A Journy

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Blessings and a joyful journey

This year we've been getting a farm box brought to our door each week. Most of the product is from what they consider local farms. Which are farms up and down the West Coast in to Mexico and up to Canada and the states in between.

I've been relaying on the farm box for most of our fruits and vegetables. I've learned a few things this year.

Even though many foods are eaten year around they are in fact not locally available year around. This has taken some adjusting to habits and recipes. That there are some foods my children crave when they disappear for a month or three, that when they are always in the house they seldom touch.

I can see why Thanksgiving meal is based highly on tuber and grains. Why the winter holidays contain many canned or dried foods and few fresh. Why Spring is about a lot of live foods like salads and eggs. Summer is about berries and soft fruits, while fall and winter is harder fruits. This is very general as you can of course find many examples that doesn't fit in to what I'm saying, this just seems to be a general observation I've made this year.

What comes in the farm box affects some of what I plan to cook. I've noticed during the late spring to early fall we do more vegetable based dishes, while in the late fall to early spring we do more bean based dishes.

Instead of planning my dishes then making my shopping list this had been harder with staying to locally grown seasonal crops, for awhile I stopped planning at all which causes havoc around meals and what was available to graze on. Now I'm finding that I plan what type of Protein is going to be in dinner, with a loose idea of the side dishes or if someone has a request I put aside the ingredient. I also ask the children styles of food they want vs dishes, that way they aren't expecting something very specific.

Life is about cycles and learning the cycles to create harmony within ourselves and around ourselves.

I tend to have a hard time cooking for just myself on the few occasions that I am alone in the house without another person expecting food too.

Yet when I am alone or with one of my more adventurous children some of the foods I like can be cooked or experimented with. As I am doing tonight.

1 large Eggplant
~4tablespoons Jalapeno and Ginger Chutney
Olive Oil or a Spray oil

Spray small baking dish with oil
Slice Eggplant length wise in to about 4 pieces
Slice tops of pieces about 1/2 through fleash
Put ~1tablespoon of Chutney and spread around on each piece
Spray lightly with Olive Oil

Place in oven on 350 for about 45minutes.

You might wish to let it cool a little before you eat it.

Eat alone or make a small salad of some kind.


*note* Some people do not like the taste of eggplant unless it's soaked in salt water for about 30 minutes and rinsed before cooking, this tends to take some of the bitterness out of the elegant fruit.

Broccoli Lemon Chicken

Cook ~3lbs of Chicken & debone & slice(put bones in freezer bag to make broth later)

In Cast Iron or Frying pan
About 3tb oil/butter & 1tb Chili oil
Brown 1 Onion diced, 3 or more Garlic smashed and sliced, 1 Jalapeno diced small

Once Browned add Chicken, 1/2cup Lemon Juice (from freshly squeezed Lemons), 1/2 cup water with 1TB Corn Starch mixed in it well.

Then add 3 cups Broccoli flowers & another cup or so stems sliced small, and any other vegetables you'd like 2 to 3 cups(Carrots, celery, mushrooms etc..)(any thing you don't use set aside to make broth with)

Cook till vegetables are as you like and serve.

You may wish to offer cooked quoin seed or rice.

Everything except the oils, grains and the chicken came out of our weekly Farm Box which is locally grown organic foods.

This meal fed my family of 7, with lunches for 3, and only one of my children added grains.

Total Cost: $15.00 - $18.00 w/grains cooked. So $1.50 to $1.80 per a meal.

Very Cheep simple Broth

-Fill boiling pot with water
-Add Collection of Chicken Bones (the frozen bones are good to use for about 6 months)
-Add Collection of Vegetable Scraps washed well (tops of carrots, celery, greens, tomatoes, apples bits w/o seeds etc... All the parts you cut off but are still good, if you freeze the trimmings from your daily cooking you should use 1 bag a week and it keeps about 1 month)
-Add Small handful of Crushed Garlic and whatever other herbs/spices you like (really the only part that adds cost)

Cover and boil for 3 or 4 hours adding water if necessary. Depending on the vegetables you put it it'll turn a nice brown or possibly a green. Strain out all the solid matter and compost. Depending when it cools down remove any fat that collects at the top. IF you want to remove more fat, bring to boil for a minute then turn off and cool and repeat. Typically unless it's really fatty I don't worry about that step.

