January Pagan Thread - Page 3

[vydalea]

Originally Posted by greenwitchymama 

vydalea: When it comes to appreciation for gifts, the first thing I normally think of is to pay it forward. Maybe meditate on where your grateful energy could be best used? 

gardening: I am thisclose to paying $700 for a desert permaculture course. Do I have $700? Not really. It would have to come out of student loans... Can't decide if it's a worthy investment. Since I kill everything I grow (bad witch), it would be very helpful I think. But can I transform it into something marketable enough to get my investment back financially? Anyone have any advice? I live in an apartment right now but we're searching for a small house to rent for the next couple years that will hopefully have a space for a garden. 

I vote we do a big long distance group healing ritual. Banish all the germs! Let's see... we'll need some garlic, a wine goblet of ACV... 

what if you tried to do some container gardening at your apartment?  Do a couple of veggies that you really love and see how you manage and then work your way up from there?  Just an idea.  

I like the idea of paying it forward...I live my life in such a way but maybe I can do more.  Thanks for your thoughts!! 

Originally Posted by Kaydove 

We're moving NEXT WEEK! Moving to Klamath Falls, OR to visit DH's Grandma for the rest of January, if DH still doesn't have a job come February (Imbolc!), we'll rent a house month to month in Klamath. Rent is super cheap there and they acutally have month to month rentals available vs. San Diego or Seattle. Hurry up Universe and give us a job! 

I'm following along and reading usually on my Kindle, just hard to type on there. 

Witchy news - I found this handmade old fashion broom made of twigs(?) that smells like apples at the grocery store for only $2! I'm going to sweep out all the negative energy. I got a Earth Magic Tarot card set that's gorgeous! I've been playing with it every now and then but baby has apparently changed her bedtime from 8pm to 11pm :/ so not much down time. She's literally up party rocking till 11pm. She feel asleep twice lying on DH's chest while he rubbed her back, so sweet!

Whaaaa?!  Will send you lots of good vibes for moving and traveling!  Holy Moly, lady!!  

Originally Posted by Maiasaura 

Thanks, crazyms, no, we haven't figured out anything yet. M's landlord took him to see some rooming houses, but he already lives in just a 12x10 (or so) room, and he'd have to downsize! And, no overnight guests, so, no. He'll have to figure out some way to stay where he is.
He's supposed to call disability lawyers today.

And figure out how to maybe take in computers for fixing, on the side.

DS is off to school and I have most of a whole day to myself, woohoo! I am such a solitary person. DS is so wild. I love quiet, peaceful mornings and evenings. He is wildest and loudest in the mornings and evenings. What a combination

I think I am still going to be dieting on Imbolc, so I am probably going to have eggs and chives for one meal, and chicken with cabbage for the other. Maybe dandelion greens, if there are any out yet.

I'm so glad that M has someone qualified coming to peek in on him and make sure things are going well with his meds, etc.  That is excellent news!!  

I am SO with you on being solitary.  This even Z goes to her grandparents house and DH is working late and I CANNOT WAIT FOR SILENCE!  and to be alone!!!!!!!

I can't believe Imbolc is just around the corner!  What the heck!!  I know we've kind of been discussing it - but what are everyone's plans?  I feel like I didn't do much last year because it seems to sneak up on me!! 

[revolting]

Originally Posted by crazyms 

How's everyone doing? We are almost completely healed here so I'm excited about that. I'm behind on gardening here so really need to get started since i should have transplants starting and i don't even have seed yet. I don't have space to start seed indoors so i guess I'll just be late this year. Dd is wanting to grow things also so I'll let her do the flower garden. I'm not much for growing flowers but she'll enjoy it.

I need to get the chicken coop ready also since chicks will be out in a few weeks. It'll be later this year before we can do anything else but I'd like to at least get a few plants and the chicks, maybe rabbits again.

