The Food and Medicine in Your Yard

One really fantastic thing you can do right now is learn about the plants we all like to call "weeds" that grow in our gardens and yards. You may be asking yourself, "Why would I care about weeds?

So the systems we've all adored and have grown comfortable with just aren't panning out. I won't talk about why, when we all know why and we're all tired of hearing about it.

Instead, let's focus on the most important things right now...

FOOD AND MEDICINE!

Both of which are growing all around you.

Notice & Warning: I am not a licensed anything at all! If you consume something or take any of this advice, you do so at your own risk. Be sure to perform your own tests to make sure you aren't allergic to something before you ingest it! I am not responsible for what you do with the information I give you. You alone are responsible for doing your own research on anything I present to you here. I am giving you general information for plants that may become useful to you, and it's up to you to research them and find out where you can get them.

It is spring time and many of these plants can be found, dried, and stored for medicinal uses. But keep in mind that the flowers especially are needed by pollinators to continue existing... So make sure you leave some for the bees and other important pollinators!

With that said, it may be more difficult for those living in large cities or concrete jungles to find these common plants, but not impossible if the need arises. The point here is to be informed about what you can take action to do in the event that you should need to.

Many of these plants can be found all over the United States, and so these are the ones I've chosen to present in this post. I will likely do a similar post for Louisiana specifically because that is where I live. I ecourage you to search for groups on facebook that focus on local foraging, what is edible, medicinal, and toxic, etc. Research your area and it's wildflowers and other plants that may be of use to you.

The first one I want to mention is one we all know. The Dandelion!

Taraxacum officinale, or Dandelion, has wonderful medicinal properties! The entire plant from root to flower is edible. The dried or fresh roots are often used to make tea, coffee, tinctures, decoctions, and salves. The flower can be used to make healing salves as well. It has been used to make treatments for stomach and liver issues, acne, high colesterol, diabetes, cancer, heartburn/indigestion, premenstrual bloat, and other bothersome problems. Photo from Pixabay.

Dead Nettle

Lamium purpureum is in the mint family and is sometimes confused with Stinging Nettle, which it certainly is not. Henbit can also be confused with Dead Nettle, but I'll talk about Henbit soon enough. Dead Nettle is completely edible, and can be use pretty much any way we would use any other greens as far as meal prep. What makes Dead Nettle so important right now is the fact that it is antibacterial, anti fungal, and anti-inflammatory. It can be used in poultices and salves for scrapes and cuts. It is also a great astringent and diuretic. So... Fantastic! I've read up on this plant and it seems that bees prefer this flower over others, so be sure not to take them all. Photo from Pixabay

Henbit

Lamium amplexicaule L., or Henbit, gets it's common name because chickens love it so much! Also another favorite choice for bees too. It reduces fevers and is super high in iron, fiber, and antioxidants which may encourage detoxing. The best ways to distinguish Henbit from Dead Nettle is that it's flowers generally point upwards, and it's leaves seem to wrap around the square stem in rings. Leaves, flowers, and stems of Henbit are edible, and a poultice of Hebit can treat many things such as cuts, burns, insect stings, and other ailments. Photo from pixabay.


Common Yellow Wood Sorrel

I tried to get a decent photo of sorrel. They are best identified at this time by their 3 green leaves in patches, but if you often confuse these with clover leaves, notice the long stem with yellow flowers that are still trying to bloom. Oxalis stricta, also called Lemon Clover or Sourgrass is edible! Ediblewildfood.com says "Wood sorrel is an incredible thirst quencher and is refreshing to eat. The leaves, flowers, and immature green seed pods are all edible having a mild sour flavour that some say resemble lemons. Wood sorrel can be added to salads, used in soups, sauces and it can also be used as a seasoning." Wood Sorrel is commonly used to treat Scurvy which is Vitamin C deficiency, as well as liver and digestive problems, and swollen gums. consuming Wood Sorrel is something of a debated subject and I have found warnings that it contains oxalic acid which could potentially damage organs, so do please do your own research on this plant before consuming, and come to your own conclusions. I add it to my salads on occasion and it tastes very good, and I've not personally had (or known anyone who's had) any serious complications because of it.


