Tuesday Mutterings

I expected to be out this morning knee-deep in an IEP meeting for my middle guy, but his in-class support teacher was not in school today.  I chose to reschedule for another time instead of trying to do a meeting without my kid's main educator there.  Grrrr.

Speaking of which, if you have a child with a disability, please feel free to stop by the great Facebook Page that is Pagans Parenting Special Needs, started by my friend Marcela.  I am also a moderator for the group, and there are a ton of great parents there - and even a few Pagan service providers willing to share their knowledge.

At the request of a couple of readers, links on this blog will now open in a new window when you click on them.  Sorry for any inconvenience the "no copy and paste" policy of the blog.  Unfortunately, I've had way too many experiences with people copy my work and claiming it as their own.  Copyright infringement/plagiarism is a pain in the behind.  I hope this smoothes things out for those who requested it.

On the Circle of Moms contest, the Pagan blogs have seem to be making a strong showing after taking a few hits from a few of the other contestants.  I hope everyone will continue to vote for their favorite blogs that are listed.  And when perusing new blog titles from the list (if you choose to do so), if you come across any hate-filled, intolerant rants (and you will), and feel the need to comment, please remember to answer calmly, if only to show what we as Pagans are really like.  I believe many people have had their eyes opened as a result of some of the back-and-forth between the Pagans and the Christians - on both sides.  I've had tons and tons of kind support from Christian bloggers and readers (not to mention the amazing support from the Pagan/Pagan-friendly community!).  Let's try to continue to not only prove the haters wrong, but also continue to reach out to those who have tried to meet us at least halfway.  I won't tell you who to vote for except for me of course, but definitely browse through and check out blogs you might be interested in.

Check in later this week, when I'll be posting about what type of goodies might be as close to you as your front lawn!


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Four Ways to Dry Herbs

In my garden I grow quite a variety of herbs, plants and flowers that I use for cooking, medicinal concoctions and for magic.  From mugwort to thyme, from calendula to tomatoes, my family and I tend our plants from spring to fall (winter gardening in NJ tends to consist of looking at several feet of snow and sighing loudly).

Now of course, with all the great things that we grow, an important part of growing our own is preserving part of what we grow to get through the rest of the year.  For fruits and veggies, we do a lot of freezing and canning.  For herbs, we dry.   There are several ways to dry herbs, your choice will depend on what type of herb you have, whether you want to dry the stems or not, the amount of time you want to invest, and a bit on how much room you have to devote to the drying process.

Before you start to dry any herbs, be sure to carefully wash the herbs and press them between layers of paper towel or clean, dry cloths to get them very dry. If you're only drying leaves, a salad spinner works fairly well for this step.

Cool Oven Method
This method is good for drying leaves, especially of more delicate herbs that don't generally last long once they've been picked (basil is a great example).  It's a fairly quick method of drying.
Preheat your oven to 180° F and let heat for 20 minutes. While the oven is heating, layer the herbs onto a paper towel lined cookie sheet, with the leaves not touching.  You can add up to 5 layers of paper towels and herbs per cookie sheet.  After the 20 minute heat, turn the oven off, add the cookie sheet/s to the oven and allow it to sit overnight.  In the morning, check the herbs.  If they are not completely dry, repeat the process.

Air Dry Method
This method is good for plants with woodier stems (such as thyme or mugwort) or plants that you'd like to dry for decorative purposes (lavender or roses). This method of drying takes the longest.
Gather the stems of the plants (generally no more than you can close your hand around) and bind the stems together with a rubber band.  Use string to hand the plants upside down in a cool, shaded spot until dry.  When fully dried, strip the leaves from the stems to store or leave whole for decorative use.

Food Dehydrator Method
This method can be used for any leafy herbs.  Most herbs take only a day or two to dry completely. The biggest inconvenience is finding a place to keep the dehydrator both while it's being used and while you are storing it.
Simply layer washed and dried herbs in a single layer on dehydrator trays and follow the manufacture's instructions.

Microwave Method
This method is especially effective for something you might need right away - say a bit of dried orange peel for a mojo bag to bring joy.
Layer washed and dried herbs in a single layer between paper towels.  Microwave on high for 30 seconds, then check herbs.  It they aren't quite crispy and dried, heat for another 15 seconds at a time (checking in between) until completely dry.

