Winter Solstice + the Full Moon => A Potent Combination

Dear all,

For the first time since 2010 and for the last time until 2094 we’ll have the Full Moon coinciding with the Winter Solstice!

The exact peak of the Full Moon is several hours after the exact moment of the Solstice but with the Full Moon energies active a day before a day of and a day after the actual peak — this is quite significant!

So the Winter Solstice on Friday happens at 5:23 pm EST, when Sun enters Capricorn.

Traditionally, this was a time of celebration, feasting and gift-giving — and with Christmas, it still is.

Energetically, however, the specific alignment of Sun and Moon signals that this is a timeto turn inward and start slowing down and unwinding.

The Earth Energy of Sun in Capricorn combines harmoniously with the strong Water Energy of the Full Moon to guide our bodies to downshift and start to relax.

One of the best qualities of the energy of this Full Moon due to its harmonious connection to Uranus is that it can help us see more clearly what we feel, what we need, and what we have outgrown. And then it can assist us with breaking those habits related to things we have outgrown more easily than at other times, if we so wish.

It may also bring you new information, new insights, new perspective, or new people who might help you in some way or to whom you will offer help.

Additionally, both Friday and Saturday are great for any creative pursuits, learning and spiritual immersion or even just dreaming them up.

So what can you do to further amplify the effect of energy in your life?

First, you may want to enjoy “wishing upon a start” as this weekend there will be a peak of the Ursid Meteor Shower. Last night California experienced an amazing one, captured on social media. To do that, hold or carry your Tektite or Moldavite while looking at the night sky and then see what shows up in your dreams.

Next, start making a list of habits that you know you want to change, and see which one is the easiest to change starting Saturday. You can use Moldavite while doing this.

Then, to connect to your creativity and bring more of it into your life, wear or carry with you Friday and Saturday Picture Jasper, Crazy Lace Agate (that’s actually a real name 🙂 ), Rainbow Obsidian, Chrysocolla or Opal.

Have beautiful holidays! May all kinds of blessings come your way!

Brana Mijatovic, Ph.D.

www.crystalcosmopolitan.com

www.universalenergywaves.com

Food as Medicine: Pistachio (Pistacia vera, Anacardiaceae)

Crooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs

The pistachio (Pistacia vera) is the only commercially grown species in its genus, which belongs to the Anacardiaceae family. Members of the genus Pistacia are among the oldest flowering nut trees and are small to medium in size, and characterized by their ability to exude mastic (plant resin).^1,2 Other economically important plants in Anacardiaceae include cashew (Anacardium occidentale) and mango (Mangifera indica).

Pistachio trees are temperate, deciduous trees adapted to the dry, hot, drought-prone climates of the Middle East.^1,2,3 The pistachio tree can grow to a height of 10 meters (about 33 feet) and has pinnately compound leaves containing three to seven leaflets.^3,4 The trees are dioecious; both male and female pistachio trees produce their own flowers.⁴ Female trees are wind-pollinated and produce green and brown flowers with no petals during the early summer.^1,5 Female pistachio trees produce clusters of nuts…

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Why Is Peppermint Like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

The Herb Society of America Blog

By Kathleen M Hale, Western Reserve Herb Society

peppermint for Xmas My herb spiral is my mad scientist laboratory. Just outside my kitchen door, it is the only part of my garden to experience full sun. The soil is much-amended with compost. And, that is where I plant essential kitchen herbs and the occasional experiment, like a new herb that bears close watching.

However, over the last few gardening seasons, it has devolved largely into a jungle of mint. Mystery mint. Muddle mint. A promiscuous genetic mix of whatever mint I have ever planted, plus whatever mint blew in on its own. In my defense, that’s what mint does. And sometimes, the result is something else.

Peppermint (Mentha x piperita) is a hybrid plant, a cross between water mint (Mentha aquatica) and spearmint (Mentha picata). It was first mistakenly identified by Linnaeus in 1753 as a separate…

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La Befana Cake: Honouring The Old Witch of Winter – Gather Victoria — Good Witches Homestead

According to Italian anthropologists and authors Claudia and Luigi Manciocco, Befana’s origins back to Neolithic beliefs in a great goddess associated with fertility and agriculture. Author Judika Illes writes, “Befana may predate Christianity and may originally be a goddess of ancestral spirits, forest, and the passage of time.” In the book Vestiges of Ancient Manners […]

via La Befana Cake: Honouring The Old Witch of Winter – Gather Victoria — Good Witches Homestead

