polish for floors by mixing a little fresh lemon juice with olive oil. This citrus fruit is a natural lightening agent that you can use in place of bleach, which should be used sparingly, if at all. Throw discolored white socks, towels, or shirts in a stockpot with water and a few used lemons; simmer for a little while to lighten. If you hang them outside to dry, the combination of sunlight and your low-cost lemon whitener will refresh your laundry until it is practically gleaming!

Make cleaning a cheese grater a snap: Take a lemon cut in half and rub it on all the surfaces of a cheese grater. The lemon’s acid breaks down the fatty cheese residue on the grater. If cheese is really stuck, here’s an extra technique to try: set up a small plate with a layer of table salt on it, then dip the lemon in the salt. Like commercial scrubbing powder (but without all the chemicals), the salt will increase the friction on your grater; together with the lemon, it will effectively remove most stuck-on food.

Takes tarnish off your metal jewelry: Use two tablespoons of lemon juice concentrate to three cups water, then rub jewelry well with a soft cloth. The acidity of the concentrated lemon juice will work to remove tarnish.

Add lemon to food to reduce bacteria: Since bacteria require an alkaline environment to stay alive, add lemon juice or fruit to produce, meat, or even water to slow down microbial growth.

Sanitize your cutting board: Want to deep clean your cutting board without running it through a dishwasher? Putting a wooden cutting board in the dishwasher is just not a good idea, but especially after preparing meat, a natural antibacterial treatment is in order. Rub a cut lemon on your cutting board and let it sit with the lemon juice on it overnight, then rinse it well in the morning. Bacteria will be banished, and your cutting board will have a lemon-fresh aroma.

Restore wooden furniture’s natural shine: Combine equal parts of olive oil and lemon juice with a little mayonnaise and stir well. This mixture will both remove previous polish buildup on wood furniture due to the acidity of the citrus and will also condition the wood.

Keep rice from sticking together: Set up your rice pot; while the water is heating, put a teaspoon of lemon juice into the pot and your cooked rice will come out in nice separate grains. Other types of citrus fruit can also be used depending on what type of dish will be served with your grain. Believe it or not, citrus juice also enhances the whiteness of the rice itself.

Degrease pots & pans and stovetop or grill: Cut a lemon in half and dip it in salt as described above for cleaning a cheese grater. When you scrub a copper-bottomed pot with it, tarnish will be removed so quickly you’ll swear it’s magic. It works wonderfully well to clean the stovetop and barbecue grill, too, as well as stainless steel pots and pans.

Natural weed killer: Don’t give in to the marketing of chemical herbicides; besides exposing you and your family to dangerous toxins, they are bad for the planet as well. Combine one part white vinegar with four parts lemon juice in a spray bottle, then give it a good shake and spray your plantings, whether in indoor pots or your garden.

Shekinah’s Salts

Shekinah translates as “She who dwells within” and is the Hebrew name for the female aspect of God. Legend has it that she co-created the world side by side with Yahweh, the god of Israel. This simple recipe for salts calls up the scents and primal memories of what the Edenic paradise must have been like. A real plus to this recipe is that you can change the essential oils to suit your needs and mood.

The ingredients for the recipe are as follows:

• 3 cups Epsom salts
• ½ cup sweet almond oil
• 1 tablespoon glycerin
• 4 drops ylang-ylang essential oil
• 1 drop jasmine essential oil
• 1 drop clary sage essential oil

Mix well and store in a colored and well-capped glass bottle. You can use these special Shekinah salts in your ritual rub.

A Gathering of Angels: A Ritual of Preparation for Surgery

Call your friends together before the surgery date. It can be at your home or any place that feels safe and secure. I highly recommend raising some healing energy at the home of the person who is to undergo the surgery, as it will create an aura of restoration. Ask each person to bring something to comfort, reassure, and cure the celebrant: soup, fixings, a soothing eye pillow, sleep balm, a hand-knitted scarf for warmth, body lotion, herbal teas, books, or lavender-infused slippers are all wonderful gifts.

Form a circle of care around the celebrant and light candles. Unscented soy candles are probably best for health reasons. As you go around the circle, ask each person to give his or her gift of caring to the celebrant and say what it represents.

I give you this herbal tea mix so you can sip tea and draw from it healing and heat.

I give you all my love and healing energy and I know you will come back from the hospital healthier than ever before.

The ritual continues until everyone has had a turn to speak and healing gifts and loving energy surround the celebrant. I suggest giving the celebrant hankies beforehand, as I know I myself could not stop my tears of joy. It is completely up to the celebrant to say or do whatever she or he feels during the ritual. In many cases, they may say nothing due to the intensity of this event.