Where do you live? I don't even start seeds until near the beginning of March. How old is your DD? We just started building the coop. My chicks won't come until mid-April, so I feel like I have time (though I sort of have a goal of having the coop, not the run, just the coop, done before the new moon). Do you eat rabbit? I've thought about raising rabbit to eat, since I've heard it's so much easier to process rabbit for eating than chicken, but I've never ate rabbit. We used to live close to somewhere that sold rabbit to make to eat, but I never got around to it, and I won't commit to the trouble of raising animals I'm not sure I'd like eating.

Originally Posted by greenwitchymama 

gardening: I am thisclose to paying $700 for a desert permaculture course. Do I have $700? Not really. It would have to come out of student loans... Can't decide if it's a worthy investment. Since I kill everything I grow (bad witch), it would be very helpful I think. But can I transform it into something marketable enough to get my investment back financially? Anyone have any advice? I live in an apartment right now but we're searching for a small house to rent for the next couple years that will hopefully have a space for a garden. 

I don't even live in the desert, but the course sounds fascinating. I don't have any advice about whether you should do it, but I hope you share lots if you do. I'm very interested in permaculture, but also sort of overwhelmed by it, too. I love the way it works with the land, but as someone just starting to live and grow things on this land, a lot of the time I just don't know some of the info required to plan a garden like that.

Originally Posted by siddal 

I also try to keep up with what's going on with other readers and learning from their insights.  I follow James' blog, Theresa's and also Beth Owlsdaughter and Joanna Powell Colbert. They are all great mentors, if even from afar :-)

Tarot for Yourself is definitely on my Amazon wishlist. Thanks for all the blog lists. I, too, would love to get better at reading cards for others, and I find it better to follow a blog that commit to reading a book.

Originally Posted by Kaydove 

We're moving NEXT WEEK! Moving to Klamath Falls, OR to visit DH's Grandma for the rest of January, if DH still doesn't have a job come February (Imbolc!), we'll rent a house month to month in Klamath. Rent is super cheap there and they acutally have month to month rentals available vs. San Diego or Seattle. Hurry up Universe and give us a job! 

I'm following along and reading usually on my Kindle, just hard to type on there. 

Witchy news - I found this handmade old fashion broom made of twigs(?) that smells like apples at the grocery store for only $2! I'm going to sweep out all the negative energy. I got a Earth Magic Tarot card set that's gorgeous! I've been playing with it every now and then but baby has apparently changed her bedtime from 8pm to 11pm :/ so not much down time. She's literally up party rocking till 11pm. She feel asleep twice lying on DH's chest while he rubbed her back, so sweet!

I hope  your move goes well. Does she get up later in the morning? I've always had a fantasy of doing a card draw for the day during the morning, but since I'm so not a morning person and my kids are, I generally do a card draw for the day during nap time.

Originally Posted by Maiasaura 

I think I am still going to be dieting on Imbolc, so I am probably going to have eggs and chives for one meal, and chicken with cabbage for the other. Maybe dandelion greens, if there are any out yet.

That sounds lovely. IDK. Imbolc is one of those holidays I've always had a hard time getting into. We'll make candles, read some poetry, burn some Yule greens, maybe do some weather forecasting related projects (I checked some books out from the library for inspiration but haven't gone through them yet), but no special meal yet. Maybe if I raised goats or a cow, I'd be more into it, but...I'm not even sure if the cows start producing around here, and we certainly don't have much of anything green yet at that point.

[Maiasaura]

Originally Posted by vydalea I am SO with you on being solitary.  This even Z goes to her grandparents house and DH is working late and I CANNOT WAIT FOR SILENCE!  and to be alone!!!!!!!

I can't believe Imbolc is just around the corner!  What the heck!!  I know we've kind of been discussing it - but what are everyone's plans?  I feel like I didn't do much last year because it seems to sneak up on me!! 

Yay for silence, right?

I don't have plans for Imbolc except for the public ritual on the 2nd. She always does a bang-up ritual-- I love the Brigid ritual. Maybe I shall wear my rosary that my mom got me from Ireland. It's got green malachite beads with shamrocks, and I replaced the Jesus on the Celtic cross with a Brigid's cross.
I used to have those fake plug-in candles that you can often get on Christmas markdown, and I used to put those in the windows, but in downsizing (my first declutter, when the house first went on the market a couple years ago), I got rid of them.

