Hussy in the Garden

I've been waiting all week for my pink peony to bloom. Today, it finally did and it's even more stunning than last year! It's almost fluorescent pink, with bright yellow centers. Here's a few shots I took this morning before my camera batteries died. The close-up is not re-touched in any way. The second photo I played around in Photoshop very briefly. I'm still learning about the different filters and stuff, so bear with me!

Hope you enjoy my flowers!

A Little Unexpected Help

Yesterday afternoon I decided to go sit down on the dock for awhile. I didn't have an agenda, I didn't take any fishing gear or the phone. I just wanted to BE, and try to sort some things out in my head. I'm still feeling effects from all the MS "stuff" that happened in March, April, and May. I'm trying to figure out how to get back on my feet, and get on with my life.

So, I thought that I would relax down by the water. Well, it was very nice outside when I walked down there. I didn't see anyone else around. I asked the elements to help clue me in on what to do next, and started with some general prayers. The answer I got came in mere moments! I closed my eyes to help clear my head. All of the sudden I felt the dock start rocking a bit more, the wind picked up and waves started coming across the surface of the lake.I opened my eyes and there were small whitecaps running up on the shore. I closed my eyes again and let the whole scene wash over me: sounds of waves, wind and birds calling. Oh, so this is what I'm supposed to be doing~ getting cleansed! This IS what I needed. Duh!

It felt like ritual was starting, so I called in the Goddesses that came to mind, one for each element(I never do this, but it just came to mind): Yemaya~water, Gaia~earth, Bridget~fire, and Diana~air. I have no idea why Diana was representing as the Eastern goddess to me, but I wasn't going to question it too much. As soon as I said Diana's name, the wind got crazy and whipped the lake even more! The dock was rocking around so much, I was afraid to stand up, so I just sat in my chair, arms and legs uncrossed. What a ride!
When I felt like I had what I needed, I thanked the Goddesses. The lake gradually returned to normal, and the wind and waves stopped.

I've done some small rituals down there before, but never had this kind of thing happen. I'm not a weather witch. I leave that to a few friends I know with that talent. But this was pretty cool and really did work. I feel a bit better. I figure that the cleansing will continue to do it's thing, as I go about my life this week.
I feel like I can breathe now. Ahhh...

Meet Stubby!

Well, it's almost Summer and the signs are everywhere! Like this little sign, propped up on my front porch railing this morning. I haven't seen the robin's nest around, or any babies until today.
I'm calling him Stubby! He (just seems like a little guy) got a little stubby tail, cute little stubby wings and a little stubby call. He's got the cutest tufts of feathers sticking out from his head. Mom robin has been feeding him, and after a couple of hours on the railing, Stubby flew up into the Laurel bush next to the porch. Not the most graceful of maneuvers, to be sure! That's a much safer place for him until he can figure out how to get back to the nest, wherever that is.

Too cute, and I thought that I would share.
What signs of Summer are going on around you?

Gettin' up early

A few weeks ago, my household moved towards a new schedule. My husband is now working a 2nd shift schedule. This means staying up later and sleeping in later. Well, while I really like it when Tim works this kind of schedule, it really screws up my fishing time!
So, today I happened to wake up early. I grabbed some coffee, my fishing gear and headed down to the dock to drown some worms. I got to watch the sun come up over the trees, the bald eagle take his morning constitutional flight over the lake, and listen to all manner of birds. Gods! what have I been missing by sleeping until 9am?! I even caught a couple of nice bass! The first one was good size, but I threw him back. The second one I caught was twice the size, so I kept him for lunch! (I apologize to my vegetarian friends) This bass weighed in at about 2 pounds. I caught him on a Gary Yamamoto Worm. My local bait shop owner told me that these are what the tournament fishermen use. They really do work, too! We'll be grillin' this nice big boy up, and serving with rice pilaf and some veggies. MMMMM!!!!
I didn't get any photos from this morning, but here's some from this past Summer.
Got a fish tale to share?
~tracyw

To Make a Witches Ladder

My yard has been so full of little songbirds lately, that it got me thinking about making a new Witches' Ladder. This fun little crafty item is made to be hung from the tallest point inside your home, and aids in protection of your home and those residing in it.

