Moons and magick

National Geographic

 "I have found that covens are for moons and magick. 
Save the Sabbats for family and festivities!"   
~ Melanie @ The Pagan Family

I have been contemplating my pagan path a lot lately.

You see, I had been in a coven for over 16 years. I have been pagan for longer! But my membership in the coven defined my path for so many years. Now that I'm on my own, I think, "What next? What now? Which way, Lady?" And, secretly, am I somehow "less"?

When I mentioned my change in status to my friend Melanie at the beginning of the year and that a Sabbat was coming and now as a solitary with a child, I wandered how to celebrate the Sabbat with my son and without a coven, she made the statement "Covens are for moons and magick, save the Sabbats for family and festivities." That sentence has been resounding through my head now for months. I think it defines what I felt was lacking in my path at the time I chose to part ways with the coven I was in.

• Moons and magick were... well... not feeling as magickal as they once had.
• I was operating under the assumption that the coven was my "family of choice", when in fact I was incorrect.

 Choosing to step out of the coven was a difficult decision. There are lots of things I could say about what led to that decision but those things don't need to be said here and now.  What I'm writing about is basically "thinking out loud" about where I am: Why is Melanie's statement having such an impact on me? Why am I contemplating it so hard? What next, what is different now?

In the very beginning of this year, coven-less, I was quite adrift. But as time went on I realized... nothing *really* has changed other than I don't go to someone else's house once or twice a month. About the only other real difference is that I no longer have a membership in COG. Since all that ever really meant to me was that I had a little card that said I held ordination credentials through COG, and if you asked me to produce that little card right now I'd have to say, "um... dunno where it is." I think that makes it pretty clear how important that card really is in the grand scheme of my life.

Being Wiccan, being a witch, it doesn't mean you need to prove to anyone you are an ordained priest. (unless your state requires such proof to act as clergy in a public capacity, which Iowa does not) Being a Wiccan or witch means you are empowered to be your own priest... not just empowered, EXPECTED to be your own priest.

In that coven's tradition, I held elder status. That did mean a lot to me. I worked for that, I EARNED it. (insert light bulb moment) I am still an elder!  That still means a lot to me.  Elder status conferred "clergy" status, ordination status. Whether that means anything to another wiccan or witch is up to them. It won't change who I am, it won't change the fact that I know I am a Priestess. It doesn't change the fact that once recognized as an elder by myself and others (in that coven and outside of it), I will always remain an elder, an ordained priestess, as long as I choose to be one. I may, should I choose, perform the services of clergy should someone request such services.

So, here I am, contemplating moons and magick, Sabbats and celebrating, and what is next in my path. Another coven? (maybe) Solitary for a while? (surely)

Whatever my path may look like, right now it is one I am building as I am led back toward what has called to me for years.  And exploring THAT is for future blog ramblings. :)

Learning by Doing: Nettles

 

This post was moved from an old blog of mine, and dated 9/4/2011.

My friend Melanie mentioned a while back on her blog Susun Weed and her online herbal courses. I remembered hearing about Susun Weed even farther back from another friend, and I'd checked out her courses and put them on my wish list... then forgot about them. Well, Melanie's post about Susun on her blog reminded me, and since we had the means this summer, I signed up for Susun Weed's ABCs of Herbalism course.

One of the things Susun believes we should all do and the first assignment from the course that I decided to tackle, is to drink at least 3 quarts of nettle infusion a week. You can find a lot of great info by Susun about nettles.  For the infusion, take 1 oz of the dry nettle herb and pour a quart of boiling water over it, and let it steep 4 hrs or overnight. Strain and drink. I let mine steep over night, as it's convenient that way. After I strain it, I split it into two servings and put one in the fridge for the next day and put the other over ice for that day. I do add a little agave syrup or honey as it is difficult to drink otherwise. ;) Susun says to use miso instead of honey but I don't like miso either!

Back to the nettles. See my glass above? that is my infusion. I was surprised at how dark it was! The flavor is strong and not very pleasant but I'm sure I will get used to it in a few weeks. This morning was day 4 of drinking it. The assignment is to drink it for a month and then record changes in hair, joints, skin, health etc.

I think I already have something to report. I suffer from "tennis elbow" in my right arm. Saw the chiro about it a month or so ago but it only helped a little and didn't stick for long. It was really bad last week, with shooting pains that caused my arm to go completely weak and unusable, and nearly brought me to tears a few times. Can't even lift a gallon pitcher with it. Well I haven't had shooting pains for 4 days, and yesterday I kind of thought perhaps there wasn't that much pain in it at all. Today it feels like it's definitely better. 4 days! and this pain that I've lived with for nearly 8 months is going away?