What's left should be a tasty broth, to use in soups, beans, stews, cooking pasta or grains with.

You can freeze this for about 4 months. Either Cup size, or even ice trays when frozen remove and put in a big tub or zip lock to store.

It is again the time when we celebrate Earth day. With special gatherings and a push towards sharing messages about protecting our Earth.

There is a book I've read and looked at the lovely pictures with my children for years. I believe it is called "A letter to her children"... It is about taking care of the earth and all her children. The message of the book is: "If you Love her, you will care for her". That love is the key.

Does this mean we shouldn't recycle? Safe Water? Protect our Sister and Brother Animals? Of course not, all of that goes with Loving our home. Our Earth. If we do not reuse, recycle then we waste what we have been given. If we do not care for our water then in time we will destroy ourselves and our world. As for our Brother and Sister Animals? They are a part of our family as much as our own parents and children are. It saddens me when one dies. As some must, so others will live.

It is all about a circle of living and dieing. About the cycle of creation or evolution as the case is. Animals, Plants, the earth has cycles and even us humans will not always live upon her body. Yet it is in our hands if we fade from existence before our time, and right this moment in the cycle of the earth it is within our hands to keep the earth healthy or to make ill leading to killing all the earths children.

Earth day is everyday, but this time of year is to remind us. That we need to take a look at the last year have we done our part? What can we do in the coming year or years to do more to protect this world.

The question is: Do you love life?

I have missed a few months this year. Other things have been happening and so our circle of days and months leading to years creeps forward.

I have for now put my cards aside again. Refreshed with the knowledge I can return to them at some point, but comfortable with the feeling that right now is not the time. Perhaps again this coming fall. For now Spring is here upon us.

The trees and country side are turning beautiful colors and brilliant greens. The birds are sharing their song again, the wind is gentle the days are growing longer. The Baby animals are starting to appear. The Wheel has turned again as it always will.

I've been watching a Web Cam of a wild barn owl and her eggs and now owlets. It is amazing to see how loving she is towards her babies, how she seems to know what they need at what stage. The Lady has made it so that nature knows how to care for their own babies as they need to be for each stage.

Much is good in trusting and believing in the good around us. Not following blindly what others do.

Blessings

Yule

The Longest night of the year. When the Oak Kind Dies and is Re-Born with the first light as the Sun King. A Time of new beginnings. A time to start waking up from the slumber of the last few months. But it's still the season of physical rest and cold outside. It is the season that is related to earth, as Fall is to water.

We have so many Holidays within this month that often the meaning of the season gets lost.

Returning
Wheel of the year turns yet again, to birth and life
Season that is closest to earth and hearth
Time of family, togetherness
Yet aloneness and personal growth
Acknowledging Strengths
Unconditional Love
Giving of gifts
Story telling

This years Dinner in a pumpkin

We ended up cutting the pumpkin in half as there was a bad spot. So 1/2 is dinner 1/2 will be a sweet treat.

1) Seed Pumpkin and rinse and cook seeds.

2) Dice 1 onion, garlic, mushrooms, red pepper, small leek, 2 stalks fennel toss, potato in frying pan with a little butter.

3) about 1lb of ground meat, brown with vegetable mixture.

4) Add Diced tomatoes mix well

5) Stuff Pumpkin

6) Cover

7) Bake at about 400 for an hour

8) Enjoy

I've learned over the years pretty much anything can be cooked in a pumpkin most of it should be pre-cooked or mostly cooked before going in. You can use meat or not, beans, lentils, the list goes on. I once did a curry chicken inside the pumpkin.

The other half of the pumpkin I'm baking to soft then going to add some brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, beat with an egg and then put back in the oven to bake.

Samhain...

Has many parts to it.

1: Pagan New Year
This is the waiting time of the year, the Harvest is in. It is not yet time to plant new seeds. It is the time of deep study of soul searching, of darkness while we wait for the light to return.

2: Last Harvest of the year
This is the last harvest. Lore says if you haven't gathered the crops by dark on Samhain they are now the spirits feast. It many places it is to cold or to dark for crops to grown any longer.