 Beaked Corn Salad

 Again, I tried to get a good photo that would show the forking stem, but I also found a great public domain image that illustrates Corn Salad for a clear look at how these stems fork upward. Valerianella olitoria of the Velarian family is edible and rich in Vitamins A, B, & C. I found a warning here: https://www.foragingtexas.com/2006/02/corn-salad.html about a very similar plant called Cudweed that one should NOT eat and be cautious of so study this plant before consuming.

Chickweed

 (Photo  posted to Flickr by John Tann at https://www.flickr.com/photos/31031835@N08/9642726485)

I encourage you to google this plant to get a better look at it. I couldn't find any in my yard just yet but I'm sure it's on it's way, or maybe I just couldn't see it because it's typical for our yard. Stem, leaves, flowers, and seeds of the  Stellaria media plant are edible. I've read that people who are allergic to daisies should not eat chickweed. The leaves are used to make herbal medicine for treating stomach problems such as constipation and bowel complications, asthma and lung disease, muscle and joint pain, skin irritations, and Vitamin C deficiency such as Scurvy. Please do research before ingesting any plant.

Cleavers

Galium aparine, also called Bedstraw, Sticky Weed, Catchweed, Goosegrass, and many other names, is commonly used for it's diuretic properties. It is edible, highly nutritious, and thought to be great for the lymphatic system.

Cleavers are said to disolve small kidney stones. It's also reported to be good for skin irritations such as psoriasis, and has been used for snake bites, spider bites, and other wounds. It was even used to heal cancer apparently.

There are so many fantastic uses for this herb! I found a wonderful site with much more information that you'll want to check out if you are interested in using this fairly common plant usually thought of as a nuisance.

You can find more info here:

https://www.rjwhelan.co.nz/herbs%20A-Z/cleavers.html

I've also read that it's a good idea to blanch Cleavers for eating, as it will get rid of the "Sticky hairs". 

Common Plantain

(Photo by Jesse Taylor found HERE.)

Plantain is one of those plants I seriously wish was growing in my yard! But my bestie Amiti mailed me some seeds and this year we'll have plenty of it! Plantago major is one of those "weeds" you are going to want to pay attention to! It is anti-viral, anti-microbial, anti-fungal, and an anti-inflammatory. It is an expectorant that soothes bug bites and stings as well. Not only that, but it's full of important Vitamins and Minerals such as Iron. All parts of this plant is edible.

Lyre-Leaf Sage

Hopefully you can see them good enough. Be sure to look them up if you're not certain! It's leaves toward the ground tend to have "purple veins", and the plant has a square stem. Salvia lyrata (also called Cancerweed) is a great source of Vitamin C. Dried leaves and flowers of the Lyre-Leaf Sage are used to make tea for treating coughs, colds, and digestive problems. The root is used to make poultices for wounds. It has a good amount of fiber, is used as a gentle laxative and natural "Gas-X", and antiacid. The entire plant is edible.

There is much more food and medicine to be discovered in your own yard, parks, woods (where you have permission to look). These are only a few, and I may add a new post with more plants later as well.

On the list of plants you should check out are also:

Perslane

Dewberries

Spiderwort

Mugwort

Pennywort

Ground Ivy

Cattails

Red Clover

White Clover

Wild Onions

Garlic Mustard

Miner's Lettuce

Stinging Nettle

Yarrow

Willow

Daisy Fleabane

Many of these plants and "Weeds" grow throughout the United States, and have many medicinal uses. And they are all edible!

If you're interested in learning more about foraging, I suggest joining a local foraging group. I've found one for Louisiana that is absolutely fantastic and I learned much just by scrolling and reading posts and comments. Join a group that will help you identify edible and non-edible plants. Learn about the healing properties of plants and trees, as this can be quite invaluable information in any situation.

