Volume 4 - Issue 1 - Inbolc 2007
Seasons of the Moon is a quarterly online magazine published by students and members of The Order of The White Moon, an eclectic international order of women dedicated to The Goddess. The Order provides personal empowerment and priestess training, and operates local groups. All contributions are original material submitted by our students and members. (We do not accept outside contributions.) Please direct comments and questions to the Ezine Editor.
Seasons Of The Moon Editor and Council: Morgana Ravenwings, Heathwitch, Nessa CrescentMoon, Spiralotus, Silver, Shalimar, Lila, Lady Silver MoonWolfe, BellaDonna
Webmaster and Publishing: Kelly, Heathwitch, Tranquillity Fearn
Issue 1 - Imbolc 2007: Contents
Goddess Work
Goddesses of Spring by Morgana
Holistic Living
Honoring Yourself by Artemisia
Holy Days
Imbolc by Heathwitch
Ritual Work
Honoring the Earth's Six Powers by Morgana
Springtime Ritual by Morgana
Whispers of Melete
My Sister-friend, the Virgin Mary, French Fries and me by Nessa CrescentMoon
David Spangler on Death and Dying by Carole Prisco
The Bardic Soul: Poetry and Song For The Spirit
March by Diana
Ocean Dreaming by Mystic Amazon
Reviews
A Review of "Psychic Shield", by Caitlin Matthews by Carole Prisco
Recipes Fit for a Goddess
Garden Stuffed Potatoes by Morgana
Peanut Butter Haystacks by Morgana
Petits Gateaux Tailles by Morgana
Vitality Vegie Soul by Artemisia
Stress Reduction and Immune Booster Infusion by Artemisia
Weaving the Web
Weaving the Web by Nessa CrescentMoon
Getting to know the Order of the White Moon
Goddesses of Spring
by Morgana Ravenwings
There are two Goddesses who have strong associations with this time of year: Brigid, of Ireland (pronounced 'breed') and the Germanic Ostara.
Brigid was a Celtic Goddess who was known as Brigantia in England and Bride in Scotland. She was a triple Goddess, but not in the familiar sense of maiden, mother and crone. Instead, the three aspects of Brigid were identical, but each ruled over a different craft. One aspect of Brigid ruled over smithcraft, another over inspiration and poetry and the third over healing and medicine. Her name means 'bright arrow' or 'bright one', and her symbol was a sacred white cow. She had nineteen priestesses who ruled over Her sacred fire at Kildare, never allowing it to go out. When Christianity rose to power, they found they could not extinguish the fire in the hearts of the people for this Goddess. So, She was canonized and re-named Saint Brigit, the patron saint of smithcraft, poetry and healing. A convent was founded at Kildare and now nuns tend the sacred fire. Brigid's feast day is February 1st. On this day fires were lit all over the country. The people left out a loaf of bread on their windowsills for the Saint, and an ear of corn for Her white cow.
Ostara, from whose name we get our word Easter, is the Germanic Goddess of renewal, rebirth, new beginnings and springtime. She was honored in the month of April with festivals concerning new life. The Christian church found it could not rid itself of these festivities either. So once again, they kept the festival, but changed its meaning to the day that their god rose from the dead. Ostara's sacred animal was the rabbit (Easter Bunny) and She was honored with colored eggs, which symbolized the fertility of spring.
Other Goddesses celebrated over the next few months include:
Juno, Roman Goddess of women, on March 1.
Vesta, Roman Goddess of the hearth, on March 1.
Anna Perenna, Etruscan Goddess of the Earth, on March 15.
Libera, Roman Goddess of agriculture, on March 17.
Minerva, Italian/Etruscan Goddess of handicrafts, war and wisdom, on March 19 – 23.
Mati, Slavic Mother Earth, on March 25.
Tellus Mater, Roman Mother Earth, on April 15.
Ceres, Roman grain Goddess, on April 19.
Pales, Roman Goddess of cattle, on April 21
Flora, Roman Goddess of all plants, on April 28 - May 3.
Happy Celebrating!!
About the Author: Morgana is a High Priestess with the Order of the White Moon and founder of Daughters of the Greening online school. She is a registered healer and her life and school focus on the healing of the Earth and animal rights. She is currently accepting new students. Email:morgana@daughtersofthegreening.com
Honoring Yourself
by Artemisia
Can you feel the earth stirring in her sleep? Can you hear her creatures waking up? See her plants beginning to move? February is my favorite time of year. Despite the cold, I can see, hear, smell, and feel Spring coming. There is excitement in the air as birds return, as the extended sunlight promises to warm my skin soon.
