Creating, Nesting, Simplifying (Not Necessarly in that Order)

Oh and sleeping....lots of sleeping.  This pregnancy is really starting to catch up with me.  I am absolutely enormous and although I feel good, I am tired. 

A Few Recent Sewing Projects

Creating:  Baby/Toddler wardrobes, Birthday Gifts, Maternity Clothes, Wands, Father's Day Gifts (I am planning a full post on my new wand creations once they are fully embellished). 

Nesting:  Creating, Cleaning, Simplifying 

Simplifying: Assessing what we really need and what should be donated,  Streamlining daily schedules, etc... 

Ethical Wild Harvest

Along the Yellowstone River: May 2014

Since I have been talking a lot about local plants I find growing wild, I thought it was probably my responsibility to make a post about the ethical harvesting of such plants.  Even though the plants I find along the river do not belong to any human, they are a living part of our world and come under the protection of the Others nature spirits, fairies, divas, elves... however you wish to address them.  One cannot simply go in an snatch up a plant or part of a plant and expect it to simply be alright.  Perhaps the Others won't find ways to fill your life with torment like the old stories say, but they will be offended and it will impact your future dealings with them negatively.

Before you even start thinking about harvesting a wild plant, you need to know a bit about where it grows.  Is the area maintained?  Will any human care if you harvest from the area?  Have any chemicals been sprayed on the area in an attempt to control weeds or insects?  Once you determine that the area is a good harvest location by human standards, then start thinking about how to harvest while maintaining a respectful relationship with nature.  Of course, we like to say in witchcraft that there are no set rules, but in all aspects of life good manners should be the first and foremost.  Following are my own personal guidelines.

1. Before harvesting from a plant, use your energy to communicate with the plant and obtain permission.  A plant that is struggling will tell you "no."  Respect that. 
2. Harvest no more than 30% of the plant.  The idea is to work with and borrow from the plant, not to destroy it.
3. Leave an offering to show your gratitude.  Many older books suggest a dime buried near the roots of the plant, but The Changeling (age 14) insists that a quarter is more appropriate if leaving money.  A sip of milk or honey water at the plant base is also appropriate and appreciated. 
4. Overall, just listen to your intuition and respect your position.  When out in nature, you are a guest.   

Also, if you find an unexpected treasure and believe it to be a gift, it is appropriate to leave a gift in return.  I carry small lengths of biodegradable ribbon in my pocket for this purpose.  Although it would be very rare indeed if the Others physically took your gift, they will know it was left for them and will accept the spirit in which you gave it. 

Circle Round: Raising Children in Goddess Traditions: Starhawk/ Baker/Hill

Holiday traditions and meanings are something most of us learn a little at a time as we grow up.  The holiday is celebrated every year with little variation and in true child's form we soak it up and make it our own.  We don't question what these special days are or why we celebrate them, they are simply a part of our life and we believe that we understand them almost instinctually.  So when the world changes and we are left to discover a whole new tradition on our own, books like Circle Round are essential. 

I originally bought this book as a parenting tool, but have found it to my personal favorite to facilitate my own learning on the topic of Pagan holiday's and celebrations and believe me it is one of many books I have that address the topic.   Trying to implement a new celebration into the life of a family can be frustrating and awkward at times, but the ideas and activities given in Circle Round really make it fun and easy.  As an adult, I have gained so much better understanding of the celebrations by reading the holiday section of this book, I sometimes forget that it contains a plethora of other information as well.  It has chapters on basic traditions (circle casting, centering), a full section on activities to teach about the Elementals, and another section covering a child's growth and the rites of passage between infancy and adulthood.  Well written stories and songs (with music) accompany many of the topics to help facilitate memory in a positive way. 

To be completely truthful, I have not sat down and read this book in its entirety and I doubt that I ever will.  For me, it is more of a reference book to be returned to again and a again for ideas and inspiration.  I am really looking forward to using it frequently with Miss Busy and the new baby when they start to explore the natural world and their own place in the grander scheme. 

Trust Your Cards

Those of you who read my blog frequently know that I still have a lot to lean.  You may have also picked up on the fact that some days I am behind the learning curve- way behind.  This past week I made a stupid mistake not once, but three times in a row.  I asked my cards a question and despite getting the same answer in slightly differing vocabulary all three times, I still doubted my reading. 

It  all started last Tuesday morning when my dad tried to call.   I was home and I did hear the phone ring, but I choose not to answer.   I just didn't feel like I had the strength to deal with him, in fact just the ringing of the phone felt like an emotional attack.  My entire childhood was spent trying to be good enough not to bring him shame and in the process I became someone I absolutely did not enjoy being.  The journey to where I am now has been long and hard, but it still only takes a few moments for my dad to toss all my confidence on the ground and remind me what a disgrace I am.  I have the wrong haircut.  I have defaced my body with tattoos and piercings.  I endanger my children by treating them with herbs and having homebirth.  I married a man who is so irresponsible that he dares ride a Harley.  It goes on and on and on...  To make it even worse, he doesn't say it to my face.  He says it to other family members who relay it to me, so I can try to remedy the situation and pacify our ranting patriarch.  It seems that I am the only one who even tries to live without of his approval. 