When completely dry, store herbs in a glass jar with a lid, away from light and heat. Stored properly, most herbs can be used for up to a year.


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Mrs. B. Gets..... Religiously Persecuted

This is going to be a long one, folks!  

Updated to add: Some of the noted links have now been removed or closed to comments.  Some of the quoted people have left comments at the end of this post.


Yesterday,  I was going about my business after a nice day with friends to find a message about my participation in The Circle of Moms contest for the Top 25 Faith Blogs by Moms.  It was a contest that someone else nominated my blog for, and I only found out about a few days ago.  I was extremely touched that someone had thought to nominate my blog (I'm still not completely sure who did it!) and within a a couple of days, I'd reached the top 10.  Along with my own blog, there were several other Pagan bloggers in the contest as well, I was happy to see.

The message I received yesterday informed me that a few of the other bloggers in the contest seemed to have some serious issues with there being Pagans and "self-professed witches" in the contest at all - much less that some were doing well in it!   The shock!  The horror!  The satan worshippers - that's not "faith"!!!!1

Before I get much further, for those who might be wondering (and I can only speak for myself on this part of the issue), I can say that yes, my practice and religion is faith based.  I live my faith every single day.  I wake up and say a prayer to my deity.  I post (via facebook) articles daily that might be of concern or interest to those of the Pagan faith.  I write letters to corporations, churches, individuals, news sources, government agencies, etc. to discuss Pagan issues and try to educate people on what being a Pagan or witch is in reality - as opposed to the huge misinformation that some people pass off as what Paganism is.  I teach my children about all faiths and that they should respect those of other faiths.  Every faith (to me) is valid and deserving of respect (though not all adherents of those religions are).  I am a legally ordained minister.  I have helped found a group in my area that gets together on a regular basis to learn and support each other.

And check out the rules of posting for any of my pages/sites. In those rules you will find one of the no-no's on each is the bashing of any religion just for the sake of bashing.  I try to enforce a tolerance of everyone's beliefs.  Believe me, that's not always made me popular.  I've lost quite a few Pagan readers when I've deleted their posts about those gosh-darned Christians (and less often those gosh-darned Muslims).  My husband is Christian.  My parents are Christians - as is 99% of my extended family.  I have wonderful Christian neighbors and friends (many of which came out in support of this issue).

So what exactly happened, well, here are a few of the lovely quotes that were going around the internet (via blogs, twitter and facebook):

• "Unfortunately, Circle of Moms' top 25 "faith" blogs includes pagans/witches.  Since yesterday, the pagan soccer mom's blog has moved from the teens to 2nd place, and there aren't very many votes (relatively speaking) separating 1st (a Christian blog) and 2nd place.Would you guys please help by voting daily till the contest is over? It literally is bringing tears to my eyes to think a pagan blogger could win 1st place in a "Faith Blog" contest. "  

• "Wow, the Top 25 Faith Blogs by Moms from @CircleofMoms is being overtaken by witches...seriously." 

• "I was SO disturbed to see those...especially the blog of the Pagan (witch) mother with a CHRISTIAN husband!?!?! I just can't understand how a Christian could be married to some-one who practices witchcraft!? Scary. Praying for their children!"

• "Mixed in with the "faith" blogs are pagan blogs. In fact one of those bloggers, a self-professing witch wrote, "Looking at the nominations there were a couple of pagan blogs which thrilled me to no end. How cool would it be for one of the pagan bloggers to win the top spot?" How sad is that? Different faith is wrong faith  I encourage you to pray against the aggressive attack on Christian faith that is prevalent in our world today." (These are comments from one big blog post, quoting both me and The Pagan Mom Blog.)

I'll stop there, but a quick google search of "Top 25 Faith Blogs" along with "Pagan" or "witchcraft" will get you quite a few more posts that don't think that Pagan moms can be women of faith.

I'd also like to add that this is not about the fact that these women are supporting women of their own faith.  I'd have no problem is they simply said "Vote for the Christian bloggers!!".  This is about how they personalized it.  They named names.  They quoted not only me, but other Pagan moms.  They talked about our pictures.  They brought up our "poor" children (who they are apparently praying for.).  This was a straight up personal attack, painted in misinformation, ignorance and fear.