In February, anything is possible. Winter slumber is losing it's hold, and now is the magical time between dreams and wakefulness. Anything is possible here because nothing is certain in this dreamy state - nothing is set in stone, written down, pre-determined, limited, restricted or ruled out. All we know is that soon we will awaken into the glory of Spring. Something is going to grow and manifest, but what will it be? What do you want it to be? We can bring our dreams into waking reality if we let our hearts and spirits soak them up like sponges, imprinting our desires onto our waking minds, providing a mold for what we want to manifest.
At Imbolc, this power to manifest dreams is celebrated. We can plant our desires like seeds into our consciousness and nurture them with our careful attention as Spring approaches. As we tend to our seeds, we shape their growth and effect what will become reality when the time is ripe. It is so easy this time of year, tired from the holidays, worn out from the long cold winter, to mentally check out and let the dreary days of deep winter pass in a drowsy blur. However, this sleepy time of year can be very powerful if you embrace it. Honor yourself this February by making a commitment to manifesting your dreams.
Here is a suggestion on how to do this. Set aside some time for yourself, all alone. Surround yourself with beautiful, inspiring things like music, pictures, flowers, scarves, jewelry, whatever enhances your creativity. Ahead of time prepare pencils, pens, crayons, old magazines, scissors, dried flowers, fabric scraps, glue and any other crafty items you have around the home. Create a sacred space for yourself with your inspiration and your tools and allow your creativity to flow. Write, cut, draw, color, put together images to express the dreams stirring inside you that are seeking to grow. Ask yourself how can I nurture this growth in the next few days? In the next few months? Write, draw, or create a tangible commitment to yourself on how you are going to nurture the stirring of your spirit. Put it up somewhere you can see it daily as a reminder of your desires and your commitment to yourself to make them a reality.
About the Author: Artemisia is an Ordained Minister and High Priestess of The Order of the White Moon. She teaches the White Moon Tradition and other personal empowerment practices at her Holistic Rites School located near Boston, MA. She has an MS in Natural Health and works to enact positive change and healthy living practices with individuals and communities seeking wellness. Email:artemisia333@gmail.com
Imbolg, also known as Imbolc, Candlemas, or Brighid's Day, is celebrated from sunset on 31st January to sunset on 2nd February, though it is most often celebrated on 2nd February itself. This is the festival of lights, a celebration of the re-awakening of light and life into the world after the long days around the Winter Solstice. It is the sacred festival of Brighid (Bride, Brigit, Brigid), the Celtic Goddess of fire, creativity, healing, smiths and poets. She is also known as St Brighid, one of the best-loved Irish Saints. Imbolg is the time to call the light back into your home by keeping candles lit on your windowsills, or call the sun back to the world by lighting a fire (safely!) in your yard or garden. Imbolg is also a time for purification and cleaning, and preparing for the year ahead -- making plans, planting seeds of goals as well as plants, and looking toward the future with hope. Goddesses associated with Imbolg include maiden goddesses and those connected to fire and fertility -- e.g. Brighid, Gaia, and relevant Gods are thos of love and fertility -- e.g. Eros, Herne. Foods at Imbolg include milk, honey, spicy dishes (including curry), any dairy produce and spices such as cinnamon. Crafts suitable for Imbolg include candle-making, and the crafting of Brighid's Crosses from corn.
Some links about Imbolg:
http://www.thewhitegoddess.co.uk/bos/imbolc.html
http://www.chalicecentre.net/imbolc.htm
http://www.iol.ie/~scphadr/makecross.html
http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usca&c=holidays&id=3824
About The Author: Heathwitch is a Witch, teacher and author. She runs courses and workshops on energy work, healing, Witchcraft and magic. High Priestess of the Circle of the Moon coven, Heathwitch lives in Cheshire, England.
