Potato Soup For The Healing Heart

Magic In Cooking #1

Just some notes I have! Not originally mine. By Nicole Canfield.

Apple:

Fruit of the Goddess

Love

Health and Immortality

Healing

Garden magic

Banana:

Ruled by Mars

I’d hate to say but…. it has lust and sexual effects….

Orange:

Ruled by the Sun

Joy

Love

Creativity

Chocolate: Different kinds have different properties:

Milk Chocolate:

Nurturing

Friendship

Dark Chocolate:

Love

Intimacy

Let me know if you would like more?

Food menu for Beltane event

I’ve been planning all the food that I’ll be cooking and in spirit of the season I want to use a lot of spring and summer foods!

I’ve also kept in mind some of us are Vegetarian/vegan and have food allergies so all the food will be meat free and any food with tree nuts or onions will be properly labeled.

Here is the menu :

Foods

Deviled eggs (contains: eggs, mayonnaise, paprika, salt, black pepper)

Mama bear soup (contains: veggie sausage, thai ginger broth, sweet peppers, carrots) *Has coconut (which is considered a tree nut) and onions

Fruit salad (contains: watermelon, feta, balsamic, spinach) 

Tofu stir-fry (contains: white rice, tofu, mango, sweet peppers, olive oil, salt, chili powder, paprika powder)

Beverages

Iced green tea

Strawberry-Gin Cocktail

*To make it fair so I don’t have to buy all the food myself since I’ll already be cooking it all I think it’ll be easier for each of us to buy a few of the things. I got all the spices needed for the dishes, the sweet peppers, tofu, mayo, and thai ginger broth. I can pick up more tea if needed too. @ronniepotter @immaterialwitchgirl @angelsinthephonelines @lifeunderlamplight @cardasssian 

Which of you could get which things on this list?

Lemon, Lavender, and Thyme Madeleines. A Midsummer treat!

Litha is here! It’s the Summer solstice, the longest day and the shortest night. The night is lit with huge bonfires and people are dancing until the dusk, can you hear the drums already? Solstices are a time for celebrations of what we have achieved so far and a reflection of the mistakes we have made and what we have learned.

I don’t know if you are still in lockdown, but here in Scotland we can move around a bit. I don’t know what you have planned for this special day, but I think I’ll just enjoy the sun outside in a park and take a long stroll in my city. There is nothing much I can do in these weird time anyway. I am a huge foodie, so my way of celebrating is more on the kitchen side. I have created the perfect recipe for you! These Madeleines are a treat! They are perfumed with Thyme, lemon and lavender, those herbs correspond to Litha, plus they have strong magical purification properties. Eating those on Litha and you will be cleanse of bad stagnant energies and ready for the second part of the year!

Ingredients

A handful of fresh thyme (plus some for decoration)

1 to 2 tsp dried Lavender (to your taste)

zest of 1 Lemon

3 eggs

120g unrefined cane sugar

125g room temperature butter

150g self-raising flour

Preparation

Prep the Thyme. Wash and dry you thyme. Leave out hard stems and pick the leaves. Mince them in small bits

Prep the Lavender. Grind Lavender in a robot or using a pestle and mortar.

Prep the dough. Beat 3 eggs with the sugar with a whisk until light and foamy

Add the butter then the flour. Mix quickly.

Add the rest of the ingredients: thyme, lavender and the lemon zest.

Mix quickly again. Leave it in the fridge to rest for an hour

Pre-heat the oven 180°C / 360°F

Rub the madeleine molds with butter. If you don’t have madeleine molds, any cupcakes or muffins molds will do too.

Pour the dough in the moulds.

Bake in warm oven 8 to 10 min 180°C / 360°F. They are ready when slightly brown on the edges.

Tips

They are the best eaten straight away from the oven. You can keep them a couple of days in an air tight container.

If you don’t have any cane sugar, regular sugar is fine.

They pairs really well with an Earl Grey tea.