On the flip side, I have been astounded by the outpouring of support on this matter.  The Pagan and Pagan-friendly community has come out in droves to pass along the links for voting, post their own articles, comment on Facebook, twitter and blogs and send me messages of support.  Here are a just a few of the articles I've found:

• From The Pagan Mom Blog blogger
• From The Pagan Mom Blog blogger's Christian husband
• From Patti Wigington on her about.com column
• From Using My Outside Voice 
• From Confessions of a Kitchen Witch
• From The Secret Life of an American Working Witch

And there are many others.  And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the wonderful support by  Christians as well.  Several of my both online and real-life friends commented about their support. Thanks to you all!  

Now to put this in perspective: I haven't lost my job because of my religion.  My child didn't get bullied in school because of her Pagan t-shirt.  I didn't have people waving signs or burning crosses in my yard.  I (and the Pagan/Pagan-friendly community) could certainly choose to turn away from these folks and ignore them - it's just a silly internet contest.  But what a great teaching opportunity.  To show people that Pagans can be people of faith.  That we will not stand for being persecuted, even in this small way.  The Top 25 Faith blogs apparently have their blogs sent out in a newsletter that reaches 6 million people.  That's a lot of people who might learn that we don't need to be feared or hated.  That we haul our kids around in mini-vans (okay not all of us....), we are PTO moms, we are raising our kids the best we can in trying times.

In the end, I kind of have to thank these women who've decided I'm scary and not worthy.  As of now I'm in the #2 slot, and several other Pagan blogs are in the Top 25.  By stirring the pot, they've rallied the "troops" so to speak.  By making me a personal target, I've been inundated with wonderful, loving, supportive energy from dozens and dozens of people.   I won't waste my time being mad or hating them.  Because in my personal faith, I forgive, I accept, and I am tolerant. (Or at least I really, really try to be.)

Visit the Circle of Moms and vote for your favorite blogs.  There are plenty of Pagan bloggers there, and we'd all appreciate you vote.  There are also some great blogs to vote on by moms of the Jewish faith, Muslim moms, and yes, there are some great blogs by Christian women as well.

Though I won't lie and say I don't hope you'll vote for me, lol!  =D

This is post  copyright to the author. It may not be reposted, reprinted or distributed in its entirety without express written permission of the author. Links to the article can be freely shared and are very appreciated!

And the winner is.....

Thanks very much to Lauren Gray from The Haunted Hollow Tree Art shop for offering up such an amazing prize!  The winner of the contest will receive their choice of up to $40 in prints (with free shipping).

Picked by an online random number generator, the winner is.....

Judy from the blog "Judy's Photos".  Congrats!  Please contact me with your email address so I can pass it on to Lauren!



This is post (and photos) copyright to the author. It may not be reposted, reprinted or distributed in its entirety without express written permission of the author. Links to the article can be freely shared and are very appreciated!

Victoria Vaughan files suite after being fired for alleged threats of Vodou curse

An article was published May 2, 2011 at The Southeast Texas Record stating that an East Texas resident named Victoria Vaughan had filed suit against the Texas Health and Human Services Commission for religious discrimination after being fired on claims by her supervisor that she allegedly threatened coworkers with a Vodou curse.


I was able to contact Vicotria Vaughan, who declined to speak specifically on the case, though she did give me an exclusive quote.  She also gave me permission to speak with her friend and spiritual leader, Priestess Claudia Williams.    Find this article in it's entirety by clicking here.



This is post (and photos) copyright to the author. It may not be reposted, reprinted or distributed in its entirety without express written permission of the author. Links to the article can be freely shared and are very appreciated!

Where the Hell is Tanner... "Go ahead and take it. I dare you." Edition

You know, I just didn't really need to brush my hair that bad after all.....


For more Where the Hell is Tanner pictures, click here.






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Summer Solstice (Litha) Correspondences

Whether you're planning a ritual, decorating your altar or searching for just the right centerpiece for your Summer Solstice feast, here are some ideas for your Litha celebrations:

Symbols and Decorations: summer flowers; images of the sun; statues of earth goddesses, faeries, earth gods; sun wheels; seashells; yellow, red or orange candles; blades; daisy chains; stone circles;


Traditional colors: blue, green, orange, red, yellow, gold

Flowers: daisy, honeysuckle, marigold, red roses, sunflowers, foxglove, buttercups

Herbs: Chamomile, cinquefoil, fennel, lavender, mugwort, thyme, oak, hemp, St. John's wort, dill, marjoram, rue, rosemary, fern, sage, pine, garlic

Foods: citrus, curries,  peppers, onions, strawberries, summer squashes, tomatoes, honey,  green salads, roasted or grilled pork, blueberries, any sun-shaped, round foods (bread, tortillas, pizzas, etc.)

