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Posts Tagged ‘magickal living’

This Imbolc I have been practicing my skills at creating the Brighid’s cross. These little symbols can be made from various materials and in various sizes.

Tradition holds that creating a cross at Imbolc and setting it outside on Imbolc Eve to be blessed by the goddess Brighid as she passes by, will bring protection to the home, especially against fires. I live in a fire prone area, so creating one of these little protective guys is probably a very good idea!

I have posted a YouTube video with a tutorial on creating a Brighid’s cross and how to add one to a magickal protective wreath. You can check it out here: https://youtu.be/pYxnfkc5IVQ

However you celebrate Imbolc this year, I hope you find peace and light to help guide you along your path in this sometimes confusing world.

Imbolc Blessings!

Sarina

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This year I am celebrating a quiet Mabon. But I couldn’t let the sabbat go by without doing something special. I do think of apples around this time of year probably because my family often goes apple picking in September.

There’s nothing like a piece of warm coffee cake with a hot cup of something to get one into a cozy autumn mood. Add some apples and spice and you have the following dairy free recipe:

Ingredients

Streusel Topping

  • 2/3 cup biscuit mix such as Bisquick
  • 2/3cup packed brown sugar
  • 1teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4cup cold vegan butter or margarine

Coffee Cake

  • 2 cups biscuit mix
  • 2/3cup plant based milk or water plus 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar or white vinegar (don’t worry if it curdles)
  • 3tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 flax egg which is 1Tb ground flax seed plus 2 1/2 TB warm water
  • 2medium cooking apples, peeled and thinly sliced (2 cups)
  • 2tablespoons chopped nuts

Glaze

  • 1/2cup powdered sugar
  • 2to 3 teaspoons plant based milk (almond milk is good)

Steps

  • 1 – Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 9-inch square pan with cooking spray. In small bowl, mix 2/3 cup biscuit mix, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cut in vegan butter, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until crumbly; set aside.
  • 2 – In medium bowl, stir together 2 cups biscuit mix, 2/3 cup plant based milk with ACV , the granulated sugar and flax egg; beat vigorously 30 seconds with spoon. Spread half of batter in pan. Arrange apple slices on batter; sprinkle with half of streusel topping. Spread with remaining batter; sprinkle with remaining topping. Sprinkle with nuts.
  • 3 – Bake about 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on cooling rack 20 minutes. In small bowl, stir glaze ingredients until smooth enough to drizzle. Drizzle glaze over warm coffee cake.

Enjoy a warm piece of Mabon Apple Coffee Cake with a cup of chai tea or coffee!

Mabon Blessings!

🍏🍎🍏🍎🍏

Sarina ☕️

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Have you been having vivid dreams lately? Or have you been extra intuitive about things? Well, perhaps that’s the Lion’s Gate energy you are feeling from this new moon that’s approaching on August 8, 2021. Some say this will be the luckiest day of the year!

Six years ago I made a YouTube video about manifesting your wishes during the new moon.

Here is the link that explains how to write your petition:

New Moon Manifesting on YouTube

With the approaching powerful energy I decided to create a new video on how you can use the present energy and future new moon energies to manifest long term goals. If you have any questions about the process please post them in the comments below or on my YouTube channel.

Here is the link for the new video:

Using New Moon Energy for Long Term Goals

Mark your calendars for August 8th and Happy Manifesting!

Blessings,

SARINA

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2020 will be a year that will go down in history as a time when humanity was challenged with a pandemic that tested our skills to bring out the best in ourselves and each other.

This year our Lughnassadh ritual brought out a mix of emotions as we struggled to honor the blessings of the past year. We have been connecting with each other in our coven via the internet for rituals since last spring when social distancing became the norm, and even though we are grateful for Zoom and Skype, it has been obvious that circling online just isn’t the same as it is in person.

Normally we hold hands and hug a lot in our coven. We also gather for ritual out in nature where we can hear the sounds of the leaves rustling and animal cries. Staring at each other on a computer screen reminds us of our separation. Chanting, singing and raising energy have been a real challenge through this format. If we try to join our voices all at once, all we hear is a cacophony of disjointed sounds. So we have learned to adapt. That is what we are being called to do.