web: http://www.heathwitch.com - Email:heathwitch@heathwitch.com
Honoring the Earth's Six Powers
by Morgana Ravenwings
This ritual involves the six powers of the universe. What are these powers? They are East, South, West, North, Father Sky and Mother Earth. Each person must decide for themselves what these powers mean to them. We do this through meditation on them and communion with them. For me, the six powers are something that I work with on a daily basis. I envision the directions as animals, and that is how they appear to me when I call them. I see East as Eagle, South comes to me as Cougar, West as Whale and North as Wolf. I am trained in Celtic ways, and to me East is the power of Air. Air helps me with my mental faculties. It helps me to think and to write my courses. It helps me in my studies, and has helped me many times to think clearly when all around me is chaos. East is dawn, knowledge, my thought life, and all of the winged ones who bring me such joy each day. South to me is the power of Fire. It is my will power, my spirit, what keeps me alive and gives me passion. Whenever I am feeling passionate about something or some cause, I know that the power of Fire and South is working in my life. South is noon, the sun, my passion and my will power. West to me to the power of Water. It is my emotional and intuitive life. It is my creativity, my psychic powers, my healing abilities. West helps me when I am overwhelmed with emotion---it calms me to think of the power of Water flowing. Because I have eight kids, there is often a lot of chaos in my life and I will listen to water, or sit beside my creek to calm myself, and center. West is my favorite, probably because I am a Pisces. West is sunset, calming, creativity, intuition and mysticism. North to me is Earth. It is groundedness, stability, family, home and finances. North brings me back to earth, allows me to focus and calm. It brings stability to my ever-raging Fire and Water aspects. North to me is midnight. To me, Mother Earth is my mother, plain and simple. I picture her in many forms. Sometimes abstract, sometimes as Isis, other times as Spider Mother or the Greek concept of Gaia. She is everything to me and I call on Her for everything, uttering prayers as I go through my day. Father Sky is the Divine Masculine. He shines down on all, good and bad, weak and strong, right or wrong. He is peace, and love. He is what masculinity is supposed to be, strong, compassionate, truthful, protective, spontaneous, practical and free. He is the Father of us all, and the lover of the Great Goddess, Mother Earth.
To perform this ritual, all that is needed is a bag of cornmeal.
Smudge with sage, take your cornmeal and go outside at sunrise. Stand facing East, holding the bag of cornmeal in your left hand. Reach into the bag with your right hand and take a handful of cornmeal. Hold it up to the East, saying
“I greet thee, Spirit of the East and I thank you for this new day.”
Continue speaking to the Spirit of East, thanking it for the things that you personally associate with this Power. When you are done speaking, bring the handful of cornmeal to your lips, kiss it, and then blow it in the direction of East.
Turn to the South. Take another handful of cornmeal and hold it up to the South Power. Say:
“I greet thee, Spirit of the South, and I thank you for this new day.”
Continue speaking to the Spirit of South, thanking it for the things that you personally associate with this Power. When you are done speaking, bring the handful of cornmeal to your lips, kiss it, and then blow it in the direction of South.
Continue with the directions of West and North. When you have completed these directions, return to facing East. Take a handful of cornmeal and hold it up to the sky, saying
“I greet thee, Father Sky, and I thank thee for this new day.”
Continue speaking to Father Sky, as if to your earthly father, telling him what you are grateful for, and petitioning him on behalf of the Earth. Some things I petition Father Sky for are peace in the world, an end to pollution, etc. Kiss the cornmeal in your hand, and blow it towards the sky.
And finally taking another handful of cornmeal, kneel down and touch it to the Earth, thanking our mother, Mother Earth for this new day, for the life in your body, for the beauty around you and anything else that comes to mind. When you are done speaking to Her, kiss the cornmeal and place it on the Earth.
End the ritual by saying aloud, 'Mitake Oyasin' (pronounced me-tahk-we-ah-sin). This means “We are all related”.
It is done.
About the Author: Morgana is a High Priestess with the Order of the White Moon and founder of Daughters of the Greening online school. She is a registered healer and her life and school focus on the healing of the Earth and animal rights. She is currently accepting new students. Email:morgana@daughtersofthegreening.com
Springtime Ritual
by Morgana Ravenwings
Spring is right around the corner!! Imbolc, a day of welcoming the Maiden has just passed. Soon She will be growing, maturing into what She will one day be..... the Great Mother. But for now, She is sweet and beautiful, carefree, laughing, innocent, and oh, so alive. She is full of potential, in love with life, in love with everything around Her. She begins running free through the fields and the wood, encouraging growth....growth that can not be seen yet, but is happening all around us. Happening in secret, in the womb of Mother Earth.
