Pagans and Christmas

Every so often, someone will ask me why as a Pagan I celebrate Christmas. It’s not an odd question really; not if you consider December 25^th to actually be a Christian holiday. Christmas is after all a celebration of the birth of the Christian Savior so why would Pagans choose to participate in this oh so important celebration of another religion; a religion that historically has not been very tolerant of Pagan faiths and celebrations. But for me and for many other Pagans, December 25th is not a religious holiday...not anymore. 

No one knows the actual date of the birth of Jesus Christ; not the month, the date or even the year for sure but there has been much study and debate given over to determining the actual date. What the early Christian fathers did know was that the Winter Solstice was a day of important religious observance in many of the Pagan religions that still held the hearts of so many people.  In many of the religions of the time it was a day when the Sun God was born/reborn and there were a great many traditions and celebrations related to that event in much of what was then the Roman Empire. Also it was then as it has always been the standard operating procedure of religions seeking to convert the masses to adopt or usurp the sacred and holy days of the religion they wish to supplant and turn them to their own purposes.  It made perfect sense for them to choose the Solstice to celebrate the birth of the son of their God on the date that was so widely celebrated as the birth of the Pagan Sun God. The similarities between the two would not have been lost on them.

When the date December 25^th was chosen as the day to celebrate the birth of Christ it was the date of the Winter Solstice by their calendar. You have to remember that the calendar that we use today is not the same one that was in use at that time. Today the Winter Solstice falls on December 21^st or 22^nd but the Roman Julian calendar was in effect when this decision was made and by that calendar December 25^th was the date of the Solstice.

Now, fast forward through history; the calendar was revamped, the Gregorian calender replaced the Julian and the date of the Solstice now lands on December 21^st but Christmas remained fixed on the date December 25^th so that it no longer coincides with the Solstice. By that time Christianity had become the dominant religion in many parts of the world and Christmas, December 25^th, was celebrated in all of Christendom as Christ Mass or the religious observance of the birth of the Christian Savior Jesus Christ.  As time continued to march on something unforeseen by those early Christian fathers happened; many of the symbols that became associated with Christmas began to reflect more of a seasonal theme than a religious one. Mistletoe, holly, evergreen trees and boughs, fur clad jolly elves and snowmen have nothing at all to do with the Christian Savior being born in the dry and arid Middle East. Even before Nativity scenes became politically incorrect the majority of the symbols of the season had more to do with nature and yes Northern European Paganism than Christianity.

(Now, it’s not exactly fair to say that Christianity stole our symbols of the season; the truth is that in many cases the Christian leaders were dead set against things like Christmas trees but somehow these old symbols and traditions could not be kept from creeping in. They could not keep the age old symbols of our cultural and perhaps even genetic memory from us.)

Today, especially in America it’s only in the churches and in the hearts of truly devout Christians that Christmas as a strictly religious observance still holds sway. Outside of those churches, in the secular world Christmas is a time when family and friends get together and share food and drink and exchange tokens of admiration, affection and love and where children are still encouraged to believe in magic. These best traditions of the season have long ago quit being the realm of Christianity but rather they have become cultural, secular and fun. Non-practicing Christians, non-Christians and many non-religious people of all sorts enjoy the holiday for all of its best qualities without any of the religious overtones or reverence.

(But let’s be honest, it’s also a time of gross consumerism and gluttony, but that’s another topic for another day and besides I’m a big fan of gluttony….well, in moderation. )

So actually the question shouldn’t be why do Pagans celebrate Christmas on December 25^th it should be why do Christians continue to celebrate the birth of their Savior on December 25^th  when it is clearly obvious that the religious importance of the day has been overshadowed or even lost in the seasonal festivities and frivolity of the season. It was Solstice after all that the early Christian fathers designated to celebrate the birth of their Savior not the calendar date; perhaps when the calendar changed they thought it was a good time to shed the Pagan association of Solstice but it may now be a good time for them to rethink that decision. Today’s Christians must juggle the festive cultural traditions with the solemn religious aspects of the day in way that must leave at least the truly devout among them terribly conflicted.

Pagans on the other hand can celebrate the rebirth of their Sun God on the Solstice with whatever solemnity and reverence our traditions dictate and then celebrate Christmas on December 25^th with our family and friends. In this way our religious observances don’t conflict with the gift giving, feasting and frivolity.

So even though the widespread celebration of Christmas on December 25^th is actually the result of Pagan suppression by Christianity in the end it’s my opinion that it is the Pagans who have come out on top; of course it took a couple of thousand years. Now if we could just get people to call December 25^th something else it would be perfect….but hey you can’t have everything. 

Brightest Blessings of the Season

Raven Womack

Raven's Flight The Magickal Apothecary

Queen’s Root

Also known as:Queen’s Root, Queen Delight, Yaw Root, Silver Leaf, Cock-Up-Hat

I was recently asked by one of my stores to carry Queen’s Root, Stillingia sylvatica, and admittedly it’s an herb that I was unfamiliar with. So I did my research, looked around and found a supplier and ordered some in. The first thing I discovered was that it is not the most inexpensive of herbs nor is it particularly easy to find except as part of herbal remedies and supplements; it seems there are a great many health benefits being attributed to this plant. It is native to the south-eastern part of North America and Native American tribes used it to treat a number of physical ailments so it is not surprising that most of the magickal information available in regards to this herb comes from Hoodoo and other North American magickal and cunning traditions.