For our Lughnassadh ritual we were asked to have present something to illustrate that which we considered to represent our harvest this year. And since we were also celebrating the full moon, our “Claim Time Moon”, we were to bring something to represent that which we wish to claim or manifest for the coming year.

For Lughnassadh we generally craft some corn dollies. To my delight I came across an unopened package of corn husks in my pantry! I still have my flying witch dolly from last year. Looking at her reminded me of the fun we had sitting around the table in the magickal kitchen crafting our dollies amid the laughter and conversation. Thinking about that time seems bitter sweet.

With my corn husks soaking in water, I decided to create dollies to represent both what I was harvesting and what I was claiming. My harvest I represented with a Mother Goddess figure.

I made her to look as if she is cradling her unborn child. At times this year I felt like that child. I got very sick and I recovered thanks to my wonderful family who “mothered” me.

I also took on the role as I “mothered” a large garden. I planted herbs, vegetables, flowers and fruit trees. The garden promises to produce much abundance in the coming years if I continue to play my part and care for it.

The Magickal Orchard
Eggplants are such beautiful veggies!
The bounty of cherry tomatoes!
Of course, lots of lavender

Above all, I have felt the presence of the mother goddess especially during these trying times we’ve been experiencing. When things looked bleak a new baby was born into the family and reminded us of the miracle of new life. When people were acting in fear, others were performing selfless acts of kindness. The mother has been with us.

What I decided to “claim” for the coming year during the Claim Time Moon was the simple ability to be able to join hands and circle in the Oak and Willow Grove as we have done in the past.

Corn and grain, corn and grain, all that falls shall rise again….
Hoof and horn, hoof and horn, all that dies shall be reborn….

I have to admit, crafting these corn dollies this year felt like a magickal act in itself. The focus on my intent put me into a meditative state unlike those times in the past when I created dollies with a group. So there was yet another blessing: remembering the magick in crafting an object for magickal purposes!

What have you harvested this year? And what do you wish to claim for yourself in the coming year?

May the blessings of Lughnassadh shine on you at this harvest time and in the months to come!

💚 Sarina

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Need a little magickal grounding with some comfort food? I love potatoes; baked, mashed, fried…in just about every form potatoes are comfort food to me!

It makes sense that potatoes are so grounding. After all, they grow under the ground! There’s that sympathetic magick working for ya. In the case of our celtic culinary creation, colcannon, add a little green in the form of cabbage and you add some growth and prosperity to the mix.

In my vegan version I skip the dairy and use plant based milk and butter. To my way of thinking, the plant based dairy brings more grounding and better karma to boot!

So here is the simple recipe for this savory dish. Feel free to experiment with different types of potatoes and greens (kale works well) and add some herbs if you like.

Colcannon

You will need:

5 lbs of Yukon gold potatoes cut into cubes (I leave the peels on since they are thin and I like the texture)

Half a cabbage cut into thin slices

A stick (1/2 cup) of plant based butter (I like Earth Balance)

Plant based milk such as almond milk ( others can be used but make sure they are unsweetened) to be added if you want a thinner potato mixture.

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Cover the potatoes with water and boil them until they fall apart when stuck with a fork. Drain the potatoes and return them to the hot pot. Mash them vigorously with a hand held potato masher as the remaining steam evaporates. If you need to turn the burner on low to get rid of the remaining steam do so with care. Add the vegan butter that has been cut into pieces and continue mashing. At this point decide if you want to add a little non dairy milk to make the potatoes fluffier. Just add a little at a time so the potatoes don’t get mushy. Now fold in the cabbage and cook the mixture on low for a few minutes to cook the cabbage through. The cabbage should get tender. Season to your liking with salt and pepper.

And there you have it! Let’s celebrate the grounding and bounty of nature. Take a walk on the greening land, and return to a hot bowl of tasty colcannon!

Springtime Blessings,

Sarina

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With the success of my Bealtaine Calendula Salve, I started brewing herbs for an even more healing salve in time for midsummer.

I harvested calendula blossoms, lavender, comfrey leaves, yarrow, rose petals and lemon balm. I dried them for a few days and immersed them in a jar with 20oz. of jojoba oil.

This morning, after about a month of infusing (the oil got pretty dark), I strained the herbs from the oil. Then I added 9Tb of beeswax pellets, and heated the mixture in a double boiler until the beeswax was melted. Next, I added 1tsp. arnica oil (helps prevent bruising) and ladled the mixture into tins.