This ritual will focus on healing what has past, what we can no longer do anything about. It will encompass not only healing, but the discovery of the potential that lies hidden within us all, the potential we were born with, the potential that we are meant to use on our Earthwalk to better our lives and the lives of those around us, whether two-legged, four-legged, green, winged, crawling or swimming. And it will encompass a dedication/rededication, a promise to ourselves to keep our eyes on the path; to seek the pure, the sacred, the Divine within us as the ultimate goal. To burst forth with our potential, just as Spring will soon burst forth before our eyes.
You will need:
A candle in your choice of color (What color symbolizes your inner self to You?)
A fireproof bowl or cauldron to put the candle in
Incense of your choice (In this ritual we will be doing inner work. What incense puts you in a quiet frame of mind?)
Two pieces of paper and a pen
Some beautiful music
A cup of tea, if desired (I always think better over tea....)
Body of the Ritual
If you wish, cast a circle. If not, simply visualize yourself surrounded by white light. Thank the Goddess.
Place the candle in the bowl. Put on the music. Make your tea, thanking the Goddess for her bounty as you do. Light the candle and incense and have a seat in front of the candle with your paper and pen. Light the candle and incense.
Begin with centering. Close your eyes, and focus on your breathing. In and out, in and out. Feel the breath on your nostrils. Feel it entering your body. Rising and falling. Quiet your mind. In and out. In and out. Feel yourself becoming still. Bit by bit, your body begins relaxing....your thoughts slow down.....stillness.....sacred quiet.....
When you feel that sacred stillness welling up within you, open your eyes and pick up a sheet of paper and pen. Think back over the past months, the winter months. If you need to, close your eyes again and quietly reflect. What has been going on in your life? Are there aspects of your life that need healing? Are you secretly harboring anger or resentment towards someone? Perhaps towards yourself? Has someone hurt you in thought word or deed? Have you not been taking care of yourself, thinking that others should be taken care of first because they are more "important"? Do you not like yourself? Are you confused? Is your mind running a mile a minute, making stillness very hard to come by? Have you hurt someone in thought, word, or deed? What in your inner life needs healed? Are you worried about material needs? About members of your family or friends? Whatever pops in your mind, write on the piece of paper. When you are done, take each thing you have written, and expand on it. Write about each thing that has popped in your mind. Why do you think this has happened? How do you feel about it? What can be done about it? Anything? Do you need to let go of something or someone? When you are done writing about each thing, hold the paper up, and put it in the flame of the candle. As you do this say:
I release these burdens. I release this karma. The Divine Fire purifies all.
Watch as the entire paper burns up, knowing that as this happens, these things are being burnt out of your spirit, the karma that these incidents have created is being burnt, removed, turned to ashes. As if it never happened....gone. Remember, everything we do creates karma, and karma returns to us, good or bad, oftentimes unexpectedly and through unexpected sources. When the paper is completely burned, thank the Goddess in what ever manner you are accustomed to.
Now you have been freed up to hear clearly. To hear your inner Self. That still small voice within you. We cannot hear properly when our mind is churning over hurts, over things that need to be done, over the past, over things that we cannot control or change.
Put the second piece of paper in front of you. Close your eyes, return to focusing on your breathing. Quiet your mind. Return to the stillness. Quiet. Silence. Open your eyes, and write on the paper "Why am I here?" Underneath this, write the first thing that pops in your mind. Write again "Why am I here?" Again, write the first thing that pops in your mind. Continue doing this 20 times, over and over. Do not think about how you are answering. Don't censor yourself. Just listen and write. Many different reasons will pop into your mind, and each of these is as valid as the next. Just write. When you are finished, pick up the paper and read your answers. What do these answers tell you about yourself? Do you see a pattern in your answers? A progression? Have your passions come to the forefront in this exercise?
We come into this Earthplane knowing our purpose. We know why we are here. But as we grow, we forget. We get caught up in relationships, careers, school, worries, etc. During all this hustle and bustle, we forget who we are and why we are here. This exercise helps us to begin the remembering process. Our inner Self still knows why we are here, we just need to listen. In this listening comes the remembering.
