Sunday Social: Books

This is something I have never tried before... So I'm going to be social today! And let you guys in on a little bit of mundane, well sort of, life. :)

This week's questions:

My favorite childhood book: Um, I am a huge bookworm, like huge. I read every Nancy Drew novel over one summer vacation. The first novel I ever read was Charlotte's Web. My favorite little kid book is The Giving Tree. So I gave you several.. Like I said, I am a total bookworm.

Favorite book lately: Let's see.. I will answer this in two parts.. My favorite witchy book is a toss up between Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Stones, Crystals, and Metals and A Practical Guide to THE RUNES by Lisa Peschel. My favorite non-witchy books are Thy Fearful Symmetry by Richard Wright, it was a kindle freebie and I couldn't put it down! I am a huge huge huge fan of Daniel Quinn. Ishmael and The Story of B are two of my favorite books ever!

Book you wish you could live in: It would have to be one of my witchy books, because otherwise I read as an escape. So I wouldn't want to be in any of the for fun books because, apparently, I am weird. lol.

If you could be any character from any book and why: Sheesh, this is a hard one... How about Sookie Stackhouse from the True Blood series? Why, cause I think it would just be fun... And it so isn't me. lol.

Favorite book turned movie: The Color Purple. Hands down. Phenomenal book, phenomenal movie... So many movies lose the feeling and poetry in translation.. 

Favorite magazines: I don't read magazines. Again, cause I'm weird. lol.

Are the Magicks Magick?

Merry Meet!

Thanks a witchy life for the photo!

I am so torn on whether or not to include the boys in my witchiness. Big magick is obsessed with birthday parties and blowing out candles. Any time I do a spell involving candles, he begs to blow them out. So after profuse apology to the universe, I let him. And as soon as his attention is diverted, I light them again. Which then leads to more begging, and more re-lighting. So, it's not surprising that a few of my spells have somewhat missed the mark recently. Haha.

He shows a bit of talent as an empath. He is exceptionally aware of emotion and when people are not feeling well. Which, at his age, is a little surprising. Even when he was younger he was very in tune with people emotionally. It is very hard to hide stress from him. Believe me, I have tried.

Little magick is showing an ability to see spirits. We had a really cool thing happen the other day, little magick and I were home alone. I was washing dishes and he was playing quietly in the floor. A cold breeze hit me in the face, not once, but twice. I jokingly said, "If there's anyone here, I am going to need more than you blowing my hair around." Little magick turned and walked toward the front door saying "hi!" over and over. He looked back at me, grinning.

It seems that they both have a bit of natural ability. It will be interesting to see how that turns out. I don't purposely include them in work, but they're always around. Little magick sits on my hip while I boil herbs for prosperity. Big magick likes to look at my stones and blow out candles... I guess my magicks are magick after all.

Best Cold Medicine..... EVER.

Merry Meet!

So, for the past week and a half we've all been bouncing around this almost cold business. Finally it has settled on who else? The parents, of course! The Magicks are running around like crazed monkeys hopped up on Mountain Dew because they feel better.... and we feel worse. Lol.

Photo credit rootsofhealthyliving.com

To escape the madness for a while, I popped over to a local new age shop. She has the most awesome collection of herbs, I knew I could find something there. We chatted for a bit about the household sickies and she suggested that I make Elderberry Syrup. She said it was delicious and kept her healthy through a particularly bad flu season. I was sold. Here is the recipe that I got from Crunchy Betty (if you don't follow her blog, you should!! www.Crunchybetty.com)



Elderberry-Echinacea Syrup Recipe
1/2 c. dried elderberries (or 1 cup fresh)
2 Tbsp dried echincacea (it’s perfectly fine to open an echinacea tea bag and use that)
1 Tbsp dried ginger root (or 2 Tbsp fresh ginger root)
1-2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half (I used ground, about 1/2 tsp)
1-2 Tbsp dried peppermint (my own addition)
Several dried cloves (also, my own addition.. I think I threw in half a dozen or so)
3 c. distilled water
3/4 c. raw honey

Directions:
First, sterilize everything you will be using to make your syrup. This is just good practice since you don't want any little bacteria monsters hanging out in your yummy syrup! Boiling all utensils for about 10 minutes will do the trick!

Now, take everything EXCEPT THE HONEY, DON'T PUT THE HONEY IN THE POT!!!! and dump it in your pot, stir and stir. Get your mixture warmed up to a simmer, just let everything go for about 45 minutes or until the liquid is reduced by half.. Mine didn't take quite 45 minutes, so keep an eye on it. You'll also want to stir occasionally and mash the elderberries against the side of the pot with your spoon to really release their goodness.

After the liquid is reduced, you'll need to strain it. Use a fine mesh sieve or cheese cloth. Crunchy Betty used her french press, clever girl...  You will end up with a dark brownish-red liquid. It looks kind of like prune juice but it smells divine. Do not drink it yet... I hear it is pretty tart at this stage.

Thanky Crunchy Betty!

Let it cool just a bit and then stir into your honey. The way I went about this was to put my honey in the jar while the liquid cooled and then pour the elderberry liquid right into the jar. Then stir and stir and stir!! Make sure everything is stirred up so you don't end up with the honey and juice separating.