3: Thanking plants & Animals
You should thank the plants and animals daily for giving their life so that we may eat and live, yet now is a special time to do so. It is also important to thank everyone who's labored to bring the food to the table. In this time it is important to remember that without the plants and animals we would not be here.

4: Honoring & Remembering our Ancestors
Without them we would not be here. Without Elders wisdom would not be pasted down. We honor all who went before. Who created this world and us. Blood and non-alike. We may have special ancestors we wish to honor and thats ok.

5: Take time to say good bye and send the years dead through the veil.
Grieving is impotent but so is moving on. The ones we love will always be part of us, dear in our heart. If we listen we can hear them.

This is so brief so not complete to what Samhain is, and what it means. It is a celebration of death and yet life. It is a time when the living for but a brief moment can cross the veil to the other side and return again.

In some ways it is finding the balance between the spiritual aspects of this night and what the kids want along with the parties.
---

For my children:

One night last week we read stories and talked about this time of year. How plants change and the nights become chilly and the rains hopefully come. We read "Grandfather Deer", which I try to do every year, along with a couple other stories.

On another night the younger three with daddy and I picked up some pumpkins with what little time we had to celebrate as a family. When we got home the younger three girls took time to color their pumpkins which we'll cook this week. My son carved a pumpkin which we put out front.

With my youngest I read another story on all Hollows Eve and we talked about the Crone symbol of a witch and the truth and myths behind it.

---
For Halloween itself we went to a community friends home. Where things went as normal, potluck food slowly appeared on the table and stove. The kids dressed up and went out trick r treating, I'm pretty sure the neighborhood will never be the same again. Then once the kids got back and people ate some more. There was story telling. "Grandfather Deer" was told again for the children. Along with another story I never did hear the title of which was more for the adults. Then there was a ritual.

Blessings

Water

What is water? The basic answer to this is that it is a liquid that we drink. Water is the lakes, rivers, ponds, ocean and rain that gives life to all living plants and creatures, without water we would parish.

There is more to the Element of water. Water is seen as coming from the west, it's color is primarily blue and it's season is fall. It is seen as the sunset of the day and the phase of the moon is full.

Water is the beginning of all life. It is the seas, rivers, rain, fog, snow, ice, tears and the blood flowing through our bodies. It is purification, the subconscious mind and our emotions. It is the ever changing tides, never sleeping or resting.

Just as it is the beginning of all life it is the Autumn of our lives. It is the harvest of our goals. It is the illusion of death a turning point where knowledge is stored and with this type of death creates new beginnings and new growth which uses the collected knowledge from the past to draw on.

The Spirits of water are Undines. In the tarot it is see in the cup cards.

Water is used to clean, heal and create.

Positive aspects of water are seen as forgiving, easygoing, sensitive, modest, compassionate and gracious.

Negative aspects of water are seen as overly emotional, lazy, insecure, indifferent and dependent.

If you are over balanced in water you tend to be hypersensitive, with water under balanced you tend to be emotionless.

West or water is the place of dreams, journeys, emotions, vision, creative arts, the feminine, renewal, and goals.

To get in touch with water drink it, play in it, bath in it, run through the rain, splash in the ocean, swim in a lake or.. Follow what feels natural to you.

Acorn Squash & Chard Soup

4 cups Vegetable or Chicken broth
3 Acorn Squash (oven baked & Seeded)
1 garlic clove
1cup Cream/Soy Milk/Coconut Milk (optional)

4tb Olive Oil
1 Onion -diced-
1 bunch Rainbow chard -diced-
2 stalks celery -diced-
4 garlic cloves -crushed-
1 branch rosemary -stripped-
2tb Mustard (yellow, Dijon etc) (optional)

Pepper & Salt to taste
Parsley

Step One
1 - Wash, dry and oil the outside of the Acorn Squash
2 - Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, turn 1/2 way, bake for another 30 minutes
3 - Let cool some then slice in half remove seeds (seeds can be rinsed and cooked or tossed)
4 - Remove stems, and any tough skin (pause here if Stew Pot isn't ready)
5 - Slice the rest and put through Blender (peel can stay or be removed)
6 - Put in stew pot to simmer

Step Two
1 - Dice, Slice & crush
2 - Put in stew pot everything from Olive oil down
3 - Brown
4 - Once browned Add Acorn & broth mixture

Step Three
1 - Bring to simmer stirring
2 - Let simmer for about 20-30 minutes stirring regularly
3 - Turn off, if used pour in cream and top with Parsley

Step Four
1 - Put in bowls, Pepper & Salt as desired
2 - Enjoy!

