Hi, folks!
Good heavens! That’s an appropriate feast, this year at least!
It’s dripping steadily, not hard, just steadily. Almost all the snow is gone. There’s really only a little in the backyard next door where it was drifting. The official reports are that we got 3.5 inches, yesterday. I didn’t think I saw that much, but it’s possible. Now, the *forecast* is bizarre. We’re under a winter storm warning for snow and freezing rain, but all the of the forecasts are for well above freezing now, both high and low temps. I don’t understand?
Yesterday as I was getting the word out about the shop being closed until the snow quit, it looked like a snowglobe outside the window. We went back to bed. Tempus was exhausted by his fight with the snow, trying to get papers delivered. When I got back up at noon, it was really bright outside, but it had stopped snowing. He didn’t get up until almost 1:30 and scolded me for letting him sleep.
I worked on the cookbook for the feast, trying to get it into final form. For a limited time you can get a copy of the cookbook for $1, electronic delivery in PDF or Word format. I’ll post details of that on Sunday or Monday…and it’ll be for about a month and then the price will go up. Once the cookbook is in final form, then I have to make a copy to turn into the shopping/bring this list. I asked Tempus to do some of the small tasks for the day, like hard-boiling eggs for garnish and setting up the rye bread.
By about 3pm it was raining steadily and around 4:35 the sun was out for about 3 minutes…
I got the rye bread out and rising, right around dark, when Tempus was talking back and forth with his boss about the paper route this morning. It took forever rising again…. but it was finally ready to bake, and then, peeling the foil off of the spiced nuts the tin went flying. Gah…. Thankfully it was only the start of ’em, and most were still in the pan! The outside edges broke up well, but we had to freeze the middle to get the foil off. I always forget to butter it.
We had a chicken soup for supper and turned in because Tempus had no idea what time he was going to be out running the paper route, so planned on trying for the usual time. I was obsessively watching the satellite all day….
There was a bang in the backyard that woke me up at around 11:30, so I finished the shopping list for Tempus this morning, just in time that the printing of it made him late, and then went back to bed. Never did figure out what made the noise…
Since all of yesterday’s running around got pre-empted by the snow, today is likely to be insane. Tempus has to do the shopping run (and it’s a long list) this morning, (he’s still at the store, past 10am) then we’re supposed to take his car for repairs (which may wait for Monday), the shop has to open, then I have to come home and find all the finished stuff for the feast and get it to the studio, then I have to come back and make/cook/bake more stuff!
Interesting debate, even if predictable.
Today’s plant is Partridge Berry, (Mitchella repens) – Caution: There are similar-looking berries that are deadly. Don’t wildcraft unless you’re certain. Common Names: Squaw Vine. Description: Evergreen. Woodland Creeper. This vine flowers in Spring with fragrant white trumpet-shaped flowers. The vine grows about 6 to 12″ high, creeping through moss around old tree stumps. The leaves are thick, very shiny, and heart-shaped. In the Fall, bright scarlet berries form that last all winter, unless they are eaten by birds and deer. They are tasteless, but can serve as a survival food. Partridge berries grow wild in bogs and barrens. They store, cook, and freeze perfectly and they have a beautiful, deep red colour. Used as a women’s medicine to promote easy childbirth (don’t use until the last minute as another use is an abortifacient!) sometimes in tea or a jelly form and also for urinary disorders. – Feminine, Earth, Saturn, – Carry leaves in a sachet of green cloth to help with “female trouble” of all sorts, except during pregnancy. Add a piece of red jasper, if possible. In the last week of pregnancy carry dried flowers or berries in a red cloth sachet to ease childbirth. Carry dried berries in orange cloth to ease mucous discharges and to help with nervous irritability.
The Sapporo Snow Festival is neither ancient, nor religious, but it’s *fun*! It started in 1950 and has grown to a big event that brings sculptors from all over to participate. This pictures is some of the ice sculptures. More here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapporo_Snow_Festival Pictures here: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Sapporo_Snow_Festival
The shop opens at 11am, but it’s possible we’ll be late due to this insane weather! We’re going to be closed on Saturday for the SCA-type feast, as well. Winter hours are 11am-5pm Thursday through Monday, altough closing time is drifting later with the longer days. Need something off hours? Give us a call at 541-563-7154 or Facebook or email at ancientlight@peak.org If we’re supposed to be closed, but it looks like we’re there, try the door. If it’s open, the shop’s open! In case of bad weather, check here at the blog for updates, on our Facebook as Ancient Light, or call the shop.