After contemplating your answers, fold the paper up, go outside, and bury it in the Earth. As you do this, giving of yourself and your innermost thoughts to Mother Earth, promise yourself to continue listening, to continue remembering and to place your spiritual life high on your list of priorities. Rededicate yourself, in the form of promising yourself, to keep your eyes on your Divine quest. Thank the Goddess. It is done.
For information purposes:
Each of these exercises is Hindu in origin and are taken from the Vedas, which are inspirational written works believed to be originally as old as 8,000 years. It is suggested in this tradition that the first exercise be performed each night before bed, wherein the person goes over the events of that day and rids herself of any negative karma that may have come about. It is suggested by various Hindu teachers that the second exercise be done whenever we feel we have lost our way and need to remember.
About the Author: Morgana is a High Priestess with the Order of the White Moon and founder of Daughters of the Greening online school. She is a registered healer and her life and school focus on the healing of the Earth and animal rights. She is currently accepting new students. Email:morgana@daughtersofthegreening.com
My sister-friend, the Virgin Mary, French fries and me.
by Nessa CrescentMoon
Candlemas brings to my mind images of Mary. Perhaps it is because The Purification of the Virgin feast day of the Eastern Catholic Churches happens in February. When my sister-friend speaks of Mary, she weaves a wonderful image of Mary as a Divine Trickster! I love this, it makes great sense to me….she tells me of how She appears on toast, skyscraper windows, French fries, and all over the world in unsuspecting places reminding us that Goddess has never been lost to us and that She is always with us.
I think back to the closing scenes in Mists of Avalon when Morgaine is visiting the convent and is pondering how She, the Goddess has not been done away with but will continue on within us and around us with different images and names.
”The Goddess was real while mankind still paid homage to her, and created her form for themselves.” (p. 808-9 Mists of Avalon by M.Z. Bradley)) This passage speaks to me …..that we create what we need, our vision comes from within. Goddess is everywhere and Mary- yes, she is quite the trickster! Showing her self, focusing our attention
on the spiritual when we get caught up in the everyday.
I am thankful for my sister-friend sharing her wisdom with me, for it renews my peace and compassion and it purifies my spirit this Candlemas. I believe that I shall feast and be nourished with Love of the Goddess; this aspect of Mary I’d not experienced so
consciously before brings me full circle- mindful and reverent of Goddess in all of her aspects ………..even the ones that I do not recognize yet. Blessed Be.
About the Author: Nessa CrescentMoon is a High Priestess, an Ordained Minister and the Founder of The Triple Moon School, a branch and affiliate of the Order of the White Moon. Her website is www.thetriplemoon.com
David Spangler on Death and Dying
by Carole Prisco
David Spangler is the Executive Director of the Lorian Association, a contemporary mystic, teacher of incarnational spirituality, and author of many books including Everyday Miracles, The Call, and Blessing: the Art and the Practice. He was also co-director of the Findhorn Foundation's education program in the early 1970's. I had the priviledge and pleasure of hearing him speak at the Stonehouse Bookstore in Kirkland, WA Feb 9th on the topic of Death and Dying. This is from my notes.
Our present experience of death and our associations with it are unlike the experience and associations of our ancestors, according to David Spangler; the transition for them was plastic, fluid and energetic; the threshold of death was more permeable. Souls passed as though exhaled into the physical and inhaled back into the non-physical.
According to Mr. Spangler, the primary difference between the physical and non-physical realms is one of specificity and particularity. As the physical world developed specific characteristics, it particulated everything into macro particles “ like the chair I'm sitting in, the table that holds my computer, and myself. Consequently, the physical realm developed a quality Mr Spangler descibes as sticky, in which we do not express our coherence skillfully and we cannot move our energy through cleanly.
Spangler likens the cells of our body to dry grains of sand with which we want to build a sand castle. Our consciousness or soul is like the water necessary for the grains to hold together. As he explains: We bring the water into the sand of the particulate realm.
When consciousness enters community, as it necessarily does in a physical incarnation, the challenge is to hold its coherence. At the level of our physical bodies, this coherence expresses as harmonious communication between the cells, as well as the interaction of energy, vital force and the subtle bodies. At the level of relationship, it expresses as engaging, living in harmony with and loving what is different from ourselves while maintaining our sovereignty or coherence. In expressing the factor of coherence within ourselves and our relationships with others, we aid the world soul in achieving its own coherence.