The majority of magickal lore associated to this plant relates it to matters of the heart and is usually mentioned in workings to be done by women; in other words to attract men, romance, passion and marriage. That being said I have seen nothing that says that it’s not effective when used by men; I think it’s just a common assumption that women tend to do this sort of work more than men do but you know what they say about assumptions! It is said by some to best the best of all love drawing herbs. It can be added to the bath, sprinkled on the clothes or used as part of a mojo bag. It is also said to stimulate peace and harmony in the home and fertility in women. Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magickal Herbs[1] also claims burning the root will improve psychic powers and find lost items but to be quite honest I think I am tending towards the Hoodoo lore just by my first experience with it.

I haven’t had time to work with it a lot yet but I can say that it smells inviting; not in a sweet or floral way but in it’s own way. It is pleasant and even with the small amount of time I have had to work with it I can certainly see how it would be associated with peace and domestic harmony. As for attracting a man, well I got one that I plan on keeping so I will have to get confirmation on that elsewhere. As for the claims that it improves psychic powers and helps to find lost items well, I’ll have to get back to you. If anyone has any experience with this root I would love to hear your impressions and if anyone is interested in checking it out for themselves here’s a link that will take you to my website:

Stillingia-Queen’s Root

Blessings
Raven Womack
Raven's Flight The Magickal Apothecary
www.ravensflight.net

 

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[1] Cunningham, Scott. Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs. St. Paul, MN Llewellyn, 1985.

Pagan Community

Pagans, like all human beings long for community so why is it that it’s so
hard to create and maintain Pagan community? There is no easy answer to the
question and perhaps the answer is not the same in every situation but one
common problem is that community takes a lot of work. Now this isn’t a
problem if everybody in the community pitches in but more often than not
what happens is that a few people do most if not all of the work all of the
time. To be fair it may be that people don’t realize how much work is
involved; perhaps they think that events just appear. I don’t mean that as
callous as it sounds; what I mean is that I think sometimes that Pagans just
like all people sometimes just don’t think.

When you go to an event like Pagan Pride or a public ritual at the park it
is important to remember that these events don’t just spring up organically.
They often involve many hours of organization, skill and hard work to put on
and as often as not they require some output of money as well. Even events
like Pagan Coffee Nights require some footwork. Each circumstance naturally
has its own set of issues that must be dealt with and someone has to deal
with those issues. Those that volunteer their time, effort, skill and
sometimes money towards these events most often do it for the love of
community. That being said, if those volunteers don’t get some help they
will eventually loose their enthusiasm and energy. If no one else picks up
the ball they will eventually burn out. Organizer burn out is all too common
in the Pagan world.

I bring this up because of a conversation I had with an old friend at a
recent Pagan Pride Day event but it is a conversation I have had many times
over the last few years. This friend was telling me how he missed the store
and how he and a few others had tried repeatedly to create community events
in the area but that their efforts had resulted in what can best be
described as mixed results. One event would be great with 75-80 people
showing up and a good time being had by all. The next event would have 10
people showing up which in and of itself is not a bad thing but a lack
luster turn out would then lead to criticism of the organizers.

Within a very short time people were asking why this small group wasn’t
doing more to promote events and community but what the detractors weren’t
doing was volunteering to do any of the work. They received lots of great
suggestions and promises of help but those promises and suggestions were not
coupled with actual time and work. As is so often the case the small core
group of volunteers got disillusioned and as they had their own jobs and
lives to maintain they simply gave up after a while. It’s not that these
folks aren’t still willing to volunteer some of their time towards the goal
of community but they can’t do it all; they need the support and help of
that community that they are trying to nurture not the derision and
criticism by those people who aren’t helping.

Those of us who have been around for a while have seen this scenario play
out all too often. One group or coven works tirelessly for a number of
events or even years. They work, and organize and spend their own funds and
if they don't get the support and help that they need and deserve they
eventually loose heart so to speak.

Then there is the community that builds around Pagan shops; this is often
the most successful form of community for a lot of reasons. Shops offer a
presence that is constant and tangible and shop owners have a vested in
interest in the community. Offering events helps to bring people into the
shop more often than might be normal which helps to keep the shop doors open
and believe me running a successful and profitable Pagan shop is no easy
task. Shops usually ask for a donation for certain events to help defray
costs but they usually also offer free events that are designed especially
for building community.

I think that another common problem is our varied ideas about what Pagan
community is. As with most things, ask 10 Pagans the same question and you
will get at least 11 different answers. All human beings are the center of
their own universe and for some they are also its brightest star. This
little bit of knowledge has helped me more than I can say over the years and
it holds true in this arena too. Every Pagan has their own ideas about what
Pagan community is and with those ideas their own expectations. Each
individual views everything from that center of their own universe and
reality looks a little different to us all. For some, Pagan community should
look just like them and practice just like they do and believe all the
things that they do; anything else will not meet their expectations. For
others the community is a diverse pool of awesomeness and everyone is
welcomes; well except for those guys, and those other guys over there, oh
and those guys from that other place because they are not really Pagan
anyway and did you see how that other group dresses…I mean really! Then
there are those who truly do enjoy the diversity of beliefs and traditions
that community can provide.

Sometimes when people attend public events especially at shops they feel
that the community is too cliquish. Something to remember is that what
appears cliquish to you might just be close friends or coven mates. I know
that a few people have told me that they felt that Raven’s Flight had this
problem. I would never have thought this to be so but then again like
everything else it's matter of perception. I certainly can’t deny that it
might have felt that way to some because I didn’t perceive things from the
center of their universe but I can tell you that it was never our intention.
Sometimes community events are cliquish or elitist because the people at the
center of the community are trying to shape the community in their image;
they expect it to revolve around them and their philosophy or tradition.