Making this salve was a good way to capture the healing potential of my garden herbs. Summer Solstice finds herbs at their energetic peak! I think I’ll call this one “Midsummer Boo-Boo Salve”.

For more details on making salves see my post on my Bealtaine Salve

Bright Healing Blessings,

Sarina

🧚‍♀️🧚‍♂️

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I know it seems like I was living at my last magickal cottage, Crow Hollow, for only a short time (5 years seems short), but life takes some unexpected turns sometimes and we are called to make changes.

I won’t go into the crazy year I’ve lived through in 2018. Suffice it to say, there have been some sorrows and, as always, some great joys. Moving was stressful and exciting as well.

Sycamore Hill is an amazingly magickal place that seemed to call me to come live on this spot of land. Twin sycamore trees guard the house at the front and the back, and the view from the backyard is inspiring!

There is a steep slope at the back of the property and the idea of terracing and cultivating the land seems daunting. Homesteading here would be a dream fulfilled, so wish us luck!

I know I have been called to work with the earth and to help the pollinators flourish. I have already bought some native plants and seeds to start this fall.

The decorating to bring out the magick here is coming along. That takes time. We have a new puppy and the cats are on strike so I’ve had to work around that. One thing I have adopted for creating seasonal magickal vignettes is an old armoire.

Some tension rods, fabric and curtains and we have an interesting beginning. I’ve decided September is Apple Month. Mabon always makes me think of apples, so I plan to make candy apples a family tradition in a kitchen witchy way.

I was thinking how the Apple is so representative of the goddess and the witch: very apropos to this time of year. Our coven assigns the element of water (very feminine) to the harvest quarter of Lughnassadh, Mabon and Samhain.

As the autumn equinox approaches we anticipate the time of balance. There will be an equal number of daylight and darkness hours, and hopefully we will all find ways to bring more balance into our physical, emotional and spiritual lives. Our coven will celebrate Mabon with a burning man and offer up a part of our personal harvest in whatever form it has taken. There is always a harvest, and this Witches Thanksgiving is the time to remember that.

Brightest blessings to you all, and may you have a wondrous and magickal Mabon!

Sarina Ravensmoon

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From ghoulies and ghosties
And long-leggedy beasties
And things that go bump in the night,
Good Lord, deliver us!

Traditional Scottish Prayer

Image

Next week  I will be doing a space clearing on a family member’s home. It seems there has been some paranormal activity there, and the house owners would like it to stop. It’s scary. I suspect there is some energy attached to an old Victorian chair they brought into the house a few months ago. I’ll be able to tell better when I get there and monitor the energy on the house.

Monitoring the energy around ourselves and in our environment is so important. We can start feeling unmotivated, fearful, angry and even ill when our environmental energy is out of whack. We all know people who drain us, the so-called “energy vampires”; but astral energies can attach themselves to us and tax our energy fields as well. What I am saying is not meant to strike terror in anyone’s heart. It happens all the time in various degrees. Usually these astral entities are lower energies, meaning low vibrational as opposed to “evil”. More common ones aren’t demons or ghosts. Some may be elementals – the more mischievous ones- but I suspect elementals prefer to be left alone most of the time.

So let’s talk about how to recognize when one of these entities is affecting you and what to do about it if you decide you have picked up an astral hitchhiker. It’s apparently not that hard for those on the astral plan to figure out how to enter or interface with our 3D plane. The elementals in charge of making the plant kingdom grow do it all the time. Sometimes spirits or entities just pass through for a time. Around Samhain and Beltaine the veil between our planes is much thinner. Playful imps like to join in the fun and can be seen a lot more in digital photos as orbs. The following pictures of me were taken at Halloween time at two different times in consecutive years in the same place. On the right side of me in both pics you can see a large orb in the picture. It was a fun and playful occasion, and the seasonal spirits were joining in on our fun! I felt no negative effects from the orb friends and they soon moved on.  They may have been “feeding” off our fun or simply attracted to it.