When we move. When we move I will do up decorating again. I finally got green and red bins to put the Yule stuff away in! I had (still have) tons of blue Rubbermaid ones, and some Sterilite ones, but I am working on getting seasonally colored ones for ease.

Originally Posted by revolting Do you eat rabbit? I've thought about raising rabbit to eat, since I've heard it's so much easier to process rabbit for eating than chicken, but I've never ate rabbit. We used to live close to somewhere that sold rabbit to make to eat, but I never got around to it, and I won't commit to the trouble of raising animals I'm not sure I'd like eating.

That sounds lovely. IDK. Imbolc is one of those holidays I've always had a hard time getting into. We'll make candles, read some poetry, burn some Yule greens, maybe do some weather forecasting related projects (I checked some books out from the library for inspiration but haven't gone through them yet), but no special meal yet. Maybe if I raised goats or a cow, I'd be more into it, but...I'm not even sure if the cows start producing around here, and we certainly don't have much of anything green yet at that point.

I live in NC, and it's so dang warm anymore. We haven't had snow in two years So I saw chives out there the other day, and sometimes we have a rogue dandelion even in January.
Not had rabbit. Why don't you go buy one-- just one-- and see how you like it? Stew would be neat.

I like your Imbolc plans! I shall read some poetry, too. Who are you going to read?
 

[crazyms]

I'm in south Mississippi so we get started early here. Technically i could grow something or at least have starters going year round depending on what i grew. I'm not going to do much yet since we aren't on the property. I have had rabbits before and honestly it tastes like chicken, just kinda light with no real distinct taste. I've had trouble growing them before though with our heat i really need something to keep them cooler.

I don't think we'll do much for imbolc. A special meal and burn our yule greenery on a fire. Maybe go out for a walk to look for signs of spring. I may let the kids help me start on a bride's bed and doll since the girls will like it.

Oh revolting dd is 7. And totally off topic but i think the baby (21 mo old dd) potty learned herself! Its been a week now and no accidents. This is my last so wow!

[greenwitchymama]

Vydalea- I have tried growing in the ground, in containers, and in an upside down tomato planter. I've tried indoors and outdoors and in a sun room. I've tried South Carolina, California, and now Arizona. Nothing. I've got nothing. It's terrible. Every time I drag out the lots again or bring home yet another bag of organic compost mix from the latest farm tour, my husband just shakes his head at me and sighs lol

For Imbolc I think we're going to make some little beeswax candles to burn and make a little light garden in a pie pan filled with dirt. We'll bury rolled up little pieces of paper that have our wishes for the year written on them and then plant them in the garden as seeds and then burn the candles. Should be fun
And if I can find the right kind of straw, I'll burn my Brigits cross from last year and make a new one.

[revolting]

Originally Posted by Maiasaura 

I like your Imbolc plans! I shall read some poetry, too. Who are you going to read?
 

Thank you. Well, my kids are little, so we'll probably do Shel Silverstein, A.A. Milne, Mother Goose... I'm open to suggestions though!

Originally Posted by crazyms 

And totally off topic but i think the baby (21 mo old dd) potty learned herself! Its been a week now and no accidents. This is my last so wow!

Yay!

Originally Posted by greenwitchymama 

Vydalea- I have tried growing in the ground, in containers, and in an upside down tomato planter. I've tried indoors and outdoors and in a sun room. I've tried South Carolina, California, and now Arizona. Nothing. I've got nothing. It's terrible. Every time I drag out the lots again or bring home yet another bag of organic compost mix from the latest farm tour, my husband just shakes his head at me and sighs lol

I believe in quantity. I plant a lot of different things. I put gardens in several different places. Even when I lived in an apartment, I'd keep window boxes in the three different corners of where I lived and some years I did a community garden. And I generally kill things, grow some things that never make it to maturity, or just become rabbit/bug/whatever food or compost. But generally speaking, something generally turns out okay. I also especially love plants that are like weeds, like my strawberries. I think everyone should grow strawberries, though watch me kill the ones I brought from my old apartment after I say that. Anyway, this year will be the first year that I'm going to try saving seed... hoping that if I save the seeds of the plant that actually do okay where I planted them, well, those are probably the plants for me and this land. We'll see if it happens.

