August 31, 2011 · 8:09 pm

Mabon Recipes…………

Merry Meet on this last day of August!  I’m sure  you all are enjoying the last of the Summer days.  I hope everyone is ok after both the Earthquakes that hit even my area (I didn’t feel it but heard the rumbling and didn’t know what it was) and Hurricane Irene that was so widespread all along the East Coast….worse in some places then expected and not as bad in others as expected.  I have several facebook friends who were impacted and though they have had some trials with flooded basements, downed trees, and massive power outages….everybody is ok I’m happy to say. 

I am also happy to say that Summer is about over here in Ohio.  This has been one of the hottest Summers on record here…way too many days over 90 degrees in July and August.  Here towards the end of August we have had some delightful days that have given me over to thinking about Autumn as you can tell from my last post. There are some signs of Autumn around my yard and around my town as well.  The stores have started decorating for Fall, some trees have started getting some color, the sedums are changing color, mums are in the garden centers, apples are heavy on the trees.  Ground critters are gathering, deer have full antlers, birds are busy at the feeders and geese are gathering.  I just love it!

So as I said in my last post, I’m going to give you some recipes that I think are perfect for Mabon.  Some I have made and some I plan on making.  These are all from my own recipe box or cookbooks.  You will see a theme going I think when you peruse them….:)  I just love cooking and baking in the Fall.  There is something so cozy about the house scented with good foods in the crock pot or the oven or the stovetop.  So here you go with a few wonderful recipes!

Oh, I always start with an oil blend and loose incense recipe for the Sabbat:

Mabon Oil Blend   

 4 drops Rosemary

 4 drops Frankincense

 2 drops Apple

 1 drop Chamomi

  Use 1/8 cup Almond Oil for Base

 

Mabon Loose Incense

2 parts sandalwood

2 parts pine

1 part rosemary

1 part cinnamon

1 part dried apple

1 part dried oak leaf

This Mabon incense recipe is one of my favorites…it just smells incredible!

Ok, now onto the good stuff for our stomachs!

 

Hot Berry Cider

1 gallon apple cider

32 oz bottle cranberry juice cocktail

8 allspice berries

8 whole cloves

2 cinnamon sticks, halved

Combine all ingredients; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 30 mins.  Strain to remove spices; serve. 

 Makes 20 servings.

 

Apple Walnut Coffee Cake

 2 ½ cup all-purpose flour

1 ½ cup brown sugar, packed

¾ cup butter, softened

1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp salt

1 egg

¾ cup sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

2 apples, cored, peeled and chopped

 Combine flour, brown sugar, and butter with a fork until crumbly; stir in nuts.   Divide mixture in half.  Press one half into the bottom of a buttered 9 ½” springform baking pan to form crust; set aside.  Add baking soda, cinnamon and salt to remaining crumb mixture; mix well.  Make a well in the center; set aside.  Beat egg with sour cream and vanilla in a small bowl until smooth; add to flour mixture, stirring until just combined.  Fold in apples; spread batter evenly over crust. 

Bake at 375* for one hour and 20 minutes or until cake tests done; cool in pan on a wire rack.  Makes 12 servings. 

 

Pineapple Zucchini Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsps baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsps ground cinnamon

2 cups white sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups shredded zucchini

1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, well drained

1 cup raisins

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat an oven to 325*  Line the bottom of two 9×5-inch loaf pans with parchment paper.

Mix flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon in a bowl. Beat sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract together in a large mixing bowl, and stir in zucchini and pineapple. Gradually pour in the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Fold in raisins and walnuts, mixing to evenly combine. Divide batter evenly between the two prepared loaf pans.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Working with one loaf at a time, hold the pan on its side and gently tap the sides of the pan against the counter to loosen it. Cover the pan with a cooling rack, and invert it to tip the cake out of the pan and onto the rack. Peel off the parchment paper, and allow bread to cool completely.

 

Maple Autumn Squash Soup

1 lb butternut squash, peeled, cubed and boiled

½ cup butter, divided

¼ cup maple syrup

3 Tb brown sugar, packed

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

3 Tb all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups unsweetened applesauce

1 cup Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled and chopped

2 cups light cream

Salt and pepper to taste

 Combine squash with 4 Tb butter, syrup, brown sugar and spices; mash well and set aside.  Melt remaining butter in a large pot over medium heat; add flour and cook for 3 mins, stirring constantly.  Blend in broth and cook until soup thickens.  Stir in squash mixture, applesauce and apples.  Cook over medium heat until warmed through, stirring often.  Add cream and heat just until soup begins to bubble around the edges.  Cool and refrigerate overnight.  Reheat over medium heat until warmed through.  Makes 6-8 servings.

 

Autumn Tossed Salad

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons finely chopped onion

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1 bunch romaine, torn

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese

1 cup unsalted cashews

1 medium apple, chopped

1 medium pear, chopped

1/4 cup dried cranberries

 

 

In a blender, combine the lemon juice, sugar, onion, mustard and salt. While processing, gradually add oil in a steady stream. Stir in poppy seeds. Transfer to a small pitcher or bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until chilled.

In a large salad bowl, combine the romaine, cheese, cashews, apple, pear and cranberries. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat. Makes 10 servings.

 

Cinnamon Apple Pork Tenderloin

 

1 to 1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin

2 Tbs cornstarch

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 Tbs brown sugar, packed

2 cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced

2 Tbs dried cranberries or raisins

Preheat the oven to 400°. Place the pork tenderloin in a roasting pan or casserole dish. Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and stir. Spoon the apple mixture around the pork tenderloin. Cover and bake 30 minutes. Remove the lid and spoon the apple mixture over the tenderloin. Return to the oven and bake 15 to 20 minutes longer, or until pork tenderloin is browned and cooked through. A meat thermometer in the center should register at least 150° to 160°.
Serves 4

 

Apple-Acorn Squash

2 acorn squash, halved and seeded

½ cup apple juice

¼ cup butter, melted

¼ tsp. nutmeg

2 Tb brown sugar, packed

1 tsp orange zest

2 tart apples, cored and sliced

 Place squash cut side-up in a 13” x 9” baking pan; pour apple juice on top and set aside.  Combine butter, nutmeg, brown sugar and zest in a bowl.  Divide apple slices evenly among squash halves; pour butter mixture over apples.  Cover and bake at 375* for 45 to 50 mins.  Serves 4.

 

Apple Cake with Butter Sauce

¼ cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp nutmeg

2 tart apples, cored, peeled and grated

Cream butter and sugar together.  Beat in egg and vanilla and set aside.  Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg; gradually add to creamed mixture.  Fold in apples.  Pour into a greased 8” x 8” baking pan.  Bake at 350* for 40 – 45 mins.  Serve warm with Butter Sauce.  Makes 12 servings.

 Butter Sauce

½ cup butter

½ cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar, packed

½ cup half and half

Melt butter in a saucepan; stir in sugar, brown sugar and half and half.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 mins, stirring occasionally.