This was the case when I first opened Raven’s Flight. There was a core group
of what I refer to as “Old Guard” Wiccans that were actually instrumental in
getting the store off the ground. Within the first year of being open I came
to realize that our visions of Pagan community were vastly different. One of
my goals was to have a community center of sorts; a place where all sorts of
Pagans were welcome; a place where the diverse traditions, ideas and
philosophies that exist within the Pagan community could co-exist and
express that diversity through rituals, workshops and other events. It seems
that their vision was a little narrower. They thought that Raven’s Flight
would be a place where their type of Pagan reigned supreme and that
dissenting views, practices and ideas where discouraged, derided and
invalidated. They even sought to control the ritual actions of other groups
that facilitated rituals at Raven’s Flight. Actually it would be more
accurate to say that they sought to have me control the rituals that others
facilitated but to their specifications.

Well needless to say their participation with Raven’s Flight came to an end
rather quickly. I tried over the years to open the store to all sorts of
rituals from all sorts of traditions. I had very few rules as to what the
ritual entailed and would sometimes ask to see a copy of the ritual
beforehand but I was more concerned with things like participant privacy and
making sure that nothing illegal was going to take place. To be sure I didn’t
like all of the rituals or even workshops and sometimes I would decline
participating but I never expected groups to conform to my way of doing
things. The idea was to have a place where we could see and experience the
many different ways there are to be Pagan. I can not even count how many
different groups presented rituals and events at Raven’s Flight and how many
different traditions and types of Paganism those rituals expressed but I do
know that I myself learned so much from them. We also held at least two
charity events every year where we collected donated items and funds for
local charities. I learned that nothing brings Pagans together like helping
others; we do seem to be quite big hearted people for the most part. I think
that in many ways we were successful but we for sure weren’t perfect.

No matter what a community volunteer or shop owner does they will never be
able to please everyone but it’s important to remember that they are working
for the community and before you criticize and deride their efforts you
should view the world from their universe or to use a more common cliché;
walk a while in their shoes. Remember that they are not getting paid; they
are volunteering their time and effort to help nurture a community that you
too desire to be part of. Instead try volunteering to help out in whatever
way you can; help organize, set up or clean up. If you belong to a group see
if you can get them to lead a ritual.

That being said, sometimes communities are cliquish; sometimes they do
require too much conformity and if you feel this is the case, just move on.
Don’t let your longing for community compromise your own identity or
philosophy. In a grand vision Pagan community is all encompassing and this
is true in a sense; I always think of Pagan Pride Day events as supporting
this vision. On the other hand there are many sets and subsets of Pagan
community and they are not all going to be suited to everyone.

I know that this time on the soap box is rather long winded but I hope that
it gives you pause to think about what it is you want and what you are
willing to do for it.

Blessings
Raven Womack
Raven’s Flight The Magickal Apothecary
www.ravensflight.net
raven@ravensflight.net

Mugwort My Favorite Magickal Herb

Mugwort My Favorite Magickal Herb

Every witch, wort cunner or herbalist of any kind for that matter has their own particular favorite herbs; the reasons why they become our favorites are as varied as the practitioners who favor them. I have already posted about some of my other favorites but what will become very clear is that my particular favorite among favorites is mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris). Truthfully I can’t even remember when I first became aware of the herb but there is something about its energy that draws me to it in a way that few other herbs do. In actuality I am rather queer for the whole artemesia[1] family; tarragon, wormwood and desert sage[2] are up there on my favored herbs list but it’s mugwort that is nearest and dearest to my heart and I am not alone.

Many herbal enthusiasts have nothing but praise for mugwort whether they are magickally inclined or not. I have often read or heard others extolling the virtues of this plant and it’s often referred to as one of the most magickal herbs of all. I am sure that for some that are reading this I will be preaching to the choir so to speak.

Magickal gardens often have a patch or a stand of mugwort along with its close cousin wormwood (Artemisia absenthium). Both of these plants, like all artemisias, are sacred to Artemis and since these two have a special lunar connection to Her and to other Moon Goddesses they are often included in moon gardens.

Generally speaking mugwort has two main magickal correspondences which are protection and psychic pursuits or what I like to call loosening the bonds. In other words it can help to free the user from the bonds of mundane life so that slightly altered states of consciousness and heightened sight can be achieved but not in the same way as substances like marijuana, magic mushrooms or other more potent or psychotropic substances.

As a protective herb it has long been used to ward against evil spirits, poisonous beasts and all manner of ickies. It can be worn as a wreath, added to a protective mojo bag, hung in the house or what have you. In some Native American cultures mugwort is a traditional smudging herb[3] for clearing away and protecting against bad energy. There is also lore that says that if you place a sprig of the plant in your shoe it will protect you against weariness but there is a caveat; if you put the sprig in your shoe on Midsummer’s Eve you might be carried away by a white horse that will disappear at daybreak leaving you abandoned and far from home.

As for its reputation as an herb that can aid in psychic pursuits it is used in many different ways. Many Wiccans, Witches and other magickal folk will drink a cup of mugwort tea before ritual to aid the participants in being in the moment so to speak. It is the most favored herb for psychic dream pillows and I can tell you from personal experience its reputation is well deserved. I also find it an excellent addition to any sort of incense intended for divination, meditation or journey work.