[Maiasaura]

Originally Posted by revolting Thank you. Well, my kids are little, so we'll probably do Shel Silverstein, A.A. Milne, Mother Goose... I'm open to suggestions though!

No idea. Milne sounds good. I have a very old Milne book from ages and ages ago. For some reason, the other night, I woke up thinking of James, James, Morrison, Morrison, Weatherbee George DuPree....reciting it in my head in the middle of the night. I know, I know, they have medicine for that

Actually I was thinking Shelley and Byron, but they're not exactly Spring appropriate...Emily Dickinson? For Valentine's? I'm too morbid with poetry, I think.

It's been pouring, streaming rain here since yesterday or the day before. We need it really badly. But man! 10* colder and it'd be snow We haven't had snow in two years

[vydalea]

Been gone a week.  Where is January going??  Seriously... I'm working on pieces for our local community art show that I help organize every year.  It's been a blast.  

Originally Posted by greenwitchymama 

Vydalea- I have tried growing in the ground, in containers, and in an upside down tomato planter. I've tried indoors and outdoors and in a sun room. I've tried South Carolina, California, and now Arizona. Nothing. I've got nothing. It's terrible. Every time I drag out the lots again or bring home yet another bag of organic compost mix from the latest farm tour, my husband just shakes his head at me and sighs lol

For Imbolc I think we're going to make some little beeswax candles to burn and make a little light garden in a pie pan filled with dirt. We'll bury rolled up little pieces of paper that have our wishes for the year written on them and then plant them in the garden as seeds and then burn the candles. Should be fun
And if I can find the right kind of straw, I'll burn my Brigits cross from last year and make a new one.

For whatever reason I totally read your PP thinking that the course was a piece of land... why?  i don't know.  haha.  

We make a light garden, too.  We keep it on the altar until Ostara or whenever we can turn the ground for the first time and put our hopes and dreams into our garden then.  :) 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maiasaura 

No idea. Milne sounds good. I have a very old Milne book from ages and ages ago. For some reason, the other night, I woke up thinking of James, James, Morrison, Morrison, Weatherbee George DuPree....reciting it in my head in the middle of the night. I know, I know, they have medicine for that

Actually I was thinking Shelley and Byron, but they're not exactly Spring appropriate...Emily Dickinson? For Valentine's? I'm too morbid with poetry, I think.

It's been pouring, streaming rain here since yesterday or the day before. We need it really badly. But man! 10* colder and it'd be snow We haven't had snow in two years

You know I love Shelley.  How about "To a Skylark"? http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/pshelley/bl-pshel-sky.htm  

It's approximately 7 degrees here today.    The sun is shining, though, so that's helpful.  I've started sprouting seeds on my sill for eating as I am dying to grow something!!!   

[siddal]

... IDK. Imbolc is one of those holidays I've always had a hard time getting into. We'll make candles, read some poetry, burn some Yule greens, maybe do some weather forecasting related projects (I checked some books out from the library for inspiration but haven't gone through them yet), but no special meal yet. Maybe if I raised goats or a cow, I'd be more into it, but...I'm not even sure if the cows start producing around here, and we certainly don't have much of anything green yet at that point.

Just saw these two articles linked from the Pagan Soccer Mom's FB page...thought you might like to check them out if you have not already seen them.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/panmankey/2013/01/the-confusion-of-imbolc/

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/agora/2013/01/making-light-how-we-voted-imbolc-off-the-island-and-arent-even-sorry/

People on her FB page were subsequently having a rather interesting discussion on whether they like to celebrate the Pagan holidays/holy days according to the traditional dates, or by the change in seasons.  I have always celebrated by the date, IE: Samhain on 10/31, for the most part.  Although for a while I belonged to a womens mystery tradition that celebrated at the closest corresponding full moon.  I can see the good points of both methods.  