Love & Light,
Anja
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Today’s Astro & Calendar
The Moon is Waxing Gibbous. Waxing Moon Magick – The waxing moon is for constructive magick, such as love, wealth, success, courage, friendship, luck or healthy, protection, divination. Any working that needs extra power, such as help finding a new job or healings for serious conditions, can be done now. Also, love, knowledge, legal undertakings, money and dreams. Waxing Gibbous Moon – From seven to fourteen days after the new moon. For spells that need concentrated work over a ¼ moon cycle this is the best time for constructive workings. Aim to do the last working on the day of the Full moon, before the turn. Keywords for the Gibbous phase are: analyze, prepare, trust. It is the time in a cycle to process the results of the actions taken during the First Quarter. During this phase you are gathering information. Give up making judgments; it will only lead to worry. Your knowledge is incomplete. Laugh. Analyze and filter. LOOK WITHIN. God/dess aspect: Maiden/Youth, but in the uncommitted phase, the Warriors Associated God/desses: Dion, Dionysius, Venus, Thor. Phase ends at the Full on 2/14 at 3:53pm.
This season, Jupiter turns the Winter Triangle into a bigger, brighter Winter Diamond! Its bottom is Sirius, its two side corners are Betelgeuse and Procyon, and Jupiter forms its top. The diamond tilts leftward in early evening, then stands vertically in the south around 10 p.m. (depending on your location).
Uranus (magnitude 5.9, in Pisces) can still be located in the west-southwest right after dark. Finder chart http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/highlights/Uranus-and-Neptune-in-2013-190064991.html
Supernova in M82 peaks at magnitude 10.5, nicely visible in amateur telescopes. Catch it before the waxing Moon starts brightening the sky after about February 2nd or 3rd. See our updated article, Supernova in M82 Reaches Its Peak. http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/home/Bright-Supernova-in-M82-241477661.html
Goddess Month of of Bridhe, runs from 1/23 – 2/19
Celtic Tree month of Luis/Rowan – Jan 21-Feb 17 – Luis (LWEESH)/rowan
Runic half-month of Elhaz/Algiz, from 1/28-2/11. This half month: optimistic power, protection and sanctuary. Runic half-month of Sowulo/ Sigel, 2/12-26 It represents the power of the force of good throughout the world and is the harbinger of victory and ascendancy over darkness.
Sun in Aquarius
Moon in Taurus enters Gemini at 10:44am
Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Chiron Retrograde
Color: ?
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©2014 M. Bartlett, Some parts separately copyright
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Luis/Rowan – Jan 21-Feb 17 – Luis (LWEESH)/rowan – The rowan, or mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia L.) is related to serviceberries. The red berries were historically used to lure birds into traps, and the specific epithet aucuparia comes from words meaning “to catch a bird”. Birds are also responsible for dispersing the seeds. Rowans thrive in poor soils and colonize disturbed areas. In some parts of Europe they are most common around ancient settlements, either because of their weedy nature or because they were planted. Rowans flower in May. They grow to 15 m (50 feet) and are members of the Rose family (Rosaceae). They are cultivated in North America, especially in the northeast.
Luis – Rowan Ogam letter correspondences
Month: December
Color: Grey and Red
Class: Peasant
Letter: L
Meaning: Controlling your life; Protection against control by others.
Quert – Apple Ogam letter correspondences to study this month
Month: None
Color: Green
Class: Shrub
Letter: Q
Meaning: A choice must be made
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Tides for Alsea Bay
F 7 High 6:06 AM 7.7 7:27 AM Set 1:51 AM 50
~ 7 Low 1:15 PM 1.3 5:34 PM Rise 11:47 AM
~ 7 High 7:30 PM 5.5
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Affirmation/Thought for the Day – Buy Your Self Flowers.
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Journal Prompt – Auto-Biographical narrative – Has religion played a role in your life? How?
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Quotes
~ You can’t give people pride, but you can provide the kind of understanding that makes people look to their inner strengths and find their own sense of pride. – Mother Charleszetta Waddles (1912-2001) US nun
~ The struggle ends when the gratitude begins. – Neale Donald Walsch
~ [While] solipsism may be logically consistent with present quantum mechanics, monism in the sense of materialism is not. – Eugene Wigner (1902-1995) Hungarian-born US physicist
~ This wallpaper is killing me; one of us has got to go. – Oscar Wilde, Irish author and dramatist, said to be his dying words
Doctors and scientists said that breaking the four-minute mile was impossible, that one would die in the attempt. Thus, when I got up from the track after collapsing at the finish line, I figured I was dead. – Roger Bannister, after becoming the first person to break the four minute mile, 1952.
