Imagine walking into a forest where you are greeted by many old tree friends, each members of different families that form a community. You know their common names, their less common names, and the secret names that have taught you. You know their medicine, how they can be used, even some of their stories and songs. They rustle their leaves in joy as you continue to walk. The movement of their branches is music in your ears, the sound of the leaves a song, playing in your mind. Their medicine and magic is open before you. And yet, you realize how much more you have to learn, to know, and realize that this process –the process of reconnecting to the medicine and magic of the trees–will take more than one lifetime to complete. This is the power of establishing deep connections with the trees.

Oak at Samhuinn

Over the last…

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THE MASTER HEALER STONE: TURQUOISE

Good Witches Homestead

As a blue stone with a hint of green, turquoise works naturally at the level of the heart and throat chakras. In particular, it stimulates the subtle energies of the thymus gland, midway between the heart and throat, an area which plays an important part in the body’s immune system.

Turquoise also acts as a general strengthener for all systems of the body and offers protection from harm by ensuring a high level of the energy function.

Energy: immune, protective

Colors: sky blue to soft and deep green or green-blue

Uses: Turquoise is excellent for ritual and ceremony, for gaining wholeness, knowledge, elemental wisdom, communicating with devas and ancestors, and promoting personal attunement. Turquoise stimulates motivation and healing. It is beneficial for respiratory problems, greater self-realization, and endurance.

Star Sign: Sagittarius
Planet: Jupiter
Element: Fire
Chakra: Throat

TIPS FOR TURQUOISE

Wear turquoise to protect you whilst traveling and keep you…

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The Healing Powers of Cats

Good Witches Homestead

There are many stories of animals as healers. Research shows that simply petting a cat or dog can lower your blood pressure. Therapy animals who visit nursing homes and hospices bring peace and joy to patients who may not have smiled in months.

There are stories of horses who help people heal emotional and psychological issues, stories about dogs who can somehow sense cancer in people, even before doctors can find it, and dogs who can tell when a person is about to have a seizure.

CATS AS HEALERS

Research has even shown that the frequency of a cat’s purr can aid with healing of bones, tendons, ligaments, and muscles as well as provide pain relief. These healer kitties would work their magic in various ways:

By curling up next to a recovering cat or dog
By cuddling up to a worried client in the waiting room
By comforting a…

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Ozark Encyclopedia – D – Dirt Dauber’s Nest

Taking up the Path of the Bard, Part II

The Druid's Garden

Creativity is the singing of the soul. When we create, we draw from the deepest parts of who we are and express ourselves to the world. The act of creation, the drawing forth and connecting to our inner selves, is the joy involved in creativity. Having something nice in the end, to me, seems like a bonus! I believe this act of channeling the awen is not only inherently spiritual, it is also part of what it means to be human. But to allow our souls to really sing, we have to grow comfortable with what we create, we have to set aside our judgement, and and to grow our skills as bards.

Last week, I explored what the bardic arts are, the cultural challenges associated with the bardic arts, and some ways community groups circumvent said challenges. We looked at the creative spirit of children, and how that spirit…

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