Earth Element Ritual: Getting Grounded

I bet you love the beauty of trees and might even have a favorite tree. 

What is your favorite tree? I love willows for their dreamy beautfy. In Celtic lore, they were called wishing trees.  Taoists refer to them as money trees.  My spiritual circle  thinks of them as manifesting trees.  Either way, they are trees that give to you and root in the earth, growing, giving stability, and cleaning the air.  Plant one in your yard or in a pot for your home or office.  If you have to rely on indoor gardening, the biggest ficus you can find will do nicely in a jade-green ceramic pot.  Choose from among the following magical trees (or trust your intuition in arboreal matters):

Willow: healing broken hearts

Apple: divination, spell work

Oak: strength, lust

Peach: love magic

Olive: peace

Aspen: sensitivity

Eucalyptus: purification

Cherry: romance

If prosperity is your real concern, write your wishes on little paper scrolls and bury them in the soil near the tree.  Every time you water the tree, you will be bringing your wishes closer to fruition.  If you are looking for luck, happiness, or general good, verbalize your wish as you hang charms on the branches of your tree – colored ribbons, crystals, coins, and keys, anything that strikes your fancy.  This should also be a custom with friends and guests.  Every time you add an ornament, you must take one down.  Only when your charm has been removed will your wish come true.

Feng Shui of Love

Here is pagan feng shui for the bedroom that will prevent problems before they even happen!  

Fill your home with the energy of love and happiness with some of the simplest and most effective magic of all by creating sacred and safe space for yourself and your loved ones. It will also greatly enhance your sleep and even make dreams more pleasant. 

Feng Shui of Love Tips:

Never bring old pillows into a new home!  Old pillows can cause poor sleep and bad dreams, and they can kill a relationship.  Old pillows can carry sexual energy, too.

Never place your bed in the center of a room, as it will cause anxiety and get in the way of a healthy sex life.

Never have the foot of the bed facing the door, as it brings very bad luck.

Always make the bed, and change the linens often to keep your love-making fresh.

Place these objects in your bedroom to attract loving energy:

Two crystals of rose quartz of equivalent size

Pink, orange, or red fabric

Two red candles

Images of two butterflies (but never two dead butterflies)

Jasper: Stone of Protection

The authors of the Bible write their great city of heaven is reputed to have jasper walls. 

This opaque type of chalcedony is found on every continent on this planet, often with striated bands in exquisite shades of brown, yellow, green, and red.  Ground up into powder and added to potions, jasper has been an ingredient in healing elixirs for thousands of years.  It has gradual encouraging effects that can work over a long period of time.  Jasper is a patient rock, but it does good work.  It is an energy crystal as well as a stone of sensuality that engenders immense ardor.

Jasper was also favored by the ancients as a cure for snakebite and for controlling the weather as a bringer of rain.  In Lithica, a fourth-century epic poem, this stone is praised:

The gods propitious hearde to his prayers,

who’ever the polished glad-green Jasper wears;

His parsed glebe they’ll saturate with rain,

and send for shower to soak the thirsty plain.

Jasper was also believed to be able to repel evil spirits.

Lavender Chamomile Tranquility Tincture

No doubt hedgewitches were making a varation on this recipe centuries ago:

Herbal tinctures, which are concentrated reductions of the herbs, are more expensive but last longer and provide a higher dose of the herb.  We keep a tincture of echinacea and goldenseal in the house year round.  At the first sign of a cold or cough, a few drops go into herbal teas and hot lemon and honey toddies.  A hot toddy is traditionally made with hot water, lemon, sugar or honey, and liquor such as brandy, but it doesn’t have to be alcoholic to be medicinal.  Fresh ginger and garlic are great for adding to home remedies, particularly for colds; just chop finely or grate and add to teas and toddies.

This powerful healing curative should be kept on hand at all times for soothing the skin, the stomach and anything in need of comfort. I have even seen it be used to stanch bleeding in small cuts.

 You need the following:

Dried lavender1 1.2 cups

Dried chamomile 1 ½ cups

Clear quart jar with lid

Cheesecloth

Dark glass for storage

2 cups distilled water

1 cup clear alcohol such as vodka

Fill your clear quart jar to the halfway point with the dried lavender and chamomile. Pour in the alcohol also to the halfway point, Add in the water and seal with the lid securely and shake for a few minutes until it seems well mixed. Store in a dark cupboard for one month, shaking once a day.  After 30 days, strain with cheesecloth into the dark glass storage jar and screw the lid on tightly. The lavender and chamomile leavings will make lovely compost and the liquid tincture will soon prove itself indispensible in your household.