 

Sweet Potato Pecan Pie

1-1/4 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 eggs

1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups mashed cooked sweet potatoes

1 unbaked pie crust (9 inches)

 

TOPPING

 

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup flaked coconut

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Whipped topping or ice cream

 

In a bowl, blend sugar and spices. Beat eggs; add milk and vanilla. Combine the sugar mixture. Stir in potatoes; beat until smooth. Pour into pie shell. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Combine topping ingredients. Remove pie from the oven; sprinkle with topping. Bake 10-15 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Cool on wire rack. Store in the refrigerator. Serve with whipped topping or ice cream.

6-8 servings.

 

As you can see, these recipes use a lot of apples, squash, nuts, sweet potatoes…foods that are abundant this time of year.  Now I doubt you will want to make all of these for one meal LOL  but there are plenty to choose from in different combinations.  Have fun with them, add just one thing to what YOU like to fix.  Remember to think about the fact that this is a Harvest festival and give thanks and blessings for the food on your table and remember the hard work that goes into getting in there..including YOUR hard work preparing it 🙂

Have family or friends over for a nice meal, start a bonfire and roast marshmallows outside or have the warm cider after you eat by the fire.  Put out bales of hay with old blankets thrown over them for everyone to sit on.  A soup party is sooo much fun to have this time of year.  When light jackets or sweaters will do the trick on a cool Autumn night.  Just make  2-3 different types of soups and keep them warm in crock pots.  Add lots of toppers for the soups, some homemade bread, sweet cider and something made with apples for dessert and you have the makings of a great Mabon!  Light candles in jars or lanterns to add ambiance.  Use Fall colored bandannas as napkins.  Give everyone a small mum to take home as a little gift or bake a loaf of bread for each family or give them a jar of apple butter or apple sauce you made yourself.  The ideas for this Sabbat are endless! 

To me Autumn is the most beautiful time of year but also the season that always seems to be the shortest..so be sure to make the most of it before that first Winter Snow 🙂 

Until my next post, hope you have a wonderful Labor Day weekend and that you all have a relaxing long weekend and if its not relaxing..well then I hope it’s fun!

Blessed Be, Autumn

*Sources…Recipes are from my own cookbooks and my own recipe box.  Pics are from the internet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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August 18, 2011 · 11:29 pm

The Witches Sabbat…..Mabon

Merry Meet friends.  Hope you all are having a wonderful late Summer.  The sweltering heat finally let up here last week and we had several days of upper 70’s weather which was sooooo lovely and most welcomed!  Now, hot, humid days are back…as expected 🙂  But now, things feel completely different.  Autumn is coming slowly but surely.  The Sun is setting earlier and rising later, the squirrels and chipmunks are gathering, I’m seeing more birds at the feeders.   My Autumn Joy sedum is turning from green to rusty orange, our tall grasses are turning yellow, and we are seeing Deer everywhere around our neighborhood.  My thoughts are turning to the last harvest of my herbs, planting mums, comfort foods in the slow cooker, and I’m craving anything made from apples 🙂  Autumn, if you know me, is my very favorite time of year.  It always has been.  I live for crisp days, crunching leaves, autumnal color, wearing warm cozy sweaters and jackets, drinking hot spiced cider and having a fire..inside or out!  Ahhhh..I just can’t wait!

“Mist blankets the morning garden and the empty fields; a last rose blooms slowly over the arbor by the backyard gate.  Paintbox leaves fall to the ground under galoshes and the wheels of slicker-yellow school buses.  Sweaters come out of cedar chests, soup pots simmer, and wild geese make their mercurial journey southward across the pale autumn sky.”

                                                               From Simple Wicca by Michelle Morgan

I love this description from this book…it so describes for me what is going on this time of year.  The next Sabbat on the Witches Wheel of the Year…is Mabon.  It’s the Autumn Equinox, the 2nd harvest festival.   A time of great joy and thanksgiving,  a time on the Earth when, again, night and day are in equal balance.  In ancient times, people took a respite from their labors in the orchards and fields, and spent time feasting and giving thanks for the Earth’s bounty. Wine and apples were offered as gifts to the Goddess, who is moving into her Crone age, as the Sun God dies and prepares to be re-birthed.   

At Mabon, as the nights get longer, the harvest is stored for the long, cold winter.  Pantries are stocked with the  last of summer’s riches.  The fruits and vegetables are canned, preserved, and stored against winter’s chill. Any projects started in the summer are finished up before the snows come.   Wood is cut and seasoned for cozy Winter fires. Garden beds are mulched over and prepped for next year. Rakes are pulled out and the first leaves are turning vivid colors.  It’s a busy time of year..but also a time to prepare to be inside more, to rest and reflect on the year so far.  It’s also a time for family and friends to enjoy the last of the warm days and the fresh foods from their gardens. 

Mabon correspondences are as follows:

*Element– Water

*Threshold– Evening

 *Symbolism– Second harvest, the mysteries, Equality, balance, death of the God, assumption of the  Crone, balance of  light and dark, increased darkness, grape harvest, preparation for Winter, Pagan day of Thanksgiving.

 *Symbols/Tools/Decorations– Wine, gourds, pine cones, acorns, grains, corn, apples, vines Pomegranates, horns of plenty, Indian corn, autumn flowers, red fruits, hazelnuts,  Colorful leaves, grapes, harvested crops.

 *Herbs– Acorn, benzoin, ferns, grains, honeysuckle, marigold, myrrh, rose, sage, solomon’s seal thistle,  tobacco, milkweed, astor, passionflower, hazel, hops, cedar.

 *Incense/Oils– Benzoin, myrrh, sage (Autumn  blend) pine, sweetgrass, apple blossom, jasmine,  frankincense, patchouli, cinnamon, clove.

 *Colors– Red, orange, russet, maroon, brown, gold, green, scarlet, yellow, purple, indigo.

 *Crystals/Stones– Sapphire, lapis lazuli, and yellow agate, carnelian, yellow topaz, amethyst

 *Customs/Activities– Making wine, gathering dried herbs, plants, offerings to land, bringing in the harvest, offering libations to trees and land, walking in the woods, decorating burial sites with apples, leaves, acorns, and pine cones to honor the dead, gather seed pods,  fishing, harvest crops by the Harvest moon.

 *Foods– Breads, nuts, apples, pomegranates, root vegetables, wheat products, cornbread, grains, berries, nuts, grapes, acorns, seeds, dried fruits, corn, squash, wine, ale, cider.                    

 *Gods– Mabon, Thoth, Thor, Hermes, The Green Man, Sky Father, Hermes, Dionysus, Bacchus, the Corn Man, aging Gods.

 *Goddesses– Morgan, Epona, Persephone, Pamona, the Muses,  Triple Goddess-Mother aspect, Demeter, aging and harvest Dieties.

 *Spellwork/Ritual– Protection, prosperity, security, harmony, balance, self-confiden introspection, the Celtic Festival of the Vine.

There is so much to do to celebrate this wonderful Sabbat.  Have a Autumn themed feast with friends and family.  Decorate your home with garlands of leaves, pumpkins, gourds, bittersweet vines, cat tails and apples.  A soup party is easy to do….just make a couple pots of different soups.  Serve soup toppers like shredded cheese and crackers.   Have hot apple cider and cherry or apple crisp and warm crusty bread.  Have a bonfire for them to gather round.  They will remember this harvest night.

