Second New Moon of Autumn 2018

New Moon — What to Look Out For

Dear all,
New Moon will be exact on Monday, September 8th just a few minutes before midnight (EST)! However, we will be feeling its effects throughout the day Monday and Tuesday.
This New Moon is positioned exactly at 15 degrees in Libra. So not only is it in the sign representing balance but it is at the exact fulcrum, –or balancing point — of the scales, a symbol of Libra.
What does that mean?

Continue reading “New Moon — What to Look Out For”

Halloween New Moon Ritual

Acorn Folklore

What can Druidry offer in dark times?

Dana's avatarThe Druid's Garden

Things seem broken right now. These last two weeks have been a very hard week for many people. The national conversation here in the USA grows more difficult by the day, and it seems nearly every nation is facing many kinds of serious issues. These challenges are happening concurrently at many levels—internationally, but also in communities we care about, in our families, in our homes. Things are tough. They seem tougher for many of us today than they were yesterday. Many of us fear that they will likely be even tougher tomorrow. This is the reality of industrial decline, the reality of the climate crisis before us.

The questions that I’ve had for myself, and my fellow druids is a simple one: what can druidry offer us in these dark times?

I’ve been thinking about the role of druidry in all of this, this question a lot, not only over…

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Crystals for Shadow Work

by Kat Michaels

www.katmichaels.net / www.katmichaels.group

Crystals for Shadow Work

It’s been a powerful year – release and regeneration have been the themes of 2018. In the process, many relationships, ways of being, communication styles, and other ingrained situations and habits have been considered, upended, and ultimately reformed or released entirely.

One consistency in all of this is that those things that have buried deep in our psyches have continued to come up in our lives – the stories, traumas, conditioning, worries, doubts, and secrets that we have tried so hard to push down keep rising for our examination. For those souls who haven’t been working continually to resolve lingering wounds, these issues are likely to have risen in an even more dramatic way, forcing heavy review. And as we prepare to head into Scorpio at the end of October, which rules the house of death and rebirth, those things that haven’t yet been addressed are likely to rise again for clearing.

Continue reading “Crystals for Shadow Work”

How to Work with Obsidian

by Krista Mitchell (Original Source)

How To Work With Black Obsidian blog poster.jpg
Obsidian is a powerful crystal that supports shadow self healing, psychic protection from the dark arts, and increases psychic sight. Here’s how to work with it.

Meditate with it:

  • while working with your shadow self and to engage with your shadow
  • to overcome limiting beliefs, underlying commitments
  • to bring old wounds, fears, shame, denial to the surface
  • to resolve and release old beliefs and conditioning

Use it in crystal therapy:

  • to understand your shadow self and all the personal power that’s held within your shadow
  • in addition to working with a coach, therapist etc while making self improvements
  • to let go of all that no longer serves you
  • to understand the power of nighttime, altar of Hecate

Wear it daily:

  • as a protection amulet or to create a psychic shield around you
  • if you are being hit with witchcraft, dark energy from someone else as it will also repel other’s shadow
  • to create a shield around you as it is a very powerful self protection crystal often referred to as the witch’s stone
  • do not sleep with it as it can create disturbing sleeping patterns and keep you engaged with your shadow self and keep bringing up shadow stuff
  • while in therapeutic situations such as meditation, journaling, or while in rituals

Here Are 16 Wild Mushrooms You Can Forage This Autumn

Greetings!

I’d like to say “thank you!” to everyone who registered for (and inquired about!) the upcoming Fall Flora & Fungi Outing on Saturday, October 14th at Cook Forest State Park.  The event filled to max capacity and registration is now closed.

If you’re interested in learning how to harvest and process acorns from start to finish, I’ll be demonstrating the steps involved for the Botanical Society of Western Pennsylvania on Monday, October 8th.  The topic is “Acorn History, Harvesting, & Preparation:  An Intimate Look At Pennsylvania’s Oak Trees,” and the meeting is free to the public.  If you’re interested in attending this event in Pittsburgh, click here for more information!

Next, let’s talk about edible mushrooms… specifically, the ones that can be harvested during the autumn season.

There are lots of them.  Perhaps more than you’d ever encounter during any other season.  Cool temperatures and ample rainfall provide the perfect conditions for fungal growth, and if you’re prepared for the bounty, you’ll never leave the woods empty handed.

In this brand new video, I cover 16 (yes… 16!) wild edible mushrooms you can forage right now.

Enjoy!

Okay… I forgot to include one mushroom.  This species makes the list at #17, and if you’re interested in learning more about an aromatic mushroom that loves hanging out in coniferous forests, check out this recent Instagram post!

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

-Adam Haritan

Food as Medicine: Cherry (Prunus avium and P. cerasus, Rosaceae)

Crooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs's avatarCrooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs

Take advantage of the fleeting cherry season to explore the fruit’s sweet side, sour side, and beneficial side. Due to their anti-inflammatory properties, cherry fruit and cherry bark have been used to treat and support a wide variety of chronic inflammatory conditions. In addition, the fruit’s rich phenolic compound content has been studied for their potential benefits for sleep disorders, exercise recovery, and cognitive function.

Known for both their ornamental beauty and sweet and tart fruits, cherry (Prunus spp.) trees are among the 3,400 species that belong to the economically important rose (Rosaceae) family. This botanical family also includes other fruit-bearing trees such as apples (Malus spp.) and pears (Pyrus spp.), as well as herbaceous perennials like strawberries (Fragaria spp.) and brambles like blackberries (Rubus spp.) and raspberries (Rubus spp.).1

Cherry fruits are produced by various trees…

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CRYSTALS FOR VENUS RETROGRADE 2018

Crystals for Venus Retrograde 2018 / krista-mitchell.com

Venus goes retrograde from October 5th (in Scorpio) to November 15th (in Libra) and promises to be a deep dive into our inner selves, our hearts, psyches, and relationships.

Venus (aka. Inanna in Sumerian mythology) in retrograde is an archetypal story of descent into the underworld, death, and rebirth or resurrection. She descends in the sky as the evening star, before going invisible, re-emerging some time after as the morning star.

It’s a beautiful journey of self-discovery, getting clear on who you are and what you truly, deeply want, healing and letting go, and then resurfacing, having more fully reclaimed your authenticity and power. Especially when it comes to relationships and pursuing your heart’s true desires.

Continue reading “CRYSTALS FOR VENUS RETROGRADE 2018”