Satisfaction in Fire

I've been burning things again.  

There has been much fire this week.  Fire consuming wood and herb-stalks and symbols of all manner of things I'd like to be rid of. I never seem to tire of it.  Candles, incense, campfires, lanterns...I can't seem to get enough of flame and smoke and heat. 

It's that time of year. My energy seems to ignite as the days grow brighter.  Time for opening windows and cleaning out the winter-webbing.  The earth keeps stirring, and the moon is waning through its last quarter, and I needed to let go of a few things and re-kindle a few things. 

I attacked my main altar this afternoon, which is a behemoth.  Brimming with candles, animal curios, rocks and plant specimens, potions, skeleton keys and ancestor relics, the altar was in sore need of a good overhaul and cleanse.  I moved some trinkets out and took stock of candles and incense, and found seeds of some mysterious sort (un-labeled, of course.) Everything received a good dusting and plenty of love and thanks, and some lucky items were blessed with a shot of whiskey or an annointing with a fragrant oil. The energy of the space is bright, and clearer than it has felt in weeks.   

I was able to cook my simple dinner over the fire tonight, the dusk falling so slowly, and I spent some time scrying into the flames.  The scent of sage, lavender and chaparral drifted up whenever I tossed a handful of dried herb remnants onto the glowing coals.  Every inch of me has been fumigated so it seems.  I'm waiting a bit longer for my bath tonight, lingering over the scent of smoke in my hair.  I fear that I would live like this, if left alone to my eccentricities - wandering the world with woodsmoke-scented skin and ash on my clothes. 

There is such satisfaction in fire and its evidence.  

My bones are warm, my spirit is enlivened, and the altar glows with flickering candlelight. 



Fire Photo © Justin Smith / Wikimedia Commons, CC-By-SA-3.0

Organized and Affirmized Giveaway

Alright.  I know "affirmized" is not a word.  But I have just created it.

I seem to be waking from my long Winter's nap - just in time for the blizzard of '12 to hit.  Although any sensible hibernator would go back to sleep, I decided instead to take a couple snow days and get myself organized.

I finished a few projects, fussed about with the layout of this blog (note the new Page Tabs at the top) and am working on my Materia Medica/Materia Magicka (basically a herbal scrapbook of sorts that lists the herbs I love and their medicinal and magickal uses.)

I'm making an effort to do some yoga every day again and it's amazing how much better I feel with just a half an hour of stretching each morning.  I've also gone back to my affirmation practice. 

Affirmations (I'm sure you know) are statements that assert or affirm that something is true.  We use these to help us break the habits of negative or destructive thoughts.  It's very easy for me to slip into the "I should be.." train of thought.  I should be thinner, I should be prettier, I should be more successful are all thoughts that stand in the way of my well-being.  So my affirmations are things like "I am healthy and full of vitality."  And "success and prosperity flow to me to enjoy and share." 

There are quite a few I try to say daily.  It seems silly at first, but I incorporate them into my yoga practice and say them while I'm holding a pose, or in between poses, and they make a difference in my mental state the rest of the day.

Now that I'm feeling affirmized, I think you might want to try it to!  So here's the deal: I'm giving away the queen of affirmation - Louise Hay's - Power Thought Cards!

These cards have some great affirmations on them and will get you started thinking about your own too!

All you have to do to have a chance to win these happy cards, is leave a comment and make sure I have a way to get a hold of you (by your blog or email address) if you win.  I'll draw the name of the winner in one week, on Thursday, January 26th.

Good luck - and happy affirming!

Hide and Sweep

Happy first week of January!  Or as I like to call it, "the time of year the Valley gets cold and dark and I struggle to function at a semi-normal level and not just hide for a month."

If you've read my blog for any length of time, you'll know that January is tough month for me.  While December brings small joys with the bustle and holiday insanity, January is quiet and cold.  The wind whistles against the windows, and although we know that the light is returning, we still wake to darkness and the sun seems to ride too swiftly through the sky.

While I work on my wellness this Winter, it's important for me to remember that my energy has seasons too.  January and July will never be my peak months.  Giving myself a break, and realizing I don't have to be a perpetually bubbly ray of sunshine who magically gets all things done in perfect time with poise, is my mantra for the month.  (Yes. It is a rather long mantra.)