You could host or attend a wine-tasting party in honor of Dionysus, Roman God of Wine, who is traditionally celebrated at the Autumn Equinox.  Have the women in the family over to your house,  to make apple or pumpkin butter, applesauce, jams and jellies…… send some home with everyone for their pantry.  Go for a nature walk, collect beautiful fallen leaves, acorns, pine cones, bittersweet,  grapevine..things you use to make a beautiful Autumn wreath for your front door.  Or fill a wooden bowl with a beautiful candle and place your finds around the candle and put it in the center of your table.  Rake leaves into a pile and let the kids jump in and take some great pictures!  Go to a “you pick” apple farm and come home  with a peck to make a delicious pie!  Go on a hayride or go thru a corn maze with the kids.   Wrap up in a blanket and watch the Harvest Moonrise with someone you love.  Autumn is such a beautiful time of year..don’t let a minute of it pass you by without enjoying it!

Mabon is a good time to meditate and reflect on your year so far, what you would like to see manifest in your life in the next year.  Spend some time on yourself.  Read those books you’ve always wanted to read, start that new project, learn a new hobby or language (I would love to learn Gaelic! ) or take a course in tarot or runes or herbology.  You will be less busy when you aren’t working outside as much..take advantage of it…for your own good 🙂 Mabon is also a good time to set up new protections around your home. To do prosperity spells or to focus on getting balance in your life.  Airing out your house from being closed up all Summer, some Fall cleaning, and giving your home a good cleansing before it’s too cold to have the window’s open…. is a good idea too. 

I’ll be posting more Mabon info in the next couple of weeks.  Recipes, ritual, and altar pics as usual.  For now, I wish you a wonderful weekend and entreat you to enjoy these last warm days…as I feel it in my bones that Autumn is not far away!

Much love and Blessings, Autumn

 

 

 

 

 

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August 8, 2011 · 10:25 pm

Thanks so much!…….

Merry Meet my friends!  The heat continues here in Ohio…probably the hottest summer I can remember in a long time.  However, we have one more day of it then more seasonable weather comes in FINALLY!  We will be right around 80 for a few days with very low humidity..that makes me one happy happy witch! 🙂 Maybe we can actually go outside and do something fun LOL!  I will be happy just to sit on my porch in the cooler morning with a cup of coffee..or to go on a picnic or to a park. My grandkids might even be able to be outside, to swim, to play on the swing set.  How wonderful!

 

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.”

 ~Thornton Wilder

 

I am writing to THANK YOU all so so much for following my blog, for reading it, for giving me feedback and commenting,  and for sharing the link on your facebook walls.  I now have 110 followers and almost 21,000 hits!  I am most grateful for your friendship as well for those I feel I’ve gotten to know.  I never dreamed that my blog would be read by anybody at all.  I really just did it for myself, so I’m very pleased and feel in my own mind that it has been worth my time and effort…for others as well  as myself.  Thank you again so much. 

Having said that, I was thinking about Gratitude as I was looking up some quotes and pics to post here. I have talked about it here before.  I am a true believer that living a life in Gratitude gives us a happier, better life.  The benefits to our lives is enormous when we feel thankful for the Blessings in our life.  It is up to each of us to decide what the Blessings are!  Some people only feel thankful for the BIG things..you know…like our loved ones being safe and healthy, that the tornado missed us, that the house didnt’ catch on fire, that we weren’t killed in the shooting that happened somewhere else, that it’s not our dog laying dead at the side of the road.  Those things are so easy to be thankful for aren’t they?  I think though, it’s being grateful for the small, everyday things that helps us to live with a grateful heart.  Be thankful for the waitress who smiles at you and gets her job done well, be thankful for seeing a deer at the side of the road, be thankful for someone holding the door for you or for the cool breeze that cools you when you’re hot.  Keep a list in a journal or beside your favorite chair…think back over your day….what did you see, do, feel that made you feel happy and thankful today???  Write it down…you will find yourself looking for things to be thankful for.  Remember, the opposite of Gratitude, is Ingratitude!  Nobody wants to be un-grateful.  Taking things for granted is a bad way to live.  Especially for a witch or a pagan who wants to live a life of joy.

 

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words,

 but to live by them.”

– John F. Kennedy

 

Now, to take my own advice.  I have done a lot of griping here lately about the HOT steamy weather.  It has made me grumpy, lazy, tired and I just want the days to pass until we have cooler weather.  When I think about this, I feel pretty bad about it actually.  I have so much going on to be happy about and I’m letting the WEATHER color my day black???  That really is ridiculous when I think about it.  Yes, I want the Hot weather to go..but I should be grateful for each day no matter what!  I have a lovely family I’m blessed to have in my life, daughters who bring me great joy every day.  The sweetest, most adorable grandchildren, a loving son-in-law,  a husband who is hard working and cares for his family, an extended family who is there when needed always.  I have my path, a beautiful home I love, two magickal cats who give unconditional love.  I have food and clothes and books and things I love to do, buy, see.  I am blessed beyond measure.  I should thank the Goddess that I have air conditioning in this heat and quit griping about the heat!   I have friends out there who are not as blessed as me and I know it. I should never take for granted the things I have that other’s do not!

I think of what is going on in the world too.  The economy and so many out of work. The war and the deaths of 20 American Navy Seals. 😦  Riots in London, mothers who kill their children, the cost of living, politicians who can’t work together.  The news everyday seems so depressing and sad and can make me feel helpless and distraught about what’s going on in the world. Makes me want to quit watching the news completely!  But if you have a grateful heart, you can still find the good things in your life and be happy with what you have..the Blessings. 

Now I’m using the weather as a simple illustration of what I’m talking about.  Think about the words that come out of your mouth and creep into your mind.  Are they positive and thankful or are they negative and un-grateful.  Which would make you feel better?  🙂  This is not an easy thing….trust me! I struggle with it too ..as you can see by my sample.  But it’s worthwhile to focus on it and work on finding the things in your life that fill you with Gratitude.  Even if it’s just one thing…it’s a start!

Thank you again for being a reader and a friend.  My heart is grateful for it 🙂

 

“As each day comes to us refreshed and anew, so does my gratitude renew itself daily. 

The breaking of the sun over the horizon is my grateful heart dawning upon a blessed world.” 

 ~Terri Guillemets

Much love and light, Autumn

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July 28, 2011 · 7:47 pm

Blessed Lughnasadh 2011…..

Merry Meet my friends!  Chances are there are some of you out there having the same weather I’m having here in Ohio!  Sweltering heat for a few weeks now! It is Hot Hot Hot!!  Though we’ve had some rain, our grass is brown and burnt from the heat.  My gardens…well some of it’s doing well and some of it not so much.  Even with watering, things are dying out.  I’ve never been a big fan of Summer because I don’t like it when it gets too hot, but this Summer has been one of the hottest I can remember for a while.  Because of this, my thoughts have turned to Autumn, my favorite time of year.  I’m dreaming of cool crisp mornings, leaves falling, pumpkins, apple picking, and warm things coming from the oven and the slow cooker 🙂 

Well…Lughnasadh, the first Harvest festival is upon us on August 1 and that just makes me smile!  Though we are in the midst of this heatwave and the peak of Summer…I can feel a bit of a shift around me.  The Sun is rising later and setting earlier, corn is tall and ready in the fields, the breeze feels different and our gardens are full and ready for harvest.  Stores even have their Autumn/Halloween decorations out on display! *sigh*  I love it!!