Due to its lunar association it is also appropriate for any type of lunar workings, incenses or oils and a mugwort infusion is also excellent for cleansing and clearing gems and crystals.

The virtues of mugwort are not just magickal though. The dried leaves were once commonly used to brew beer. The fresh leaves are edible and in times past it was enjoyed quite commonly in salads and soups as well as steamed or boiled. In fact it was a considered a spring tonic herb in some parts as can be seen by the traditional saying,

If they would eat Leeks in March and Mugworts in May so many young maidens would not go to the clay-[4]

There are many, many medicinal uses for mugwort as well and it’s been used by many cultures for many centuries to treat all sorts of maladies from digestive issues to nervous disorders and women’s complaints.[5]

Traditional Chinese medicine uses mugwort for a treatment known as moxibustion which has centuries of positive results in treating all sorts of issues. 

With all of the obvious qualities and virtues that I have already listed you might think that my case is already made but wait…. there’s more! There is an energetic quality to the plant that can only be described as awesome. It’s pleasant, joyful and almost euphoric. It's sometimes subtle in dried form until you start working with it. Once you get it in your hand you can feel it. It has this funny habit of wanting to stick together in little fluffy clumps which makes me think that its energy is so good that it even wants to be with itself.

As great as the energy of the dried leaves is the energy of the live plant is almost intoxicating. I have something like 14 mugwort plants growing close by my favorite oak tree in the backyard and I have no doubt that I will someday have at least twice as many. If you have the chance I highly recommend growing some. It germinates easily and is equally easy to grow. It will thrive under a variety of growing conditions even in a pot but I warn you the stalks can get quite tall; I have some that are easily 4’.

If this article has piqued your interest or even if you too are a longtime mugwort lover I would now like to tempt you with some awesome freshly dried mugwort. You see I have just recently finished drying and preparing a rather healthy harvest of this wonderful herb from my own magickal herb garden.

Below is a picture comparing commercially grown mugwort with the mugwort grown in my garden. The first obvious difference is visible even in the picture. You will notice that the commercially grown mugwort is a drab olive green color and my mugwort, which is on the right, is a vibrant green. Of course the commercially grown one is still a fine and potent herb but my mugwort is exceptional due to it being grown with love and magick and processed with honor in small batches; something that it is impossible under commercial farming conditions. So, if you’re interested in adding some really exceptional mugwort to your magickal cabinet I am releasing part of the harvest to the public. 

 If you're interested...here's the link:

 Raven's Mugwort

Now for the legal stuff:

The information in this article is provided solely for educational purposes. No part of this article is intended to take the place of qualified diagnosis or prescription for any illness or disease. Always consult a qualified health professional for proper diagnosis and treatment.  

I would also like to credit the fabulous book of herb lore, Mugworts in May written by Linda Ours Rago and published by Quarrier Press. ISBN#0964619709 for some of the info in this article.

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[1] According to mythology and lore the genus of plants known as Artemisia were given by the Goddess Artemis to the centaur Chiron a great healer and teacher.

[2] There are of course many more herbs in the artemesia genus; these are but a few of my other favorites.

[3] The mugwort that is favored by Native Americans in the Pacific West is actually a related species Artemisia douglasiana but both plants seem to share common uses both magickally and medicinally.

[4] Going to the clay refers to the practice of eating clay or dirt. It is thought that this was caused by mineral deficiencies in certain diets especially over the winter when vegetables were scarce or non-existent. Interestingly enough this is still a problem especially in areas where poverty is rampant or there is some other reason for a lack of green vegetables in the local diet.

[5] Pregnant women are advised not to ingest mugwort.

Medieval Cooking

Have you ever been poking around the internet, surfing through this page and that looking for one thing but finding something else really great along the way? Such is the case with this page: http://www.medievalcookery.com/, Medieval Cookery.

I wasn’t looking for recipes; well in a way I guess I am always looking for recipes. I love to cook and I love to eat so I'm always pleased to find a really interesting recipe for something new or even a new twist on an old favorite. Anyway it was not my conscious intent to look for recipes of any kind little less medieval recipes but never-the-less I happened upon this great site.

If you’ve ever looked at actual medieval recipes you will have noticed that they are not so easy to read, even the ones that are in English. Well it might be the English of the 14^th and 15^th centuries but it is certainly not the English that we speak today. Then of course there are the recipes from other European countries like France, Italy, Germany and such. Even if you happen to speak these languages I dare say the language of the time will likewise be different than its modern equivalent.

Well the owner of this wonderful website, Daniel Myers, as well as few other like-minded medieval cooking enthusiasts have done all of the tedious work of translating the arcane language into understandable lingo and modern measurements. I was not at all surprised to learn that he is a member of the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc). I have happened on recipes from other members in the past but I can’t say that I have ever found such a well put together source for medieval recipes on the web.

The recipes are broken down by country of origin, difficulty, ease of transport, whether or not they freeze well and there are even vegetarian recipes. Understandably most of the recipes required some interpretation to make them feasible for most of us; its not as if we can go out to local market and pick up a swan. The author also sites source material and frequently posts the original text. When you read the original text you find yourself quite thankful that the authors did all the hard work for us.

Some of the recipes listed will actually take you another site, http://www.greneboke.com/index.shtml, The Commonplace Boke of Lady Avelyn Grene. This is another great source and well worth exploring but it is a work in progress and not quite as polished as Daniel’s site.