Take care, stay Blessed, and Bring Light and Knowledge to those around you.

Altar Tiles: What Are They Good For?

🎼 Absolutely Everything! 🥁

The Altar Tile is an interesting subject for me. I often find myself wondering... 'Does everyone see the altar tile the same way I do? Is it this important to everyone else?'

So I really wanted to explore this concept and find out just how important these things are. I asked 20 people who practice magick in one form or another if they use an altar tile, and how important it was to them. I was in for a surprise when I compared the answers, and I think you'll be surprised too!

18 out of 20 people prefer to use an altar tile during ritual. 16 people have an altar tile on their permanent altars, and 2 people have one stashed for ritual purposes. As we know, some people are not able to have a permanent altar and that's understandable!

What I found interesting though, is that only half of the participants in this survey were able to sufficiently explain why they even use one. So I think it's an important issue to explore and discuss.

The round altar tile you see above has been a part of my permanent altar since 2003. I found it in a Goodwill store in South Louisiana as part of a small plant stand, and decided I could paint it and use it for my own purposes. I have other altar tiles that I've purchased for more temporary setups or "open" rituals and I tend to keep this one out of anyone else's reach.

What should be noted is WHY this tool becomes important the more you use it, especially over time. Not only does it collect combined focused energy... But the importance of the pentacle symbol will come down to your own connection with it's purpose.

When we begin learning magick, whatever form it might be, we learn about tools, what they represent, and how they should be used. Now it has been repeated by me many times that "the tools don't make the magick!" and that is very true. What makes the magick is YOU, but we've got to understand the very psychological roots of what makes magick work.

All of the major tools used inside of the circle correspond to an element, and like the elements, those tools in turn correspond to very deep psychological stations within the subconscious or unconscious mind. Air is the sharpened mind, Fire is the passionate will, Water is the emotional tide, and Earth is the manifested physical world (the body).

The pentacle represents Earth on the altar, as we all know... But more than this, we use it as a focal point because it represents taking that which is yet to manifest and giving it physical form. It acts as a gateway or a window through which we pass the incorporeal into manifestation.

Aside from the element of Earth literally embodying the essence of physical form, the symbol of the pentacle with an enclosed circle represents all 4 elements in unity with the 5th element... that of the Quintessence. The 5 elements in unity hold the physical form together in balance and animation.

It is only when we make deep connections to why we are doing something that we give it true purpose and meaning. The Altar Tile (or paten) holds some physical object during ritual to which we focus all energy of the working into. It may be a candle, a stone, a piece of paper, or anything else we are working with, and that placement upon the pentacle becomes the portal through which we change something from an energetic state into a physical reality.

The process of manifestation through witchcraft always has and always will be a psychological process, and understanding how the imagery and tools attribute to that process will make all the difference in the world. The point of "practicing" magick isn't simply to repeat rituals over and over until something works. It is to condition the subconscious and unconscious mind to respond to the language of magick that we use within the circle. If we misunderstand the purpose for the tools and symbol that we use... They most likely will do us no favors in manifestation.


But I don't Have an Altar Tile! What Can I do?


Don't Panic! It's not necessary to rush out and spend tons of money on a fancy tile. If you can't afford to buy one, draw a pentacle on a piece of paper! If you can, stay within the realm of what triggers your deep understandings and purpose for using it. maybe use the color brown, or black on brown paper... Or orange, or whatever that symbolism is to you personally.

If you would like to purchase an altar tile, I always advise that you choose something that speaks to you! Don't just buy something because it's "cool". Really observe how your body and mind respond to it. If it feels like manifestation... It Surely Is!

Here are some of my favorite Altar Tile designs from Zazzle designers, and myself of course.