Today I was able to get my Lughnasadh altar ready.  I love the Autumn themed altars..more than any other.  The I kept in mind the Correspondences for Lughnasadh when putting it together and I was happy with the simplicity of it and how pretty it looked. 

Oh…the sunflower plate will hold my cakes of course! The crystals are any that are of the colors of Fall!  Green, gold, orange…aventurine, citrine, carnelian!  I have gold, orange and brown candles.  I wanted sunflowers but not luck finding them around here unless I raided somebody’s yard! LOL.  So I picked out some soft orange, purple, & yellow flowers and I LOVE the ornamental cabbage they stuck in the bouquet! The crow…well, crow’s and corn just go together 🙂  My “cakes and ale” will be homemade honey oatmeal bread, or corn bread, and a nice glass of red wine to represent the grape harvest.  I can’t wait to work at this altar.

Today I also put together a couple of herbed oils and an herbed vinegar.  I did a rosemary/olive oil, a basil olive oil, and a lemon balm/apple cider vinegar.  I lightly warmed the oils since I was using fresh herbs from my own garden.  I can’t wait to use them.  I’m going to use the basil olive oil on tomato/mozzarella stacks, the lemon balm vinegar in salad, and the rosemary oil will be great on grilled veggies and meats.  Yummy!  I really need to get more of these bottles too..I think they’re so pretty, inexpensive, and look great sitting on the counter.  Would make nice gifts as well. 

Now I’m going to be upfront and tell you that I do NOT have a formal ritual for Lughnasadh.  I’d like to write my own and frankly just haven’t had the time.  If you research it online, you will find the same 2-3 rituals written over and over again.  Scott Cunningham’s being one of them of course.  Though I don’t have one to share here with you, I can most definitely give you some ideas.  Doing a Blessing and a prayer of thanks for the bounty and abundance of the Harvest would be a perfect quiet celebration.  You can do this while eating the bread you have baked or even while mixing the ingredients to make it.  You can Honor the Sun God who is dying, to be born again by his lover, the Goddess, who is pregnant with him.  A great time to do that would be as the Sun is setting on Lughnasadh night.  Light a fire, burn some of your harvested herbs..and reflect on your year so far.  What bad habits would you like to let “die”?  What new things would you like to manifest..to grow in your life…as the Goddess is growing the God?  Smudge your house and throw open windows to allow good energy in and the negative out.  Really, I smudge for every Sabbat!  Harvest your herbs and can your veggies from your garden or make jams from the bountiful fruits that are ripe like berries, peaches and plums.  Go take a walk, enjoy the Sun while it’s still hot..you’ll remember the warmth in the dead of Winter.

I have decided to bake my breads on the weekend and I’m looking forward to it.  There is nothing better then the smell of bread baking and the taste of it warm, slathered with sweet butter…it makes my mouth water just thinking about it 🙂  I’ll be making the crab dip and the pear salad for sure as well.  Don’t forget to check out my recipes I posted in a previous post..let me know if you try them what you think! 

I wish each of you a Blessed Lughnasadh and May the Sun God shine on you and the Goddess surround you with Love. 

Autumn

*Sources…my pictures.  🙂  My words.

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July 17, 2011 · 5:17 pm

The End of an Era?………..

Merry Meet!  Today is Sun Day…my favorite day of the week.  It marks the end of the week for me, a time to relax, rest, and spend time with family.  Today it is extremely HOT and HUMID, So…. we headed out to a cool dark theater to see the final Harry Potter movie.  The Deathly Hallows Part 2!

The movie was Awesome!…really well done.  I jumped, I cheered, I cried.  But what I did most was marvel at the fact that I have followed JK Rowling’s vision since my youngest daughter was the same age as Harry, Ron & Hermoine were in the first book..11 years old.  I first heard about the Harry Potter books while watching a Rosie O’Donnell show.  She was raving about the books, how wonderful they were, how imaginative and she had JK on her show.  Now,  my girls already  loved books and loved to read series books.  I believe that the first book had been out for a bit and the 2nd book had just come out at this time.  The very next day I went out and found them on a table in the kid’s section…they were just paperback at the time.  I bought the first two books and brought them home.  Sara read them and was hooked!  She then gave them to her sister to read …and she loved them too.  Then the 3rd came out…and so forth.  At that point, I decided to read them myself and was hooked as well.  Oh how I wish I had the creativity to have thought of someone like Harry Potter and the world he lives in….to me the books were pure magick!  We all have our own set now too! LOL

*CORRECTION! LOL  My youngest, Kate, reminded me that it was she who read them first…and I remembered then that she had to really talk her sister into reading them…Sara had no interest in reading them at first.  LOL   But of course, once she read them, she loved them too.  Sorry Kate! hahah! 🙂

We attended midnight Book release parties at Barnes & Noble after that, dressing up in our Gryffindor gear and round glasses like Harry’s. Of course we waited with bated breath as the first movie came out…and were NOT disappointed at seeing the characters and the story come to life on the big screen!  The characters looked as they were described in the books, the quidditch field was pure magick, Hogworts was a dream come true…..for me even the soundtrack was perfect.  The wait between books and movies seemed too too long.  A fond memory of mine is the day the 7th book came out, my whole family would be arriving in Hilton Head for a week’s vacation.  As soon as we realized that, I found the Barnes & Noble there and pre- ordered 5 books!  One for myself, my two daughers, my son in law, and a friend who was with us.  Before we even arrived at our beach condo..we stopped and picked up our prized books.  What a fun time it was…we all spent the week reading our books by the pool or on the beach.  Some of us finishing faster then others…teasing each other about what we had read that they hadn’t yet…sometimes caught with tears in our eyes or letting out a loud gasp…which would result in “Don’t tell me..I’m not there yet”!!!  LOL  I will always remember that trip because of that book!

Having read the books multiple times, I’m reminded of how these wonderful books spurred on the love of reading again for a whole generation of children.  Whether they were old enough to read it themselves, or have them read to them….they brought families together in the common love of the books.  Never had such a phenomena been seen…at least not in my lifetime.  The movies of course enhanced the experience.  In a time where kids are glued to the TV or playing  games on the Wii and Playstation, how wonderful it was to see them reading again.  My grandmother was a 2nd grade teacher for over 50 years..I give her full credit for giving me my love of reading…She would have been thrilled to have seen children reading with great joy again.  For my kids, the love of reading  has continued..for me too.  My granddaughter Lily, who is 2 1/2..already loves books too..she will sit for an hour and bring multiple books to be read to her…and will often finish the sentence for us…I just love seeing that!!

Now that my girls are grown, I look forward to the day that Harry, Ron and Hermoine and all the lovely characters are introduced to my grandchildren.  Is the last book and last movie the end of an era?   Well, I don’t think so….I think that they will continue to give great joy to young minds (and their parents) for ages to come.  I am quite sure that there are many more books out there.. some yet to be written..that will bring joy to children and aid them in their love of reading ….but I truly believe that it will take something really special to equal what the Harry Potter books did.  Do you still remember the books you loved as a child?  Did you pass that love to your children and grandchildren?  I still have the books my children owned and even some of the books that I owned as a child.  There is no end to a good story….it just continues for generations..as long as we see to it that they do. 