So he calls and without even hearing his voice, my anxiety level goes through the roof.  I consult my Oracle deck and three readings told me to relax, be happy, everything is just fine.  I simply couldn't believe it.    I felt like a little girl trying to hide all over again.  Superman offered to call out to the ranch and deal with it for me, but that would have set off another chain of events that I didn't want deal with either, so I just let it ride for the rest of the day. 

The following morning, the phone woke me up and I answered without even thinking.  Of course, it was my dad and he was shockingly pleasant.  We spoke of general things like calving season, weather, and Miss Busy's new teeth.  I kept waiting for the tide to change, but it never did.  We actually had a pleasant conversation.  When we hung up, I felt like I had dodged a bullet. 

Then exactly a week after it all started, I ran into him and my stepmom at the store.  They had come into town to sell some calves and were grabbing a few groceries before heading back to the middle of nowhere.  My first response was to cringe, but he was grinning like a little boy and happy to see me.  We chatted for fifteen minutes or so while they passed Miss Busy between them.  So far, nobody has called me with a list of his complaints, so I am considering it a successful encounter.   

My cards really did know the right answer, I just wasn't willing to accept it.  Maybe I was afraid of being too optimistic about the situation, or I doubted my new found skills; either way I refused to trust what I was told.  Skepticism can often be a good form of self defense, but it can also be a hindrance and detrimental to a healthy relationship.  When I ask The Power and my cards for answers, I need to have the respect to take their answer for truth rather it makes sense to me at the time or not. 

Lessons for a Magical Mama

 

There is nothing like a cantankerous child to ruin a magical moment.  You have slipped out for a nature walk, young one in tow, and just when you found what you thought you were looking for the child in the stroller turns into a banshee.  It only takes one wild yell to chase off every living being in the area and completely destroy your newly found center.  Yep, that is exactly what happened to me today. 

Superman and I had Miss Busy down by the river and in all fairness, we should have known better.  It was past naptime, but it was such a beautiful day- how could we resist?!  All was pretty well at first and she happily rode down the path perched on her daddy's shoulders.  It was when I paused and exclaimed, "Wild Sage!" Prairie sage/Wild sage is native to this region and can be used like white sage. More about the in a herbology post, this is a parenting ramble.    Things started going downhill.  Of course, this is one of the local plants I have been on the lookout for and I was all ready to harvest a bit.  By the time I had procured permission and left a small gift, all hell had broken loose.  We left quickly with a screaming little girl and one small branch of sage.

I have to admit that I was really disappointed to walk away from the potential smudge sticks just waiting beside the trail.  I had already envisioned the beautiful sage tied into pretty little bundles, drying in my pantry.  It was tempting to let my failed harvest become a sore spot in the day, but when I scrolled through the days photos on my camera I knew that no time had been wasted.  Not only do I now know where to find sage I'll go long before naptime in the future and arm myself with snacks, but we also enjoyed a beautiful walk, found an abandoned birds nest, picked out a campsite for later in the season, and made a few memories. 

Also, the older children have taught me just how fleeting the baby stage really is.  It will not be long before Miss Busy is no longer available to join me on daily walks.  She will have school and friends and activities clamoring for the moments that are currently all mine.  Then I will have all the time I need to gather herbs, commune with nature, and just be...but I will miss her. 

Chocolate Mishap

Yesterday, I got it into my head that I was going to make some lotion.  I didn't have any coco butter, so Miss Busy and I dashed into our local health food store to grab some.  Somewhere between greeting the friendly owner, browsing the used book table, and picking up the yeast I had forgotten last week, I grabbed what I needed.  Or at least what I thought I did.  It wasn't until I opened the container to grate some into my already hot oils that I realized I had purchased cocoa butter instead.  As if  I could have missed the smell once I opened it.  Feeling like I was at the point of no return already, I added a tablespoon to my oil mixture hoping that the infused rosemary could cover the aroma of chocolate flavored Lip Smackers. 

No such luck.

My resulting lotion is beautiful, creamy, and absorbs well.  I would be completely happy with it, if it didn't stink.  I am not a big chocolate person to start with and choco/rosemary does absolutely nothing for me except make me grimace every time I open the jar.  Yes, we will be using up this batch of lotion.  I can't stand waste, but I am done with the cocoa butter.  Maybe I'll try it with orange or raspberry in a lip gloss for the maidens. 

Feeling Crafty: Decorative Broom

In it's original state, complete with thrift store price tag.

A few days ago, I spent a whole quarter and picked up a little decorative broom at the thrift.  Superman teases me about being such an over spender.  The décor on the broom was dated and definitely out of season, but it had so much potential I had to bring it home.  For a quarter, how could I resist?! 

Yesterday, I carefully removed the old embellishments and started sprucing up my find.  Spring and the coming summer were definitely on my mind as I wrapped the handle with my favorite variegated ribbon.  I am going to be so lost when I use up the last of that, it's been my friend through so many projects.  I painted two miniature wooden spoons from the free table at our other local thrift store with a light wash of sunny yellow and then glued on a random assortment of beads and buttons I gathered from my stash. Finally, I constructed a bow.

Abracadabra!  I assembled it all with hot glue and a new broom was born!    

Newly dressed and ready to go!  I also anointed it with protection oil.

Originally, I had planned to hang this besom by the front door where it is pictured, but since then I have changed my mind.  I just can't stand the thought of it out in the weather loosing it's bright shiny. Something a little more weather proof would be appropriate by the door and this piece will find a place in my kitchen.