However, things can go wrong and coherency can break down. The transition from the physical into the non-physical takes place when the spirit of coherence is gone.
Death is a particular and specific kind of transition in which a singular state -- the soul -- is disentangled from a hive state -- the body, as well as our social roles and other 'sticky' stuff from the physical realm. According to Mr Spangler: It takes more effort to exit the body at this point in time because of the particularization of the physical realm.
Interestingly, Mr Spangler points out that science has discovered that the body itself does not die all at once. There are some cells that continue living until they can no longer function because the cells they depend on have ceased to function.... what leaves the body does not actually take the life of the body with it.
Upon leaving the physical realm, according to Mr. Spangler, we usually move to a post-mortem realm; this is a specifically dedicated realm of consciousness, the purpose of which is to help us further detach from the physical, and to complete and integrate that which is incomplete and unresolved.
We live in a world imbued with spirit where the physical and non-physical realms are nested one within the other. We access the non-physical realms through imagination and dreams. Mr. Spangler asserts that part of us knows exactly what happens when we die.
He says that spirit moving in and out through the various physical and non-physical realms is fundamentally a movement of connection and that more than myth or belief, this is truly an energetic phenomenon.
And yet the fear of death persists: "This fear has lodged in us as a result of equating death with a way of disposing of something we don't like or won't tolerate. Rather than meeting the challenge of embracing otherness, we want to kill it. Death becomes loss, separation, banishment.And thus begins the karma of death.
Mr Spangler believes that one of our greatest challenges is to learn to approach the threshold of death with connection, consciousness and love -- much the way death was regarded by our ancestors. To see death as a natural part of the fluid flow of life, as a medium of conversation between the physical and the non-physical, like a pause between two statements, and not an end to conversation.
About the Author: Carole is a student at Daughters of the Greening online school. She lives in Washington state with her husband and two children.
The March wind blows hard and cold
The sharp frozen winds of change
Blowing in and freezing my bones
Restlessness builds with the anticipation
With the promise of this last wintry blast
The promise that Spring is near
And life will emerge again
About The Author: Diana is an Ordained Minister, High Priestess, and Founder of Moonlit River a sister branch and affiliate of the Order of The White Moon. She is a Reiki Master, healer, astrologer, and hypnotherapist and offers healings, attunements, and consultations. She is currently taking students. Email: school@moonlitriver.com Website: www.moonlitriver.com
OCEAN DREAMING
by Beth Johnson
May love wash over you
Like an evening wave from the ocean;
Cleansing away all your sorrows and fears
And may the Great Mother fill your life
With Her guidance and wisdom.
Now is a new time, a new year;
But the sea has always been with us
Like Mother Earth, it is ancient and beautiful.
Cry your salty tears if you must;
Cry out the pain so there will be room at last
For the joy that will come.
Walk upon the sandy beaches,
Your feet will take you to your special place.
Rest there in the moonlight;
as the Faeries come down upon the moonbeams.
After you rest, swim skyclad, with the mermaids
And the dolphins keeping you company.
The ocean will wash away your tears,
And you will be reborn;
For the sea is the womb of the Mother.
Float upon the waters,
Giving yourself entirely over to trust;
And She will bring you home.
Listen! The mermaids sing lullabies to you,
And the faeries have brought you food
And drink. Watch the faeries dance, and dream…
Dream of the life you long to have;
Then let your requests
Fly home to the Mother.
When you awake, the faeries have your
Crown of flowers waiting; and Pan
Is playing his pipes for the dance.
© Copyright 12/31/05
Beth Johnson/Mystic Amazon
About the Author: Born August 10, 1944, Mystic is the oldest of four children. Her father was a minister (from a long line of Methodist ministers) and her mother taught piano and French. Mystic was born while her father was a chaplain in the Navy, serving on a ship with General MacArthur in the Philippines. His father had been a chaplain in the Army in WWI. Mystic was married for 25 years to a marine and has two children, Kristin and Erik, both married but no grandchildren yet. She is divorced and lives in Saltillo, Mississippi. She is a folk artist and sometimes teach that and fabric painting with dyes. She also teaches Reiki and sometimes basic Tarot. She loves to read, dance barefooted, write poems and spells, do candle magick and make candles.