So THANK YOU JK Rowling and Harry Potter for your wonderful world of imagination.  A whole generation has loved and enjoyed it…… and many more in the future will as well.  Pure magick!

“A blessed companion is a book, – a book that, fitly chosen, is a lifelong friend,… a book that, at a touch, pours its heart into our own.” ~Douglas Jerrold

Blessings and Love, Autumn

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July 9, 2011 · 2:35 pm

Lughnasadh Recipes………

 Merry Meet my friends! We are having a beautiful sunny and HOT day here in Ohio. This morning it was really quite lovely..not too hot yet..I went out and watered the gardens and just had a cup of coffee and listened to the birds for a bit. Here we are past 4th of July already and for me Summer seems to be going quite fast. I am..yes..already thinking about Autumn..as it’s my favorite time of year…as those who know me already know that 🙂 Lughnasadh or Lammas is approaching quickly also. I have my altars to do, some bread baking to do, I want to make some herbal oils and vinegars also. I plan on making rosemary infused olive oil to use on salads and to marinate meats etc. It’s delicious and I can use my own rosemary thats growing in my own pots.

Ok..on to the recipes…I always like to post my magickal recipes for Sabbat oil and loose incense first…so here is the recipes for those….

Lughnasadh Oil Blend

2 drops Peppermint

3 drops Pine

1 drop Fir

1 drop Hazelnut

Use 1/8 cup Corn Oil for Base

*If you can’t find these oils..just substitute for other scents you like…you can use my Correspondence to find other scents that are great for this Sabbat!

Lammas Incense

1 part basil

1/2 part cinnamon bark

1 part coriander

2 parts goldenrod

1 part heather

1/2 part rosemary

2 parts Sweet Annie (you can use dried apple blossoms if you don’t have Sweet Annie)

1 part yarrow

*Again, substitute if you don’t have all the ingredients or just use some of them 🙂

Ok, now on to the stuff that is Yummy for our Tummys! Remember that this is the first Harvest Festival..so you want to use lots of your fresh veggies from your gardens..start thinking about Autumn and apples and pears …warm breads from the ovens…late summer squash etc.

Spiced Apple Cider

2 qts. apple cider

1/2 cup orange juice

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tb sugar

2 tsp whole cloves

3 cinnamon sticks

1 tsp allspice

1 tsp nutmeg

1 cup Captain Morgan’s Spice Rum (or more! )

Warm up all the ingredients except the rum…add the rum at the very end so that you don’t cook away the alcohol….(that would be very sad)…This makes enough for several mugs….enjoy!

Oat Nut Bread

1 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup honey

1 tb butter

1 tsp salt

2 cups boiling water

4 cups unbleached flour, divided 1 packet dry yeast

1/4 cup water, 90 degrees temp

1 cup pecans, broken

Place oats, honey, butter, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Pour 2 cups of boiling water over them and stir well. Stir in 2 cups of flour. While this mixture cools, dissolve the dry yeast in 1/4 cup of 90-degree water. After about 10 minutes, stir the yeast mixture into the oat mixture, mixing thoroughly. Stir in 1 cup of pecans. Work in 2 cups of flour. Turn the dough out onto a floured board, and with floured hands, knead the dough for 8 – 10 minutes. Keep enough flour on the board and your hands to prevent the dough from sticking. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover it with a damp cloth. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1-1/2 hours, or until it has doubled in bulk. Punch the dough down, and turn it out onto a floured board, this time kneading it for about 5 minutes. Shape the dough into two equal-sized loaves, place them in two greased loaf pans. Let the loaves rise, covered with a damp cloth, in a warm place until they have doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Bake in a pre-heated 375-degree oven for about 45 minutes. Turn out onto wire racks to cool. Let loaves cool completely before wrapping to store.

Sweet Corn Bread

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

2/3 cup white sugar

1 tsp salt

3 1/2 tsps baking powder

1 egg 1 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray or lightly grease a 9 inch round cake pan. In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder. Stir in egg, milk and vegetable oil until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Raspberry and Pear Salad with Candied Walnuts

For Candied Walnuts:

2 tsp butter

1 tb sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tb water

2/3 cup walnuts, halved

For Salad Dressing:

3 tb raspberry vinegar

1 tb honey

1 tb cooking oil

2 tsp sesame oil

For Salad:

3 bunches of lettuce

2 asian pears, cubed

8 oz rasberries

1/4 of a red onion, chopped

8 oz blue cheese, crumbled

In a small skillet, melt butter. Add sugar, salt, pepper and water and stir til smooth. When it’s bubbling, add walnuts and stir until well coated. Cook for about 5 minutes until walnuts are carmelized.  Set aside and cool before putting on salad.

Whisk honey and vinegar until until smooth. Add oils and stir until creamy.

Mix Salad ingredients together into large salad bowl.  Add walnuts.  Then toss in dressing.

Hot Crab Dip

1 can crabmeat, drained

1 8 oz pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 tb horseradish

1 tb minced onion

1 tsp worchesteshire sauce

salt & pepper to taste

Mix above ingredients together and place in a greased casserole dish.  Sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 325* for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

*Great with grainy crackers, veggies etc.

Corn on the Cob with Basil-Parmesan Butter

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon crushed garlic

4 ears corn, husked

In a small bowl, mash together butter, cheese, basil, salt, pepper, and garlic.

Brush about 1 tablespoon of seasoned butter over each ear of corn. Grill directly over medium heat until browned in spots and tender, 10 to 15 minutes, turning occasionally.

Serve warm with remaining butter.

*I think this would be really great with rosemary instead of basil or cilantro!  With cilantro, you can squeeze some lime juice on the corn as well…yummy! I’ll be trying that soon!

Oven Roasted Summer Vegetables

1 med zucchini, sliced

1 med summer squash, sliced

1 med red bell pepper, chopped

1 med yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 lb fresh asparagus,  cut in 1 inch pieces

1 med red onion, chopped

3 tbs olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Pre-heat oven to 450*

Put all veggies into large roasting pan and cover with other ingredients

Spread evenly in pan

Roast for 30 min.s, stir occasionally until lightly brown

*Use more oil if you’d like 🙂

Potato/Zucchini Grill Pockets

Using heavy tin foil, tear off however many pieces you need, one for each person, and enough to make a rectangular tin foil packet.

Slice one potato, thin, for each packet

Slice about 1/2 zucchini, thin, for each packet

Slice yellow onion, in thin rings, and put desired amount in each packet

salt & pepper to taste

Top with pats of butter and/or olive oil

Seal packet by closing sides and rolling across the top

Place on a med temperature grill and cook for about 30 minutes..until everything is soft.  Really fresh and delicious.

Grape Salad

2 lbs white seedless grapes

2 lbs red seedless grapes

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

8 oz sour cream

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup pecans, crushed

Wash grapes and remove any stems, and set aside.

