Eve of Bealtaine/Beltane

Good Witches Homestead

The Celtic Festival of Bealtaine/Beltane which marks the beginning of summer in the ancient Celtic calendar is a Cross Quarter Day, half way between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice. While the Bealtaine Festival is now associated with 1st May, the actual astronomical date is a number of days later. The festival was marked with the lighting of great bonfires that would mark a time of purification and transition, heralding in the season in the hope of a good harvest later in the year, and were accompanied with rituals to protect the people from any harm by otherworldly spirits, as well as, the movement of animals to summer pastures.

Source: Eve of Bealtaine/Beltane

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The Occult War in Plain Sight

secretsoftheserpent

I have received several emails asking me what I think is going on in the world today. With all the things I have uncovered in history, forgive me if I do not believe anything coming from the press, politicians, priests or bankers. Yes, there is a virus. Yes, people are getting sick. Yes, people are dying. This has happened throughout the history of the world. No matter how bad the pandemic or plague was in history, the economy was never shut down. Ever! The number one motto of all religions, governments and press is “Never let a good crisis goto waste”. Time to give them a taste of my venom.

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A Safe Bug Spray That Really Works: Natural Mosquito Repellent

Crooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs

Summer is prime time for enjoying the outdoors. But more often than not, there’s a dark cloud hanging over that backyard barbecue: bugs – and especially mosquitoes. These blood-seeking fun busters expertly follow their senses right to your skin. But if you can repel them with one quick application of bug spray, then what’s the problem? It turns out that many old-fashioned bug sprays contain neurotoxic ingredients that may increase cancer risk. But, worry not – there are plenty of nontoxic essential oil blends that repel the bugs, without the bite to your health.

Why Should We Use Natural Mosquito Repellent?

Mosquito bites are not just annoying. They can also transmit diseases such as malaria, Zika, and dengue fever, among others. So, it’s important to guard against them. Mosquitoes are guided by their sense of smell, which is equipped with hundreds of odor-receptor proteins, and they’re attracted to the carbon dioxide we…

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Wild Foragers, Violets, Spring Enchantments

Good Witches Homestead

Violet has been on our minds this spring as we see her pretty little flowers blooming here in southeastern Utah. Violets are one of the earliest wild plants to appear in the season, and we are reminded of her beauty as well as her long history of culinary and herbal use that may have us deciding to seize spring for all that it is!

Violet, being rich in vitamin C, indeed has our attention for a supportive immune boost!

We love to harvest the fresh leaves and flowers to incorporate into springtime salads, juices, and refreshing smoothies. Violet, of course, also makes a really lovely tea, vinegar, or syrup, not only for the vitamin C content but also for soothing respiratory symptoms.

Violet has a cooling and moistening energy, and its demulcent and expectorant properties are soothing to a sore throat, dry cough, and other respiratory irritation.

The recipe for…

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Flower Moon Lunar Cycle Report | New Moon in Taurus

New Moon in Taurus | Entering the Flower Moon Cycle

The moon turns new on April 22 or 23rd depending on your location. The moon joins the sun in the earthy sign of Taurus and we officially move into Taurus season! It also happens to be earth day on the same day! We have so much earth energy to work with as we enter into the Flower Moon Cycle!

Each New Moon using our Tune to the Moon Planners, our Spirit de la Lune deck and the current astrology, we write up the Moonthly Lunar Report to help us navigate the new cycle ahead.

As an earth element, Taurus reminds us that patience and sometimes dirty work are important factors when it comes to growing anything. When you plant a seed, you must take daily steps to ensure its growth. Aside from water, sunlight and healthy soil, a seed needs trust and faith because much of the growth (like the moon right now) is hidden.

Read original post at: Spirit de la Lune ~ Flower Moon Lunar Cycle|Taurus New Moon

ESSENTIAL OILS FOR HOPE, HEALING, AND HAPPINESS

Crooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs

During turbulent times, the ability to adapt to constant change is vital. Coping with transitions and a shift in routines can be inherently stressful, leading to issues such as the zapping of energy, frenzied thoughts, confusion, low mood, restlessness, and sometimes feelings of loneliness or isolation.

Adopting a constructive mindset and healthy coping strategies, although not easy, can be an important factor in sparking hope and beginning a journey towards positive emotional healing. Pure essential oils can provide a powerful complementary tool to help the mind and body adjust to the sensations of overwhelm, fear, boredom, lethargy, sadness, and hopelessness commonly experienced during a crisis. Combined with other therapeutic and self-care techniques such as meditation, exercise, journaling, calling loved ones, and talking to a licensed therapist, these potent plant oils can offer a soothing, relaxing, and uplifting respite from day-to-day worries and anxieties.