Litha Altar Decorations

- lots and lots of flowers that grow native in your area this time of year

- sunflowers, roses, lavender, dandelions

- flower crowns and flower garlands

- a bowl of fruit and vegetables, especially anything citrus like oranges 

- lots of candles (Litha is a fire sabbat)

- colours like yellow, gold, and orange

- you could have a vase of sticks with fairy lights in it to represent a bonfire

- maypoles are still a thing for Litha

- a cute offering dish to leave out sweets for the fae

- a jar of local honey

- anything that represents the sun

- incense (sandalwood, rose, lavender, frankincense, dragon’s blood)

- oak leaves and acorns

- anything that reflects the sun like suncatchers, glass beads, and mirrors

I first made my own herbal chai blend after reading about it in @thymeherbal The Herbal Homestead Journal, which is still one of my favorite herbal references. I love this blend so much around this time of year, especially as someone who doesn’t drink caffeine. I didn’t put rations on this one since everyone likes theirs a bit different, but this is how I roughly make mine: 

•1:1:1 burdock, dandelion root (which I prefer roasted), and saspirilla root. This ends up being around 3 

•6 tablespoons each for me

 •1-2 tablespoons peppercorns, orange peel, cloves, crushed cardamom pods, and anything else your adding to the mix 

•2 crushed cinnamon sticks 

•1 tsp fresh ginger and turmeric to each cup 

I found out Odin & Hœnir & Loki shares a common theme: birds! Odin is raven(or eagle), Hœnir is water bird(either crane, heron, or swan), Loki is falcon/hawk.

Oh that’s true! They are all associated with a specific kind of bird at some point in the myths. Odin and his ravens are sort of recurring because they’re his familiars, so to speak; Hoenir’s relation with swans/water birds comes from Lokka Tattur if I’m not mistaken, when he hides the boy in a single bird’s feather; and Loki being a falcon/hawk comes from the Skaldskaparmal, when he borrows Freyja’s falcon feather cloak in order to rescue Idunn

Welcome to Witchcraft - A Post for Beginners

Witchcraft is a practice or a skill. It is not, in and of itself, a religion. It is not a faith (although some people may practice witchcraft in a religious sense). Anyone, of any religion, can be a witch. A witch does not have to be a Wiccan or even a Pagan. Though many Wiccans and Pagans are part of the witchcraft community, there are also many Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, atheists, and more.

A person’s personal craft is any collection of practices that they utilize to change their fate, see the future, get revenge, speak to the dead, heal the sick, and/or any number of other things that can be done through witchcraft. Witchcraft can (but doesn’t necessarily need to) include divination, herbalism/wortcunning, blessing, banishing, kitchen witchery, spirit work, cursing, gardening, spell work, ritual, worship, astral travel, trance, and much more.

*****

How Do You Become a Witch?

There is only one way to become a witch. Luckily, it’s very simple.

Step One: Take an interest in witchcraft.

Step Two: Start practicing witchcraft.

Step Three: Call yourself a witch.

Please Note: Steps two and three are interchangeable.

The great thing about witchcraft is that there are no rules. There is no big, white-robed Council to tell you what you can and cannot do. There are no punishments (beyond the legal consequences of outrageous things like human sacrifice; which is obviously not a good idea). Since witchcraft is not a religion there are no religious codes to tell you right from wrong. You don’t have to work with gods (though, you can if you want to).

Witchcraft is a practice. Therefore, the only laws and codes you have to abide by are the laws set down by your government, your individual religion (if any), and your personal code of ethics and morals.

Lots of things bring people to witchcraft. Sometimes it’s a book, a movie, or a television show. Sometimes it’s a childhood dream that they decide to go after. Sometimes it’s music. Sometimes it’s family members or a friend. I, myself, was introduced to witchcraft by my family. My grandparents on my mother’s side of the family (and some of their children) practiced witchcraft. My father, who had been a friend of the family since grade school, was also introduced to the occult through my grandparents.

In the witchcraft community, I have encountered people who were drawn to witchcraft through popular movies and books. I’ve met people who came to witchcraft because they dated a witch. I’ve even come into contact with a few people who accidentally discovered witchcraft while doing research for their own fiction novels.

In the end, it doesn’t matter how or when you started practicing witchcraft. What matters is that you did.

A Note About Communities

During your journey through the wonderful world of witchcraft, you will probably stumble into a community (if you haven’t already). Communities can be a great way to meet other people of a similar mindset, give and receive support, and bounce ideas around to help your craft keep moving and growing. And there are lots of ways to find community. There are websites specific to witchcraft and the communities that embrace it. There are corners of large blog sites where witches have made their online homes. There are forums, online groups, in-person groups, and countless other ways to meet other witches who may be experienced practitioners or just starting out. If you’re feeling a little insecure, a little uncertain, or a little alone, a peek into a witch-filled community is a good way to connect and perk up—but be careful.