I will drink nettles for the rest of my life if it cures my tennis elbow.

Susun has a free online course for "Nourishing Infusions". Click here to check it out.

Editing to add:  I purchased my first pound of dry nettle leaf herb from MountainRoseHerbs.com at a very reasonable price! Then I discovered that my food coop stocked Frontier Herb nettles at a slightly lower cost so I ordered another pound from them. My glass of nettle infusion above is the Mountain Rose nettles! Shop around, prices on herbs fluctuate just like any other food based on crop success. I buy organic herb of course, since I don't want to worry about poisoning myself. :) 

Edited again to add:  The nettles from Frontier Herb did not taste as good as the Mountain Rose Nettles. Neither taste great, like hay actually. But the Mountain Rose nettles were stronger and with a less hayish taste. Good to know.

Weed Walk!

I wrote this post for my good friend Melanie's blog, The Pagan Family. This is the post she put on her blog, including her comments, which are in purple!

  I visited my most gorgeous friend Melanie the other day. We share many loves and one I plan to explore in great detail is herbalism. I have signed up for TWO herbalism courses recently and right now I am focusing on identifying common local herbs, especially the so-called weeds! Melanie is a fabulous resource for this! She identified a few weeds in my own yard (Yellow Dock and Lambs Quarters) to my delight. I just had to go on a weed walk in Melanie's yard while there!
We identified so many things that my poor brain did not retain it all. I should have taken my notebook with me on the walk so that I could write the names down as I took pictures... lesson learned. But I do now remember a few of them (borrowing a few books for identification helped!)

Thimbleweed

Mugwort - This one made it into one of my very first jars to make a tincture. I was supposed to make a dream pillow with it, but I forgot and tinctured it instead. Ha! I also tinctured some wormwood.

Wild Rose - this one I could identify but I snapped the picture because of those odd globes attached to the leaves, I wanted to know what those were. (galls from a gall wasp)

Foxglove! the picture does not do it justice.

Prairie Milkweed!
 

We tentatively ID'd this as trefoil. It seemed smaller than it was described as the book, but all other attributes matched up.

Burdock - now we're trying to decide if it's first year growth or second year.

And here are some that I forgot their names, so Melanie will have to fill in the blanks for me!

Comfrey!

Spiderwort

Melanie said the flowers were lovely but they close in the evening.

Echinacea - getting ready to flower 

 I found this new one right outside the front door. I tasted the leaves. Nothing. I tasted the seed pods. Yum! Wild mustard! 

We saw a lot more, but I did not take pictures of everything especially since I knew most of them.  We saw yellow dock, lambs quarters, red clover, thistle, nettles, shepherds purse and yellow wood sorrell. (Don't forget the plantain! She's an abundant treasure!) I knew fleabane, which I think was one that Melanie hadn't been familiar with. And she had a mint she did not know, which I was sure was catnip (an easy verification with my cats took care of that ID).
I had the best time! I can't wait to do it again, this time perhaps more prepared (I'm thinking of pressing samples!)

OK all you Green Witches, here's a reader challenge. What the cuss is this? It grows near the artemesia on the south side of the house. It has small white flowers. 

What's growing in your yard? I look forward to your responses. Thanks again Michele! 

And another thank you Melanie!

Weed Walk Link!

I went on a weed walk at my good friend Melanie's house! She's fabulous at identifying plants and since I want to learn more about herbs, I was so excited to get a chance to learn more identification from her.

Even better, I was honored to be asked to write up a blog post for her blog!!! Please hop on over to

The Pagan Family

and read all about my adventure walking the "weeds" at Melanie's house!

Dandelions for breakfast!

You read that right!  We had Dandelions for Breakfast!  Really, it was more like brunch... as we had to wait for the dandelions to open their faces to the sun before picking them!

Note:  Dandelions are a natural diuretic, and encourage the body

to release excess water. EXCESSIVE consumption of dandelions

may have a laxative effect! Everything in moderation please!

Did you know that the entire dandelion plant is edible? Not only that, it's actually rather tasty. Dandelions are best eaten in the spring, when plants are tender. The leaves are excellent added to a salad of fresh greens, the roots can be made into tea and of course, the flowers are edible too!

