Ecoregional Druidry: Adapting and Localizing Symbolism

The Druid's Garden

To follow up from two posts a month or so ago on ecoregional druidry and the wheel of the year and celebrating rituals, observances, and activities, I want to continue thinking about how druids can adapt basic practices of druidry to their local ecosystems. This is particularly important for those of us in diverse ecosystems around the world: part of nature spirituality is being with nature as she is in your region. Thus far in this series, we’ve explored a druid’s wheel of the year that is seasonally-focused on a local ecosystem as well as the different ways we might celebrate this wheel of the year with rituals, observances, and activities. Also tied to these spiritual practices are symbolism associated with the elements and directions; framing symbolism that weaves its way into our practices in a variety of different contexts. And so, in this post, we’ll delve into thinking…

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Fabulous Fake Facts About American’s Wild Horses and Burros

Straight from the Horse's Heart

By Charlotte Roe

“PLEASE call your Senator and share this Misinformation with them before they vote on the Appropriation Bill. Let them know that you will NOT tolerate the murder of federally protected wild horses and burros. AND if money is the issue, why in the hell are horses being rounded-up as I type. It is pure insanity.!” ~ R.T.

http://wildhorsefreedomfederation.org/white-paper/

3 HMAs destroyed, wild horses gone forever ~ photo of Antelope Complex taken by Terry Fitch of Wild Horse Freedom Federation

FAKE: Wild horses and burro populations are exploding on the range.

The BLM’s claims that free-roaming equine populations double every four years is not backed by evidence (even their own version of such). Real world population rates are context-specific. They vary widely depending on management techniques, climate, forage, water resources and predation. The BLM’s population estimates are notoriously sketchy, often contradictory, and in many cases biologically impossible. It…

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Welcome October: Pumpkins ~ Magic & Lore

Good Witches Homestead

It is a magical time when the mundane laws of time and space are temporarily suspended, and the Thin Veil between the worlds is lifted. According to our Celtic Ancestors, this is the time the souls of people who had died that year make their journey to the Otherworld. During this thinning of the veil, spirits are said to roam the earth freely, and communicating with ancestors and departed loved ones is easier at this time. It’s also told that the Fairy Folk became very active, pulling pranks on unsuspecting humans. People use to dress in white (like ghosts), wear disguises made of straw, or dress as the opposite gender in order to fool the spirits and traveling after dark was not advised. The holiday’s bonfires and glowing turnips (yes, turnips) helped the dead on their journey while protecting the living.

So, let’s talk about the Halloween pumpkin … Pumpkins…

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Open Letter From A Chronic Pain Sufferer

As Oro’s spouse I watch as he wages war everyday with his chronic pain. There is nothing like the feeling of helplessness when you know you cannot ease the pain of the person you love.

Oro Cas Reflects

This article is copied in its entirety with links to the original site I discovered this post on. I didn’t write this but it is amazing to me how much it mirrors what I have been wanting to say for a long time.

Having chronic pain means many things change, and a lot of the changes are invisible.

Unlike having cancer or being hurt in an accident, most people do not understand chronic pain and its effects, and of those that think they know, many are actually misinformed.

In the spirit of informing those who wish to understand: These are the things that I would like you to understand about me before you judge me.

Please understand that being sick doesn’t mean I’m not still a human being. I have to spend most of my day in considerable pain and exhaustion, and if you visit, sometimes I probably don’t seem…

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Welcome October: Calendula, October Birth~flower

Good Witches Homestead

COMMON NAME: calendula

GENUS:Calendula

SPECIES, HYBRIDS, CULTIVARS:

C. Officinalis ‘Golden Gem’- dwarf; double; yellow. ‘Pacific Beauty’- double; yellow, orange, apricot; more heat tolerant than other cultivars. ‘Orange Gem’- double; medium orange. ‘Chrysantha’- double; buttercup yellow.

FAMILY: Compositae

BLOOMS: summer and fall

TYPE: annual

DESCRIPTION: Calendulas have light green aromatic leaves and large {up to 4 inches across}, daisy-like flowers that come in shades of yellow and orange. Plants get to be approximately 2 feet tall with a spread of 12 to 15 inches though dwarf varieties that grow only have that size are also available.

CULTIVATION: Calendula performs best in cool weather and is often used as a fall bedding plant. For fall bloom, the seeds should be sown outdoors in mid-June. The seeds, which should be sown 1/4 inch deep, germinate best at temperatures ranging from 75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. They need total darkness, so be sure…

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Crystal Towers

By Sonia Acone

Crystal towers are usually 6-sided crystals that converge to a point on one end and are flat on the other end. They can often be confused with obelisks, which are 4-sided. Towers are designed to stand up with the point facing up. Energy is directed upward towards the point and outward. Crystal towers are also wonderful Generator crystals and can be used in grid layouts as the central stone.

You can also use a tower to amplify your intentions when using a grid, by touching the point of the tower to each of the crystals in your crystal grid, even if the central stone is not a tower. This will magnify the energy spreading throughout your crystal grid.

Towers can also be used just as you would a wand, as they generate power at the tip. Write down a wish or intention. Touch the tip of the tower to the written words as you say them out loud, raise the tip up towards the sky and back down to the written words.

Use your crystal tower during meditation, distance healing or even on yourself to increase enthusiasm, relieve pain and to connect to other like-minded people.

Sage Ash

Witchery Wednesday

One of the signs that you might be a little witchy is that you tend to save everything. It’s not hoarding if it’s useful, right? And when it comes to spellwork, everything can be useful. If your pockets are currently full of bits of stray string and your shelves full of glass jars (that may or may not actually contain cobwebs on purpose) then you know what we’re talking about. But here’s something you’re probably not saving that you should be.

Burning white sage, whether as a smudge stick or loose, is almost a witchy right of passage. Some people will insist that you should discard of any loose sage or sage ash that is “used up” after burning so as to avoid “contamination”. But we disagree. Sage ash is incredibly useful, and should not be wasted.

Processed with VSCO with f2 preset

How to do it? If you are using a smudge stick, roll…

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Ozark Encyclopedia – J – Jimsonweed

Ozark Encyclopedia – I – Insect Misc.

Analysis of Helichrysum (Immortelle) Chemistry, Antioxidant Activity, and Chemotaxonomy

Crooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs

Traditionally, helichrysum (immortelle; Helichrysum italicum, Asteraceae) has been used for the treatment of scars and cuts, as well as used as a liver stimulant and diuretic. The essential oil of helichrysum has been found to have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, fungicidal, and astringent effects. As an emollient and fragrance in the cosmetic and perfume industry, the chemical composition of helichrysum essential oil has been somewhat characterized. The aim of this study was to further characterize the chemical content and antioxidant activity of helichrysum aerial parts and to assess the chemotaxonomy of the H. italicum taxa.

The flowering aerial parts of helichrysum (H. italicum ssp. italicum) were collected in May 2011, near Valdanos, Montenegro. The air-dried aerial parts of the plant were extracted with 45% ethanol and dried. The air-dried flowering upper parts of helichrysum were submitted to hydrodistillation to produce the essential oil.

The essential oil was characterized by…

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