Instead of tackling new projects when my creativity is low, I'm using my little energy in other ways.  Organizing, going through my clothes and giving away those that I just don't wear anymore, cleaning the forgotten places (the top of the refrigerator, behind the desk,) are all small ways of making space for new energy to flow.  So when inspiration does hit, I'll have whatever I need at my fingertips and be ready to go!

The above photograph of Dexter hiding in the Maiden's Grass was taken two days ago.  The weather here in Southern British Columbia has been stunningly mild for this time of year.  New grass is coming up, buds are plumping on the trees, and I have a few little lettuce seedlings coming up in the garden (we had a hot spell last Spring after the rains and my lettuce bolted and must have left seeds behind.)  Although it snowed last night, the forecast is for more mild weather. 

With the weather so forgiving this Winter, I'm hoping my hiding spell will be short.  I'll endeavour to pop in as much as possible, but if my blogging falls short this month, you'll know why.  Thanks in advance, as always, for your amazing support!

Florida Water

My Florida Water ingredients for this year

A refreshing scent, a stirring room, linen, or body splash or spray, or a spiritual tool? Florida Water is all these things and more. Debuting in the early 1800's as a his-or-hers cologne, the stimulating liquid created by Robert I. Murray gained popularity and was eventually re-created by other enterprising companies, though the Murray & Lanman brand is still one of the most recognized. The name is said to be a nod to the old tales that the Fountain of Youth might be hidden somewhere in Florida. The base word of Florida, flor, the Spanish word for flower, also alludes to the floral qualities of the liquid.

Florida Water has a varied history of uses. It was proposed to be not only a perfume, a tonic and something that might restore youth, but medicinal and curative. I can't speak to some of those applications here (and I'd never recommend ingesting anyone's version of the water) but Florida Water has become a popular ingredient in many people's spiritual and folk practices. There is a great deal of debt owed to the southern African American spiritual communities (from practitioners of Hoodoo, Voodoo, and Lucumi, to Catholics) for bringing the devotional and magical use of the liquid to the forefront.

As a spiritual tool, Florida Water is said to be pleasing to the spirits. Its traditional floral and citrusy scent is attractive and it is often employed as a holy or blessing water. There isn’t one specific recipe for Florida Water. I've come across blends that can include any number of ingredients, including the following:

Bergamot
Rose
Lavender
Clove
Orange
Lemon
Neroli
Cinnamon
Jasmine

The process of making your own splash or spray can range from simple to complex, depending on your ability to do the work and source the ingredients. For an easy blend, combine purified or distilled water and add the essential oils of your choice from the above list until you find you have a pleasing scent. Bottle, and bless your creation according to your spiritual tradition.

One of the selling points of some personal Florida Water blends is that they have included several different waters collected from locations considered sacred, such as holy wells or specific natural or man-made fonts or streams. You may include these waters in your blend, but you will need to add a high-proof alcohol to the mixture in order to keep the blend from turning rancid.

You can also make Florida Water with plant material, which is more labour intensive but really gives you a connection to the end result. This is the way I like to make my blend. I wild-harvest local flowers, roots, and other herbal material from a well-known area (and I often add some plants that I've grown). Employing flora from areas that I have a relationship with feels good to me, and I will usually ask to be led to the plants that want to be involved the creation of my water.

I place all the herbal material in a glass jar (it should be loosely full - not stuffed) and then fill the jar with a high proof alcohol. This is my Florida Water mother tincture. I may add different items to it if I am called to. Each year my mother blend is unique. There are times I may add tree resins, or a stone or a piece of silver or gold to the mother, though this isn't considered traditional. This tincture sits on my altar, often getting moon-baths under full or auspicious moons, for at least three moon-cycles, though I've had one blend that infused for almost a year.

When I'm ready to decant the water, I strain off the solid material and save the liquid in a labeled bottle. This tincture is potent, so it is diluted by at least half with purified water when added to smaller bottles. I like the convenience of having a spray, so I use mister-caps on my bottles (pictured below). Depending on the year, I might add sacred waters that I have collected and preserved. My last act is to add to the bottle a blend of essential oils that I created, to make this spray my own. This blend ensures that, despite the differing ingredients in the mother tincture each year, the spray has the spicy, citrusy scent I desire. 