I have to thank my junior high science teacher for introducing me to fried dandelions. He spent the whole day one spring taking each of his classes out to pick dandelion flower heads and batter dipping them, frying and eating! This is how I first learned of the diuretic effect of dandelions, as my poor teacher forgot and ate dandelions every class period and ended up spending a lot of time in the bathroom that evening! This is why we made a small batch ourselves today!

How to make Fried Dandelions:
Make up a batch of your favorite batter.  We used Pakura batter, as it is usually made with lentil or chick pea flour, making it safe for Kevin's allergies.

I halved the batter recipe since I wasn't planning to cook up much, and we still had a lot of batter left over. The nice thing about pakura batter is that you can pretty much batter up anything and fry it. That's what they do in India! So don't throw away leftover batter, just fry up your fresh veggies too.

Set up your oil to heat while you go pick the flowers.

Picking the flowers was Kevin's job. Because that's ALL he's done since the dandelions showed up, is bring me fistfuls of dandelion bouquets every day! Several times a day!  :)

Kevin then suggested we put chives in the batter. What an excellent idea! Our chives grow like crazy, so we have a ton!

Having a very special helper on hand to do the important jobs is very important!

Pluck the stems from the dandelion flowers, then dip them in the batter. Pakura batter is thicker than most batters so I had to kind of work the batter into the flower to get it to stay on the flower. That's okay though, as I love the smell of the pakura spices on my fingers! Put the dipped flowers into the pan to fry!

Fry till brown on all sides. Remove from pan to drain on a plate with a towel.

Garnish with a fresh Dandelion and serve! It was not enough for Kevin that we were eating flowers... we had to have a picnic on our porch too!

Our neighbors (some of whom have PRISTINE lawns) may not like the fact I let our yard have "weeds". But I don't think of them as weeds. I think of everything in my yard as having a purpose... it's either edible or compost-able or just pretty to me even if it is a "weed" to someone else.

But if you don't want dandelions in your yard, this is one good way to be green and get rid of them! Just pull them up out of your yard and USE the whole plant, flower to root! DON'T SPRAY!

Are you interested in other uses for dandelion (I fondly remember dandelion wine when my mom took me to the Amana Colonies). Check out Herbal Roots 'zine, an e-zine devoted to teaching (kids and adults) the medicinal (and more) uses of common plants. The 'zine is great! it's got activites, puzzles and recipes and much more!  Here is a link to buy the back issue devoted to Dandelions.

PS: Kevin did like the fried dandelions however the pakura spices were a little overwhelming for him, so next time I use the batter I need to add more flour or less spices! :)

Happy flower eating!

Our Singulair experience

People who know me well know that I'm not a drug-taker. Modern medicine is great, and some drugs are life-savers and we need them. Most drugs these days however, are just band-aids and do not address the real problems that cause poor health. Sometimes though I've chosen to take a drug to improve my quality of life. I've taken Singulair for instance, for bronchoconstriction caused by asthma.  I had good results from it, and minimal, if any, side effects. It prevented coughing fits that would be so bad I would end up whooping for air or worse, puking.

So when Kevin turned 3, that winter was harsh for him. His allergies make him more susceptible to colds and sinus infections, and that year he suffered from cold after cold, and I shared each one with him. Finally, after the 5th or 6th round debilitating colds (in 3 months), I spoke to his pediatrician about it, and asked what we could do. She recommended Singulair. She said she'd had excellent results with few side effects. Because I'd taken it myself, and had looked at info about it before, and I trust Kevin's doctor, I agreed that we should try Singulair with Kevin. (I also went back on Singulair at that time)

He showed quick improvement after a few weeks. Allergy symptoms were reduced a LOT. While he was on Singulair he had maybe, 1 or 2 colds in a year. The severity of the cold was reduced significantly as well, so that we did not have to use a nebulizer/albuterol so he could breath better. I sang the praises of Singulair, and recommended it to a few mama friends who had kids with similar issues.

Here is where I have to say I cannot in good conscience recommend it any longer. Not that I'm going to go ballistic about it! :)  I'm here to offer a warning, a reminder to other parents to do your research, to know what to watch for.

Kevin had been taking Singulair about 7 or 8 months when I came across a reference to Singulair side effects in young children at Mercola.com. (Disclaimer: Dr. Mercola is considered by some to be over-the-top in some of his ideas, but I credit his dietary recommendations for being the primary reason I was able to get pregnant and have Kevin. I do, however, take Mercola's recommendations with the idea that I need to verify his claims with other references, which is what we should do for all of our medical research) Mercola's website references an article that claimed Singulair caused a side effect of aggression in children.