The Temple Stone Medieval Tile is a VERY nice design by the Celestial Coven Atelier shop. It has fantastic details of Celtic knot work with a dome shaped feel toward the center of the pentacle.

This beautiful Celtic Dragon Pentagram Tile is from the "pentagramster" shop, and there's something about this design that just strikes me as... Well I don't know, It's Just Friggin Awesome and I love it! haha!

This is one of my more recent designs with the element of Earth in mind. The Gold Pentacle and Snake with Roses tile features a beautiful and surprisingly colorful Serpent and watercolor floral arrangement. The serpent is often considered an Earth Elemental so creating a tile featuring this lovely design just had to happen!

If you're wanting something a little simpler, here is a wonderful "Wiccan & Magick Pentagram Sandstone Coaster" design created by the La Marea Naranja shop. The sandstone coasters are 4.25" in diameter, have a cork backing to save surfaces, and make a great alternative to ceramic tiles.

The Copper Pentacle Coin Celtic tile is one of my best sellers! The medallion behind this pentacle gives the illusion of an etched metal surface and that somehow felt very "earthy" to me.

If you're looking for something a little "lighter", the 3D Floral Pentacle Tile might just be the thing. It was created by the Gemini_Moon shop and I love this hand drawn artwork!

Or if you're wanting something a little more serious, the Sigillum Dei Aemeth Ceramic Tile could be what you need. Coming from Elizabethan era system of Dr.Dee & E Kelley for altar piece created by the 10th_aethyr_sigillium shop.

Here is another recent creation of mine. The Earth Pentacle with Sunflower & Dragonfly Altar Tile design was again created with the element of earth and it's powers of regeneration and manifestation in mind to hold those deep connections to the earth element.

Here's another very simple design by the CD Symbols shop. The Pentacle Grunge Rust Ceramic Tile is my top pick for the "least girly altar tile", as I notice that a lot of the designs within the search for altar tiles are often purple, girly, or floral... Something I shall ponder on remedying in the near future in my own shop. I guess being who I am as a designer, I most typically create things that I think are pleasing, so maybe I can afford to "grow" as a designer just a little!!!😂 But just like everything else we do, it's a learning process.

While it was on my mind, I did manage to create this design with some amazing high quality leather texture.

The Brown Leather Embossed Bronze Corner Tile was somewhat satisfying to finish. I think it's those simple textures and accents that give me a certain "medieval" reminiscence, maybe? I did enjoy creating it!

Now this one I'm pretty proud of! The Silver Triple Moon Diamond Star Altar Tile was intended to emit a very light and ethereal vibration. It is decorated with shining diamonds and rests over a marbled blue foil background. I added in some text that you can customize on the top blue ribbon, and along the bottom curve. The idea I had was maybe a sacred name and personal mantra or something to that effect. That's completely optional and I think it looks fantastic without the text as well. The Blue Ribbon Silver Frame is fairly recognizable as a CC0 image but I think I spruced it up just enough to create something elegant and intriguing.


Many of the tiles that I have created which aren't "girly" in a sense, are Goetic Seals and other Sigils. So if you're interested in those you can check them out in the every growing Altar Tiles Collection along with many other designer's work.

I hope you like my picks for Altar Tiles on Zazzle! There are many other beautiful and interesting designs to discover so follow any product link in this post and use the search tool to find what you're looking for!

However you choose to practice your magick, make sure it speaks to you personally, on the deepest level! When you can feel it in your bones... You're doing it right!

Spring Book Review "A New Beginning" by Wendy Rfeffer

I am so delighted to review this book! I did leave a glowing review on Amazon for this book which is where I found it. I gotta say... As a homeschooling pagan family this book meets all needs of teaching children about spring traditions that stretch back thousands of years, from all over the world! The author is not shy about using the word "Pagan" among discussions on other religions, and it's so wonderful to show children that it's ok to learn about many religions and cultures besides their own.