The wind is blowing, the dark sky holds the bright full Harvest moon smiling down upon us.

For the full moon I read to my youngest Aidan's First Full Moon Circle before she left for the evening. We talked a little about the moon and how she changes. We turned on, sang with and danced to a few songs. It isn't much but it is something.

For myself I plan to take a nice shower and light a candle to the Goddess this evening and meditate on this season.

Then I'm going to take apart the family dream catcher and start the process of cleaning it. It's got to many years of dust and dirt on it. My goal is to have it clean and re-done to fit the family as it is now by Samhain.

One of the things that happened this week is my son went exploring in our back house and unearthed boxes of tools I'd thought long gone, many of them did end up going to the trash but some treasures where found including an old Full Moon Ritual I used to HP's regularly. My son asked if it would be acceptable for us to do the ritual at some point. I think it would be lovely to do when he is here on a full moon.

What is Autumn?

Autumn is when the leaves go from shades of greens to shades of yellow, red, orange and brown. Many trees go from being colorful rainbows to barren branches.

The air starts going from the summer warmth towards the winter chill. There wind brings a crisp chill with it.

Autumn is the full fields ripe with the summer's crop being harvested to keep us for the long dark winter ahead.

Autumn is about change and growing.

Moving inwards, from groups to quiet solitude.

Autumn is about hot soups, cider, tea and family.

Autumn is a time of joy, thankfulness and sharing.

This week I spent more time at once with the cards but didn't look or handle them everyday. For some reason I am having a hard time with the Wands(air) it use to be the easiest element for me how it is proving to be the most difficult to work with, where fire is being very easy and it use to be my hardest.

I keep in mind:

1. I have the cards down well enough that the book is more a crouch, trust my inner knowledge and only go back and see what the book has to say afterwards. Sometimes the book and I won't agree and thats ok, the cards are a TOOL.

2. Trust myself, I already have much of this knowledge through study even if it is a bit dusty; the dust is coming off and I am adding knew knowledge and self confidence with my knowledge.

3. Don't be to hard on myself, as long as there is progress that is what matters since I am doing this for me.

This week I didn't spent more than 5 minutes a day with the cards. I went through the list looking for any I have not been having a meaning pop in to my head within a second or so and sat them aside to work with. This resulted in finding three of the cups that I seem to be having a difficult time with. The wands I still need a lot of work with. My goal this week is to keep working with the minor cards in general and try to tackle the wall I seem to be having with the wands.

I keep in mind:

1. I have the cards down well enough that the book is more a crouch, trust my inner knowledge and only go back and see what the book has to say afterwards. Sometimes the book and I won't agree and thats ok, the cards are a TOOL

2. I should start looking at the Major cards, on the other hand I am not in a major rush as I am doing this study for me and have no idea where or if I will take the knowledge else where.

3. I need to start looking at the layout that is suggested to this deck vs the one's I know. To see how they are similar and how they are different. This means I should start finding time during the day when I can pull the cards out at the table.

4. Trust myself, I already have much of this knowledge through study even if it is a bit dusty; the dust is coming off and I am adding knew knowledge and self confidence with my knowledge.

This week I joined the four minor suits together for the most part I just need to work with this deck now to get the feeling of the cards to solidify in my mind. That just means using them and working with them. So the goal for the next week to three is to work with the minor cards in various fashions.

I need to keep in mind:

1. I have the cards down well enough that the book is more a crouch, even as it is a tool that has its uses I need to be mindful of when I use it and trust my inner knowledge before just reaching for the book.

2. I should start looking at the Major cards.

3. I need to start looking at the layout that is suggested to this deck vs the one's I know. To see how they are similar and how they are different.