Image    Image

If you feel that something is affecting you that is not in your best interests, then there are steps you can take. How do you know if there is something undesirable around you? Go by your gut feelings – your intuition. Everybody has it! If you feel you are constantly being watched in your house, how does it make you feel? Do you feel threatened? When I was a youngster I felt people in spirit around me quite a lot. Because I didn’t understand that there could be people in spirit who might be watching over me, I got the creeps. In fact, I was terrified. It was a long time before I was able to acknowledge my friends and family on the other side and be open to their messages.

So if you have ruled out the presence of helpful spirits, then ask yourself a few more questions. Could there be other explanations for your bad luck, ill health or depressed outlook? Sometimes bad stuff just happens, but we have control over how we react to those bad things. Do some meditating and self examination and be honest with yourself. Your own emotions can be very powerful indeed for good or bad! Poltergeist activity is an example of how live people can cause paranormal activity in a location. In studies of homes where poltergeist activity (things moving, doors and cupboards opening and slamming shut) has been experienced, there have been observations that this activity is actually tied to someone living in the household. Frequently this someone is an adolescent with some really repressed, heavy duty ANGER. Often no one suspects that these kids were going through such hell, but their anger has to come out somehow. Things can go flying, and break, and make lots of noise, sort of like what happens when someone throws a temper tantrum.

If you can rule out a human cause to the entity attachment, then there are steps to be taken. These steps are a good idea to follow periodically even when everything seems ducky. Just consider this procedure to be a form of magickal housekeeping. Follow the steps below in the order given and you should be good to go. Do this space clearing once or twice a year, or more often if you feel the need.

1. Clean up your stuff! Clear clutter, throw things away and air the place out. Scrub each room from top to bottom being careful to avoid harsh chemicals. Vinegar and baking soda as well  as lemon juice and tea tree oil mixed with water will clean things both physically and energetically. DON”T SKIP THIS STEP! I know cleaning can be boring, but low energies are attracted to staleness and grime. A messy place can bring your energy down without you realizing it, and you will be more attractive to those astral low lifes. When you are done cleaning your place, go jump in the tub or the shower. Wash yourself, including your hair and scrub under your nails. Put on clean clothes, which you should have plenty of because you did the laundry when you were cleaning, right?

2. Open the doors and windows. Find something for making NOISE, like cymbals, gongs, rattles or even a pot and a wooden spoon to hit the pot. Go to each corner of each room and to all the tight little spaces and cubby holes and make a racket with your noise maker. You are breaking up energy so it can leave your home. Cats are wonderful at breaking up stale energy. Ever notice how they like to crawl into small spaces and just park themselves there for awhile? A cat’s purr actually vibrates at a healing frequency. Cats are feng shuy experts, so allow them to chill in any out of the way safe place. Your home’s energy will benefit from a feline’s presence!

3. Next you will want to smudge. It helps to have another person help you with this part. You can use white sage, sweetgrass or even incense, but you will  be taking the smoke from the smudge and walking through the house. Be sure to have a heat proof container with you to catch any falling embers. You don’t want to start a fire. Expose all the spaces with this cleansing smudge smoke repeating the following out loud: ” All that is not for the highest good and well being of me and my family must leave now! Only the good remains!” Say it like you mean it.

4. Step outside and have your friend smudge you with the smoke. Have them do the front and back of you, under your arms, all over. As they smudge you say: “What’s mine is mine! No other energies are invited into my energy field without my permission! I ask for clearing,  blessings and protection from all my spiritual guardians. As above so below. It is done! Thank you”

5. The last step is to bring beneficial energies into your space. You have created a sort of vacuum by clearing out your home, and a vacuum by nature wants to fill itself up again. Call in high energy to take the place of the low energy. Burn a white candle that you have dressed with a blessing oil. Frankincense, myrrh and sandalwood incense also attract higher energies. I love using palo santo, which is a type of fragrant wood that comes in little sticks and burned to attract good energy. I love the way it smells when it is burning!

By now you should be feeling much better, and your space should look and feel amazing! The key word now is MONITOR. Monitor your energy and the energies around you to discern when you might need to do another space clearing. And keep your vibration high! Emotions like anger, fear, guilt and hatred make you a magnet for lower energies who love to “feed” off your negative emotional banquet. It’s best to nip these feelings in the bud before you send out a beacon to invite these unwanted guests into your personal space. Shield yourself from negative people, places and situations.  And remember: for good or bad, your thoughts are things! You create your life.

Blessings,

Sarina

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