So, what does this have to do with birds, you might ask? Well, a Witches' Ladder for protection is made of a collection of nine different colored feathers. I have made them with only seven, too. You can also make the charm for a particular purpose such as health, with only three feathers. The feathers need to be different colors. Traditionally, they would come from nine different kinds of birds, as well. However, I know just how difficult it can be to find these feathers. As long as they are all different colors, I don't think it impacts the magick too much. These would be feathers that you find on the ground.

We are coming into the time of year when adult birds will start to molt their feathers, in preparation for the Fall migration. This molting usually occurs after the baby birds have started to fledge. It has taken me many seasons to get enough feathers to make my ladders. I like to use songbird feathers. You can use any feathers that you gather, except from birds of prey. I would not use nine different feathers from these birds together. For one thing, it's illegal to possess feathers from any bird of prey. You are not even supposed to pick up a fallen hawk feather from the ground. Yeah, right, but I have to tell you that anyway. It is the law. (Technically, you are not allowed to collect songbird feathers, either.) Aside from that, using different raptor feathers together is tricky business. If you are not extremely well-versed in working with these spirits, I really suggest you don't try it with this project. I also use parrot feathers that have been gifted to me. You can use feathers that you have bought, but try to find as many wild feathers as you can first.

The actual ladder is made from braiding three cords, yarn or ribbons together. The traditional colors used would represent the triple aspect of the Goddess: white, red, and black. I have used other colors that represent my magickal traditions, such as green, white, and purple. If you are doing a three feather charm for a particular purpose, I would choose a cord color that corresponds to that work. Once you have your feathers and ribbons, you're ready to being assembling the charm.

I like to do this in sacred space, in a cast circle with an altar, during the full moon. You will need about a yard of each color ribbon. Tie one end together and start braiding. Say a chant while you braid to add power to the charm. Repeat this chant over and over until you are done braiding. When you're done, knot the end. At this point, you can start to tie on the feathers, evenly spaced along the ladder. You can continue with the spell as you tie on each feather. For instance, you can call in Health with the red feather, Prosperity with a green feather, Illumination with a yellow feather, Protection with black feathers, etc.

After you tie on all the feathers, tie the ends together to form a circle. Consecrate the ladder by smudging it with incense or sage, and infusing it with purpose. Hang the ladder in the highest part of your house where it won't be readily seen, such as an attic or in the eaves.

So, now that you want to make this charm, you need to go find feathers! You know that you can always find me walking along, staring at the ground, looking for feathers. I've actually walked right into trees because I was so busy looking at the ground!

Let me know how it turns out!

Once in a Blue Moon

Did you know that this May we will have two full moons? The first one occurred on May 2nd. The next one is on May 31st, tomorrow night! This one is called a "Blue Moon". This is what the second full moon occurring in one month is called. To find out why, you can check out the Farmer's Almanac.
This only occurs about every 3 years or so.

Magickly speaking, using this energy would be wise, especially if you have a problem that you have put off working on for a long time. Think on the things that you need to attend to in your life. The full moon is about balance. It's not necessarily a time to start new things, but instead giving an "oomph" to your existing life. The moon, when full, can light our way on clear nights. Use this ability to illuminate your path when building a ritual. Cleaning out the cobwebs, as it were. Even if you just do a gratitude working, this is a wonderful time to do it! Doing a ritual working or spell under this special moon is sure to bring much emphasis to your task.

Where I live, I can see the Moon rise up over the eastern horizon, and then reflect on the lake as it tracks across the sky. I have tried to capture it's beauty with my camera, but to no avail. I can, however, capture some of it's energy to help me with a spell.
Even if you can't see the Blue Moon due to cloud cover where you are, you can still use it's energies to assist you. I hope you have a wonderful time!

Bright Moonlit Blessings,
tracyw

LilacLand Beauty!

As is our annual rite of Spring, my friend and I went to LilacLand, a private property in Pelham, MA which the owners graciously open to the public every year. There are hundreds of lilac bushes and trees, as well as wisteria and honeysuckle, and flowering trees such as crabapple and dogwood. It's so incredibly beautiful, and the scent of lilacs and honeysuckle just wafts thru the air!Just for fun, there's in incredibly friendly cat who escorted us around the property!
I thought I would share some of the photos I took on this year's trip!

I'm So Proud!