4. Trust myself, I already have much of this knowledge through study even if it is a bit dusty; the dust is coming off very nicely and I am adding knew knowledge with my studying.

This weeks cards are going slower. I ended up putting Wands, Disc's and Cups together by lastnight. Tonight I'll bring in swords while still reviewing the other three. Cups are still a little rough I'm still looking at the book for about 1/2 of them to make sure I'm right, and I'm still looking up a couple for disc's. I haven't felt the need to check any wands for a few days now.

I'm pretty sure by the end of this coming week I will have mixed the four minor together.

The real test will come as my confidence grows and I start reading the cards together in a layout. It is one thing to have the basic cards down alone it is another to combine them together.

That said I'm not sure what the next step is going to be.

I know some people who can pick up any deck and read from it. Without study and getting to know the cards. I find looking at my Thoth and this deck together I see the same cards in a different light which tells me once I start reading them it'll be different. Perhaps it is time, practice with different decks and skill that will bring the ability to read other decks with little study of there own.

Journey with the cards goes on.

The rules on this word play are: To create a feeling using the following words: Mountain, Mother, elegance, Sunset, Joy.


Looking out standing high above the trees on a mountain top
Tears of joy in my heart at the beauty before my eyes
Of the elegance of the dance of the sunset before me
Oh Wonderful Mother for your gift of sight
The deepest darkness to brilliant brightness
Each are - as - you are - perfect

Slice of Apple - Food of the Goddess; Love
Branch of Basil - Love, Protection
Fennel - Protection, Healing
Lemon - Uplifting, remove negativity
Salt - Purification and Protection

Place in water and bring to boil, turn off heat and let sit till cool, then place in spray bottle. Use to lightly clean your home.

You can also place this mixture in vinegar which is an excellent cleaning agent. You'll have to make the mixture very strong to be able to smell the lovely scents over the vinegar.

I close my eyes, empty my mind, and slowly bring in to focus the multi colored flame surrounding my body. I breathe, in and out; I slow my breath down, pulling air deeper into myself with each breath. As I relax and focus, the flame becomes a brilliant white at the crown. I pull this light within and through my body until I am glowing this brilliant cleansing light from crown to soul of foot to licking out of my fingertips. As the white light consumes my body I feel its calming, warming energy as it swirl around my physical self washing all impurities out, in to the earth.

Opening my center eye, I see a familiar place. High upon a cliff looking out upon the sea, hearing the song of the waves as they crash upon the shore line then retreat back in to the ocean to only return again. I close my eyes and listen to the plus of the sea for a time, hearing the sea gulls go about their day in the distances. I can smell the salt from the waters, the green of the plants behind me and the wet soil of the earth. I spend time just enjoying hearing and feeling this part of the earth's song as it softly shares its story with me, before opening my eyes to look around at the beauty of this place once again. The blue-grey ski's, with puff ball clouds, the sea gulls flying through the sky as though they are playing, the deep blue to black of the depths of the sea and the white tips of the waves as they kiss the white tan of the sandy beach below. I feel the heat of the day as the harsh rays of the sun beats down upon me from above, as I start dripping sweat from my temple. I breathe in and out then turn slowly to see what is behind me.

Behind me sits a small shack, covered in vines of deep and light green, with shades of purple, yellow, orange, tan and brown colors just starting to creep in. Besides the shack are tresses with leaves going from the greens of summer to the colorful colors of autumn. Right beside the shack is a small garden so full of the summer's bounty waiting to be picked and stored for the winter's darkness. Leading up to the door of the shack is a white stone path, the door is open inviting me to enter in to the coolness the shack offers.

I walk slowly up to the door calling out a greeting to any who might be inside. A young child carrying a basket comes skimping out hardly noticing me as she goes to the garden. I smile at the joy I can feel radiating off the child. I walk up to the door and call out again in greeting. Inside I hear a faint invitation to enter. As I do so, I can feel the coolness of the shack fold over me. I see a woman who is clearly near ready to give birth sitting in a chair over near the hearth stirring a pot. I walk to her and she welcomes me in to her home as an old friend. She asks if I would kindly get myself and her some of the ice cold water from the pitcher just out of her reach then to please sit and join her for awhile. As I hand her a glass of water the child comes in singing to herself and gives me the basket of foods then skips off. The woman in the chair thanks the girl smiling fondly at her. Then hands me a knife and asks me to please help with cleaning and chopping the vegetables for the nights dinner. As I do so the woman tells a story.