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Magicks for Valentines (Crafts to do now!)
For the Love of Waterlily: a Bath Fizzy Tutorial (from SoapQueen) http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/bath-fizzies/for-the-love-of-waterlily-a-bath-fizzy-tutorial/
Love is in the air and we couldn’t be happier. February is one of my favorite times of the year because Valentine’s Day lands in the middle of it and there are always so many fun projects that you can do for it. Still on the lookout for more Valentine’s projects? Check out this V-Day mashup for more inspiration. http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/valentines-day-mashup/
Recipe:
1 cup Citric Acid
2 cups Baking Soda
4 Tablespoons Kaolin Clay
1/4 cup Epsom Salt
2 Tablespoons Deodorized Cocoa Butter, melted
9 mL Waterlily Orange Fragrance Oil
Cantaloupe LaBomb Colorant
Gurlie Pink LaBomb Colorant
Witch Hazel
Simple Heart Mold
ONE: Measure out the Citric Acid, Baking Soda and Kaolin Clay into a large bowl.NOTE: Citric Acid and even Baking Soda can tickle your nose, so if you’re sensitive you might want to wear a mask for this project.
TWO: Place a mesh colander over a second large bowl. Sift the clumpy ingredients through the mesh colander. Set the empty bowl aside (but keep it handy, we’ll be using it again soon!).
THREE: Add the Epsom Salt to the powders and mix well.
FOUR: Melt and add the Deodorized Cocoa Butter. Mix in well, making sure there are no clumps. TIP: Using the fine edge of a cheese grater to shave off enough Cocoa Butter for this project will make melting a snap!
FIVE: Add 9 mL Waterlily Orange Fragrance Oil and mix until there are no more clumps.
SIX: Grab the empty bowl from earlier and split the mixture into two about-equal parts (you can totally eyeball it!). Color one half with 5-10 drops of Cantaloupe LaBomb Colorant, and the other half with 5-10 drops of Gurlie Pink LaBomb Colorant. Mix the colorants in until there are no more clumps. NOTE: What you see is what you get with Bath Bomb colorants, so if you’d like a brighter color, add more LaBomb colorant until you’re happy. Keep in mind, though, that the more colorant you use, the more likely the colorant will color the bathwater when the fizzy is used. My son happens to love it when that happens! Click here to read more about LaBomb colorant usage rates to get that perfect color.
SEVEN: Spray each of the bowls of fizzy mix with Witch Hazel and mix until the moisture is just enough to allow the fizzy mix to clump when you squeeze a fistful of it.
EIGHT: Get your Simple Heart Mold and two bowls of fizzy mix arranged in an easily accessible way. Grab a handful of each color, one in each hand, and drop the mix into the heart mold a little bit at a time, alternating colors. After each hand is empty, press the mix until the mold. Repeat until each cavity is full.
NINE: Once each cavity is full, this mix will allow you to unmold them very quickly! Grab a plate or other flat object, and place face-down on top of the mold. Flip the plate and the mold together, and slowly lift the mold from the plate. Reuse the mold until all of your fizzy mix is used up. Try not to move the bath bombs for a while – the reason they are able to unmold so quickly is because they are quite soft. I was able to make 9 bath bombs with this recipe!
TEN: Allow the bath bombs to sit overnight and harden. Use right away as an indulgent treat, or wrap ‘em up for your favorite Valentine!
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Silliness – – This is a compilation of all the versions of this that I could find! I’d like to credit “Syn” on the RadFae list for the most of it.
Why did the Chicken Cross the Road? Part 2
Eclectic: Because it seemed right to her at the time. She used some Egyptian style corn and a Celtic sounding word for the road and incorporated some Native American elements into her Corn-name, Chicken-Who-Dances-and-Runs-with-the-Wolves.
Feri: In twilight times and under sparkling stars, those properly trained can still see the chickens crossing the roads. Reconnecting with these “fey-fowl” as they cross is crucial to restoring the balance between the energies of modern development and living with the earth.
Family Traditional: Growing up, we didn’t think much about “crossing the road.” A chicken was a chicken. It crossed the road because that was what worked to get her to the other side. We focused on what worked, and we worked more with the elders of the barnyard and less with all this “guardians of the chickencoop” business. We didn’t get our concepts of “chickens” or “the other side” from Gardner, either. You can choose not to believe us since we did not “scratch down” on paper what was clucked to us orally (which, at certain times in history, was the only way to avoid becoming Easter chicken soup!), but that doesn’t change the facts: there were real chickens, and they really did cross the road!