I just have to tell you about the work that my husband, Tim, has been doing lately! A few years ago, Tim started teaching himself how to make knives using the stock removal method. We were living in a rented duplex and he set up a tiny workshop in the basement. He made a couple of knives and they came out really well. When we moved out to our house, the first thing that Tim did was to build a forge off the garage. He built it out an old gas grill, which he converted. He has learned how to forge by researching his books, the Internet, his knife forums, and Blade magazine. He has just completed a couple of new knives, and I wanted you to see them. He also sold his first knife a couple of weeks ago! He had bartered some for equipment, but hadn't actually sold one. I'm so proud of him! These truly are beautiful, as well completely functional. You should see the tests he does on every blade! I think he likes testing the blades almost as much as making them. Here's some pics of Tim and his work. I hope you think his blades are as nice as I do!

Herbcraft...A few thoughts

Someone recently asked me what an herb really is? They were confused because I had talked about the healing properties of the plants in their kitchen garden, as well as those of a nearby tree. I consider them all to have herbal properties. I thought that I would write a bit about herbcraft.

What are herbs? Herbs are plants that provide medicine, therapeutic scents, healing energy and beautify our gardens. Herbs are also plants that can help us initiate healing and positive changes through magickal workings. Since the Industrial age began in the western world, herbs have been relegated to the background by "modern" cultures that are no longer living in harmony with the Earth.

A little history... Herbs have been used for thousands of years. From the first tribes' green witch/shamanic healers to the ancient Babylonians who, in approximately 3000BC, recorded on clay tablets medical treatments and from where their herbs were imported. Every culture on Earth has used herbs, since the earliest Babylonians, to China, Egypt and the Mayans. In written traditions, "herbals" became very popular in 16th century Europe. As science emerged, plants were demystified, dissected and classified. Herbals were no longer being written, in deference to the new age of science. It wasn't until 1931 that A Modern Herbal was written by Mrs. M.Grieve, which drew on both science and traditional information. This started the writing of modern herbals for an industrialized society, and the reintegration of herbs into health care practices in small communities.

Herbs today.... Most people now think of herbs as limited to the dozen or so culinary seasonings we grow in our gardens or get at the supermarket. Herbalists have always thought of herbs as any plant that is useful for healing and medicine. This includes familiar herbs such as rosemary and oregano, or other types of plants such as trees, like the white willow and cedar. Although these trees are not technically herbs, they have both magickal and medicinal properties. Herbal supplements are now found in every mass-market drugstore. Unfortunately, consumers do no look to their local herbalist or naturopath for advice and consultations. The major manufacturers of herbal supplements put a health claim on a bottle for consumers to determine their own medication needs. Herbalism is more complicated than that. Herbs aren't just like vitamins, they are medicine. People need to make informed choices. Today there are many herbal books on the market about making medicine, or using herbs in your magickal practice. Your best source of information is a trained herbalist or naturopathic physician.

I have alot of opinions about modern medicine and marketing, but I'll get off my soapbox for today!

A Trip to the Botanic Garden

To celebrate Beltane, my friend and I decided to go to Tower Hill Botanic Garden in W.Boyleston, MA. It took just over an hour to get there from my house. It's a very large place with beautiful nature trails, formal gardens and lawn, as well as an Orangerie. We had lunch there and then wandered around the grounds for a few hours. Here are some photos from our trip. I'll post more later.
Enjoy!

Blessed Beltane!

A little milk, a little honey to bless the garden!
A chant & some prayers to Goddess Bridget!
Something shiny for the faeries!
This is what my MayDay is made of!
What will you be doing today?

I wonder who this was?

On Easter morning, I went out to fill the bird feeder next to the house. I looked down and found these HUGE tracks on the new snow! They came out of the little critter trail out back, went along the side of the house and right next to the deck. We have considered all kinds of critters when trying to figure out who left these at our house. Because the tracks are about 4 inches long, and the stride between them is huge, we really aren't sure. I was really hoping it was a giant cat track, as that would mean we had been visited by the ever elusive, legendary mountain lion!

But after comparing tracks shown in my books and on-line, we've narrowed it down to some kind of canine track. That means that this was an enormous dog!Now, there aren't any dogs like this in the area, at least that we are aware of. We have coyote near here, but they usually aren't so big. There are no wolves here in Massachusetts. Perhaps it was a pet dog that got loose the night before, but I really doubt it. So this remains a mystery. And since I like a mystery, I that I would share it with you.

Earth Day Every Day!