Many of the recipes are really quite easy and the ingredients are for the most part fairly easy to come by so just about anyone who likes to cook will be able to find a least a recipe or two that not only peaks their interest but it also quite accessible. Being rather obsessed with herbs, I was intrigued by the liberal use of spices and herbs in many of the dishes including some that we do not think of today as culinary herbs such as hyssop. Of course, you will probably not find hyssop at your local supermarket but it can be had at many health stores, herb shops or even online.

The site is very easy to use; the recipes are intriguing as well as being quite accessible for most cooks. So if you like to cook and are yearning for something a little different, check it out.

Happy Cooking!

Raven

https://www.ravensflight.net

Spiders

I have this whole love/hate relationship with spiders. Well, actually that’s not true at all; it’s more of a respect versus freak-out relationship.

On one-hand I totally admire their skill and determination. Back when the store (Raven’s Flight) was open every summer we would find these huge spider webs…sometimes five to six feet wide in the garden. We always left them because you have to admit…there’s something really witchy about spiders. Then of course pretty much all the weavers that I know love spiders; but then again all the weavers that I know are witches.

Then there’s the whole Web of Wyrd thing and then there’s Ariadne and well I think a lot of you get what I mean.

As a wort cunner I love them in my garden; not spider mites…..that’s something else all together but garden spiders are a great help when it comes to those nasty little creatures that would mange` my plants.  In the summer I happily leave them alone to weave their delicate webs all over our breeze-way and I have to admit to a certain sense of satisfaction when I see all the tragic victims of their industrious web weaving and vicious feeding. I have even been known to leave the much feared black widow to her own on occasion because…well I think they’re sort of awesome.

On the other-hand I was bitten by a brown recluse spider when I was a teen-ager in Texas. If my mother hadn’t been dating a doctor at the time who realized that the mosquito bite on the back of my leg was not actually a mosquito bite my life might have been a lot different. I know lots of people who have been bitten by spiders and although it is usually not that big of a deal sometimes it is. Spider are poisonous you know….all spiders to some degree or another. I remembering reading some where that no matter how clean your house is, you are never more than three feet away from a spider. Then of course there’s the whole thing about how many spiders we inadvertently eat while we are sleeping.

From a very young age I kind of had a thing with spiders. I remember a dream I had when I was very little, living Houma, Louisiana. I remember that in the dream I was sitting on the hard wood floor leaning back on my hands watching a spider crawl up my arm. I wasn’t scared or freaked out; it just kind of felt like there was some reason that I was supposed to let the spider crawl up my arm. That’s always stuck with me; it’s probably the dream I remember best of all the dreams I’ve had in my life and I couldn’t have been more than four years old. Weird, huh? Or maybe not….considering I grew up to be a witch, maybe it was some sort of spider/Goddess initiation into the magickal world. One can only surmise.

Here in the mountains there can be two things that you can count on every spring. One is the alternating days of spring sunshine and spring fog and even snow that can make a gardener’s life very frustrating. The other is the spring population explosion of baby spiders. Every year I marvel at how at the most inconvenient moment tiny spiders will drop down on their tiny silken threads often only inches from your face; and that’s only the ones that you see. This could be disconcerting to some people even if it was an event that only happened outside but these merrily descending spiders drop down from trees, from the ceiling and even from your visor when you are driving. My usual course of action is to grab their little threads and set them down somewhere out of the way; it all happens very fast with little thought and it is usually no problem. Then again the ones that drop down from the visor while you’re driving are always a little more dramatic…. especially when you are driving on mountain roads.

As a general rule I don’t kill them; in fact I usually don’t tell my husband when I find one somewhere in the house because I know he will, but mores the pity for him. You see the truth is, and I have never told anyone this before, I have this odd belief that when I die I will have to go to spider court to be judged and there will be a great scale to decide my fate. On one side will be all of the spiders that I have willfully killed. You see I think that they are smart enough to realize that being the great lumbering giants that we are we occasionally accidentally murder some of their number and they give us a pass on these. On the other side are all the spiders we have saved from an untimely death. When the day of spider judgment comes I will not be judged harshly. On the other hand I can not be so sure about my husband or my dog my Bearly who seems to regard them as a tasty doggie delicacy.

The only thing that might weigh against me in spider court is the recurring drama that I experienced again tonight. Have you ever seen a spider in the bath tub after you’ve turned the water on? You see it vainly trying to climb up the slippery sides of the tub in a desperate attempt to escape the quickly approaching water. When this happens to me I always do the same thing. I turn off the water, grab a piece of cardboard or a cup or something else dry to put in front of them so that they can crawl on and I can transport them to safety. Every time I have done this the same thing happens. Just as I turn from the bath tub and am getting ready to set them down in the corner or on the floor they always test me. Even if their little legs have gotten wet and no matter how exhausted they may be from their panicked attempts to flee the oncoming torrent of bath water they always test my true spider loyalty and admiration. With lightening speed they turn around and head straight for hand!

So with all of my reflection on their importance in the world of witchcraft, with all of the admiration and gratitude I have for them not to mention my sincere belief that they may indeed have a great deal to do with my immediate afterlife…..why oh why do I always freak out, scream and fling them across the bathroom in manner which must certainly result in serious injury if not death.

Spider court may not turn out that well after all! 

