Hearthside Thoughts #2

I just realized it has been a while since I have posted, but things have been strange and busy all at the same time. Strange in the sense that since my last post I've been feeling a little out of sorts, it is hard to explain. I haven't been able to focus on rituals or even the more simple spiritual acts, like cleansing the home and honoring the spirits. It feels like a block of some sort but I'm not sure how or why it has happened. Something deep in my spirit has shifted which has changed me in ways I'm not even fully sure of yet or if there is a way to go back and blend the new and old within myself. I haven't even had the energy to cook much at all. Instead I've focused more on making my dolls which has kept me busy. It is strange how much joy I am finding in making them. Perhaps in a way, it is the light in the void to help get me through this funk. Until that day comes, I hope my dolls will bring light and joy into the lives of others as they have for me. I've included a link for Etsy so you can see what I currently have for sale. So far, one of my Cernunnos dolls has found a place of honor on an altar out west and she has been showing him off! She has also promised me a picture and when I have it I'll be adding it here.

Upcoming dolls:
Thor
Odin
Mannanan
Epona (with real horse hair for hair)
Pele
A few different types of fairies

Full Wolf Moon -- Jana's Moon Ritual

     There are a few times out of the year which I get giddy with anticipation. There are the usual great times like Beltaine, Samhain and Yule, planning out the gardens for the coming year, making the Yule gifts, but the two of which that hold a special place in my heart are the full moon in January and Imbolc. They are the times to pay homage to the Goddesses that have shaped my life.
     According to the Farmer's Almanac the meaning for the upcoming full moon this Saturday is thusly, "Amid the cold and deep snows of midwinter, the wolf packs howled hungrily outside Indian villages. Thus, the name for January’s full Moon. Sometimes it was also referred to as the Old Moon, or the Moon After Yule. Some called it the Full Snow Moon, but most tribes applied that name to the next Moon." I think of it as the Mystery Moon or the Moon of Transition.
     The Sun is reborn as a small resting babe and the Crone of Samhain, who is the Mother at Yule is returning to her Maidenhood for Imbolc and Ostara. The magic of this transformation is a mystery but I see it as a time of year controlled by Jana and her husband/brother Janus.  They are the keepers of time and the heralds of the passages and doorways to important points in ones life. For them time goes forward and back with the many faces seen and unseen. Janus is known to have two faces, one that sees into the past and one that sees into the future. Some say Jana has the same while others say she has three faces so she is the keeper of endless possibilities, past and future (like Janus) with an extra hidden face beneath her hair that sees the Beyond.
Jana's moon is the light in the dark part of the year, to honor her, try your hand at scrying using the moon or a candle to reflect the light off of a bowl of water or a mirror. Keep a note pad, journal or book of shadows near to write down the images or thoughts to which this opened your mind. If like me, you find scrying overly difficult, pendulum work, runes or tarot is a reasonable alternative.

Items needed:
-one black and one white votive or a half and half candle
-a mirror, dish of water, or other form of divination
-music or incense that puts you into the right frame of mind
-paper and writing utencil

First turn out all the lights, if you have a window that gives you a great view of the moon, turn and face it. Light the white candle and sit alone in the dark, breathing in to quiet your being. Watch how the light of the candle plays off of the walls as well as the light of the sun reflects off the moon. Feel your connection with the moon, feel it pull at you like it does the tides. Allow the candle to burn itself down, if it is a half and half, when it gets to the black it is time to start your divination. If you are using votive candles, when the white is a near puddle, put out the white and light the black and follow the same next step. Also light your incense and play the music if it will help you.

To invoke her for your divination try this:

Sweet Jana, Goddess of Mysteries and Pathways,

With your moon shining bright

To honor thee on this night

I seek the wisdom of your sight!

The Moon of Transitions, what your divination has helped uncover and a blessing from Jana should help enact needed change in your life. Leaving a special offering for her under the moon with a whispered prayer is also a great way to gain her respect. It might sound strange but from my experience she has a bit of a sweet tooth. A recipe soon to follow, but in case you are crunched for time, she loves dark chocolate!

Hearthside Thoughts #1

I know it seems like much that I am posting pertains to food, but hey, what can I say? I love to eat! It is almost as sacred an act as greeting the sun or murmuring a soft prayer of thanks to the gods for the blessings in one's life. Above all else, your body is your temple and the life energy you consume from other living things like plants and animals fuels it so that you can go about your daily life as well as perform random acts of kindness. It is also important to know what to eat as well, pigging out on soda and fast food isn't going to keep your temple in great working order. The better you eat the more in tune you will be to the sacred around you. I have learned this lesson the hard way, I'm not a super model who eats a Twinkie and then starves herself for a week. As I've said I love to eat. A few years ago I kept to eating right, walking went ever possible and I felt the an intimate connection to the spirits. Times got rough, changed jobs, moved to an area were walking wasn't really an option to get around and let's say my "temple needs a lot of renovation" so time to make a few necessary improvements. In the time being, I'll be working on a few more recipes for the next full moon. Also I have already started planning for my garden in the spring and I'm making a few plans to make my kitchen more green witch friendly. Until then...

Spirits Bless!

Inciting A Riot: Project Pagan Enough



http://www.incitingariot.com/p/project-pagan-enough.html?spref=bl



Mushroom & Potato Pot Pie - A Yuletide Alternative

2 (9 inch) unbaked frozen pie crusts

6 small red potatoes, cubed

3 tablespoons olive oil or sesame oil

1 cup sliced onion

3 1/2 cups water

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 c Marsala wine

2 tbsp corn flour

1-2 c baby portobello mushrooms, sliced

1 tsp dried sage

2 tsp Italian seasoning

Add grated Parmesan cheese to taste (optional)

Preheat oven for 350 degrees. In a large skillet, combine the oil, onions and mushrooms until tender. Add potatoes and simmer for another 5 minutes. In another bowl combine the soy sauce, Marsala wine, corn flour and seasonings; whisk until the sauce thickens then add to the skillet. Pour ingredients into the pie shell, shake Parmesan cheese on top, cover with top pie crust and bake for 30-40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Set asside for 15 minutes to let sauce thicken and enjoy!

It's Jynx the Jolly Elf-cat

Don't let the look on his face fool you, even though his expression says, "I am NOT amused..." he was purring the whole time!

The Holly King, Shona M MacDonald, SciFi Fantasy Art

The Holly King, Shona M MacDonald, SciFi Fantasy Art