Happy Birthday, Gaia!
Well, at least on the day your modern residents have chosen to celebrate your existence. Some of us celebrate your birthday on the Spring Equinox, but if adding a "special" day to the calendar has more folks paying attention to the issues that plague you, then I can't help but think it's a good thing. You need celebration, and a good polishing! We have let you get tarnished, in the name of our progress. However, there are some folks here who think that enough is enough. There are groups of us all over your great expanse working to make things right, and to try to let you breathe a little easier. Hopefully, alot of people will start to see that a little celebration, every day, is long overdue!
We do love you, Mom, really we do!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here are some links to find out more information on what you can do to lessen your impact on the planet, what others are doing, and what is coming in the future.
Find at least one thing that you can do, every day, to help our Mother.
Reduce/Re-Use/Recycle

Treehugger.com
Visible Earth: Nasa images of our home planet
Sundance Channel's The Green
What is Earth Day?
National Wildlife Federation
The Nature conservancy: Carbon Impact Calculator
World Wildlife Fund: What are you doing for Earth Day?
Plants for a Future:Links
Kyoto Protocol
An Inconvenient Truth
Dean's Beans Coffee: 100% Organic & Fair Trade

Ginger is my friend

Ginger (Singiber officinalis) has been a lifesaver for me this past week. To be more specific, ginger candy. The IV steroid treatments I'm going thru leave a really bad metallic taste in my mouth after the IV has been running for about 30 minutes. It really tastes like I have been sucking on dirty quarter coins. Blehh! This has generally lasted about 24 hours, or just in time for my next treatment. I have found that citrus flavored things like juice and Starburst brand jelly beans help for a few minutes, but didn't do much for my stomach. Because I've been pretty out of it in general, I asked around a bit if anyone knew what might help. I should've thought of it myself because I use ginger in my tea formulas, but it never occurred to me to use it for this.
My friend, Kate, at TeaNoir, suggested the ginger and she was so right! it really helps the taste and the nausea I've been having immediately after the treatments. I'm sure that these would also help for anyone undergoing chemo treatments.

Kate said that ginger Altoids were really effective. Well, I couldn't find those, but I did get some ginger candy by these folks, GingerPeople. I liked these because they are individually wrapped so I can pop them into my purse. Of course, you could also get some bulk crystallized ginger at your local healthy grocer.

In my Throat & Cough Soother Organic Tea, I use powdered ginger as a circulatory stimulant and expectorant. It's good for cutting chills in the body if eaten in a meal, or taken as a tea when you are sick. Ginger oil or a poultice is also good to use in topical applications for rheumatic aches and pains. When massaged into the body, it brings blood to the area and increases circulation.

I think that I will have to take another look into cooking with fresh ginger root. I'm one of those people who always buy a piece of ginger, and then it sits in the back of my veggie bin in the fridge until it shrivels into nothing.

I haven't been able to think about eating anything fishy since I started the steroids. Once I get done with these treatments, I'm thinking shrimp, ginger and snow peas! I also found a recipe for Ginger and oatmeal muffins. Yum! If you have a good recipe with ginger, I'd love to see it! Post it in the comments!

Witches' Almanac

What if you could find a book, an almanac, that contained this year's planetary aspects, climatological info and planting times, moon phases, stories and lore about the natural world, and a list of all the special days that a witch might need to be aware of? This might be a real find, right?

Well, now you can!

The Witches' Almanac has been in production since 1971. I have been buying this annually since 1998. The yearly editions span from Spring Equinox to Spring Equinox, and generally become available during the preceding Winter.

Every year there is a different focus or theme. Last year, the focus was on the element of Air. This year, it is about Water.

From the website, http://www.thewitchesalmanac.com/index.html
"The 2007-2008 edition celebrates the element of Water. Its theme embraces the magic of Sacred Wells and Charms for Neptune’s Favors. We explore the water rites of Fiji, the tarot’s Death card, seashell charms, gypsies, freemasonry and much more. This issue also proudly boasts an interview with the late Elizabeth Pepper, founder of the Witches’ Almanac. Arcane symbols and intriguing graphic images are always a part of every issue."

I really like the astrological work in the Almanac. Each sign has an in depth look at when different planets and aspects will enter your sign, and then there are sections for each aspect of your life, including health, finance, spirituality, and love. This covers 2 full pages for each sign. There is also a handy list of the retrograde planetary motions, and what they may mean for you. For example, the next Mercury retrograde cycle is from June 16- July 10th.