Raven

www.ravensflight.net

HOREHOUND AND THE HARD CANDY QUEST

Horehound is a wonderful herb, an unappreciated herb and one of my favorite herbs. It has numerous uses both medicinally and magickally. It is easy to grow being tolerant of many climate zones, moisture and light conditions and soil types. It is an excellent choice for a drought tolerant garden too. Although it is not native to this continent it can be found growing in the wild all over the place. You see, it was such an important herb to European settlers that they brought it with them to the New World and its inherent hardiness and adaptability allowed it to naturalize here. It is relatively inexpensive to buy and not as difficult to find as many of the herbs that witches trend towards, although in most cases you will not find it a corner grocery store; of course that will depend on your corner grocery store.

Horehound is thought to be sacred to Horus, Isis and Osiris although personally I find it most appropriate to Horus but that’s just me. Magickally it is useful for warding off negative and malicious energy, breaking spells, clearing away obstacles to inspiration, preventing theft, keeping secrets, honesty, fidelity, retention of knowledge and working with animals. With all of this going for it you’d think it would be more popular than it is.

 All herb workers have herbs that they just naturally have an affinity for and horehound is one of mine both magickally and medicinally. I love the scent and feel of the fresh leaves and I find its energy very easy to tap into and work with. I use it dried, fresh, infused and tinctured.

Medicinally it has a long history of use, back to the Romans at least, as a remedy for all sorts of coughs, sore throats and chest congestion and digestive complaints.  Sugar and honey syrups were and are at least as popular as infusions when it came to the methods of administering this soothing and healing herb which makes sense due to the fact that horehound is such a bitter herb. The syrups evolved into a hard candy or lozenge which overtime became the one of the most popular ways to partake of the medicinal properties of the herb.

Horehound candy is as much an old-fashioned treat as it is an old-fashioned remedy; one that could be found not only in drug stores but also general stores and candy shops. My father is rather fond of the dark brown sweet yet bitter confection that was definitely something that was very common in his youth. Those of you who are of my generation may have some few faint memories of the candy but few successive generations have ever tasted the candy or even seen it; especially those who grew up in large urban areas. Its taste is not one that everyone will find appealing but it is certainly a taste of times gone by. You can still find horehound candy in boutique stores seeking to capture the appeal of old-fashioned shops but in general it is not widely available. 

Seeing as I had a rather abundant harvest of horehound last autumn I decided that I would try my hand at making horehound candy. I thought it would make an excellent Yule gift for my dad and others and it would also be handy to keep about for cold and flu season. Even though I am rather proficient in the kitchen I had no experience in making hard candy. Truthfully the fact that I had never made it actually made it an even more appealing quest; something of an adventure if you will.

I started by doing some research and what I learned fairly quickly is that there are very few hard and fast rules. I searched the internet and my own collection of cookbooks and I did indeed find many, many recipes for horehound candy as well as all sorts of other hard candies. While I seldom follow any recipe exactly it is often very helpful to have a reference point to start from. I thought that there would be some basic recipe, some general guideline as to proportions either in reference to the amount of herbs to use in the infusion or to the ratio of infusion to sugar. What I found was that there was little similarity in the recipes; every recipe whether it was attributed to someone’s granny or Aunt Bessie was completely different. What I did learn from all of my research was that basically all you need is a bunch of sugar of some sort, an herbal infusion, a thermometer and some time and patience to make old-fashioned horehound candy.

All types of sugar can apparently be used either alone or in various combinations. When I say all types I do mean all types: white or brown granulated, corn syrup, molasses, honey, etc, etc. The proportions of water to fresh or dried herbs used to make the infusion were as varied as the amount and variations of the sugars in the many recipes. My first infusion attempt was way too strong and had to be diluted by half.

I include a thermometer as being necessary for this task but in truth hard candy was being made long before candy thermometers were readily available. You see the candy must be cooked to a certain temperature which is referred to as the hard crack stage to achieve the hard aspect of the finished candy and while the correct stage can be determined by dropping small amounts into a container of cold water and observing the result, but it is a lot easier to just use a thermometer; at least until a certain level of experience is obtained. You see it takes quite a bit of time to get the candy syrup to the correct stage and if I’m going to spend that much time on a project I want to have the best possible outcome. Once the correct stage is reached your next challenge will be forming the syrup into candy. Again there are various ways to achieve this; pulling and forming, molding, pouring on a slab and scoring before it gets too hard.

As it turned out, much of the process depended on my own cunning and happily it was such a great success. In fact it was such a great success that I have now created all sorts of other hard candies; candies of a more magickal nature. The thought occurred to me that if one could make hard candies for medicinal and/or confectionery purposes why not for magickal or spiritual purposes. Why not a prosperity, love or a protection candy? Why not an Isis or a Morrigan candy? Okay, maybe not a Morrigan candy, that would probably not taste to good but you get the idea. I now have recipes for magickal candy, God and Goddess candy and recipes for Sabbat candies. So many possibilities, so little time!

So the point of all this is that hopefully it illustrates that you can bring the magickal into the mundane in many, many ways. On the other hand, I hope that some of you will give horehound a try in your magickal and medicinal work; if you do I think you will be pleased.

Blessings

Raven

Raven’s Flight the Magickal Apothecary

SALT

Salt

Have you ever really thought about salt?  Good old sodium chloride, it sits on almost every dinner table, in every kitchen cabinet. But do you ever really think about it? It is so much a part of our everyday lives and it such an inexpensive commodity that many of us probably do not think that much about it. Interestingly enough, I do think about it from time to time. I sometimes ponder the many types of salt that are now available. I wonder if I should branch out and use some of the more exotic varieties in my bath salts. I like to cook so I have considered trying some of the gourmet salts that seem to be all the rage with the “foodies”. I also occasionally consider if all salt is technically sea salt; a theory put forth by a participant in one of my classes.