With the sweet comes the sour. While witchcraft communities may be full of wonderful, experienced witches who can help and support you in your path, you may also happen upon the occasional Big Bad Wolf. Every community has its predators, and witchcraft communities are certainly no exception to that rule. I’ve been a member of witchy communities (both in person and online) for almost as long as I’ve been practicing; and I’ve come into contact with more predators and prey than anyone would ever imagine were lurking in the aisles between the spellbooks and Tarot cards. The types of predatory behavior can range from moderately manipulative to sexually sinister; so always be aware of the possible dangers involved in putting yourself out there.

How to Stay Safe In a Community

If you’re new to witchcraft or new to the idea of the community, I’m sure you’re feeling a little nervous now—but I don’t want you to feel that way! In fact, I wanted to put this note early in this post so that you, the reader, would be armed from day one with the some common sense ways to stay safe in a community setting. Here are just a few starting points:

Be skeptical. Skepticism is healthy in a setting that is based on the extraordinary. You don’t have to believe everything a person tells you. There’s nothing wrong with double-checking or doing your own research if you feel that something is just not right.

Beware of manipulative witches. Be careful around people who will use things like alleged past lives, divination, or grand claims to get what they want from you, or to get you to stick around.

Again, watch out for mentions of fate or destiny. As nice as it is to think that everything is planned for us, there are people who will use this against you.

Always think for yourself. In communities, we tend to desire a certain level of peace and harmony. All too often, this results in the community asking the individual to change their way of thinking to a non-confrontational, passive thought pattern. While that may not sound so bad, this leads to a think called group think or hive mind. Not only does this result in a lack of individual creativity, it also opens the door for Bigger and Badder Wolves (like shared delusions and cult mind).

Don’t let anyone force you into anything. It doesn’t matter how much more experienced they are. Again, always think for yourself. Make your own choices. Don’t let anyone pressure you into anything you don’t want. 

There are bullies, monsters, and predators in the world, but arming yourself with your individual thought and a strong resolve will help to protect you against them. 

I figured I would take a little bit of time to post the pictures of some books wow secular or really good base for people who are interested in kitchen/hearth/green witchcraft.

Also be a really good resource for those of you who are still in the closet as these books by themselves are innocuous enough to pass by unnoticed by most unless they know what you're doing

Fake Witchy Authors on Amazon ⋆ CrowSong Lodge

There seems to be a TON of FAKE AUTHORS selling self published books about wicca and witchcraft on Amazon. Let's talk about it.

More about the Lisagate situation.

I see people talking about a person who has been making transphobic comments on my dash. And its made me want to say this.

Just because some one makes claims about something in the magic, witchcraft and spirituality community. (Yes even someone with a big following) it doesn’t mean they are right!

If some one says that you have to use special tools to do magic, they are wrong. If some one makes a claim about someones Gods, and its historically inaccurate they are wrong. And this one came from some one in discord. if some one says the Gods punish you or make you uncomfortable in your worship, They are wrong. And especially if some of one says that if you have a spell meant for “women”, so it doesn’t work for trans women they are wrong.

Never support uninclusive magic!

What I mean by inclusive magic, is practices that do not use homophobia, transphobia or racism.

Here is stuff to watch out for!

You need special tools to do magic. (Absolutely not. Some spells can even be cast with a glass of water. I have a pair of scissors on my altar. And you can use playing cards In divination.)

My family says something needs to be done in a certain way. (Like if they say “my family says you can only read your cards once a day.” That is fine for them to practice it that way, but you are fine to do it your own way.)

If a spell is meant for a women, then it means a trans women cannot use it! (Absolutely not true. You can use any spell for a “women”, as a trans women. Because trans women are women. we should never accept transphobia in magic)

Men cannot be witches! (Absolutely anyone can be a witch or magic practitioner.)

My religion or practice is superior. (every practice that is not racist, homophobic or transphobic is valid)

Its ok for me to use rituals from closed practices, that I am not in. (Absolutely not)

If you take a brake from magic or stop trying to spiritually better yourself, you are a failure. (Wrong, people do what is comfortable for them. Some times it takes people time and many brakes.)

Feel free to add more red flags to watch out for!