Winter Is Coming Roastie Ritual

Nuts are some of the best food we humans can eat,  tasty, packed with positive proteins and oil. y.

This nearly effortless nut roastie is a great snack for movie night at home, party time and makes a savory appetizer for special meals. Here is what you need:

10 ounces mixed nuts

8 ounces day-old bread

1 medium-sized white onion, chopped

1 ½ cups veggie stock

Soy or tamari sauce

2 ounces unsalted butter

1 teaspoon dried sage

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and start sautéing the onion in the butter until they soften. Mix the nuts together with the bread in a food processor or stir vigorously until blended well, transfer to a large bowl.  Heat the stock to boil and pour into the mixture in the bowl. Stir in the onions. Season as you see fit with salt, pepper and sage. Pour in a tablespoon of the soy or tamari sauces to add zing to your roast and give one last stir. Spoon the roastie mix into a greased baking dish and bake for a half hour. Notice as your kitchen fills with a fantastic aroma. Heating the nuts brings out more of their natural oils and intensifies the flavor. Like herbs and flowers, nuts have magical properties which are mainly to increase love and also feelings of conviviality and peace, thus the name of this dish. When you serve this roastie, you are quite literally “sharing the love.”

 Graceful Connection

Before you enjoy this friendly repast together, hold hands and recite this grace:

Sister, brother, tribe of the soul, ones who care.

Merry may we meet again to share.

Breaking bread and quaffing mead

We draw closer in word and deed.

Blessing of love to all!

WeMoon Sweet Potato Cakes

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love potato cakes;  this recipe adds extra pizzazz to this favorite. 

Hearty and oh-so-healthy, these pancakes make for a marvelous meal for any special occasion would be fantastic to bring to a brunch or a Friendsgiving and might be a fantastic use of leftovers Sweet potatoes are truly beneficial to women’s health and contain estrogen; these tubers are good for you inside and outside as they also give your skin a nice boost. But, their main magic for everyone is that they a vehicle for grounding. Anytime you feel spacey or out-of-sorts or distracted, this food will serve you well, even if you just bake and eat a sweet potato.  For this savory sweet, you will need:

2 large semi-baked sweet potatoes, peeled and grated

1 small onion chopped finely

1 large carrot, grated

2 large semi-baked russet potatoes, peeled and grated

3 eggs

½ cup olive oil

Cup of yogurt

Chives, sage and rosemary

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix the potatoes and carrot in a large bowl. Beat the eggs and add to the veggie mixture and mix thoroughly. Grind the rosemary and sage to a very fine powder in your mortar and pestle and add in a tablespoon of the herbs; Salt and pepper to taste. Shape into round balls, enough for 8 mooncakes. Warm the oil slowly until it is nice and hot. Place the balls in the oil and flatten into rounds with a spatula. Cook through until they are golden and beginning to crisp on both sides. Plate up and top with organic yogurt and chives. If you feeling decadent, dollop on grated cheddar and sour cream and enjoy with a circle of friends under the sheen of a bright and holy moon. Blessings to you and your soul tribe!

Calling in Your Guardians and Angels in Times of Trouble

This has been a year of tragedies, loss and a great deal of anxiety. You can ask for help:

 

Calling guides and helpers is easy. Simply say, “Guardians from the light, please come to me and assist me on my healing journey.” You may choose to know them and can say, “Show yourselves to me; let me know your presence.” Sometimes a friend or loved one who has passed away will come, sometimes an old pet will appear, sometimes you may feel a touch on your shoulder or a loving presence. Trust these moments. You can always ask, “Who is with me from the light?” If you feel a strange presence that makes you uncomfortable, ask who it is or simply ask the energy to go to the light and leave your space now. If you are unaware of guides or elders that work with you, there are some exercises later to introduce you to your helpers. Your higher self and other higher beings, such as angels, must be called. They are always present, but to actively work with you they must be invited. I call them like this: “Angels, Archangels, please come and be with me now. I would like your presence with me for this healing. Higher Self, please work with me now.” I also call all my guides and animal allies whenever I create my sacred space. After you have performed your ritual, make sure to express your deep gratitude alng with your goodbyes. I recommend doing this every so often so you know which guardians work best with you.

Blessings to you and yours during these hard times.