Hedge, Hearth, Green, Kitchen … I’m Confused!

I shared this article on the blog's Facebook page and I wanted to share it here to for those of you who are not following us yet. Walking the Hedge wrote a wonderful article explaining the difference between a hedgewitch, greenwitch, hearthwitch, kitchenwitch, cottagewitch and others. It is very concise and a great read for anyone confused as to what the differences are. You can find the article here.

I hope this article clears things up. If you still have questions, feel free to ask in the comments, on Facebook, or via email.

Finding and Storing Crystals

Most witches believe that you don't find a crystal or stone; it finds you. Most often this is done in stores, but some are found in riverbeds, quarries, forests, beaches, or even rock & mineral shows.

When you begin looking for crystals, you need to pay close attention to which ones attract you most strongly. You can do this by simply holding the crystal and feeling its energy or by meditating with the crystal. Because they have been around for hundreds of years, some crystals' energy is extremely low; it can take time to receive a message. Other times you will know instantly if a crystal is right for you. Furthermore, you may walk in looking for quartz, but walk out with amethyst. Sometimes the crystal calling you is not actually for you, but someone you know. You'll know very quickly if this is the case because you will feel the need to give the crystal away. You may also leave empty handed, finding no crystal in the store that speaks to you. I have walked out of stores empty handed several times. Don't be deterred if you don't find what you are looking for during your first trip. It is best to find magical tools, including crystals, that resonate with you as these will bring about the most powerful magic.

If you're looking for crystals, you needn't find the prettiest or even the clearest, unless you intend to use the stone for scrying. Crystals with cloudy "ghosts" or other mineral inclusions carry more powerful energy than those without. Again, buy the crystal that feels right to you, even if its "cheaper" or "uglier" than the others. A cheaper/more expensive stone you can't relate to is not worth the money.

Once you have purchased/found your crystal, you will need to cleanse it. Crystals are extremely sensitive to energy, and each person that touches them affects them. You don't want someone else's negative energy hanging around your crystals. Once cleansed, store your crystals in a cool, dark place away from others. You can keep them all together or divide them up; its up to you. No matter how you store them, you will still need to periodically cleanse them because they soak up the energy around them.

I have my crystals stored in glass jars in our spare bedroom. Where do you keep yours? Where is your favorite place to find crystals?

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Mabon Dinner Party

Last night I threw a small dinner party to celebrate the coming of Fall. I honestly can't wait for it to arrive and the weather to cool off. I know that Mabon is officially September 23, but I am not throwing a party on a Tuesday night. No one would come.

Unfortunately I didn't photograph any of the food or the night's festivities. I had all the intentions in the world of laying out my gorgeous spread of fall foods (all vegan except the cheese platter I put together), and photographing it for your food porn pleasure, but I got so caught up in my dinner guests that I forgot. I apologize for that, but I will tell you we had a mushroom and leek nut loaf, sweet potato souffle, lima beans, mixed green salad with cranberries and pecans dressed with balsamic fig dressing, and a dutch apple pie. Of course fall beers were served along with red wine. We finished the night off with a hilarious game of Cards Against Humanity.

It was a wonderful celebration with friends, even though none of them are pagan or really knew what I was celebrating. In October, I will share some of these recipes with you so you can enjoy them at Samhain or Thanksgiving if you celebrate.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Mabon and keep a look out for my post on my fall decorations!

Recipe: Spiced Pumpkin Muffins

It's not quite fall yet, but it sure as hell feels like it in this house. I have started cooking and baking again, something I loathe doing in the Georgia summer, and I have about 20 pumpkin spiced candles burning. I can tell that the days are shortening and the heat is starting to subside. I am beyond happy. Fall is my favorite time of year by far. I wish I lived somewhere with milder summers. I think I would be much happier living in the Northeast, preferably Maine. But I digress. Today I would like to share my Spiced Pumpkin Muffin recipe. I made a batch over the weekend and they are oh so good.

Ingredients:
     3 cups all-purpose flour
     1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
     2 teaspoons baking soda
     2 teaspoons baking powder
     1 teaspoon salt
     2 cups of sugar
     1 can pumpkin puree
     Egg replacer for 4 eggs (or 4 eggs)
     1/2 cup water
     1/2-3/4 cup oil.
     Half a bag of chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Beat together sugar, egg replacer, pumpkin, water, and vegetable oil until smooth.
2. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Gradually beat into sugar mixture making sure there are no lumps. Fold in chocolate chips.
3. Fill lined muffin tins 3/4 of the way and bake for 16-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!

This makes between 20 and 24 muffins. When it comes to the oil, you can reduce it depending on the consistency of your mixture. If you put in part whole wheat and part all-purpose flour you will need more oil than if you just use all-propose.

I hope you enjoy the recipe and have a fantastic fall! We are having a dinner party tonight to celebrate Mabon early!