Kitchen Witch: The chicken crossed the road to get food, to get a rooster, or to get away from me after I decided to have chicken for supper!
Left Hand Path: White, fluffy chickens prancing across the road! Do you think that is all there is to crossing the road? Do you dare to know the dark side of crossing the road and the other path to self-development?
New Age: The chicken crossed the road because she chose this as one of her lessons to learn in this life. Besides, there was so much incense and bright, white corn to explore on the Other Side.
Discordian: Cock-a-Doooodle-Doooooooooooo!!!
Newbie: well, ’cause I read in this really kewl book that said, like, chickens are supposed to cross the road, right?
Posting on an Online Discussion Group: What do you mean “why did the chicken cross the road?”???!!!??? Haven’t you read **any** of the previous posts? We’ve been [expletive deleted] debating every word of that question, painstakingly trying to come to some kind of answer. I know you wrote “all i wnted to know was why chickens cross the road, i’m not looking for any chicken spells” but I’m fed up with newbies who can’t even bother to REEEEEEEEAAADDD the posts on that very topic! No, this is *not* a flame. But, I and several others here have the *maturity* to properly explore and respond to this question, and IMHO we were properly trained; we *didn’t* just read a book and think we were full-fledged chickens LOL (whew, feeling much better after ranting ;-D )
Radical Faeries: We Fowlies are Gay cocks and other Queer birds who flock together to explore our unique ways of dodging traffic and hatching eggs of cluck-CLUCK consciousness. Some Fowlies roost in cock-only coops. Some roost in panfeather coops where Gay cocks frolic with roosters who prefer other monikers to describe themselves, as well as hens and chicks, and chickens who choose not to be called roosters or hens, and beings who choose not to be called poultry. Fowlies often attempt to create community out of ritual, sharing and cooperation, except for those Fowlies who are attempting to create community out of subversion of process and structure, as well as some who simply enjoy clucking around celebrating chaos, chicanery, and chic enthusiasm. Sometimes we peck at each other, lose our heads, and then bake more quiche. Many Fowlies are “spiritual,” lifting all or part of their road from any one of the world’s religions or spiritualities whereas some find their road in reacting against spirituality and religion as its own evil. Some Fowlies love to get gussied up and display their plumage in the woods, some like to flaunt their feathers anywhere they can, and some Fowlies don’t look particularly different from chickens on any other street. Sometimes Fowlies stay up until cockcrow to drum, strut and cluck by a campfire, while some cross the road to get far away from all the squawking and get some sleep. This is what Fowlies are, except for Fowlies for which none of this applies.
Reclaiming: “Didn’t we settle this in the November meeting?” ….”Yeah, why do we have to keep revisiting consensus all the time?” ….”Actually, in November we decided that the chicken did cross the road, but we ran out of time for why.” ….”Well, I think the chicken came before the egg.” ….”Can we stick to the point here!? Was it an organic free-range chicken, or did it escape from one of those awful factory farms?” ….”OK, everybody—breathe!! Remember that we’re here for all the chickens.” ….”I see lots of hands. Pondweed, then Mudflap, then …”
Solitaire: The chicken didn’t want to be part of a coven or an oven.
Shaman: Crossing the road is a way to reconnect with the healing, visionary lifeways of the past. Chickens have long known this, but increasingly the Rooster’s Movement is adding more roosters to the crossings too.
Snert: Hey, are you guys really chickens? Can you give me a spell that will make a chicken cross the road?
Vodun: After the feast we gather in silence. On the ground, a mambo draws the gatekeeper’s sacred veve with cornmeal while several drops of rum are offered. At the syncopated signal of the drums and rattles, we call to the guardian of the crossroads: “Papa Legba!! Open the gate for me!! Ago eh!! Open the gate for me, Papa!! For me to pass, when I return, I will thank the Lwa!” Offerings are made: tobacco, sweet potatoes, plantains. Then, seizing the black rooster, with one hand on its head, the houngan wrings its neck. The remaining chickens wait anxiously with us for the other Lwa to arrive as the drummers and dancers continue to ride the waves of ecstatic rhythm.
Wiccan: The chicken crossed the road because she felt like she was finally “coming home.” She could do it alone or with others, but she had to call to the Guardians of the Watchtowers of the Barnyard first … uhm, after casting the circle.
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