The Hottest Mushroom In The Forest

Greetings!

An interesting quality about wild mushrooms is that more than a few of them will burn your mouth.

This may come as a surprise to those of us who have only eaten store-bought mushrooms — most of which, while certainly tasty, are rather mild-mannered.

Beyond the grocery store walls and out in a wild forest, however, there are particular wild mushrooms whose flavors range from hot, to really hot, to excruciatingly hot. Researchers aren’t even entirely clear as to why certain mushrooms demonstrate these qualities while other fungi — even poisonous species — can be flavorless.

In this brand new video, we discuss what many people consider to be thehottest mushroom in the forest, as well as some proposed theories behind such quirks in nature.

If you’re interested in learning more about this very common (and very hot!) wild mushroom, check out the video!

Speaking of store-bought food, here’s a species that commonly inhabits grocery store shelves as well as wild spaces outside the supermarket. Known to many of us as the Goji Berry, this wild edible nightshade is fruiting in eastern North America this month. Check out this Instagram post to learn more!

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Thanks for reading and watching, and as always, thank you for your support!

-Adam Haritan

ALLOWING FEAR TO BE YOUR TEACHER: CRYSTAL HEALING FOR THE SCORPIO NEW MOON

We entered the Scorpio new moon phase last night at 11:39pm ET, and I had trouble sleeping.

Anxiety, fears, shadow aspects coming up.

Scorpio is all about the dark places, the hidden and unseen, our innermost motivations and desires. It’s intensity, death, lust, magick, psychism, power, deep emotions, and manifestation.

Scorpio moons tend to have a powerful effect on me, but especially the new moon which occurs here in the North during what’s considered the descent – the dark time of the year – before the reemergence of the sun’s power at the winter solstice.

It’s a time for introspection and preparation – but for what? For an inevitable healing and growth period.

If we follow the wheel of the year, we’ve spent the first three quarters working towards our goals and harvests, actual or symbolic. It’s an active time of doing, achieving, failing, succeeding, and continuing on. Sometimes we stay on track, sometimes we stray. And sometimes, we discover that what we’ve been working towards isn’t quite what’s working for us or making us happy.

This time of year forces us to pause, reflect, and take a good hard look at what’s in the darker parts of ourselves. Our fears, shames, insecurities, ignored intuitions, lack of attention, are all things that are part of what make us human, and also the building blocks for what holds us back.

We like to avoid these things, and yet, if we approach them as teachers, they are enormous healing allies.

Crystals that help you to face and converse with your fears isn’t as popular a topic as crystals that help you to diminish your feelings of anxiety, or protect your energy. Let’s be real: we like to avoid what feels like sh**.

Read complete article at: Krista Mitchell ~ Allowing Fear To Be Your Teacher: Crystal Healing For The Scorpio New Moon

Third Moon of Autumn

Mascots

secretsoftheserpent

Today mascots are any character that brings luck to any certain group of people. We see them mainly for sports teams, schools and companies, but mascots are everywhere. It seems that every group wants a character to help sell their brand. We are told that mascot comes from the French ‘mascotte’ and means lucky charm. Well it does come from the French, but like so many other things the true history is hidden.

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Ancestral Herbalism and Samhain: Working Deeply with Rosemary

The Druid's Garden

Rosemary Card from the Plant Spirit Oracle

As we quickly approach Samhain, it is a useful practice to spend some time with rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) and build here into your Samhain practices. In this post, we look into some of the magic and medicine of Rosemary, and I share a number of ancestor and Samhain-focused practices that you can use with Rosemary.

An Ancestral Ally of Humans: History, Medicine, Magic

Before we get into what you can make or do with rosemary, let’s spend some time exploring and understanding this ancient herb. Rosemary has been with humanity almost as long as we have written records. Native to the mediterranean region, rosemary was first found referenced on cuineform tablets from Ancient Egypt that are from 5000 BCE–thus, humanity has at least an 8000 year old relationship with this herb (but I suspect it is much longer than our written history!)…

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New Moon in Scorpio: Crone Moon Energy Update

We are officially in Scorpio Season! The New Moon joins the Sun in the watery sign of Scorpio, and in a few short days… Mercury will be going retrograde in Scorpio as well!

This will bring us all a series of events and developments that we didn’t even know we needed to help awaken our potential.

This New Moon in Scorpio is bringing us in highly charged energy to assist us during our rebirth this season. What has been hidden will be uncovered, and what has been asleep will be stirred awake.

Prepare to dig deep! Unhealed wounds, childhood traumas and other unaddressed scars are likely to come up as we move through this “underworld.”

Don’t be afraid to step into this and to feel your feelings fully. This is coming up for a reason. Much of this is to help fully heal these past wounds and integrate the lessons of the year so we can move into 2020 with a new perspective, no longer weighed down by our past.