Mix cream cheese and sour cream with sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Mix Well.  Stir in grapes. Top with brown sugar and pecans.  Refrigerate overnight.  Sounds yummy doesn’t it! 🙂

Caramel Apple Walnut Squares

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup cold butter

1 cup chopped walnuts

20 caramels

1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 21 oz can apple pie filling   * I see no reason why you can’t just thinly slice fresh apples and sprinkle a little sugar on them for this recipe.

Preheat oven to 375*.  In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, sugar, baking soda and salt; cut in butter until crumbly. Reserving 1 1/2 cups crumb mixture, press remainder on bottom of a 13″ x 9″ baking pan.  Bake 15 mins.  Add walnuts to reserved crumb mixture.

In a heavy saucepan, over low heat, melt caramels with condensed milk, stirring until smooth.  Spoon apple filling over prepared crust, top with caramel mixture, the top with reserved crumb mixture.

Bake 20 mins or until set.  Cool.  Serve warm with ice cream if desired. 🙂

All of these recipes either sound delicious..or I know for a fact they are ….as they are from my own kitchen!  Many of these will be just as wonderful in November as they are in August.  Let me know if you try any..I’d love to know if you did.  When I do research online, I often find the very same recipes posted on hundreds of websites or blogs…for my own feasts, I prefer to come up with my own recipes that make sense to me..that work for the season …that are fresh and delicious etc.  Use mine or use your own from your own recipe box..you can’t go wrong.  There is nothing less magickal about doing that then using the recipes everybody else is doing.  Make what YOU like!

I’ll post a ritual and my altar pics soon..until then, continue having a beautiful summer….make the most of it!

“Whilst August yet wears her golden crown,
Ripening fields lush- bright with promise;
Summer waxes long, then wanes, quietly passing
Her fading green glory on to riotous Autumn.”
– Michelle L. Thieme

Blessings and Love, Autumn

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June 29, 2011 · 10:53 pm

Countdown to Lughnasadh……….

Merry Meet my friends!  Hope you all are well and enjoying your Summer (or Winter depending where you live 🙂 .  We have been having an amazing couple of weeks of cool, breezy, gorgeous weather.  I am not a fan of HOT weather so I am loving this so much.  We have had a nice amount of rain here too..enough to keep everything green and lush, growing and blooming.  I love sitting out on the porch in the evenings with a glass of wine and watching the fireflies flitting, hearing the frogs croaking and crickets chirping, the windchimes softly chiming.  The nights feel soft and gentle to me and all seems right with the world in that moment. 

 

“The summer air is hot and still, the afternoon hazy; crickets call relentlessly from among the brown grasses, and ears of corn are the same heavy, burnished gold as the late-day sun. Hawks circle in the blue-white sky overhead, and seedpods ripen where flowers bloomed just a month before. But shadows begin to lengthen along the garden wall, and the nights come, just a bit cooler, perhaps; a settling begins in the Earth, a gathering, a slow, quiet turning toward the coming darkness.”

From Simple Wicca by Michele Morgan

Believe it or not, the days are getting shorter and Autumn is on it’s way.  Soon, on  August 1, we will be celebrating the first Harvest festival of the Wheel of the Year.   It is Lughnasadh (prounounced loo-na-sa), known also as Lammas, or Lammastide, the first of three Harvest Festivals.   This Sabbat marks the ending of summer and the first harvest of the grain. It was known as the time when the plants of Spring wither and drop their fruits or seeds for our use as well as to ensure future crops.

Lughnasadh is named for Lugh, the Celtic deity who presides over the arts and sciences. According to Celtic legend, Lugh decreed that a commemorative feast be held each year at the beginning of the harvest season to honor his foster mother, Tailtiu. Tailtiu was the royal Lady of the Fir Bolg..an older race that was defeated by the Tuatha De Dannan.  After the defeat, she was forced by them to clear a vast forest for the purpose of planting grain. She died of exhaustion after it was completed.  She was buried beneath a great mound named for her,  the hill of Tailtiu.   The very first feast of Lughnasadh was held in there.  At this gathering there were  games and contests of skill as well as a great feast made up of the first fruits of the summer harvest.

When Christianity arrived in  the Celtic lands, the old pagan  festival of Lughnasadh took on Christian symbolism. Loaves of bread were baked from the first of the harvested grain and placed on the church altar on the first Sunday of August. The Christians called this feast Lammas or “loaf mass”.   

With the coming of Autumn, the Sun God is aging and he loses strength as the nights grow longer.  This  is a  time for giving thanks for summer’s bounty. Harvesting the fresh fruits and vegetables and herbs and feasting on them, thanking the Sun God for his transformation into the soul of the harvest.  This is the time of year that so many women are in the kitchen preserving and canning the produce from their gardens..putting it away for the long winter.  My daughter and I have just in the last couple of years tried our hand at canning and we are loving it 🙂 

Lughnasadh Correspondences

 *Element/Gender-Fire/female

 *Threshold-Noon

 *Symbolism- Celtic grain  Festival,  first harvest festival,  The aging of the Sun God,  Autumn’s arrival. 

 *Symbols/Tools/Decorations- Corn, cornucopias, red & yellow flowers, sheaves of grain,  First fruits/vegetables of garden labor, corn dollies, baskets of bread, cauldron,  Sickle, scythe, harvested herbs, bonfires, sacred loaf of bread.

 *Herbs- All grains, heather, apples, pears,  cornstalks, frankincense, sunflower, wheat,  oak leaf, hollyhock, myrtle.

 *Incense/Oils- Wood aloes, rose, rose hips, rosemary, chamomile, eucalyptus, safflower, corn,  passionflower, frankincense, sandalwood.

 *Colors- Red, orange, golden yellow, green, light brown, gold, bronze, gray.

 *Crystals/Stones- Aventurine, citrine, peridot, yellow diamonds and citrine, carnelian.

 *Customs/Activities- Breaking bread with friends, making corn dollys, harvesting herbs for  charms/rituals, feasting, gathering flowers, handfastings, games,

 *Foods- Loaves of homemade wheat, oat & corn bread, barley cakes, corn, potatoes, nuts, acorns,  summer squash, wild berries, apples, pears, elderberry wine, crab, grapes, cider, beer.

 *Gods-Lugh, John Barley Corn, Dionysus, Lieu, Dagon, Vegetation Gods

 *Goddesses-The Mother, Dana, Demeter, Ceres, The Barley Mother, Isis, Luna

 *Spellwork/Ritual- Astrology, prosperity, generosity, continued success, good fortune, abundance, magickal picnic, finishing projects

There is so many ways to celebrate this wonderful Sabbat.  Have a feast with your family and friends..outside while the weather is still nice.  Fix lots of fresh veggies and fruits, they are great grilled on the grill 🙂  Have a bonfire, drink wine!  Go to a medieval fair or craft show..this time of year they are everywhere.  Go on a picnic and enjoy the warm weather.   Lay on a blanket under the stars and find the constellations, watch for shooting stars.  Catch fireflys and let them go. 