"A New Beginning - Celebrating the Spring Equinox" is a fact filled, bright and colorful book perfect for kids of all ages. The illustrations are colorful, keeps a child's attention, and shows some of the most fascinating traditions. The author explains in detail scientific facts about the equinox, animal behavior during that time, as well as a run through of what the sun does throughout the seasons.

But my favorite part of all... are the activities added to the back of this book! After reading about all the wonderful spring celebrations, there are crafts and even recipes that are perfect for kids and parents to try out together making this book one of my all time favorite Spring Time books!

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who celebrates the Spring Equinox in any way, pagan or not! I'm always looking out for material rich in tolerance and support to share with my son, and this purchase has been one of the best.

If you know of other books like this, share them with me in the comments!

Ostara Spring Equinox Celebrations!

The Spring Equinox is upon us, and in the spirit of springtime, we celebrate new light, new life, and the springing forth of all the Earth's bounty. This equinox, which typically falls around March 20th, is celebrated by many different cultures all around the world. It's ancient pagan traditions are found within many modern religions today in the form of colorful eggs, themes of death and rebirth, and in our little hopping, long eared friends displayed as fictional characters bestowing sweet gifts and blessings.

Ostara, or Eostre (Eostra), is the Anglo-Saxon Goddess of the Dawn. In modern Druid Traditions Ostara is Called Albon Eilir which means "Light of the Earth", and is the second of three spring celebrations which is celebrated between Imbolc and Beltane.

For my family, the Main themes of our Ostara celebrations are Rebirth, Love & Warmth, Fertility, and the Sharing of Blessings and Support. This year, Ostara falls on March 19th for us, and as we prepare for this holiday, we can see the wildlife outside bounce and sway to the drums of Spring, adding their own sweet notes to the symphony of renewed life that follows the Sun's path as it grows warmer. All of nature becomes filled with the anticipation and excitement of Spring.

As a homeschooling mom, I find great joy in sharing the earth's cycles and pagan traditions with my son, helping him gain a sense of appreciation for the natural world around us. I've found some amazing pagan friendly books to share with him about the Spring Equinox and I can't wait to share those with you! You can soon find those reviews here on this blog. But for the moment, I'm more interested in sharing with you some wonderful ways to celebrate, and decorate, for this glorious occasion!

1. Dyeing eggs is one of the most common activities during the Spring Equinox. One of the coolest things I've found that my son and I can do is try to find plants and foods to dye eggs with, and see what kind of colors we can get. Here I've created an image to show some simple and common ingredients used to naturally dye eggs:

The dyes are made by bringing your chosen ingredient and one cup of water to a boil in a pot, and then simmering on low for about 15-20 minutes. Allow the dye to cool, then strain it and add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar per each 1 cup of water. This solution can then be poured over the eggs, and placed in the refrigerator until you get the color you like. It's such a great and fun little experiment to try with kids!

2. We also enjoy making "Sprout Houses". I've found some wonderful instructions for making those HERE, so you can check that out and see what kind of Fairy Castles are possible with this method!

Like any other family we enjoy a good Egg Hunt, we like to make Kites, plant seeds, and above all... Just enjoy nature all together. We also Love to Make what I call Casting Eggs!

3. Casting Eggs (or Blessing Eggs) are hollowed out egg shells filled with herbs, perfumes, glitter, and love! Eggs filled with Confetti are still a common tradition in Mexico today, and they are called Cascarones. In ancient pagan traditions, it was customary to surprise someone with the Blessing Egg, which was filled with blessing herbs and perfume, by smashing it on top of the person's head and running away! It's also remeniscent of the Anglo Saxon celebrations of the Goddess Eostre who brought her friend Lepus down to Earth to spread joy and blessings among all creatures. I love this tradition, and we've incorporated all of these ideas into the "Casting Egg".