This statement struck me, because I had seen an increase in Kevin's temper. It would flash hot and burn longer than it had in the past. I did a little research. Here and here are a few sites to get you started, always do your own research if you are concerned! Anyway, I was now more informed.... but were Kevin's tempers a result of Singulair use or just the usual Terrible 3's? And winter was approaching, the worst season for him. Should I take him off the drug or wait and see if the tempers got better or worse?

Being a parent sucks when you have to make decisions that effect your child... what is best for them.  Peer pressure from other mamas on either side of issues are the worst source of stress and guilt for me. I hate having to worry about stuff like this! But in the end, we can only do our best to make decisions, right?

So, I left him on the Singulair for the winter. I thought, a few more months and maybe I'd know more. But I was pretty certain the aggression was not Kevin, but the Singulair. I planned to take him off after February, when the winter cold season was mostly over. By the end of January the decision was taken out of my hands! (providence perhaps?)  When I went to refill his prescription, I found out that our insurance no longer covered Singulair and because it does not yet have a generic, the price was well out of our affordability. So we finished out the rest of his bottle and he no longer takes it.

This is where it got creepy for me. By January, he was having beyond thunderdome moments of rage if I denied him something. Uncontrollable anger, he would lash out at whatever was nearest, kicking or throwing. I tried the recommendations for Attachment Parenting discipline, I tried other new discipline recommendations, I even fell back on the non-productive methods like harsh punishments like throwing out the toys he threw or kicked. Nothing worked. He seemed completely unable to manage his anger or aggression. And this was the age where I am supposed to teach him about emotions and how to own them and cope with them. But I could barely cope with them myself, some days. Few others saw these episodes... on bad days we would just stay home. And you know, kids always behave the worst with the ones that are closest to them.

So, now two full months have gone by, and what do I have to say about Kevin's temper now that he is Singulair-free?

I have my angel back.

Oh, he's still a kid and has his naughty moments, still gets mad at me. But all those parenting methods work again. I can talk him through anger, I can redirect him, I can distract him from the temptation to be naughty.

Gone are the intense rage, throwing, kicking, hitting, breaking. It's like night and day to my eyes. I can hardly believe my eyes at the difference in behavior!  Unfortunately, those months taught us all some bad habits we need to unlearn. But now I have the strength and resolve to do what needs done, since I'm not spending all my energy coping with mini-Mr. Hyde!

Could I have known this would happen to us? No. I'm sure Drugs.com had the same reports of increased aggression as a side effect before I started Kevin on the Singulair, but even if I had read about the side effect, I probably would have still put him on it. We read the side effects listings but usually don't think it will happen, right? Side effects can be rare, right?  Not always.

The moral here is to PAY ATTENTION. KNOW your kid. I KNEW something wasn't right with Kevin, so when providence put the right info in front of my eyes, I knew to start really paying attention. Do your research so the knowledge is in the back of your mind and when you see something out of whack, you know where to look for the culprit.

And then, forgive yourself.

That's the hardest part for me right now. I'm wracked with guilt again. I know in my head I made what I thought would be the best decision with the knowledge I had at the time. But after the fact I am always miserable with hindsight. I'll get over it of course. And this blog post is part of my therapy... get my experience out there so other mamas might know what to look for, and do their own research.

Be safe friends.

"I wouldn't waste my time on guilt."  ~God  (Grass by Sherri Tepper)

Spring and Ostara fun!

Last Wednesday was Waldorf Homeschool day at Many Hands House! It was a super fun time! I just love the homey pandemonium there! We helped the kids make Spring baskets, with wheat berry seeds to grow wheat grass. Kevin checks his basket a couple times a day! It would grow faster if it were out in the sun I think, but it's been raining for several days so it's in the house, but still growing. Here's a picture of it from sunday night.

The grass is much taller today. I'll take another picture later with Kevin showing it off for an update. :)

Sunday was Ostara, the Vernal Equinox!
Kevin gets a Spring gift basket, usually with a few treats and some outdoor toys. Since his birthday and Yule are in the fall and winter, we save outdoor toy gifts for spring. :)

He loves the hula hoop and bubble wand. He's already gone through all the glow sticks! lol

I was so ready for Spring, but it would be nice to see the sun!
How did you celebrate the First Day of Spring?