Don’t have a garden of your own, visit a farmer’s market or produce stand!  Make a big bouquet of flowers and bring it in or better yet, give it to an elderly neighbor to enjoy.   Harvest herbs from the garden, and make flavored oils and vinegars to keep a taste of summer in your pantry all winter long.  They would make great Yule gifts as well.  Have a bread baking day with your family.  Put  grains, fruits and nuts in the bread  and send a loaf home with everyone.  Make corn dollys.  Make fresh fruit jams, jellies or preserves, or can veggies.  Plan a “tournament” of corn hole for the kids, or croquet, or kickball…playing games is just what the Celts did! 

 

 

 

Lughnasadh is a good time to start your Fall House cleaning, to finish projects you wanted to do over the Summer. Get your carpets cleaned, windows cleaned, take down and wash your curtains and linens.  Get your fireplace checked so it’s ready for the wonderful fires you’ll have soon.  I actually LOVE Fall cleaning…I call it nesting 🙂  Getting ready to be in, be home, be cozy, be more lazy 🙂

I will be posting recipes, rituals etc over the next few weeks for this Blessed Sabbat!  For now, Summer is in full swing so enjoy every minute of it….I hope your gardens are blooming, that you are active, outside, feeling energized, enjoying the Sun every chance you get!  Remember that time flies, so savor every moment 🙂  Grab onto that Sun and don’t let go!!

Blessings and Light, Autumn

*Sources  Simple Wicca by Michelle Morgan, my BOS, the internet.  Pics from the internet..Jam jar picture is my own.

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June 20, 2011 · 5:21 pm

Blessed Summer Solstice…….

Merry Meet friends!  Tomorrow is Litha or Midsummer or the Summer Solstice here in the Northern Hemisphere.   I have written a lot here in the last month about Litha.   Pics of my altar, recipes for food and oil and incense, the Correspondences, Rituals for protection and ideas on how to celebrate this fun day.  Remember, it is the longest day of the year and now the days will start shortening as we head towards winter.  LOL..yes, though it seems we just came out of winter, it will be upon us quicker then we realize. 

 In the meantime, we celebrate the sunlight, the long, lazy, hot days, the blooming gardens and woods, fireflies at night, warm summer rains, and star-filled summer nights.  We celebrate with picnics and cook-outs, with swimming in pools, oceans and lakes, laying under a tree in a hammock reading a good book, wearing light clothes and eating ice cream.  Family vacations, drive in movies, being outside rather then inside.  Working in our gardens, eating fresh veggies and fruits like watermelon, catching lightning bugs and hearing the drone of crickets at night.  Screen doors and windows open, fans going to catch the breeze, porch sittin and lemonade drinking…..Summer!!  Wonderful Summer!

“Then followed that beautiful season… Summer….

 Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light;

and the landscape lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.”
– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

When I was a kid, Summer was spent being outside and active.  The whole neighborhood was out and about.  Kids riding bikes together, roller skating, sitting on porch steps with popsicles, playing kick ball or tether ball or badminton in someone’s backyard. Playing in the sprinklers when no pool was available.  We would organize events such as lemonade stands, elaborate treasure hunts,  or plays put on with costumes and music for the adults to come and marvel over.   Fishing in the river that ran alongside us or hiking thru the woods.  I remember eating warm-from-the-sun mulberries, the tart taste of a crabapple, laying in the grass watching the clouds roll by, watching a caterpiller on a green leaf, the smell of burgers and dogs on the grill, the squish of biting into a ripe red tomato, the crunch of sweet corn on the cob, the butter running down your arm…..Summer was long and lasted forever back then 🙂

 

 

I remember spending a whole week with my grandparents where Summer was even more magickal!  I believe much of my love of Mother Earth came from my grandmother.  They had a very large garden, apple and crabapple trees, 10 acres to play on, hammocks for every grandchild, a tree swing.  They had croquet and horseshoes, trees to climb.  My grandfather would load us up in a tractor wagon and pull us around the yard in it.  We helped grandma shell peas and snap green beans.  Trips to the library resulted in hammock time with good books and pink lemonade and homemade cookies under the shade trees.  We almost always fell asleep.  I remember waking up on sunny mornings, doves cooing outside the bedroom window and amazing smells of breakfast cooking.  My grandma standing at the sink in her housedress and apron she always wore, the sink filled with sudsy water, curtains blowing in the window over the sink.  The table was set for a feast…with fresh veggies from their garden.  Sliced red tomatoes, green onions and red radishes standing in a glass  of ice water, rhubarb sauce and apple sauce, crabapple jelly with warm-from-the-oven bread. Every meal was like a 7 course dinner LOL.  At night, it was baths with a healthy pounding from grandma’s powder puff (nobody uses those anymore do they), clean summer jammies…then ice cream and a cookie before bed.  *Sigh*  It was so peaceful there…I will cherish those memories forever.

The best things we can do for our children?…to give them the same thing!   Nowadays it seems kids don’t go out and play.  I rarely see it anymore.   Kids are too busy anymore to just be kids.  They are sitting in the house in front of the tv or computer or play station instead.  Or they are so busy with extracurricular activities that they don’t have the time to just lay in the grass and look at the stars or to go play a game of kickball with the neighbors.  I think that is a real loss in our society.   I did the best I could to give my kids the same thing I had.  Those long summer day memories of doing everything..and nothing 🙂  My daughter is ensuring that my grandkids will have the same thing.  As they get a bit older, it will hopefully be memories of Nana’s house  (me!) in the summer that they will talk about in their future!  I know more parents, especially mom’s have to work these days and things have changed so much.  But I would encourage you to help your kids to find a bit of the lazy hazy Summertime whenever you can!  You will make the most fantastic memories for them and something they will pass on to their own children..so we never lose it!

Keep Summer simple, fun, outdoors….give your kids the time to be kids.  Summer passes fast and they will be back in school before you know it.  Summer Solstice is but the first day of Summer….a great day to set your mind to making it a great season for you and your loved ones!

Blessed Summer Solstice to all of you!  Much love, Autumn

 *Sources….all the pictures are from the internet…..

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June 15, 2011 · 9:13 pm

Wordless Wednesday 6/15/2011……..

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blessed Strawberry Moon!  Love and Light, Autumn

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June 11, 2011 · 2:55 pm

Witches Protection Bottle…….

Merry Meet friends! Well Summer has hit here in Ohio with a loud HOT bang! We went from weeks of cool, stormy weather  to 95* Hot and steamy days. That is just the way it is here in Ohio.  The good thing about the hot weather though was that finally the ground dried up and we were able to get out and get dirty working in the yard!  I got my herbs planted in pots and scattered around the yard. We re-did a whole bed in our backyard adding a Weeping crabapple tree and some red-pink knock -out roses.  I planted patio pots with a red/white/blue theme this year that has the most gorgeous deep red geraniums.  There are now  rows of impatience in our front beds,  with  rosemary and lavender for protection and luck.  We still have some space at the side of the porch we want to plant some holly bushes and a couple of hydrangea bushes..one of my favorites.  I am trying to talk hubby into removing a few excess boxwood bushes in the backyard so I can plant a moon garden….white flowers and silvery greens that will glow in the light of the moon.  He isn’t crazy about the idea but I’m working on him LOL !  I will talk him into it for sure! Here’s a few pictures…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Litha or Midsummer is coming up fast now and I need to get busy getting ready.  I’m on the search for the perfect altar cloth to get my altar ready.  I also am starting to collect items I need to make my witch’s protection bottles.  I do these every year at Litha.  Because it is warm out and I can be out at night and be warm and comfortable, I think it’s the perfect time to set out new protection for my home and those I love who dwell within.  If you haven’t ever done a witch’s bottle, you should seriously think about it.  I feel part of my practice is to protect what is mine and what I love and as a Witch I have the capability of doing that.  I like to think of myself as a Warrior Witch..ready to do battle to keep evil away from my door! 