To create these fantastic cells of joy, we poke holes at each end of the egg and blow out all the insides. We then carefully create an opening at the top of the egg once it's dried, and add in everything we want to put inside. I, of course, always take into account the ingredients I add to create an actual spell for fertility, prosperity, and blessing. Once the egg is filled, we then tape the tops back on. If you'd like more detailed instructions, I'm sure there are better ways and you can find many videos on youtube about how to make Cascarones. It's just such a fun project, and an absolutely delightful way to deliver your bright blessings to everyone you love!

With all of the great traditions we can discover for celebrating the Spring Equinox, it's also important to ask yourself as a pagan...

• How Can I Decorate for Ostara, or Find Pagan Specific Products for This Sabbat?!?

I know it can be hard. My son and I would always end up making our own paper decorations because all I could ever find in stores are Easter Bunnies. While some of those decorations could work here and there, it was hard to feel like "we" just don't have a marketplace specifically for Pagans and Wiccans full of things we actually care about.

Once I discovered Zazzle and saw that there were other pagan artists with the same idea... I realized that there really WAS a market for us! It is the main reason I began selling on Zazzle, simply to provide items for Pagan & Wiccan families and individuals! For my son and I, it's difficult to feel a sense of community where we live and I'm sure many families have the same issue. With access to the internet, to pagan specific books and products however, it becomes much easier to provide a sense that we DO have a place in the world and that there are many, MANY people out there just like us! So here are my top picks from Zazzle for Spring Equinox Celebrations!

This Spring Equinox Flower Maiden Party Invitation is my first stab at a Sabbat invitation and I think it worked out quite well. It is a beautiful and vibrant watercolor collage design for inviting your friends and family to your Ostara celebration. Zazzle takes the invitation and card industry quite seriously, and even with the amount of Pagan shops on Zazzle there are very few Sabbat Invitations. This is a market I will definitely be exploring more of, simply because I think our celebrations deserve to be treated as if they are important to us... Because they are!

Here's a colorful way to serve your Ostara Treats! The vivid Celtic Equinox Sun and Moon paper plate design was created by "That Pagan Artist" on Zazzle, and the image is simply beautiful! It displays the equal day and night of the Equinox and honors the reason for our celebration.

Here is a wonderful Ostara Banner created by the ScreamingShadows shop. It is a clear depiction of Eostre walking the Earth to give blessings and fertility to all. The banner is of lightweight and flexible material and is 2.5'l x 6'w (horizontal) or 6'l x 2.5'w (vertical).

Now here is something I wasn't able to find, so I decided I better make some! These are Temporary Tattoos for Ostara! What a fun way for kids and adults to adorn themselves with vibrant spring colors and Goddesses to celebrate the Equinox! Each of these designs are also available on Greeting Cards, Keychains, and many other products that you can find HERE!

Need Napkins for your party? Here is a bright and colorful Sweet Wildflower Spring design perfect for Ostara, or any Spring Gathering! This design is also available on Coasters, Car Air fresheners, Pillows, and More!

As for Home Decor, one of the coolest products on Zazzle, I think, are the custom Photo Plaques! As a customer you can add any image you want to them, but as a designer I've chosen to use the Photo Plaques for a specific purpose. These plaques are perfect for the altar, and for Sabbat Decorations. This Sun Shine Ostara Rabbit design is a watercolor collage full of bright and colorful flowers and springtime imagery. I've created many Altar Plaques over the years, but this by far is one of my favorites!

Another fantastic design I found is this "In Bloom" pillow design created by Ashley Ryan from her ArtOfAshleyRyan shop. Her art is simply Luscious and Magickal!

For those of us who enjoy making mini "Egg Trees" for Ostara, here is a wonderful Ostara in Blooming Tree ceramic Ornament! The Goddess is depicted elegantly and peacefully, surrounded by the beautiful blooms of spring.



Zazzle has so many wonderful products created by Pagans, for Pagans that just can't be found anywhere else! I truly hope you've enjoyed my ideas and product picks for Ostara. And I sincerely hope you have a Blessed and Beautiful Spring Equinox Celebration!