Essential oils have been used historically for…

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Looking to forage mushrooms this year? Here’s a good resource to get started!

Greetings,

If your experiences were anything like mine, then you received very little education on the subject of mycology in school.

Even during university-level biology classes, I distinctly remember the blatant omission of anything mushroom-related.

As luck would have it, I took this as an indication that perhaps there were ulterior motives involved — a kind of educational negligence by design. Feeling a bit snubbed, and to fill the void, I did what any mushroom-illiterate person might do.

I joined a mushroom club. I bought a few field guides. And I met some people who seemed to know what they were doing.

Over the years, I continued the educational process and have spent countless hours learning from professional mycologists, ecologists, mushroom enthusiasts, obscure books, scientific articles, outdated keys, and of course… the mushrooms themselves. Through this process, I’ve developed a deep passion for the fungal kingdom that continuously fuels my work.

Perhaps because I feel that no school curriculum in the 21st century should withhold training on place-based skills, I’ve made it part of my work to increase the availability and accessibility of this information.

A recent manifestation of this work is an introductory video that I created on the topic of mushroom collection and identification. In the following video, I cover information that will assist you in the process of safely, confidently, and successfully foraging wild mushrooms.

You can watch the brand new video here.

Have you ever seen anything that looks like this? If you have apple and eastern red-cedar trees nearby, perhaps you also live within the vicinity of this incredibly bizarre fungus. Check out this recent Instagram post to learn more!

Click to view post

I had the pleasure of being a guest on the Wizard’s Corner Podcast. In this interview, we discuss wild food nutrition, slime molds, the value of place-based skills, the ins and outs of the Learn Your Land YouTube channel, and much more. You can listen to the interview through any of the following channels:

Thanks for reading, and thanks for your continued support!

-Adam Haritan

Woad as natural antibiotics | Joybilee® Farm | DIY | Herbs | Gardening |

Crooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs

Isatis tinctoria for a broad-spectrum antibiotic

I have a guest post on the Herbal Academy of New England blog about using one of my favorite herbs, Dyer’s Woad, as a natural antiviral. It works so well as an antiviral because it is also a natural antibiotic and so it prevents secondary infections. Woad and other Isatis spp have been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for thousands of years for their unique ability to prevent viruses like influenza and measles from replicating in human cells. Check out my post to find out more about this unique and generous plant.

A brief history of woad

Isatis tinctoria or dyer’s woad is an easy to grow biennial that originated in the Caucus area, near Turkey. It was valued for its rich blue pigment and archeological evidence traces its use as a natural dye back to the Neolithic period in France, the Bronze age…

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Bidens Can Help Fight Infections and Viruses: Get to Know It

Crooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs

Bidens, a common weed of pastures and vacant lots, has antiviral and antibacterial superpowers. Get to know it better. You never know when you might need to call on it as your herbal ally.

Bidens, an overlooked weed that will help you in the fight against MRSA infections

If you spend any time walking through pastures or vacant lots in July and August, you may have met Bidens. And if you haven’t met it, your dog probably has. Bidens sticks like a needle into your clothing. If your dog walks through a patch of Bidens, you’ll be picking the needle-like seeds out of his coat for hours. Also called, “beggarticks”, “Spanish needles,” “demon spike grass,” and “needle grass,” 1000 Biden seeds weigh less than a gram. If you walk through a patch of Bidens in the fall, and you’ll probably have 1000 seeds in your socks. Hint, wear jeans not…

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Brew a cup of calming tea and enjoy it!

Crooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs

Making a good herbal tea blend is a profoundly simple art; it involves a few guidelines and a generous dash of creativity.

Steps to creating the perfect herb tea blend:
* Start with an idea of what flavor and/or feeling your wish to create
* Know the flavor and properties of each of the individual herbs you are using in the blend.
* Blend for beauty, aroma, and harmonized flavors. Mix the herbs according to taste, color, and texture. Use primary flavors as the foundation of the blend, then add and harmonize with the secondary flavors, aromas and textures.
* When your blend looks just right and smells delicious, give it the all-important taste test. Have a pot of water boiling. Make a sample cup of tea and test for flavor, color, texture, and aroma. Adjust flavors.

All that’s needed to make a good pot of herbal tea is water…

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