A bit of history….

Witch’s Bottles have been in use in England and the United States since at least the 1600’s. Spell bottles were originally created to destroy the power of an evil magician or witch thought to have cast a spell against the bottle’s creator. They were often ceramic vessels and some had a face on them. They were also walled up into new homes as magical guardians. Spell bottles of this type continued to be used well into the 19th century. These bottles were apparently of English origin. Still, one example made from a glass wine bottle dated at 1740-1750 was found in Pennsylvania in 1976. And so, such protective devices certainly found their way from England to the United States with the colonists. There are over 200 Witch’s Bottles in known museums and they continue to be dug up during construction or gardening projects. 🙂 I always hope I’ll come across one sometime! LOL! The ceramic type of bottle is not made anymore so now it consists of a container, usually glass, filled with various objects of magical potency.

Witch’s bottles are made for a variety of purposes, and are used in numerous ways. Some are buried or otherwise hidden, while others are placed in windows of the home or in other prominent spots. All are concentrations of energy, created and empowered for specific magical purposes. It is a very powerful means of protecting your space and is buried on your property in order to attract all negative things to it, where it traps them. If you move, by all means, then dig it up and either destroy it or bring it to your new home. Now I actually choose to leave mine in place and just put out a new one each year..I like to think of the future residents of this house, happily gardening and coming across my wonderful jars LOL Makes me laugh to think what they might be thinking. 🙂

This Witch Bottle ritual is really great to do on a Full Moon night..the one closest to the Solstice.  The first thing you want to do is decide where you are going to bury it.  I like to put one right at my front porch steps, and one by the back door steps. Some people will put them at the four corners of their property or at the entrance of their driveway.  Live in a condo or an apartment?  No problem.  Just store it in a closet closest to your entry door…out of sight or bury it in a big pot of dirt with a houseplant in it in your entryway.   Once you decide where you are going to put it, dig a hole big enough to sink a your jar into the ground and cover it up well enough that it isnt’ too obvious something is buried there.  Now, get a jar or two…I use  Ball canning jars.  But you can use a snapple bottle, a mayo jar, olive jar..use what you have by all means.  Now it’s time to start collecting your supplies. Put the items on a tray or something that you an keep them all together..don’t put them in the jar yet.   Here is the ritual and what you’ll need……                                                

-A Sturdy, clean, wide-mouthed bottle or jar with a tight lid.
-Soil or sand from the area surrounding your home.
-Something sparkly or shining like small tumbled crystals, beads, sea glass  *I use small crystal pieces with protective qualities*

-A rusty bent nail or two 
-Pieces  of broken glass
-Dried herbs-  Mint, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, Thyme
-A new penny or other coin
-Some loose hair from any pets in your home
-Some hair from all living in the home

-A magickal spell candle
-Salt  

 

 

         Create and open sacred space. Light your working candle while you do your work. If you haven’t already dug your hole,  Dig the hole in the earth, try to keep the top sod in good shape to replace over the hole. Sprinkle with salt. Ground and Center.   When ready, say these words:

With the Goddess and God working for and through me
according to free will and for the good of all.
I now fill this bottle.

*As you say the words, put the items in the jar…… 

Earth anchors this magick in the ground.
This rusty nail, bent, now repels anything and anyone negative or life-denying.
The sparkling, shiny small pieces of crystals hold the light for me and my deities.
A broken piece of glass to deflect harm to anyone it is intended for.

These herbs infuse the bottle with their living properties;
Mint for money and protection
Parsley for protection
Sage for wisdom and protection
Rosemary for love, healing, and health
Thyme for health, love, and courage.

This new penny manifests abundance in my home.
 Hair from my beloved pets to protect them.
Hair from my loved ones who dwell here, to protect and draw away negativity.

This home is divinely protected and effectively safe.
Nothing and no one can enter without my permission
Only those people and beings through whom the Goddess and God work
Can stay here, can visit, can touch this place.

Only Positive Magick lives in this place
In safety, protection, abundance, love, and joy
According to free will and for the good of all!

Put the lid on the jar tight.  If you like, you can use old candle wax or sealing wax to seal the jar closed as well. Start to bury the bottle, and replace the sod you dug up before hand and then say:

I now bury this bottle
It is invisible to all but me
And its magick continues
And so mote it be!

     By the time you have finished this spell, the bottle should be buried. Cover with leaves or something appropriate to make it truly invisible. Under the ground, it will continue to work until you choose to remove it.

I love this spell….on a Full Moon Night..burying a jar filled with lovely witchy items….it is magickal indeed!   After I’m done with this ritual I spend time with the Moon Goddess while the candle burns down a bit. You can also draw a pentacle in the air over the burial spot with your wand, or protective runes for some added protection.  

Now for some other ideas of what you can put in the jar.   I throw some sea salt in my jar as well.  I also like to put lots of little sharp things, like old pins or needles, used razor blades,  rose thorns etc.  For the dirt and nails, you can use graveyard dirt and coffin nails.  Some people will add holy water or wine to the mix.  You can use fingernails instead of hair.  You can use your own urine in the bottle or even blood.  I read in a book somewhere that you can use the broken glass to cut a finger a bit and drip some of your blood into the jar.   You can write down on parchment using dragon’s blood ink, the names of those who are in your home often, to protect them as well. In my case, my sister and married daughter and grandchildren spend a lot of time here too, so of course I want them to be protected as well.   Anything you want to put in there that you feel will add to the protection of your home or family is a good thing. 🙂

Another really simple Protection Jar Spell is this:

Gather rosemary, needles, pins and red wine. Fill a small jar with the first three, saying while you work:

Pins, needles, rosemary, wine;
In this witches bottle of mine.
Guard against harm and enmity;
This is my will, so mote it be!

Visualize these doing just that. Then pour in the red wine. Then cap or cork the jar and drip wax from a red or black candle to seal. Bury it at the farthest corner of your property or put it in an inconspicuous spot in your house. Draw the banishing pentagram in the dirt above it. The witches bottle destroys negativity and evil ; the pins and needles impale evil, the wine drowns it, and the rosemary sends it away from your property.

I hope you take the time to do this on this next Full Moon..right before the Solstice.  You will love the ritual of it and you’ll feel great about the Power you have as a Witch to put out protection for those you love most and the home you care for.  I will be out on that night ..right with you all….

Soon, I’ll post pics of my altar and I’ll post pics of my witches bottle items as well.  Til then, Have a blessed weekend!

Love and Light, Autumn

*Sources:  Scott Cunningham, my BOS, the internet and various other books I’ve read 🙂 I am not sure where the rituals came from I’m afraid..I’ve just had them for a long time 🙂

 

                                                                                                                                               

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