I let it cool for a while then put my lid on and popped it in the fridge. The whole family loves it! Little Magick said "please!!" as soon as he saw the jar come out of the fridge this morning!

Wellnessmama.com suggests dosage of 1/2-1 tsp for kids, and 1/2-1 Tbsp for adults. If you get sick with a cold or flu, take normal dosage every 2-3 hours until symptoms clear.

I am LOVING learning to heal myself and my family with gifts from the Earth. This is such a wonderful journey to be on... I can't wait to be able to get rid of the everyday otc medicines we all stock. I will be restocking my medicine cabinet with some fte medicines! From The Earth, baby!!

Just so you know, I am not a doctor. I don't even play one on TV. If you are seriously ill, please seek appropriate medical attention.

Rockin' Tuesday

Merry Meet!

It is my favorite post of the week! It's Rockin' Tuesday, where I take a stone or crystal and give you a little bit of info on it! I get most of my information from Scott Cunningham and crystalsandjewelry.com. Next week the format will be a bit different as I have found a cool new resource, lunasgrimoire.com. But, battling a sore throat today, I am not going to try to go as in depth as I will start to next week.

Our stone today is the diamond!

Thanks Diamond-key.com

The diamond is associated with the Sun and the element of Fire. It is used for protection and courage and also to promote spirituality.

A diamonds flashing nature has caused it to be regarded as a stone of protection. It is also a stone of courage, with a history of being set in steel rings with the stone touching the skin in Roman times.

Diamonds can be worn to promote spirituality. It can be used in meditation and scrying.

Diamonds are not love stones, they are however, worn to ensure fidelity.

Just a reminder, I am not a doctor. If you have serious health conditions, you should seek the attention of a licensed medical professional. I truly believe in the power of stones for healing, but I also believe in medical attention when it is necessary.

Don't Stick Yer Politics Where They Aren't Welcome!

Merry Meet!

Courtesy of renew-daily

Ah, so I am a little frazzled at present. I hate politics. Haaaaaaate politics. Loathe. Abhor. Facebook has become treacherous, thinly veiled threats posted by this person at that party, everyone taking a side on what can never be agreed on.. And I normally stay out. Normally.

This election has me spooked. I am a liberal. I mean, have you ever heard of a Republican Witch? If you're out there, please introduce yourself!! I have TONS of questions! And I swear, I am not being patronizing or condescending. I really want to understand how that works. Back to the point. I am liberal. I think your body is your business to do whatever you want with. I don't want you all up in my lady bits, so I will stay out of yours. Marry whom you want. So long as your faith doesn't harm others, practice it freely! And *gasp* I even think that public assistance is good when it helps a mom feed her kids while she's working her way through college...All of this talk of "legitimate rape" and the Christian right being the only right way has me terrified. I may be considering moving this little band of heathens across a border if the election swings a certain way, no joke.

So, this morning there was a thread on Facebook that I jumped into swinging. It was about an issue that really should only be discussed by men when this statement is coming outta their mouth, "you know what? I don't know what it feels like to be your gender, so I will keep my big oafish mouth shut." It ended up being a moot point because the gentleman, I use that term loosely, ended up admitting that he is using and living on some of the systems he so vehemently is against. And he's a man. So he has no right to argue. I am pretty sure that my dear readers can figure out the topic of the argument. I just wanted to say to him, "Don't stick yer politics where they aren't welcome!!! LIKE MY VAGINA!"

Sorry for the angry, ranty post. Thanks for letting me get it out. No more, I promise.

Short unscheduled vacation

Merry Meet!

Sorry I haven't posted anything this week after Tuesday! My house has caught a cold. I am spending time with the Magicks, trying to keep the flow of snot to a minimum. I will be back next week starting with our weekly Rock-in' Tuesday post.

Rock-in' Tuesday

Merry Meet!!

It's Tuesday! This is quickly becoming my favorite post of the week. I love crystals and stones so much.. I am taking most of my information from Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem, and Metal Magic. I have also included an interesting tidbit here and there from the crystals and jewelry website they have a cool pdf that you can download and use for quick reference.

I am going to go backward today and talk about Citrine. I should have done it last week but my brains were somewhere else. lol. Its the month of Samhain and orange is all the rage. So let's start this month off right with a brilliant orange crystal!

Photo credit to beyond the psychic veil

Citrine:
It is related to the element of Fire and the Sun. It is used to promote success and abundance. It can also help to prevent nightmares.

It's nickname is the "merchant's stone" because it helps promote success in business. Place a stone in the cash register of your business to bring in more customers. Along with bringing abundance, it encourages generosity with the new prosperity.

Wear this beautiful stone at night to help improve sleep and prevent nightmares.

This is one stone that my collection is lacking! I need to go rock shoppin'! Have you used a citrine to help your business? Has it helped? Share your experiences!

Just a reminder, I am not a doctor. If you have serious health conditions, you should seek the attention of a licensed medical professional. I truly believe in the power of stones for healing, but I also believe in medical attention when it is necessary.