Whether you make Florida Water simply, using some of the more traditional ingredients and essential oils, or whether you forage for natural materials and create your own inspired mixture, enlisting the help of plants is very rewarding and the resulting water is truly a blessing. Use it to feed your altars or ancestors, bless spaces or tools, or simply to refresh a room or your own spirit. Enjoy!




Please note: this article was heavily edited on July 6, 2017 to reflect my current Florida Water process. Aside from a few cringe-worthy punctuation errors, the previous incarnation of this post was an accurate snapshot of my process when I first set out making this water, but I've adapted and grown over the years and my working has shifted. Because this is an often-viewed post, an update was long overdue.

If you don't want to make your own Florida Water, I sell bottles of my blend here.

Spring Clean Giveaway

April is the month we generally start throwing open the windows and doors and doing some good Spring cleaning.  And while our houses air out that stale Winter energy, it's always a good idea to check in with our bodies and see how they are feeling.

I know that for me, I've had to put my foot down when it became sadly apparent that I may be the new face of scurvy.  I've gone days without fruit, and only include a few sad little veggies in my diet.  I can usually be heard saying something like "are garlic-stuffed olives a vegetable?" Or, "I think having Gouda, Havarti and Sharp Cheddar on my plate should count as three food groups."

No.  It's time to Spring clean the body, mind and spirit too.  Add some Spring greens to your next meal.  Get outside and start walking.  Take back up the meditation practice you put aside.  Remember to breathe deep.

I've picked out a couple items to give you a good start.  The first is Dr. Andrew Weil's "Mind Body Tool Kit."  The second is Cheryl Richarson's "Self-Care Cards."  Each of these items will come with a few goodies to help you shake the cabin fever and get your mind, body and spirit moving this Spring.

As always, all you have to do is be or become a follower (or let me know you subscribe to the RSS feed) and make sure you have a way I can contact you if you win.  Leave a comment, and poof!  You are entered to win one of these two gifts!

I will draw the winners names on Thursday April 14th.

Good luck, and happy Spring Cleaning!

Strewing Herbs

Upon entering my home last night, I noticed a spray of organic material of some sort up my wall and on the inside of my door.  At first, in the dark, I had a moment of panic thinking that those little spots all over the wall was a bug infestation of some sort.  Nope.  But what?  Potting soil from my plants?  No...not quite dirt.  Plant material?  I took a chance and picked a piece off the wall and took a sniff.  It smelled herbal.  Herbs?

Walking past a few other scattered pieces of this substance, I entered the kitchen to find my cat Beau looking pleased, and a torn, empty tea bag on the floor.  Apparently, leaving the tea bag in the sink is not a good idea.  I'm not sure if she was just bored, or this was her way of helping out, as I had planned to mix up some strewing herbs today for my Spring cleaning.  Either way, the house had a good preliminary sweep last night!

Strewing herbs are just that.  Herbs tossed on the floor.  In the days of packed-dirt floors or meagre flooring, fresh herbs were strewn on the floors to keep out insects, mice and other undesirable critters.  It was an added bonus that the herbs released their lovely scents when walked upon. 

Today, we don't need to keep the herbs on the floor.  Instead they perform two duties that help keep my home feeling fresh.  I give the floor a cursory sweep, and then toss handfuls of my dried herb mix onto the floor, and leave it sit for a time.  The scent of the herbs and their energy infuses the room.  Then, when I sweep them up, the sharp edges of the material helps to gather up any dust particles, cat hair, or anything else the broom missed in it's first sweep.  The heaviness of the herbs keeps the dust down and ensures I collect it to toss away, rather than it blossoming up into the air, only to settle again later.

My mixture is simple.  Rue, hyssop and lavender.  I grow all three of these in my garden but you can purchase these herbs from your favourite supplier.  Some other great strewing herbs are rose petals, mint, thyme, rosemary, sage, tansy (great for ants) and meadowsweet.  You can choose herbs for their scent, availability, or for their magical symbolism.

Also, chamomile is a great strewing herb, so I guess I owe a big thank you Beau for the chamomile tea addition to the floor last night!