Read complete article at: Spirit de la Lune ~ New Moon In Scorpio ~ Crone Moon Energy Update

The Dangers of Magic

secretsoftheserpent

I get criticized from fellow Witches and Wizards that my teaching are dangerous for the muggles. I usually respond with an eye roll and say, “If they can’t handle, it they will run”. Lately I have been getting some really hateful feedback that my teachings are dangerous. They tell me I that I don’t understand what Im messing with. I know exactly what Im messing with! Im gonna help change the world. The orthodoxy of this world is getting ready to fall off a cliff. People have only used the ego side of their mind for far too long. So long that patriarchy is running on autopilot in the subconscious of most people. I understand that most want the autopilot life, but for those who want to take control, Magic is for them.

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Crystals for Protection during Spirit Communication and Divination

Samhain, All Hallows Eve or Halloween, whichever term you use for it, it is a time of year that can be truly magical and mysterious. Costumes, candy, parties and fun on October 31st is how many pagans celebrate their New Year. It is also the time of year when seances, card reading and divination of all types are attempted as the veil between worlds gets thin so we can reach out to our ancestors and loved ones for guidance. And whether it is cards, runes or spirit boards, being protected from unseen harm is important. So let’s check out some crystals that are helpful for spirit communication and protection.

One of my very favorite crystals for any type of divination is Labradorite. Labradorite can be used to protect the aura from attack or shield it from unwanted energies. It is also connected to the Third Eye and Crown chakras making it very good for connecting to guides, spirits, ancestors or your higher power. It has an excellent balance of protection, transformation, intuition and strength helping you to be open to receive messages from beyond the veil. I use Labradorite with a Clear Quartz point when I am doing card readings. The Clear Quartz, which enhances the properties of crystals used with it, helps to boost my intuition and strengthen the bubble of protection around me.

If being open to connect with spirit is what you want, you could try using some Lapis Lazuli. Lapis Lazuli has long been a stone associated with mystery, divination and for thousands of years associated with the Divine. It is also connected to the Third Eye, Crown and Throat chakras making it wonderful for communication, inner power and intuition. Meditation with Lapis Lazuli can open us up to our higher self or power creating a strong bond to help us move forward in our spiritual journey.

There is also a crystal most everyone is familiar with and is readily available at most shops, Amethyst. Amethyst encourages communication with the divine, spiritual wisdom and can help us bring out our natural psychic abilities. What some consider to be a simple healing crystal, is also a powerful protection stone for blocking negative energy, guarding against psychic attack and helping to keep the aura pure. Connected to the Third Eye and Crown chakras it helps to bring about protection, spirituality and purification.

I always consider protection to be a high priority when I am reading cards or using other forms of divination. I try to use a stone that is connected to my Root chakra to keep me grounded, protected and calm, so my choice for protection is Black Tourmaline. It can block all negative energies on both sides of the veil, clear blockages so that communication can be facilitated easily and protect against psychic attack. I like to imagine a shield of Black Tourmaline around me while holding it in my hand as I prepare for a card reading session.

These are but a few crystals that you can use during divination and there are many more to be explored. Always trust you instincts when choosing crystals to assist in your divination work and you can never go wrong!

Many Blessings
Terreasa Burgess, CCH and owner, Enchanted Thyme Gift Shop / Facebook Page

New Moon in Scorpio for 2019 | Durgadas Allon Duriel

Good Witches Homestead

Note: Astrology forecasts are inevitably generalized because they can’t account for each individual’s birth chart and how it interfaces with the current planetary positions. This post focuses primarily on the new Moon. Each week, Modern Witch creator Devin Hunter writes a magical astrology forecast for the week as a whole that I encourage you to check out! Also, this post refers to the pure, archetypal forms of the zodiac signs, not what we see in actual people, who each have complex birth charts.

On Sunday, October 27 at 8:38 p.m. PST, the new Moon in Scorpio will rise. New Moons occur when the Sun and Moon conjoin, occupying the same degree of an astrological sign. In a nutshell, this means that our core identity (Sun) and emotions and feelings (Moon), align. They communicate fluently and provide us with greater clarity about ourselves. As the Moon begins a new cycle…

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All Hallows Eve ‘Soul Cakes’

Hedgerow and Hearth

These little cakes are an old English tradition, Halloween (All Souls/All Hallows) is derived from the ancient Celtic festival called “Samhain” or “Feast of the Dead”. It has traditionally been celebrated with fasting and bonfires, especially on high ground, in order to light the soul’s way to heaven. “Souling” would take place the night before All Soul’s day, where “Soulers” would travel from door to door begging for soul-cakes and spiced ale in return for prayers and songs. It is thought this is the precursor to the ever popular trick or treating.

These are the words to the little song they would sing….

Soul, Soul, a soul cake!
I pray thee, good missus, a soul cake!
One for Peter, two for Paul,
three for Him what made us all!
Soul Cake, soul cake, please good missus, a soul cake.
An apple, a pear, a plum, or a cherry, any good…

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