Sacred Tree Profile: Chestnut’s Magic, Medicine, Mythology and Meaning (Castanea dentata)

Basket of abundant chestnuts!

Just a few weeks ago, I went and checked the local chestnut trees that are in a field near where I live. Ever since I moved to the new homestead, I have been eagerly visiting these trees. Last year, they dropped plenty of husks but with only shriveled nuts inside. This year, I was extraordinarily pleased to find that both trees had produced a bumper crop of the delicious nuts–some almost 2″ across, but most smaller, almost all worm-free, and delicious. I eagerly filled my basket with the nuts, stepping carefully around the extremely prickly husks. I sat with each of the trees and we conversed as I harvested the nuts. I took home 25 lbs of nuts that day, and these nuts will sustain myself, my geese (who love them), and my friends and family for many a Samhain, Thanksgiving, and Yule feast! Chestnut trees…

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Create Your Own Magical Tea Blends – Witch Way Magazine

Good Witches Homestead

by Emma Kathryn

Published in Witch Way Magazine’s May issue

Herbal teas are a fantastic way to bring your magical practice into your everyday life. For me, every aspect of making tea, from the sourcing of ingredients (foraging is my thing!) to the blending of them, is part of that witching process, and I use my magical knowledge as well as my mundane skills to infuse them with, well, magic!

Teas can be drunk for a variety of reasons, least of all because you like them. There are blends that help with the mundane as well as the magical, teas that revive the soul and others the body. And who doesn’t love tea anyway!

A note on teas and blends. When making a single cup of tea, a teaspoon of herb matter is all that is required, which is fine when using a single ingredient but does make it a…

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Shoes

Many people take their shoes off to keep the negative energy from the day out of their house.

I don’t know if it’s still a practice, I’ve been married nearly 35 years, of tying tin cans to scare off evil spirits and shoes to the bumper of the transportation the newlyweds use to leave the wedding beginning their new life together.

ACTIVATING THE SACRED WARRIOR WITHIN: CRYSTAL RITUAL FOR THE ARIES FULL MOON

Activating the Sacred Warrior Within: Aries Full Moon Crystal Ritual / www.krista-mitchell.com

This month’s crystal healing ritual is inspired by the energies of the upcoming Aries full moon, but also some guidance I’ve been receiving while channeling from stromatolite (pictured above).

I’ve been privately channeling from stromatolite for a while. Geologically stromatolites are significant because “they provide [geological] records of ancient life on Earth” (wikipedia). What I have found is that they also provide us with records of wisdom from ancient life on Earth.

Just as crystals can be record-keepers, so can fossils, and this fossil in particular connects us with old Earth wisdom and teachings that can be of service to us now.

Each time I channel, I feel as though I am met with an ancient circle of spirit elders: sages, healers, teachers, and guides from human history. I often vision them as sitting in a circle round a fire.

One of the messages that came through was the need to activate and engage with the sacred warrior. And as I sat here and contemplated the energies of the full moon in Aries, I realized it fit!

Aries is the warrior and the defender, and this full moon’s energy is empowering us to face our challenges and fight for what we believe in. To become the sacred warrior.

As human beings we embody all known archetypes, and we can call on or activate any given archetype within us whenever we need.

When facing any kind of challenge in our lives, if we wish to take a loving, empowered, healing approach, we can engage our inner sacred warrior to help embolden us and lead the way.

Could you use a little sacred warrior energy right now?

Or is there a sacred warrior in you who’s ready to take a stand for something in your life, or world?

If so, keep reading…

Complete article at: Krista Mitchell ~ Activating the Sacred Warrior Within

FULL MOON FOR OCTOBER 2019; THE FULL HUNTER’S MOON

Good Witches Homestead

While the Full Hunter’s Moon will reach peak fullness on Sunday, October 13, 2019, the Moon will appear full for roughly three days, from Saturday morning to Tuesday morning.

It’s the only night in the month when the Moon is in the sky all night long—visible in the sky at sunset and setting around sunrise the next day!

Because the Hunter’s Moon rises from the horizon around sunset, it may appear bigger and more orange—how perfect for the fall season!

Some folks believe that this full Moon was called the Full Hunter’s Moon because it signaled the time to go hunting in preparation for winter. Since the harvesters had recently reaped the fields under the Harvest Moon, hunters could easily see the fattened deer and other animals that had come out to glean (and the foxes and wolves that had come out to prey on them).

The earliest use of the term “Hunter’s…

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Comfort Food – Banana Bread

On The Hunt For Autumn Mushrooms (new video)!