Psychic Shield, by Caitlin Matthews
by Carole Prisco
Our universe is made up of a great web of life that has two sides to it. One side is what we call the physical world (the world of our five senses), but there is another side to the web of life: the Otherworld that we cannot perceive with our senses, and is counterpart to the physical realm. Life exists on both sides of the worlds as the universal energy connecting all beings, whether they are physical or otherworldly. Both sides create a single reality that is affected by and affects all of us. All deeds, thoughts and intentions have effects upon both physical and metaphysical sides of reality. By disregarding these (or simply being ignorant of them) we cause, and suffer from psychic disturbance. So writes author Caitlin Matthews in the first chapter of her book, Psychic Shield.
Psychic disruption is described by Matthews as a disturbance of the soul which can manifest as soul-loss, the sense that some essential part of our self is missing, or as soul-invasion, the sense that something alien and unwelcome has become attached to us. When we allow ourselves to be unconscious, or careless with our energy we open ourselves to psychic disturbance.
Matthews book is really about an ecology of mind. We must ask ourselves: how are we impacting the sacred fabric of life through our consciousness? Because while our thoughts and intentions themselves may be private, the psychic field they generate is not.
The purpose of Psychic Shield is to teach the reader the ground rules for dealing with psychic disruption and for maintaining good spiritual health.
Through various self-tests, meditations, rituals and daily practice, Matthews encourages the reader to develop good habits of spiritual housekeeping. She teaches how to detect energy loss as well as how to deal with instances where we may have unwittingly caused a drain of others energies. She also reminds the reader of the incredible resources available to us when dealing with psychic disturbance in the form of spiritual allies. In fact, we provide a point-of-entry through which spiritual energies can flow, and our awareness of both worlds allows us to effectively monitor and manage the flow between the realms.
In the end, Matthews reminds the reader of the valuable lesson that our temporary discomfort can bring: psychic disturbance often comes as a wake-up call to live in tune with yourself and not be tuned to the frequency of another. She quotes the Buddhist teacher Milarepa who said "My religion is to live and die without regrets." Matthews urges the reader to use their unique connection to the universe, and their soul's wisdom to find a blessed balance that leaves no hint of psychic disturbance in the memory of any lives lived or yet to come.
About the Author: Carole is a student at Daughters of the Greening online school. She lives in Washington state with her husband and two children.
Garden Stuffed Potatoes
4 russett potatoes
2 tbsp butter/margerine
1 small onion, chopped
1 10 oz pkg frozen, chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
1/2 cup ranch salad dressing
1 tbsp oil
Preheat oven to 425.
Pierce and microwave potatoes on high for 12 minutes, then bake for
15 minutes.
Slice off potato tops.
Scoop out pulp, leaving skin intact.
Put pulp in a medium bowl and mash.
Heat a small skillet, add butter and saute onion until tender (about
5 minutes).
Add onion, broccoli and salad dressing to potato pulp.
Mix well.
Brush outside of skins with oil.
Spoon potato mixture into shells.
Bake until heated through, about 15 minutes.
From Morgana's cookbook....
About the Author: Morgana is a High Priestess with the Order of the White Moon and founder of Daughters of the Greening online school. She is a registered healer and her life and school focus on the healing of the Earth and animal rights. She is currently accepting new students. Email:morgana@daughtersofthegreening.com
(These are REALLY good, if you have a sweet tooth!!)
1 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup peanuts
2 cups chow mein noodles
Place butterscotch chips and peanut butter in a microwavable bowl.
Cover and microwave on medium for 2 1/2 to 4 minutes,until most of the
chips are shiny and soft.
Blend well.
Stir in peanuts and chow mein noodles.
Drop by forkfuls onto waxed paper.
Cool until set.
From Morgana's cookbook....
About the Author: Morgana is a High Priestess with the Order of the White Moon and founder of Daughters of the Greening online school. She is a registered healer and her life and school focus on the healing of the Earth and animal rights. She is currently accepting new students. Email:morgana@daughtersofthegreening.com
(These were brought from France to Scotland by Mary, Queen of Scots.)
1 cup soft butter
1 cup sifted confectioners sugar
1 tsp rose or wintergreen flavoring
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
Mix butter, sugar and flavoring. Measure flour by dip-level-pour
method. (or by sifting) Blend flour and salt, stir in. Mix with
hands. Mold into a roll about 2" across. Wrap in waxed paper and
chill several hours or overnight. Heat oven to 400. Cut 1/8"
slices. Place alittle apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to
10 minutes. Makes about 6 dozen.
From Morgana's cookbook....
About the Author: Morgana is a High Priestess with the Order of the White Moon and founder of Daughters of the Greening online school. She is a registered healer and her life and school focus on the healing of the Earth and animal rights. She is currently accepting new students. Email:morgana@daughtersofthegreening.com
Healthy Winter Recipes
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, there are five seasons and each one is represented by an element. Winter is represented by the element Water, such as the warm teas and soups we like so much this time of year. Here are my February Favorites!
Vitality Veggie Soup
by Artemisia
This soup provides potassium, vitamin C, A, and E, as well as selenium, zinc, folic acid, magnesium, calcium, and iron.
3-4 cups cubed winter squash such as acorn, butternut or delicate
1 cubed sweet potato/yam
2 diced carrots
2 diced celery stalks and tops
1 diced beet
1 bunch diced parsley, carrot tops or fresh cilantro
1 bunch diced greens such as spinach, kale or swiss chard
1 diced onion
2-3 crushed cloves of garlic
1-2 tsp of any pungent spice in your cabinet, to taste
(such as oregano, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, sage, lavender, cinnamon, etc)
1 tbsp olive oil
8 cups of water
sprinkle of sea salt
I warm up 1 tbsp olive oil on the bottom of my soup pot. I add onions and saute on med-low until translucent. Add the sprinkle of sea salt to bring out the sweetness in the onions. Then add garlic and spices. Saute and stir for a few more minutes until a pungent smell fills your kitchen. Add carrots and celery, give them a good quick stir. Add 4 cups of water, and immediately turn up heat to high. This makes a good base for veggie soup. I use this no matter what soup I'm making! While the soup is heating up, add squash and sweet potatos. Bring to a boil, add 4 more cups of water and all the greens. Turn down to low and simmer for 20 minutes or until squash and potatos are soft.
To make a complete meal out of this soup add ½ cup brown rice or pearled barley when you add the first 4 cups of water. Then add 1 can of chickpeas with the green.
About the Author: Artemisia is an Ordained Minister and High Priestess of The Order of the White Moon. She teaches the White Moon Tradition and other personal empowerment practices at her Holistic Rites School located near Boston, MA. She has an MS in Natural Health and works to enact positive change and healthy living practices with individuals and communities seeking wellness. Email:artemisia333@gmail.com
Stress Reduction & Immune Boosting Infusion
by Artemisia
Lemon and rosemary provide Vitamin C and antioxidants. Lavender sooths raw nerves, and lemon balm soothes upset stomach, promotes digestion, and has an anti-depressant effect. Rosemary also alleviates headaches.
1-2 cups of water
1 tsp dried lemon balm
½ tsp dried rosemary
½ tsp dried lavender
1 lemon wedge (organic if possible)
honey to taste (local honey instead of store bought if possible)
Bring water to a boil. Mix the dried herbs together in a mason jar or large mug that you can cover or French press. Pour boiling water over the top and cover. Let brew for 15 minutes. In the meantime, put wedge of lemon drizzled with honey in your mug. Strain infusion and pour over lemon. Mash the lemon up with your spoon a little bit, and then drink. Add more honey to taste.
About the Author: Artemisia is an Ordained Minister and High Priestess of The Order of the White Moon. She teaches the White Moon Tradition and other personal empowerment practices at her Holistic Rites School located near Boston, MA. She has an MS in Natural Health and works to enact positive change and healthy living practices with individuals and communities seeking wellness. Email:artemisia333@gmail.com
Weaving the Web
by
Nessa CrescentMoon
Looking, seeking and searching to find the things we…well….just did not know existed online!
* I found this gem! http://www.selfhealingexpressions.com/goddess_meditation.html
The most phenomenally uplifting Goddess Meditation by Laurie Sue Brockway.
*Beautiful Goddess art at http://www.newmoonvisions.com/ features the artwork of Mara Berendt Friedman
* At http://www.motherearthoils.com/HolyClothingGoddessShawls.htm I found clothing I wish to be in my future wardrobe! Checkout the harem skirt!
About the Author: Nessa CrescentMoon is a High Priestess, an Ordained Minister and the Founder of The Triple Moon School, a branch and affiliate of the Order of the White Moon. Her website is www.thetriplemoon.com
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