Other articles in this year's Almanac include "Wine & Ritual Libation" with a recipe for Witches Sangria! There's a nice meditation on the spirals of a Nautilus, as well as the sacred geometry of a Nautilus shell. There are many other pages of interest relating to magick and lore, both fun and useful.

You can usually find the Witches' Almanac for sale at your local pagan or new Age shop, or you can order it directly from their website, listed above. This is a reference work I keep in my magickal toolbox every year. I find it helpful, and I love the beautiful & unusual graphics in every issue. I think you'll like it, too!

With a Little Luck

With A Little Luck By Paul McCartney

With A Little Luck, We Can Help It Out.
We Can Make This Whole Damn Thing Work Out.
With A Little Love, We Can Lay It Down.
Can't You Feel The Town Exploding?
There Is No End To What We Can Do Together.
There Is No End, There Is No End. The Willow
Turns His Back On Inclement Weather;
And If He Can Do It, We Can Do It, Just Me And You,

And A Little Luck, We Can Clear It Up.
We Can Bring It In For A Landing,
With A Little Luck, We Can Turn It On.
There Can Be No Misunderstanding.
There Is No End To What We Can Do Together.
There Is No End, There Is No End.
The Willow Turns His Back On Inclement Weather;
We Can Do It, Just Me And You.

With A Little Push, We Could Set It Off.
We Can Send It Rocketing Skywards.
With A Little Love, We Could Shake It Up.
Don't You Feel The Comet Exploding?
With A Little Luck. With A Little Luck.

With A Little Luck, A Little Luck, A Little Luck.
With A Little Luck. With A Little Luck.
With A Little Luck, A Little Luck, A Little Luck.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for all your kind words & wishes.

Love,

tracyw

Hoppity Easter to You! Blessed Ostara!

Etsy's Earthpath Artisans Street Team!

I'd like to introduce the Earthpath Artisans Street Team of Etsy.com!
We're a group of people who walk similar alternative spiritual paths, focusing our beliefs in the world of Nature. Our team membership encompasses different Goddess-based traditions, as well as Taoism, Buddhism, and similar paths. Our shops reflect who we are as complete person, our talents and interests, not only our spirituality.

We have two dozen(and growing)wonderfully talented artisans on our team. Please take a few minutes to check out their shops on Etsy.com, linked below. Thanks for looking!

Ahna ~ Art Created
ArtisticJen
Dragon's Den
Ellen Shipley Hand Prints
FaerWear
Fools & Jewels
J Westerman, Maker of Things
M. Sotherden Art Glass
Pathworks by Axcelle
Plastic Pumpkin Designs
Silver Frog Designs
Souly Stones Jewelry
Art of Meredith Dillman
Triplelle Designs
Three Ravens ~ Xiane
Nature's Treasures ~ Pat Reeves
Her Royal Majesty Bags
Establish Balance Jewelry
Shakti Studios
Martinsville Emporium
Celtic Goddess Jewelry
Lunachick Designs
Liz Staley's Realm of Nerdiness
Summer Sea Herbs

Paris in the Springtime

Well, this afternoon I have to take my mother to the airport, as she is off to the "City of Lights", Paris, France. I am sitting here wishing that I could go, but I can't this trip. However, I did go to Paris a few years ago, and I wanted to share some of the photos I took.
Have you traveled out of the US? Let me know where you've been!

Gearing up!

With the new Spring energy in the air, I seem to finally be shaking off the Winter's doldrums. I've been having a hard time getting myself organized, and moving forward with ideas. sigh. But I seem to have gotten some wind in my sails, and am feeling refreshed! I'm hopeful now about getting some things done, both personal and professional, that have been sitting on the back burner for quite awhile.

I have been working on some new products to bring to market, and the end is in sight. I have a couple of new teas, some nice herbal pillows, a lot more flower essences, and some bath products. Of course, making all of these things is something I love to do! However, it's all the administrative stuff that goes with putting a new product out there that always seems to slow me down! Each new product has to have the proper packaging, the labels designed and printed, decent photos taken and edited, and the descriptions written. Decisions, decisions, decisions! Wish I could just wave my magic wand over the lot of it and have it be done! LOL!

I'm also going to be finally getting back to doing some crafting again.
I'm looking forward to playing with polymer clay for the first time, and also stretching my wings a bit with some more multi-media collage art projects.
I'll post some things here as I get them done.

So, what has Spring sprung free in you?