The story goes something like this:

"Once upon a time this land was so hot and dry that nothing would grow, and we had little besides our hope and love for each other to keep us going each day. Water had to be de-salted to feed our plants, the earth was hard to work and we felt like we labored each day for nothing, our hearts grew weary our souls heavy and we where debating leaving this land feeling it had won. Then one day as we were packing to leave one of the children spotted the flowers which showed that the labors of our work was paying off, a few of us decided to stay and planted our roots, while others kept packing and left. Those of us who stayed had a very hard winter but we knew that next year and the years after would become easier while bringing new challenges. We learned that keeping faith would bring the greatest heart ach while also brining the greatest joys of our lives. The ones that left learned that sometimes it is better to pick up and move on. While both groups learned a great deal and most are doing well where they have chosen to put roots down we learned that each person needs different challenges to be happy and to grow."

The woman stops her story and looks at me. She says, "Cross roads come, and they go, and what you end up choosing will affect your life and the life around you. The ones that love you will always stay with you in some fashion even as they walk on their own chosen path."

I smile; I say thank you and that I will think about her story. She puts everything in to the pot and stirs slowly singing quietly lost in her own thoughts, as I sip the cold water from my glass. Then I stand and clean the table up. The young child appears again with bowls for all of us. The woman stops stirring and puts a bit of what is in the pot in each bowl. The child says thank you to the earth and we all sit quietly and drink from our bowls.

Afterwards I stand, and place the bowls in the sink. I thank the woman for the meal and the child hands me gift of a shell. As I open the door I see that the moon is shining down upon the stone path. I walk out and close the door behind me. I walk down the path looking out over the sea. The moon shining on the waves, the waves still crashing on the sparking sands below, the song the earth is singing has changed. I can feel a peace within myself, a calmness that is desired. A knowledge of times past, of the road blocks and wrong turns in the path I've taken so far and of times to come, a knowing that it is ok to take my time to where I am going.

With this I step off the cliff and fall towards the sands below, only to soar up in to the sky screeching, and gliding on the currents of the wind. Taking time to play and relax knowing that if I relax and stop fighting I can fly forever.

A Simple Thanks

In front of me I placed a Corn Husk Doll, Figure of the Sun, Figure of a birthing mother, a Candle, a Feather, Salt & Water.

Cleared my mind simply breathing in and out and pulling the white light from my crown through to my souls and back in to the earth.

Then I Blessed the Water & Salt, Light the Candle, and used the feather to call the elements & the Goddess & God of Harvest and Abundance.

In this time of Harvest with the fields full and ripe brining abundance to our lives. I Thank you Lord of of Grain & Lady who's body our abundance comes from. I thank all creatures, all people, all elements which helps to bring the delightful bounty to my table to nourish my family, my friends and self.

May I always remember that without the deaths of your bodies in the symbols of the grains, fruits and vegetables we partake of life could not be. Showing once more that the circle of life, death and life cannot be stepped out of.

May this years harvest be enough for all the worlds people, may each person receive what they need for health, may each person know your love through whatever Deity they connect with.

It is not only the time to harvest our fields but the seeds we've planted and tended carefully through the year in other areas of our lives, as we start to enter the dark season of rest, of wanting, of need, of slumber, let us remember this time of abundance and know it will come again.

Take time to breath, to feel the energy, to connect with the earth.

Then Thank the Goddess & God, Elementals.

The rules of this word play are to create a sense of a season including the following words: Bread, Feast, Fruit, Golden, Sprout, Vegetables, Water, and Weaving


In this season the fields are heavy with crops ready to be harvested. The golden wave of the wheat stalks as they sway in the wind inviting a lazy afternoon in the sun. The juicy fruit hanging down from the branches or heavy on the vines tantalizing your taste buds that are longing to catch the thick sweet juices trapped within the fruits. Sips, of cool refreshing water as you sit and wait for the dough to rise to be cooked in to delightful bread. Sprouts just the perfect color of green to place as the first layer upon a platter to be filled with the colorful harvest of the days vegetables, weaving a feast of color and flavor of the season together for this evenings celebration.

-Cycle of the Year-

Equinox means "Equal night".

The Equinox is the time when we have equal day and night, which is when the sun is shining directly at the equator. This happens twice a year Spring (~March 21th) & Fall (~September 21st). At these two seasons it is a time to create balance within our minds and our lives.

Solstices means "to stand still".

The Solstices is the time of year when in summer (~June 21st) you have the longest day and winter (~December 21st) the longest night. At these times the earth seems to stand still as you have a few days where you do not gain or loose sunlight depending on if it's summer or winter.

- Holidays/Special Days-

Yule (Winter Solstices) December 21st
Imbolc February 2nd
Ostara (Spring Equinox) March 21st
Beltane April 30th
Midsummer (Summer Solstices" June 21st
Lughnasadh August 1st
Mabon (Fall Equinox) September 21st
Samhain October 31st

You will notice that besides the Two Solstices and Two Equinox there are four other holidays on between each creating a balance of it's own within the seasons.


-Cycle of the Month-

You also have the Moon which changes from Full to New and Back again in about 28 days

New Moon - When the moon is in a shadow and we can see the outline but little else

Waxing Moon - is when you can see day by day that the moon is growing brighter and more is being illuminated for us to see

Full Moon - Is when the entire moon face is being illuminated

Wanning Moon - is when it is decreasing in light.

Dark moon is when you can not see the moon at all with the naked eye this tends to be but a brief moment each month.


These are only a few of the cycles within a year & month, you also have the cycles within the seasons, within the week and day.

--Personal--
I am personally thinking that in some ways it is very important to acknowledge in some fashion the different cycles within the year, month, week and day. In our society where food can be had by going to the store, climate is controlled by a dial on the wall, and night and day can be controlled by heavy curtains or a switch which turns the lights on and off as desired. It is easy to loose focus on what makes our lives balanced and whole.

Not only do you have the cycles of nature to take in to consideration but you have the common holidays, work and school calenders, birthdays and other special days through out year, months and day to consider.

If your not careful you can become overwhelmed and loose your connection and stop acknowledging the cycles which make our lives. Then one day you notice your drifting through time with no real connections and that somewhere along the way your rituals have been taken away, either by your inactions or others interfering either way it is time to re-create them again and this means finding which cycles, which connections are your strongest and matter the most to you at first then slowly everything else follows.

On another journal I responded to a friends journal requesting that they give me five words that reminds them of me, and then I was to define what the words mean to me.


Beauty There can be found in everything beauty, sometimes you have to look and change what your preconception of beauty is. Sometimes it is how something looks, sometimes it is deep within, sometimes it is the very part that respells people that is the true beauty of something.

Love the easy response is - I love the forests, the roar of the waves as they hit the shore line, the singing of the birds, the rustle of leaves, the pictures my children give me, having a home, a computer, silence and laughter. I love my children, I love my partner, I love many of my friends. Love is more than the physical objects or what we can see and touch. To love without strings to love for the sake of loving. To love unconditionally to give your love even when it isn't returned, to love no matter what someone has done in the past. Perhaps it means to forgive and go forward. I've read that Love is the Law, and if we as humans can learn to follow that simple concept the ills of the world would vanish.

Family Family that's a hard one? Different definitions depending on how I look at it. If I look at my father and my cousins yes they are family by definition, I even share blood with them, but blood doesn't make family. My father I love very much and would do anything within my ability for him, my cousins I remember as a child but if we never spoke again it would not phase me. I also see Andrew and his as my family, my mom married him before she died, but there is no blood and little conman ground between us, I could have easily walked away from him, but there is a tie that I can't explain that I call family. My children not acknowledging me as mom would tear me apart. My friends whom I love are also family and I would do anything for them within my ability as long as it didn't hurt my children. So what is Family? Ask me tomorrow in a different setting and I'm sure I'll give you a different answer. I think a very simple and by no ways full definition of family is they are people we have a ties to beyond just simple friendship.

Teacher I consider myself a teacher to my children at the very least. Not just because in some cases I've tried to make sure they have available to them the subjects our society feels is necessary to learn and that they want to but because everything I do especially when they are little they learn from. A teacher isn't just someone who's gone through college and now has a piece of paper saying they can teach. A teacher is each and every one of us who cares about someone or anything and shares that love with someone else.

Goddess is. In some ways that's where I want to leave my answer as "Goddess is". Goddess is Spirit, is a part of each person that is bigger than we are. The Goddess is Deity in all forms. The Goddess is Love, the Goddess is you, me the ocean, the earth itself, the stars beyond, each animal, each pebble of sand. The Goddess is love. The Goddess is Spirit and Spirit is what each of us make it. It would be easier to say what Goddess or Spirit is NOT. Spirit is not Hate and it is not despair, war or judgment they are totally human. She can be anger and sadness because we need to feel and know them to truly feel joy and happiness. Goddess is hope, is love is life and death. Goddess is a as real as you and I and yet a concept. With that I will once again say Goddess is.

In cleaning up my notes I found this very simple Blessing and healing connection to the elements.

Perhaps it will be of use to someone else. Change for your own needs and for your own spirituality. I am sure once upon a time I found something similar to this and changed it to fit my personal needs at the time.
-- Blessings

Self-Blessing and healing
- Collect or Create -
A small candle & holder
Incense
Blessed Water
Blessed Salt
Quite

- Explanation of tools and what they mean -

*Incense represents Air.
Air reflects your creativity, spirituality, inspirations and philosophies.

*Candle represents the element of Fire.
Fire reflects your relationship, protection, passion, ideas and achievements.

*Blessed Water is Water.
Water reflects your emotions, intuition, dream states, psychic gifts, and healing.

*Blessed Salt is Earth.
Earth reflects your practicality, knowledge, sacred wisdom, and growth.

Beyond this simple explanation of the elements you will likely have other reflections that are suitable to your own path and believe and of your own personal need and desire.

***
Now fine a quiet, comfortable, peaceful place where you can sit with a small table or workspace for your tools in front of you and time where you can work undisturbed.

Sit still for a few moments focus on the area around you. Then clothes your eyes and breath in and out and picture with your minds eye the area around you filling it with a peaceful and pull white light brining peace and positive energies to this space. Breath for a few more moments and when your ready

Light the incense and take a few moments to invite the energies of what Air is to you to join with its protections, lessons, gifts and love.

Light the candle and take a few moments to invite the energies of what Fire is to you to join with its protections, lessons, gifts and love.

Touch the water and take a few moments to invite the energies of what Water is to you to join with its protections, lessons, gifts and love.

Touch the salt and take a few moments to invite the energies of what Earth is to you to join with its protections, lessons, gifts and love.
***

Now pour some water in to a small bowl, and sprinkle some salt in to the water with your fingers mix the elements together while feeling the balance of water and earth.

Face the candle, dip your fingers in to the mixture and touch your fore head say something similar to:

"Bless me Spirit, for I am your child."

Now dip your fingers in the water mixture and touch the area around your eyes carefully.

Say: "Bless my eyes that I may see you."

Dip again and touch your nose.

Say: "Bless my nose that I may breathe your essence."

Dip again and touch your ears.

Say: "Bless my ears that I may hear your wisdom."

Dip again and touch your mouth.

Say: "Bless my mouth that I may speak clearly."

Dip again and touch your heart.

Say: "Bless my heart that I may feel your love."

Dip again and touch your lower abdomen.

Say: "Bless my center that I may create harmony."

Dip again and touch your feet.

Say: "Bless my feet that I may walk in balance."

Dip again and rub your hands together.

Say: "Bless my hands that I may share your healing."

Now take time to concentrate on the elements. Focus your attention on the candle and visualize healing light flowing in to you. Feel the strength. Breath deeply. Connect with the strength and healing of the moment.

Know that the incense that is burning is also a form of communicating, and transformation. The incense carries the messages to the Spirit.

When you are ready say a thank you to all that has joined you. Take a deep breath make sure your grounded and open your eyes.