Greetings!

After spending a wonderful weekend teaching classes at the Midwest Wild Harvest Festival in Wisconsin, I’m back in Pennsylvania and excited to experience the transformations that accompany the autumn season.

Western Pennsylvania, unlike most of Wisconsin, has experienced very little rainfall during the past month. Honey holes and hen houses have been awfully and uncharacteristically quiet in many parts of our woods, leading many dispirited foragers to wonder aloud (and especially on Facebook): “Is it time to hang up the basket?”

Fortunately, the claim that any mushroom season is “poor” is oftentimes one of opinion and conjecture. As the notable mycologist Gary Lincoff would frequently say: “Even if you don’t see the mushrooms, they’re there.”

In other words, keep looking.

Taking Gary’s advice to heart, I’m forever committed to finding fungi even in the most inhospitable of circumstances. In this brand new video, I share with you a recent excursion into the (very dry) woods in search of autumn mushrooms.

More than just a mushroom hunt, however, this video features discussions on old growth trees, the ecological value of parasites, and nutty decomposers.

Enjoy!

I was a recent guest on the World Wild Podcast, hosted by internationally renowned wild foods expert, author, and public speaker Miles Irving. In this interview, we discuss nature deficit disorder, societal barriers to nature connection, medicinal mushrooms, wild spring water, and more. Check it out!

Click to listen

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

-Adam Haritan

Shadow Work – Exploring your Dark Side

By Nicole Marie, Sol Path Tarot and Crystal Magick

Duality is a very important theme in life. Without dark, there cannot be light. Without bad, there cannot be good. We would have no concept of one without the other. Even in ourselves, this dichotomy exists. The path to enlightenment begins with awareness and a restructuring of thought patterns, and for many people, that is a lot of work for one lifetime, and they are content to stop there for now, but for some of us, we are ready to take that next step, which is known as “shadow work.” Shadow work is meeting that part of yourself that isn’t always sunshine and rainbows, acknowledging it, and embracing it so that you can balance both parts of yourself and move on to the next step in the path of spiritual enlightenment. When we repress any part of ourselves (including aspects of yourself that you are afraid or ashamed of), illness, bad luck, and obstacles/barriers can manifest in our lives that can prevent us from achieving the things we want the most. When we balance our light and dark, deep healing on a profound level can occur. Crystals can be a great way to begin this work. You can use them to meditate/dream, which is useful for exploring this part of yourself.

If you are someone who is ready for shadow work, here are four crystals to help you on your journey. (I strongly encourage you to research this topic yourself before you begin, as it is very in-depth and you’ll need to be well-informed.)

Indigo Gabbro (aka Mystic Merlinite) – Not for the faint of heart, this stone will reveal the darkest parts of yourself. It will make you look at your past, it will show you the true motivation behind your actions, and it will dig up all that stuff you’ve spent your life burying and lay them all out in front you. This may sound unpleasant, but once you are able to see and acknowledge these things, Indigo Gabbro will then show you how these dark things fit in to your highest self. Examining these pieces of your puzzle can open you up to understanding yourself in a way you didn’t know was possible.
Clam Shell Jasper – This stone is incredibly useful for exploring and implementing balance within yourself. It also protects and nurtures you if you’re feeling nervous about taking on shadow work. It will show you your light and dark in relation to each other and then will inspire you to keep moving forward with positive motives.
Snowflake Obsidian – This crystal is helpful for shadow work as it shows you your hopes and fears and also shows you the patterns in your life that an inner imbalance may be causing. It’s also a very good grounding stone that will help you feel safe when you are examining these topics.
Spider Web Jasper – This crystal is great for aligning and balancing yourself. It will help you slow your thoughts and calm your mind as you meditate or dream to begin this process. This crystal has been called “The Master of the Subconscious Mind”, which pretty much tells you why it’s a great stone for this purpose. Like Indigo Gabbro (but maybe in a more gentle way), it will dig up the things that are causing you problems in your life, and it will also show you what those problems are. You may be so used to something in your life, you don’t realize it’s actually hindering you in any way.

So, roll up your sleeves, take a deep breath, and prepare for some life-changing revelations that will ultimately lead you toward that which is for your highest good. You needn’t be afraid to take on this task, but certainly only approach it if you are ready to make some big changes. Hold the intention that whatever surfaces must be for your benefit, and you’ll do just fine!

Excerpt from The Tumbling Stone Newsletter from Healing Crystals