HERBS That Will SHAKE the Blues and Make You HAPPY

Eleven Old-Fashioned Potpourri Mixes You Can Make {Lavender Potpouriis}

Good Witches Homestead

Cottage Garden Potpourri

1 cup dried lavender flowers

2 cups dried pink rose petals {preferably from extremely fragrant old Damask, Alba, Centifolia and Moss roses like ‘Gloire de Guilan’, ‘Ispahan’,’Marie Louise’, ‘Petite Lisette’, ‘Quatre Saisons’, ‘The Rose of Kazanlik’, ‘Felicite Parmentier’, ‘Belle Amour’, ‘Fantin Latour’, ‘Old Cabbage Rose’, ‘Mme Louis Leveque’ and ‘Gloire des Mousseaux’}

2 cups dried lavender leaves

1 cup dried clove pink petals

1 cup dried rosemary leaves

2 cups dried rose geranium leaves {choose from ‘Dr. Livingstone’, ‘Dwarf Rose’, ‘Attar of Roses’, ‘Round Leaf Rose’, P. graveolens}

1 cup dried blue delphinium flowers

2 tablespoons orris root chips

1 cup dried mignonette flowers

1 cup dried Westmoreland thyme

1 cup dried wallflowers

1 cup dried violets

1 cup sweet myrtle leaves

1 cup dried jasmine flowers

2 cups dried double hollyhock flowers

20 drops essential oil of lavender

20 drops essential oil of rose geranium

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Making Potpourris for Yule Celebrations {DIY Recipes Included}

Good Witches Homestead

Potpourris {‘fermented in a pot’.}

The term potpourri (pot-pour-ri) is basically a French expression. When literally translated into English, it denoted ‘fermented in a pot’. And this is what actually makes a damp potpourri – a moist, aromatic, herb-like substance that is fermented, normally with salt and in a pot. The dry potpourri, a companion of moist potpourri, is a blend of dried up aromatic herbs, spices, flowers, and additional bits and pieces. The majority of the dry potpourris do not contain any salt and the method of making them is easy in comparison to the process involved in making moist potpourris.

The ingredients of any potpourri – dry or moist, largely depend on the preference of the individual making it. In fact, one has a great scope of experimenting while making a potpourri. Since the aptitude to distinguish scent as well as the individual reaction to aroma is an…

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The Lessons of Nature at the Winter Solstice

The Druid's Garden

In the fall, I always feel like I’m fighting against the coming dark at the time of the winter solstice, and each year, I have to learn the lesson anew. This year proved particularly challenging for a few reasons. After the time changes at Daylight Savings time, and the sun starts setting at 3:30pm. It is down by 4:30 and completely dark by 5:15pm. As a homesteader, in preparation for spring planting and the winter to come, there always seems to be so much to do. Bringing in the harveset, preparing the greenhouse, preparing and clearing garden beds, stacking wood, cleaning gutters, shoring up the hen house, and doing all of the necessary multitude of other preparations for the coming winter. As the fall deepens, each day, the light continues to wane, and there is less light each day to work with. On many days when I go to work…

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Black Cumin Seed Oil

Crooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs

Gaining popularity these days as a weight loss aid and natural healing agent, black cumin seed oil comes with a centuries-old wellness pedigree. Black cumin seeds were popular among the Egyptian pharaohs and were even found in King Tutankhamun’s tomb. Black cumin seed oil — sometimes called black seed oil — boosts the immune system, promotes balanced blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and wards off harmful organisms. The book of Isaiah in the Bible mentions cumin (caraway) seed, and reportedly, the Prophet Mohammed said, “Hold on to the use of the black seed for indeed it has a remedy for every disease except death.”

What Is Black Cumin Seed Oil?

Black cumin seeds come from the plant Nigella sativa, which is part of the buttercup family and native to countries throughout southern Europe and southern Asia. Some people call it black seed, caraway, or kalonji.

Black cumin seed oil…

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Winter: Natural Home Remedies for Sore Throat

Crooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs

Sore throats are one of the most common reasons people go to the doctor and they tend to affect children the most. A sore throat is usually considered a minor complaint until you have one and every swallow induces pain — pain that may seem unbearable. Unfortunately, the only option is to treat the symptoms and rest until you recover. Fortunately, there are many natural remedies that can soothe a sore throat and there’s a good chance you already have many of them in your home.

Common Sore Throat Causes

There are many potential causes of a sore throat, viruses are the most common. In fact, viruses account for about 95% of sore throats in both adults and children under the age of 5. Other common causes of a sore throat include: