December 30th, 2011

Good morning world! I realize I haven't posted since Yule, but, as I said in my previous post, that was entirely due to my family and I going out-of-state to visit our relatives. I got to see both sets of Grandparents, as well as my amazing Aunt C and her girlfriend, and one of my Uncles. We all opened gifts, and I got some really cool stuff from Japan. My grandpa also took us on two hikes on local trails. We didn't see a whole ton the first time around, but there was a huge flock of geese on the lake, and it was fun to watch them traverse the ice. Wednesday's hike, we were in the woods instead of out in the open, and explored a frozen stream. Nick decided to get closer to the water, and so made to jump out onto a rock a few feet out. He landed on it all right - for a moment. A second later he fell in the water, nearly soaking his feet. Luckily his boots are waterproof. Note to self: When jumping on rocks, it is a poor idea to land on one that is completely covered in ice. After his incident, we saw a small herd of deer. There were five that we saw (although there's supposed to be 20 more), just standing off in the woods. We were able to get pretty close to them, relatively speaking, as no hunting is permitted in that area, so they don't have a fear of people. They were so peaceful, and I immediately felt the Lord and Lady present in them. It was fantastic. Today, it is rainy and cold. I will likely stay in, and catch up on all the things I missed while we were gone.

Yule

A very merry Yule, everybody! Yesterday was technically Yule, but I'm celebrating today because I'm way less busy. I also had early X-mas with my family today, because we're going out of town to visit relatives tomorrow. Therefore, this will likely be my last post before the New Year. Among other things, I got a new Amaryllis flower from Ben, and some Harry Potter merchandise, books, and other art supply-type stuff. I'll be doing my Yule ritual after lunch, and making chocolate covered pretzels, plus all the packing I have to do for our trip. Whew, better get started!

Blessed Yule, and happy New Year!

Countdown to Yule: 2 Days

Today's Yule Carol is Winter Solstice Song, by Lisa Thiel.

December 20th, 2011

So much excitement! :D Today I got to see my best Pagan buddies Hazelnut and Raincloud, and we had a little Yule get-together. First, we exchanged gifts. Here's all the presents...


Hazelnut and Raincloud...


Raincloud and her gift from me (a CD of tons of Pagan music):


Hazelnut and the winter gloves and hat from me (I also gave her a CD):


Hazelnut gave Raincloud a fairy door necklace, as her parents aren't cool with the whole Pagan thing, so she can wear it and be subtle.


And since my parents don't care all that much, she gave me two pentacle necklaces.


After presents, we had some cookies, crackers, dip, and hot cocoa for a snack.


HOT COCOA!


Then we listened to the aforementioned music and danced, sang some Yule carols, and generally chilled the rest of the afternoon. Now they're gone, and I miss them already.

Countdown to Yule: 3 Days

So, given that we were at church and the zoo all of yesterday, I couldn't post my "Day 4" song, but here it is anyway: Wiccan Wonderland.



And this is today's song: Moon of Silver

December 19th, 2011

So, after going to my mom's church yesterday as per the usual, we stuck around for the church's gingerbread house decorating, and watched The Polar Express. Then mom and dad took the boys and I to Brookfield Zoo as a surprise, to see all their holiday lights. They were really quite impressive, and we got to see some of the animals too. I'll be posting pictures of course, but mom has to upload them first. Anyway, today then I went to school to help build set for our spring musical, and went Christmas/Yule shopping with mom. I got some gifts for the boys - animal figurines for Nick and a toy car for Ben - and another little thing for Hazelnut. ^_^ Tomorrow she and Raincloud are coming over and I'm really excited!

Sabbat Haikus

A collection of Sabbat haikus I wrote in 8th grade.

~~~~~~~~~~

Sun at its highest
This day is the longest yet
The feast of the Fey

Glorious harvest
Now winter food shall be reaped
The crops are ready

Night and day are one
Second harvest is prepared
Earth begins to sleep

Now the veil is thin
We honor those who have passed
It's the spirit-night

Our Lady does sleep
The Winter King awakens
Yule Log burns in hearth

Festival of Lights
From slumber the Maiden stirs
Life begins anew

The Sun God lays down
Inviting in the Goddess
Maiden turns Mother

Fires of Bel burn bright
God and Goddess share their love
The whole world blossoms

Countdown to Yule: 5 Days

In the last not-quite-week before Yule, I'd like to share some more Yule carols to set the moon for the season. This is a new one I found recently - The 13 Days of Solstice.

December 17th, 2011

Today, I want to summarize all the little things I've been meaning to post all week, but haven't gotten around to. I finished my painting of the moon, inspired by a beautiful sunset the night before Esbat:


I made some of my teachers Yule/Christmas/Hanukkah/whatever clipboards:





I finished my Yule gifts for Hazelnut and Raincloud:


And finally, I woke up this morning to see this outside: SNOW!


In other news this week, my English class adopted a family from the Giving Tree: a single mom with six kids. We were able to raise over $1000 in cash alone, and got them everything on their wishlist: clothes, bikes, food, toys, electronics; it was really amazing what people donated. Later this afternoon, my mom and I are going with our Community Choir to carol for the people in a nearby nursing home, and might bake some cookies or fudge when we get back! :)

Goddess Statue

This was the front and back of an EPIC statue that Hazelnut found on Ebay. It was only $11, and I really wanted to get it, but unfortunately, I thought it would be a bit awkward if random boxes from Ebay showed up on my doorstep, so I had to pass it up. Still, one day I'd love to find such a statue, and purchase it.

December 16th, 2011

Today was the last day of school before the beginning of winter break - HUZZAH! I got to school this morning, only to be surprised with gifts from several friends, and to give a few of my own. :) Tonight, I am going to finish getting my Yule gifts wrapped for Hazelnut and Raincloud, and I think I'll just finish the evening with some music. For now, I'll leave you with a Yule poem...

Yuletide Cheer

The chill breath of winter touches us,
As blankets of snow cover the ground.
With the glow of moonlight upon them,
Its like diamond sparkles all around.

Inside the room is cozy and warm,
The scent of evergreen wafts from the fire.
Surrounded with love and family,
I've got all that I could desire.

Sleigh bells jingle from the front porch,
As my coveners decorate outside.
They've no need of blankets,
They have the warmth of love inside.

In my home we all gather round,
And with Pagan carols our voices ring.
Then we settle down to enjoy the tale,
Of the Oaken Lord and the Holly King.

For our holiday is quite different,
Than the cowan Christmas night.
We cast our Circle, join together,
And welcome the return of Light.

Then we sit and share the feast,
As we pass bread and wine around.
As blessings from mingled voices...
"Never hunger," "Never thirst" abound.

All too soon the rite is ended,
And we greet the newborn day.
As we clasp hands together,
This wish we send your way....

It's no matter your tradition,
Be you family, friend, or guest.
We wish you joy and peace,
And may your Yule be Blessed!!!

For this and more Yule poetry, visit: http://www.angelfire.com/moon/yule/

Coexist

Happy holidays, one and all!

December 13th, 2011

It occurred to me this morning that after 3 months of having this blog, I have never once mentioned how I first found the Craft. So, without further ado... I take you back about 3 years ago, to 2008:

I was in the back seat of the car, next to my brothers, reading a book on the supernatural. Fairies, dragons, ghosts, witches. The book said real witches followed Wicca. I asked my mom what that was, and she said to ask my Aunt C, as that is what she practiced herself. I was too shy to ask her anything though, so instead I did a Google search. What came up were websites talking about the Lord and Lady, karma, reincarnation, and more. Words of love and peace filled the screen, and I smiled to myself. It seemed like such a peaceful thing. But I let it go at the time. Then, it was just words. I was Christian, and though Wicca was interesting, I wasn't about to change my religion. Not yet. But somewhere it stuck with me in the back of my mind, just waiting. Waiting for something to change.

A jump to 2009:

Religion had become more difficult for me in this one short year. Questions started building, about God, and why the Bible said terrible things would happen to those who didn't follow it exactly. It made no sense to me for a supposedly loving God to send wonderful people to hell just because they believed in a different deity. In the final days of summer, my mom took my siblings and I to the library. The library had been consolidated to a warehouse, as the main building was being rebuilt and renovated. The warehouse was small, and the bookshelves were tall, with narrow paths between them. The windows along one wall, however, were huge, and beams of light made the shelves glow. Dust floated in the air, and the whole place seemed to hold its breath as quiet libraries often do. A feeling of mystery hung around, and though I could not have put my finger on it at the time, the Goddess was there, guiding me. I walked to a new part of the library, next to the fantasy section. I lived in the fantasy realms of books, and yet something pulled me out of my usual haunt. A book on the shelf caught my eye: Teen Witch, by Silver Ravenwolf. I assumed that it was simply more fantasy, so I stuck it in my bag and continued. When I got home and took it out, I realized it wasn't a fictional novel at all, but a book about Wicca, that mystical thing that I had found the year before. I read the book, cover to cover, and knew I had found something stupendous, something that would change my life forever. I set up a tiny altar in the corner of my room, and sitting there, felt as though I had come home at last.

December 11th, 2011

To the left is a picture of the Goddess at Yule, compliments of the omnipresent Google. I felt like I had a little too much black and white on my blog, so here's some color to liven things up. Anyway, today I have been working on a painting which I may end up giving as a Yule gift; it's going to depend on how it turns out. Pictures will, of course, be posted at its completion. Other than that, today has kind of been a lazy day. My brothers and I have been watching the squirrels, which are very efficiently hiding all the food in the yard, and I hung up those ornaments I made. I think I'm also going to play some Yule carols - at this year, there's nothing like music! :)

Yule Altar

I also have a video made of my Yule altar, after I added some things, plus my Yule tree:

Yule Ornaments

As promised, here is the instructional video I made for my healing Yule ornaments:

"Pagan"

So, Hazelnut sent me this picture earlier, and I thought it was just about the coolest thing ever. I may copy it and put it in my BOS.

December 10th, 2011

Today is Esbat, and I popped out-of-doors a while ago to get a picture of the moon. It's hard of course to take good pictures at night, but eventually I got one that seemed decent:


It's just so pretty... I also made those Yule ornaments I mentioned a while back, and made a video on their construction. The link to said video will be added once it becomes available. I'm going to empower the little guys during my ritual tonight, and then hang them up. :)

December 7th, 2011

It is definitely December. We've had some snow, but so far it has all melted. Nevertheless, there is a sharp crispness to the frigid air that only comes at this time of year. Right now, I'm sitting at my desk enjoying a slice of German chocolate cake and am snuggled under a fluffy blanket. I'm also working on Yule gifts for friends, but they read my blog, so I can't share their nature until after we exchange gifts. I had a rather magickal moment before school today. A Pagan friend of mine, Raincloud, and I had had something of an emotionally charged conversation about past difficulties with those people who act as though their only purpose is to make life difficult, when I hummed a few bars of "We All Come From the Goddess", and we broke out simultaneously into song in the middle of the school cafeteria at 6:45 in the morning. Time literally felt like it froze for a moment; it was odd. Beautiful, but odd. Everything going on around us just seemed to fade. And then someone interrupted us, and the moment fell apart. I think we both felt better though; I know I did. In that moment, I could really feel the Goddess standing by me. There is no other word to describe it. It was...magick.

The Holly King

The Holly King is a classic Yule icon, adopted into modern culture in a figure everyone - Pagan or not - knows: Santa Clause. Yes, the Holly King was the original Santa, before St. Nicholas and all those other folk he has morphed into over the centuries. The 8 reindeer are representations of the 8 major Sabbats, and his classic depiction of a jolly man with a long beard has outlasted the centuries. In Pagan lore, the Oak and Holly Kings are two archetypes of the God: light and dark. At both solstices, the two do battle. The Oak King (light) wins over the Holly King at Yule, and the light begins once again to grow. At Litha, it is the Holly King who triumphs, and the world once again grows dark.

December 6th, 2011

Well, I meant to post about this on Saturday, but we ended up being really busy, so instead I'm posting today. Huzzah! Last Saturday, we got the house all decked out for Yule/Christmas (Yule in my room, X-mas everywhere else) with trees, snowmen, Santas, and all the other crazy things stuffed into the 13 big tote boxes we dredged from the garage. We also bought our live tree for the living room and decorated it, as per tradition. It is likely I will have pics of that later, but for today, I have some shots of an artificial Yule tree in my room. It doesn't look openly Yule-ish, but it has a Goddess figure on top in place of a star, and mixed in with all my super-shiny, crazy-colored ornaments are 7 little fairy ornaments from Hallmark that I've been collecting.

This, obviously, is the tree.

And this is a close-up of the wee Poinsettia fairy. I have a special ornament idea to share as well, but you'll just have to wait for Esbat for that! ;)

Happy Holidays...

I love this picture. I may use it on my Yule cards...

November 28th, 2011

Good evening, ladies and gents! I have a few random things to share with you all today, not the least of which being a most intriguing new book I'm reading for English class. It's a fantasy novel called A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, and is about the four classes of humanoid creatures: humans, vampires, daemons, and witches. The reason I bring this up here is that the witches are Pagan, and I've so far been enjoying all the little references to our culture. I haven't finished it yet (I'm about half through), but so far it's been a great book, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy.
Also, I happen to knit small bunnies, stuff them with lavender, and sell them. Over Thanksgiving, my Grandma Fran suggested using cornstarch instead of actual lavender, and infusing said cornstarch with essential oils. This gave me the idea for making talismans to be carried in the purse, put under the pillow, in the car, etc. by putting some of said oil and flour in a pouch of cheesecloth or other fabric. It could also include other spices, beads, written incantations, and the like, but personally, I like the idea of just keeping it simple with the pouch and flour, and empowering it in a simple ritual.
Finally, I spent some time today making a simple video of "Glory to the Newborn Sun", one of my favorite Yule carols. Here it is:

Other songs on my Yule carol playlist include Have a Holly Jolly Yuletide, Silver Bells, Solstice Night, The Holly and the Ivy, Moon of Silver, Winter Solstice Song, Wiccan Wonderland, We Wish You a Merry Yuletide, Greensleeves, Joy to the World, and Have Yourself a Merry Little Yuletide.

November 27th, 2011

After a hiatus of something like two weeks, I'm proud to announce that I'm back! :) Now that Thanksgiving is over, I can get really into the Yule spirit, and today I put up my personal Yule tree. Every year, my parents get a real Christmas tree for the living room that we all decorate, but every room in the house gets its own artificial tree, so I've co-opted mine for Yule purposes. It's not decorated yet, because Mom didn't want to get all the decorations out, but it's up. I've also been listening to Yule carols on Youtube. My personal favorite is Solstice Night, a Pagan take on Silent Night. Here are the lyrics, for those who are interested.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Silent night, Solstice Night
All is calm, all is bright
Nature slumbers in forest and glen
Till in Springtime She wakens again
Sleeping spirits grow strong!
Sleeping spirits grow strong!

Silent night, Solstice night
Silver moon shining bright
Snowfall blankets the slumbering Earth
Yule fires welcome the Sun's rebirth
Hark, the Light is reborn!
Hark, the Light is reborn

Silent night, Solstice night
Quiet rest till the Light
Turning ever the rolling Wheel
Brings the Winter to comfort and heal
Rest your spirit in peace!
Rest your spirit in peace!

~~~~~~~~~~

Throat Chakra

Since I was talking about it, here is one of the throat chakra's common symbols.

November 12th, 2011

I celebrated Esbat yesterday, and it was lovely. We were out of juice, so I used water instead for libation, but I had a lovely cake I made with Hazelnut a few months ago (surprisingly, it wasn't stale at all): basically a sugar cookie topped with cinnamon, nutmeg, and colored sugar. I was able to get a lot of stress off my back, and got rid of a bunch of negative energy in my throat chakra. It was actually really cool, because I could immediately feel a difference in my ability to swallow. To clear a chakra of negativity, simply open that chakra and use your hands to "pull out" the negativity, by visualizing the bad energy as some kind of black stuff (personally, I envision it as black tentacle things). You'll be able to tell when you've gotten it all out. Afterwards, imagine a vaccum-like vortex opening and sucking all the negativity into the earth to be recycled into positive energy. Finally, close the chakra.

November 11th, 2011

A few things of interest happened the last few days. Do you remember that random post I had about music a while ago? Well, as it would turn out, Mr. H, my chamber choir teacher, has some friends at a university with a wonderful music program, and they came to sing with and for us on Wednesday. They had one song that I loved, where they spread out around the auditorium and did this piece in Latin. It was even more interesting to me, because the same tingly feeling I get when moving and raising energy came over me, and it occurred to me how music, sang right, really is little more than moving energy, raising and lowering it. Quite literally, singing, or even speaking, is vibrating the vocal cords to send out energy: sound waves. The more this is done, varying the notes and the intensity with which they are sung, can amass a huge amount of energy, which in situations like a concert can be further amplified by the excitement of the audience. 'Twas just...interesting. The Esbat was last night, but I'm going to do my ritual today, because I won't have play practice in the evening. Last night, however, I did take a cleansing shower and meditated a bit before going to bed.

Yule Altar

Perhaps it's a bit early yet, but I wanted to get out my Yule things, and I had some open time this afternoon. Here then, is how it looks at the present time. I will, of course be making a Youtube video, as well.

November 6th, 2011

While my mom and dad don't really mind my religious choice, they still expect me to go with them to church and to participate and whatnot. As such, I have been helping with the preschoolers' Sunday School. Today, the craft we did was so Pagan I couldn't help but smile to myself. The kids made shakers out of two paper bowls filled with grains (corn, rice, and barley) and then decorated the outside with a printed-and-cut-out picture of a woman holding grains. She was supposed to be Ruth or something from the Bible, but all I could think was the Goddess at Lammas. Obviously, it's a little late in the season for harvest activities, but come next Mabon or Lammas, this could be a really cute craft for Pagan kids. They sound a lot like rainsticks when shaken, so one could even devise a small, kid-friendly ritual where you make these shakers and shake them to "rain" abundance (symbolized by the grain) on the household. It also gives the little ones fun instruments to use in ritual that won't break the bank to replace if something were to happen to them.

In other news, I want to decorate my altar for Yule today, after I finish this post and get off the computer. Pictures, anyone?

Samhain Pictures

Do you recall that post a while back about Meringue Bones? Well, here they are, surrounding a jello brain (mom got the jello mould for just a few dollars on Amazon!).


Me in my Samhain costume.


Cupcakes topped with chocolate frosting, some cupcake "dirt", and cookie gravestones. The RIP is piping gel.


Frankenstein cupcakes, here topped with chocolate frosting and marshmallows dipped in green melting candy and decorated with more black piping gel. The little green arms or bolts or whatever they're supposed to be are green tic-tacs.


Me and the "Trick or Treat" pumpkin I carved.

Feel free to use any of these ideas for future Samhain celebrations. If you like, comment and share what you did! :)

November 1st, 2011

What a crazy couple of days! Aunt C came over Saturday afternoon and left this morning, so I haven't really had an open moment to do a ritual, but have been doing Samhain activities nonetheless. Saturday night, I had my Halloween/Samhain party, which was a huge success. Sunday, we carved pumpkins and had "trunk-or-treating" at my mom's church, and I had school and play practice on Samhain, hence the difficulty in doing a ritual, not even taking into account my two hours of homework after practice. :P Today, thankfully, was less insane. I spent my whole choir class grinning, as some wonderful person had written "Happy Samhain" on the board, and I was able to read a bit more of the Amulets and Charms book I checked out from the library. Not a masterpiece of work by any means, but still containing a few intriguing gems of information.

October 28th, 2011

I'm so excited! Today is going to be amazing. At 7:00 tonight, I'm having a Halloween/Samhain party with a bunch of friends, and my amazing Aunt C is coming to visit after lunch. My mom and I started getting food for the party ready yesterday (along with Wednesday's Meringue Bones), and so far we have two types of cupcakes, a brain-shaped jello, and the aforementioned bones, not to mention the rest of the stuff we're going to make today. I shall be posting the recipes for these things later, along with pictures of the finished products. :)

Tarot Cards: The Major Arcana, 18 - 21

Today's tarot post will encompass yesterday's as well, as I was unable to access the computer.

18 - The Moon: fear, anxiety, believing illusion, chasing fantasy, dreams, visions, destination, the doorway to hidden unknowns


19 - The Sun: enlightenment, understanding, glory, achieving prominence, joy, energy, invigoration, good health


20 - Judgement: release, renewal, a new start, the necessity of hard choices, reawakening, birth and death, knowing what must be done


21 - The World: satisfaction, peace of mind, successful conclusion, balance, realized goals, prosperity, hard work achieves desired end, culmination of effort

October 27th, 2011

First, a bit about yesterday, as I did not have a chance to go on the computer. If you are an avid reader of this blog, then perhaps you remember my post a few weeks ago about using pendulums. I used mine again last night to great effect when Ben tragically lost his bouncy ball. As he searched the living room and convinced himself he'd never see his ball again, I quietly pulled out my pendulum and found the missing toy under the coffee table in under a minute. No matter how many times I use these things, their powers never cease to amaze me. I also made Meringue Bones last night, a delicious Samhain treat that can be made out of nothing but 5 ingredients. The recipe I used is available here: http://recipes.kaboose.com/meringue-bones.html . Today, I had a choir concert, and it was truly glorious. There's something magical about music. It is literally as powerful a force as that by which the Lord and Lady brought the universe into existence; the creation of something out of nothing, of rippling sound waves where before there was only still air. Indeed, the very act of speaking, humming, whistling, or singing is an act of divine creation. Just a little something to think about...

Tarot Cards: The Major Arcana, 16 and 17

16 - The Tower: catastrophe, sudden change, crisis, releasing all emotion, blow to the ego, revelation, seeing through illusions, necessary disruption to the status quo


17 - The Star: regaining hope, faith in the future, inspiration, serenity, tranquility amid trouble, harmony, offering without reservations, sharing, generosity, peace, releasing doubt and fear

October 25th, 2011

Today, I had a history test I wasn't feeling all that prepared for. I had studied, but the information wasn't really sticking, so after eating a good breakfast and going through my notes again, I took a rosemary sprig and empowered it for retaining information, as one of rosemary's traditional uses is in tandem with memory, education, etc.. I took it to school with me, and set it on my desk during the test. I feel I did pretty well, actually. I'm leaving it in my pencil case, to help empower my school supplies. Such things can be done with any herb. For example, if one wanted to sleep better, one could take a sprig of lavender and empower it for deep, healthy rest and keep it near the bed, or even under one's pillow. You could also drink a tea of that plant (assuming it's not poisonous), or take several sprigs and infuse your bathwater with their oils. Essential oils infused with herbs are also great if you have them. A drop or two rubbed on the pulse point of the wrists and rubbed can be very powerful. If you have a particular way you use an herb, comment and let me know! I'd love to hear it!

Tarot Cards: The Major Arcana, 14 and 15

14 - Temperance: Harmony, equilibrium, balancing of opposites, healing, moderation of extremes, self-restraint, harnessing opposing forces, synthesis


15 - The Devil*: losing independence, addiction, enslavement, materialism, overindulgence, hopelessness


*This card has little to do with the Christian Devil, and more to do with negative energy, regardless of one's religious preference.

Tarot Cards: The Major Arcana, 12 and 13

12 - The Hanged Man: letting go, surrendering to experience, emotional release, accepting what is, giving up control, suspending action, sacrifice


13 - Death: Opening a new door, shutting out the past, transition, changing status, shedding the old

October 23rd, 2011

I spent some time with Hazelnut again today. It felt like it had been forever, even though it had really only been, what, a week? Together, we painted watercolor pictures. I did one of the Goddess (it wasn't perfect, but hey, it's hard to paint with watercolors), and she did a lovely one of autumn trees. We also used some clay to sculpt skull candle holders for our Samhain altars. They're only big enough to hold birthday candles, but I think we're out of taper candles anyway, other than the ones I'm already using. Mine just got out of the oven, in fact, and the cooking process gave the white clay something of a marbled effect. I actually really like it, so I plan to leave it as-is, as opposed to painting it. I also took Hazelnut to the field outside a near-by middle school with my brothers and flew kites. The wind wasn't too strong, but there was a pretty steady breeze, so we had a good bit of fun playing with one of the less tangible elements.

Tarot Cards: The Major Arcana, 10 and 11

10 - The Wheel of Fortune: destiny, fate, turning point, movement, change, patterns and cycles, interconnection, step back to see the bigger picture

11 - Justice: balance, harmony, equilibrium, assuming responsibility, weighing all sides of an issue before deciding, logic, choosing with awareness, morality, duty, truth

October 22th, 2011

As I mentioned yesterday, Mom got a CD of Halloween music, one song of which was about Samhain. It talked of Soul Cakes, an old Pagan snack made and offered on Samhain Eve. Curious, I did a bit of research and found a website (URL at the bottom of the post) that tells both the history of and a recipe for Soul Cakes.

~~~~~~~~~~

By the 8th century, Soul Cakes were sunny yellow cakes rather like a cross between donuts and cookies. Some were simply plain, others marked with symbols (pentagrams, runes, crosses, and the like). On the night of Samhain, they were given to beggars and mummers, the first trick-or-treaters. Others were offered to the ghosts of the dead, who wandered the earth this one night of the year. The site's recipe is as follows:

Makes 12 to 15 2-inch soul cakes

For the Cookies:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, ground fresh if possible

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground fresh if possible

1/2 teaspoon salt

Generous pinch of saffron*

1/2 cup milk

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 egg yolks

1/2 cup currants (optional)**

For the Glaze:

1 egg yolk, beaten

To Bake:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the flour, the nutmeg, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl. Mix well with a fork.

Crumble the saffron threads into a small saucepan and heat over low heat just until they become aromatic, taking care not to burn them. Add the milk and heat just until hot to the touch. The milk will have turned a bright yellow. Remove from heat.

Cream the butter and sugar together in a medium bowl with a wooden spoon (or use an electric mixer with the paddle attachment). Add the egg yolks and blend in thoroughly with the back of the spoon. Add the spiced flour and combine as thoroughly as possible; the mixture will be dry and crumbly.

One tablespoon at a time, begin adding in the warm saffron milk, blending vigorously with the spoon. When you have a soft dough, stop adding milk; you probably won't need the entire half-cup.

Turn the dough out onto a floured counter and knead gently, with floured hands, until the dough is uniform. Roll out gently to a thickness of 1/2 inch. Using a floured 2-inch round cookie or biscuit cutter, cut out as many rounds as you can and set on an ungreased baking sheet. You can gather and re-roll the scraps, gently.

Decorate the soul cakes with currants and then brush liberally with the beaten egg yolk. Bake for 15 minutes, until just golden and shiny. Serve warm, with cold pumpkin juice.

If desired, one could etch designs into the dough before brushing with the egg.

*Saffron is an amazing spice, and is great to use if you have it. However, it can be really pricey, so if you don't want to spend a ton of money on your Soul Cakes, the saffron could be replaced with yellow food coloring.
**One could also use dried cranberries, blueberries, raisins, etc.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15536354

Tarot Cards: The Major Arcana, 8 and 9

8 - Strength: courage, calm, composure, patience, persuasion, soft control, measured force, faith in success, unshakable resolve is necessary


9 - The Hermit: Being introspective, withdrawing, giving or receiving guidance, inspirational friend or teacher, making the mysterious clear, peace, tranquility

October 21th, 2011

Samhain approaches, and as it does so, Samhain and Halloween music seems most appropriate. And yet, it is somehow difficult to get a wide variety of music focused on this spooky time of year. My mom actually found a website belonging to Kristen Lawrence, a woman with a gorgeous voice, who writes "Halloween Carols", and so she bought two of her CDs, one of which is A Broom With a View. Her music combines modern Halloween ideas with Pagan traditions, and writes beautiful songs in four-part harmony. Songs on A Broom With a View include: Mostly Ghostly, A Broom With a View, Souling Song (All Hallows Version), Souling Song (Samhain Version), Dark Glass, Cats in the Catacombs, Sleeping Dust, Flappy Bat, and Vampire Empire. The CD also includes instrumental versions of some of the songs.

Tarot Cards: The Major Arcana, 6 and 7

6 - The Lovers: union, balance, energy, flow, love, desire, passion, melding of heart and mind, marriage; union may or may not be romantic in nature.


7 - The Chariot: triumph over obstacles, achieving victory, focused intent and will, self-confidence, discipline, power, authority, control