It is a necessary element for humans and animals alike. People who raise livestock have to provide them with salt licks and animals in the wild will seek it out from more natural sources. Just down the road from here is a place called Deer Lick; that quaint and somewhat funny name comes from the fact that the creek beds in this particular area were frequented in years past by the wild population of deer. The deer would congregate there and lick the rocks and stones to get the natural salt and other minerals that wash down from the higher elevations.

Mankind has a long history with salt; the truth is salt has played an incredibly important role in the history of humanity. We have mined, extracted, harvested, traded, savored and valued it through out our time on this planet. The oldest known salt works are some 5,000 years old in China and those of us who are Celtophiles undoubtedly know of the Hallstatt salt mines in what it is now Austria; these are but a mere 2,500 years old, give or take. Let us not forget the brilliant and brave Salt March of 1930 by Ghandi and his followers to protest the British Salt Tax. In some ways it could be said that salt has played and important part in shaping the history of human beings.

Historically we have used salt to flavor and preserve our food, to make soap, to dye cloth and to soothe and heal. Today we also use it to make glycerin, soften hard water, produce chlorine, melt ice and snow and the list goes on and on.

As witches, ceremonialists, magickal and spiritual practioners we use salt for our specific practices. Spiritually and magickally we use it to cleanse, to purify, to heal, soothe and to protect. Lots of authors and teachers are specific that we should use sea salt for our workings but there are those who claim that table salt is just as good or in truth no different. Chemically speaking salt is basically sodium chloride and depending on where the salt comes from it will also contain various other minerals or other organic constituents. Table salt is highly processed with all of the “impurities” removed and sometimes it is “iodized” to correct a deficiency on some diets. Many practitioners believe that these processes render the salt less than ideal for magickal and/or spiritual work.

Salt is very plentiful in some locales which is a good thing because as man has evolved we have found more and more uses for this abundant mineral. Interestingly enough although the acquisition of salt has definitely grown in scope the basic processes to harvest it has remained relatively unchanged. The deposits are either mined or it is harvested by flushing salt beds with water, transferring the water and dissolved salt to “beds” and then evaporating the water so as to harvest the mineral. Salt is also obtained from sea water by an evaporation process; this type is commonly referred to as Bay Salt, Sea Salt and sometimes solar salt.

Probably at no time in our history have we had so many choices when it comes to salt. Salt has been a rather precious commodity through out most if not all of human history but I dare say that never before have there been so many variations so widely available. Gone are the days when Dead Sea Salt was our most exotic choice. Today we can purchase Hawaiian Red Sea, Himalayan Pink, Dendritic, Premium Pacific Sea Salt, Celtic Grey Sea Salt, Smoked Salt, Indian Black Salt, Italian Sea Salt and the list goes on. The old standbys are naturally still available; kosher salt, table salt and of course Dead Sea salt.

Recently through an interesting series of events I acquired a large quantity of pure salt harvested from great ancient salt lakes long dried up, right here in the Southern California desert. This salt is pure, no additives, no anti-caking agents. Besides sodium chloride it contains trace amounts of other natural minerals such as calcium, magnesium and potassium (just like sea salt). This is a rock salt, slightly smaller than pea sized and it is mostly white with an occasional grayish-yellow cast. This is salt from the land we live on and while using salt from far flung lands does have a certain appeal there is something equally awesome about using local salt for some or all of our magickal work. It is inexpensive and perfect for all sorts of spiritual and magickal workings.

So, if you do find yourself thinking about salt; if you are discerning about the type of salt you use for your work I hope you try our Natural California Salt. It is inexpensive, natural and perfect for many types of magickal and spiritual work.

Salty Blessings

Raven

Raven's Flight

www.ravensflight.net

Birch and The Season of New Beginnings

No matter how well versed they are in their art, every wort-cunner and herbalist will over time develop a few favorite botanicals. Whether these favorites are for healing, magickal or spiritual work there is something that “speaks” to the practitioner in some significant way. One of my favorite botanicals for magickal work is birch.

Birch trees (Betula alba. Betula benta) have long been harvested by mankind for a myriad of purposes; food, medicine, shelter, paper and clothing are among the many gifts that this beautiful and graceful tree has given humanity over the ages. There is also a vast amount of magickal and mythical folklore associated with the tree. From a seasonal prospective probably the best known associations are those of Imbolg and the festivals of the goddess Brigit. The birch is a feminine tree often associated with the Earth Goddess or Earth Mother and in some cultures is called The Lady of the Woods. Protection, exorcism, purification, love and fertility are among the many magickal associations for birch but the ones that really resonate with me are banishing and new beginnings; which pretty much go hand in hand if you think about it.

Over the years birch bark and leaves have found their way into many of my magickal products but it is the essential oil that I really favor. The fresh and stimulating scent is similar to that of wintergreen; similar but not the same. From a magickal prospective there are many oils that have similar properties and associations but energetically there is no substitute in my opinion. (*It should be noted here that while birch oil is incorporated into many skin healing products with great success it can cause skin irritation, rash or contact dermatitis if the undiluted oil comes into contact with skin. Never apply undiluted to skin and always take precautions when working with the oil.)