Drinks: sun tea, herbed teas, ale, mead

Animals: bee, butterfly, robins, snakes, wrens

Mythical creatures: faeries, fire birds, thunderbirds

Stones: amber, tiger's eye, jade

Direction: South

Time of Day: Noon


Other Summer Solstice info:

• Summer Recipes
• Summer festivals around the world
• Family activities for the solstice

This is post (and photos) copyright to the author. It may not be reposted, reprinted or distributed in its entirety without express written permission of the author. Links to the article can be freely shared and are very appreciated!

Vote for Me!

I try to keep my self-promotions to a minimum (I said I tried, not that I was successful...), but  today I have to post to request your vote.  On the Circle of Moms website, there's a vote going on to find the Top 25 Faith Blogs by Moms.  I got an email yesterday from a wonderful reader who let me know that my blog had been nominated.  I was touched very much by the fact that someone bothered to nominate me... and then my competitive spirit kicked in and I decided that I wanted to make that top 25 list!  There are 2 other Pagan mom blogs on the list, and I hope they make it as well.  How cool would it be to get 3 Pagan moms on this list?  Pretty cool.

Here's the basics of the rules.  You can vote every single day until the voting ends on June 8 at 5 PM PST. Only 1 vote per IP address per day.  You can vote for more than one person per day.

You can vote for me via this direct link, or by using the button over in my sidebar.  Thanks heaps!!




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First Garden Update for 2011!

Though the weather in NJ isn't really cooperating with getting too many new plants in the ground, we did manage to weather over some of last years herbs.  They are doing really well, and we are already starting to dry some.  Here's a little of what's going on in the garden so far:

The mugwort is nearly 4 foot tall already.  This is my very favorite plant.  Hard to kill, lol!  Mugwort has so many uses, and is so easy to grow, there's just no reason not to have it somewhere in our garden (except the fact that it will try to take over the whole thing!).

Catnip!  I keep a jar of this for my kitties, a jar for myself and turn the rest into toys.  It's amazing the difference in how much the cats love the fresh stuff vs. the old stuff you can buy in the store.  And it makes a pretty nifty tea.

Mint!  This stuff smells so great!  I'll be turning much of this into tea bags soon!

Oregano.  Not a lot of magical use for this, but so nice to have to cook with.

The onion patch.  These'll be ready soon, and when they come out, we'll put in calendula in this box.

Culinary sage.  It's blooming right now, and the flowers are so gorgeous.

The rue patch.

And the lavender patch!  This smells sooooo good!!

We've got a bit of rosemary, basil and thyme growing as well.  Soon we'll transplant white sage, calendula, tomatoes, peppers, cilantro and a few other things.  Stay tuned for more!

Here are a few older posts on the garden:

• Last harvest of 2010
• Making compost tea
• Garden starting tips

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Pagans preparing for the Rapture

Credit: Bart Everson via Wikimedia Commons

You might have passed by a billboard on the highway exclaiming how the world will end this Saturday, May 21, starting at 6 pm.   It seems some folks have been convinced by Harold Egbert Camping, a Christian radio broadcaster, that the end is nigh.  Stories have been hitting the internet about families and individuals who have quit their jobs, blown through their savings, and are just waiting to be transported to the afterlife on Saturday. 

So what’s a Pagan left behind to do?  Short of quickly converting and joining in spending your retirement fund on billboards, here are a few ideas for those of us who will be left behind.

Continue reading on Examiner.com: Pagans preparing for the Rapture - National Domestic Witchery | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/domestic-witchery-in-national/pagans-preparing-for-the-rapture#ixzz1MpdS8L7K




This is post  copyright to the author. It may not be reposted, reprinted or distributed in its entirety without express written permission of the author. Links to the article can be freely shared and are very appreciated!

Giveaway from The Haunted Hollow Tree Art!