The Crescent Moon/Diana's Bow - Time to cut hair!

It's a new crescent moon out, and here at our house, at least for me, it's time to cut hair!
When the moon is a thin crescent, just after the new moon, we call it "Diana's Bow". That's when the moon is about 3 days old.

Several years ago I read a book called "Living by the Moon" by Ute York. An article in the book about a Russian barber who arranged with some of his clients to only cut their hair on the full moon or the new crescent (Diana's Bow) for many years really left an impression on me. In the article the barber talked of how his clients hair seemed to slow down it's thinning and some clients' hair even thickened or when from straight to wavy over the course of several years.

For the last 15 years or so, I have only cut my hair on the full moon or Diana's Bow. Now, up until 5 years ago, I could safely say this totally worked for me. My hair had thinned as I'd gotten older, but when I started cutting it according to the moon phase, it slowed down it's thinning and even got a little wavier. Then I started taking pre-natal vitamins prior to getting pregnant, and my hair really started looking great (from the vitamins). After my son was born however, my hair took a turn for the worse - a bunch fell out and it thinned and lost most of it's waviness.


But I refuse to give up! I continue to cut my hair according to the moon phase. Here's the basic rules:


If you want your hair to GROW, cut it on the full moon or when it is 3 days old (3 days after the New Moon aka Diana's Bow).
If you want hair to slow down it's growing (like shaving legs, face, etc) then cut/shave on the New Moon, the 3 days prior to the New Moon and the days following the Full Moon.

So what do you think? Willing to experiment on yourself and change when you cut your hair? It takes a few years to see a difference but it does work!

Imbolc 2011

This post was moved from an old blog, and is from Imbolc (Feb 2) 2011.

Welcome Brigid! Brigid is Welcome!

And soon, we will welcome Spring!
A friend shared a little snippet on facebook: 

"Imbolc is the day the Cailleach — the hag of Gaelic tradition — gathers her 

firewood for the rest of the winter. If she intends to make the winter last a 

good while longer, she will make sure the weather on Imbolc is sunny, so she 

can gather firewood. People are relieved if Imbolc is a day of foul weather, 

as it means the Cailleach is asleep and winter is almost over."

I love this!  Very evocative. We americans are used to the weather-divining with the groundhog but I really love the older traditions. By the way, the groundhogs in my backyard did NOT see their shadows today! haha!

I just recently parted ways with the coven I had been with for the past 16 years, so I found myself unexpectedly in a position to celebrate Imbolc on my own! My husband is not really pagan/witchy like me so I didn't want to spring any huge celebration on him or Kevin at such short notice, so I decided this year we would keep Imbolc low-key until we get into the swing of my new spiritual situation. I was inspired by one of my all-time favorite pagan families and a recent post on their blog. I thought the whole Irish Stew and soda bread idea to be an excellent one!

I started at my friend's blog with her recipe, but we are omnivores so I knew it would not please my hubby if there was not meat in the stew. So off I went researching other recipes for Irish Stew. I ended up not following any one recipe... I just threw stuff in a pot that I had seen in other recipes until I was satisfied with it. That ended up being onions, beef stew meat, sausage, potatoes, stock, Guinness and herbs and spices. I thought the stew turned out fabulous... I may have been a little heavy handed with the Guinness though, haha! I put one bottle in, then thought it would sure be nice to sip some so I opened another bottle and poured some more in the pot so I could drink the leftovers. haha!  I have to say though, that the Guinness gave the stew a nice rich flavor and thickness.

I love bread in all forms and soda bread seems to be the bread of the day! However, it had to be allergen-free for the kid! So I stopped at my favorite gluten-free recipe source and found her Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread recipe. The nice thing about most of her recipes is that they are also egg and dairy-free. However, I always have to up the baking time... not sure why but instead of 30 minutes to bake, this bread probably had to be more like 40-45... at least in my oven. It was good but not as well-received as the yeast bread version. But we still ate it up!

Kevin and I headed outside for a little snow fun. We weren't out long... the wind was sharp and cold! Kevin got stuck in snow too deep and his boot came off, so his little toes got super cold. He held out as long as he could to play out there, but had to give it up after about 25 minutes. 

I told Kevin a few stories for the season before bed and the day caught up to him quickly and off to sleep he went!

As for me, I have my own little observance of the holy-day. Mostly giving thanks! For my hubby's safe drives to and from work today! and that we were able to fix our furnace that broke down yesterday! 

Bright Imbolc Blessings to all!