The leaves and bark are both ingredients in various charcoal incenses and herbal blends that I make. On the other hand the essential oil is an ingredient in many products; soaps, oil blends, candles, charcoal and stick incenses and more. The biggest disadvantage to using birch in magickal products is its sporadic availability. When the bark is unobtainable I can usually find the leaves and vice-versa so when it comes to charcoal incenses and herbal blends one can usually be substituted for the other. On the other hand when there is no oil to be had there are simply products that won’t get made.

We are currently in one of those periods of birch oil unavailability which many of you have noticed as some of your favorite products have been out of stock for a while.

I usually like to do business with companies that I am familiar with; when it comes to essential oils not all companies are created equally so when I find a supplier whose quality and value I have come to trust I am hesitant to go elsewhere. For a while now, all of my usual sources have been out and when questioned about estimated arrival dates they have no answers for me.  In fact one of my regular suppliers has even removed it from their catalog due to the inconsistent availability so I have reluctantly yet diligently been searching for a new source.

Without any anticipation of success I recently began what I was sure would be yet another futile search for the ever elusive birch essential oil. Of course I first I tried all of my regular essential oil suppliers just in case but as expected with no success. So I began searching about on the internet; mind you I had tried many times over the preceding months with no success. Whenever I was able to find a dealer that advertised the oil, I was always met with those discouraging words, “out of stock”.

So, was it coincidence, serendipity or simply the magick of the season that caused me to be successful on my very first try? After all, my previous searches had been before the Winter Solstice but this search was done in the Imbolg season. Also in keeping with the energy of new beginnings the supplier not only had large quantities of the desired essential oil but they also carried quite a few other products that I have been trying to find for some time now; so in my opinion it was definitely the magick of the season!

Birch essential oil is a major component in my Banishing Products and Brigit Products not mention my Special Birch Soap and the Birch Votive Candles.  All of these products are back in stock now and I have also added a Birch Pillar Candles and Tea Light Candles as well. In the coming months there will be other new products that will have been made possible by the quest for Birch Essential Oil.

So thank you Lady of the Woods for sending me on this journey that has resulted once again in New Beginnings!

A Blessed Imbolg Season to you all!

Raven

Raven’s Flight

The Magickal Apothecary

www.ravensflight.net

The Magick of Color

Color plays an important part in the lives of all human beings perhaps a far more important role than many even realize. As magickal/spiritual people, we probably pay more attention to color than many do.

Color often has special importance in our seasonal and ritual observances. Certain colors may denote our level of training or accomplishment within a coven or other group. Many traditions have color associations that relate to elements, direction, seasons, sabbats, deities and so on. Ceremonial magicians as well as others who adhere to the Western esoteric traditions follow very defined systems of color correspondence in their workings.

But what of spell craft? There are many types of ingredients for spells and other magickal workings that are often chosen for their color such as candles, charm bags, magickal inks and so on. The modern practitioner has at his or her hands multitudes of books and internet sites that lay out color correspondence systems. These systems are often based on the same esoteric traditions that are favored by ceremonialists while others are based on different cultural or ethnic traditions and then there are those that are a mish-mash of all of the above.

It is true that for some the certainty and safety of following a chart may be desirable and even sufficient for the type and amount of work the practitioner is doing. In my opinion these correspondence charts are great reference tools especially for beginners but they are by no means absolute. Certainly when we are starting off on this path we all rely to a greater degree on correspondence charts that we find published on the net or in any number of books on spell crafting but as we gain experience and confidence in our work we should rely less and less on them. I am not suggesting that these charts are in any way ineffective or incorrect. Quite the opposite in fact; they are most probably very effective for those who published them, but that is no guarantee that they will be as effective for you.

There are general color correspondences that are perhaps adequate especially for more general types of workings but as we human beings are complicated creatures so are our desires and intentions in relation to our magickal work. For instance most people would agree that in general red and pink are a good colors for love spells and workings. On the other hand there are many types of love and many ways that a crafter might approach a love working. While red or sometimes pink are the generally accepted colors for love magick, I have myself found reason to use burgundy, magenta and white.

Another good example is that in America, the color most often associated with prosperity work is green, which probably has a lot to do with the fact that our money is green. In many other places gold or yellow are the accepted colors because they represent the precious metal gold that is so universally considered to be representative of wealth. While I often use green and gold for these types of workings, depending on the way in which I am trying to achieve prosperity I have also used orange, red and blue.

As a cunning woman I am bound by no set tradition of color correspondences when it comes to crafting. I have over the years worked with many types and versions of color magick and while this knowledge does influence my workings it by no means dictates it. Sometimes my choice for color correspondence might be influenced by planetary associations, elemental correspondences, and different cultural or ethnic traditions or simply by intuition. In fact there are times when I don’t even have to think about it, it is simply clear to me which color is appropriate.

How colors affect us and therefore affect our spell work is at least in part a product of all that we have experienced and believed in over the course of our lives. Since each person is indeed an individual it only makes sense that you not be restricted in your color choices by the associations and correspondences of others.

When designing a spell or other magickal working do not be afraid to make color choices that seem right to you. I definitely recommend that each practitioner be at least familiar with the many traditional systems of color association but I also encourage each practitioner to allow themselves the freedom to choose colors for candles, charm bags and all of the other possible parts and accoutrements of spell work based on intuition and preference.

Happy Crafting

Raven

Raven’s Flight The Magickal Apothecary

www.ravensflight.net