I haven't done one of these in quite a while, but I could not pass over the opportunity to share this artist and her art with all of you!  The Haunted Hollow Tree Art has some of the most beautiful original art and prints I've seen in quite some time.  The artist, Lauren Gray works mainly in Pyrography (woodburning) and Mixed Media - and one lucky winner is going to get a $40 shopping spree to get the print/s of their choice! Free domestic or international shipping is included for the winner!

Here are some examples of the what you could choose from!

The winner may choose from any print or matted print selection (originals are not included in this giveaway).  Here's how to enter!

Pagan/Pagan Friendly Freebies!

One of my weekday regular postings on my new "author" page on Facebook is posting a daily Pagan/Pagan-friendly freebie (for as long as I can dig them up, lol!).  I thought I'd share the one's I've posted so far, for anyone who might have missed them.

• Goddess and Mermaid Paper Doll/Art Doll Templates
• Milkweed Seeds (must send self-addressed stamped envelope)
• Printable ESP (Zener) Cards
• Printable Paper Toys (Including wands, faerie furniture, Celtic boxes and tons more!)
• A list of where to find free downloadable Pagan/Pagan-friendly books
• Printable 21 Day Gratitude Journal
• List of spells from Terry Pratchett's Discworld
• Printable Zen Poster
• Pagan Quilt Templates
• PDF downloadable replica of the "Charmed" Book of Shadows
• Printable Divination Definitions Flash Cards
• Printable Mandalas for coloring

Join me on Facebook for more freebies, or keep watching this page for updates!

And if you have a website or blog that has offered some sort of original printable template, pattern,  foldable or pamphlet of some sort and would like to share it, please contact me with your info and a link to the page so I can check it out!



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CPSM is not responsible for the content of the linked websites.

A Witch's Book of Shadows Part 2

Last week I shared my main Book of Shadows.  You'd think that would be enough, right? But no.  I have several more.

First up is the oldest of all my current books, my kitchen witchery book.  I don't really use this one much anymore. It was a book that I started very early on in my Pagan path, and was mostly used to collect chants and information from various authors.
 It's got tons of information that I've gathered on kitchen deities from various countries, with a large amount of stuff on Hestia.

There are also chants, kitchen blessings and magical cooking included.  Though I still use a lot of what's in this book, most of it at this point is second hand, so the book doesn't get cracked open as much as it used to.

Then comes my formulary.

 This book is where I keep all my magical recipes in a more carrying-around-friendly form (just ignore the awesomeness of my manicure there).

This next book is one that Miss M. and I pass back and forth.

I add information that I think she'd be interested in or that I think it's important for her to know.  We discuss it, and then she copies it to her own BOS.  I try to keep the info short, simple and age appropriate to keep her interest.

When the book is full, she'll get it for her collection - hopefully to use someday with her own child/ren.

The last thing I'll share today is my little index box, that stays on my herbal shelf for super quick reference. This box contains specific mixes that I use in my Voodude™ poppets and all my personal recipes that I've created, plus a few sections for certain correspondences that I might need to double check when sewing, brewing or crafting.

And yes, I haven't shown off my herbal book yet, lol!  So there's still more to come....


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A Witch's Book of Shadows

Inspired by the answers to today's Question of the Day on Facebook, I thought I'd share some photos of my own collection of Books (and boxes) of Shadows.  Because of all the photos, I'll break this up into a couple of different posts.

First up is what Mr. B. calls The Big Book of Power.  I found this great 3 ring binder with the most awesome cover that you can bind closed and has a carrying handle - which is great because this thing literally weighs about 8 or 10 pounds, it's so full!

This is my main BOS that has taken on many forms over the years.  In it are correspondences and basic info (in alphabetical order, because I'm anal like that), that I'm constantly adding to.  All the pages are written on 12"x12" scrapbooking paper, so I have plenty of room to add as I go!

This book also includes culinary recipes (specifically stuff for sabbats) and magical recipes that I've collected through the years.

And of course pages for all the sabbats, which end up being a mix of info, doodles and stickers, lol!

I also have a half dozen pages on symbols that I've found through the years.

My favorite will always be the Troll's Cross!  =)

Stay tuned, and I'll be sharing the rest of my collection!



This is post (and photos) copyright to the author. It may not be reposted, reprinted or distributed in its entirety without express written permission of the author. Links to the article can be freely shared and are very appreciated!