Having lived in one city my entire life, until last summer, it has been interesting to observe even the small changes that are evident 3 1/2 hours south of my hometown.  There is a certain bush….I'm not sure what it is.  It has honeysuckle-like flowers on it, but they are smaller and the scent leans towards being more fresh and "green" than sweet.  In Louisville, when I saw/smelled them blooming, it was usually sometime in Feb. or early March.  And that seemed like the dawn of spring to me. Here in Murfreesboro, at least this year, they never stopped blooming. Some of the bushes have scant green leaves, but the blossoms are still on them.  And we have had only a few flurries, while Louisville has had a real snow.  More than anything I am noticing the change in the light right now.

[SaguaroMoon]

Siddal - Great articles, thanks!

I'd long been conflicted about Imbolc, too. Living in the desert southwest, after having lived in the northeast, none of the Sabbats corresponded in the same way anymore, and I made a lot of adjustments in how I celebrated all of them. Now, DH & I are planning to move back to the northeast, so it's even harder to decide how to celebrate things- should we continue to celebrate only where we are? Should we honor the seasons in the place where we are setting our intentions?

Right now, with a baby, I'm just keeping it simple. We focused on fun, Pagan-inspired decorations, lights, bells, a Yule log (with a candle stuck on it, as we don't have anywhere to burn the log), and celebrating the sun's rebirth for Winter Solstice by waking up to watch the sun rise. And a feast, of course!

For Imbolc, we're keeping up the lights. I'm also doing something that's part Imbolc celebration, part spell. As I said, we want to move back east, and for that DH needs a job there. I'm painting a container green, decorating it with relevant symbols, filling it with soil, and plan to plant calendula seeds tomorrow, on the full moon (calendula needs darkness to germinate, so I feel okay about having it start off when the moon is waning). This pot will sit on our altar until the sprouts come up, then will be moved to a sunny windowsill. Calendula has many magickal associations, among them luck in drawing money, and legal matters (DH is an attorney). I also think that calendula flowers look like little suns. The calendula will then start germinating on or a couple days after Imbolc. I intend on this coinciding with the germination of job opportunities for DH, and we'll say a few words about that on Imbolc, relating it to the "waking up" that the seeds are doing in the Earth in the northeast. Oh, and we'll have a feast, of course.
 

I love hearing about everyone's garden/livestock plans! This is the first year in a long time that I've lived in an apartment, so no garden for me. However, I plan to pick up some basil & mint starts this weekend (again, money & good luck herbs!), and I'm also planning to grow some rainbow chard and broccoli raab in planters on our porch. I'm going to start a indoor worm compost as well, so that's my "livestock" for now! Someday, I will have chickens again!

[crazyms]

how's everyone? It's been busy here. My mother in law is home for about three weeks so this should be entertaining. We did collect some materials for a new shed yesterday so building will start on it next weekend. It's not much closer to my dreams but it's a start. Still looking for chickens locally and decided to wait on planting a couple of weeks since i can't start indoors. Gotta get my seed order in!

[Maiasaura]

So I am probably going to have to take a hit on the house, and lower the dang price on it. A lot.

Here are my options:

1) Take it off the market in March when the contract expires. Wait and put it back on again at some undetermined point.

2) Keep it on the market at its current price, and hope. BUT, the county just reassessed the tax value and it's like $10K less than it was in '06. It won't sell at this price, probably

3) Rent it out and move anyway. In the original agreement, I can't rent because it's a gov't loan and considerably (at the time) reduced rate, but now that's still 5.5% which is tons higher than it is now. I am now allowed to rent it out. But only for 3 years. I do not want to take the chance that it won't sell in 3 years time and I'd have to move back. Plus, I do not want to be an absentee landlord, even if I used a property management company, which I would. Even if I could rent it out at like $200 more than my mortgage per month (which I could, easily) and sock that money away for repairs and things.

4) Lower the price anyway. Take the hit. And here is why I am thinking about this: because if I were to stay in the house, I don't have handyman/woman skills, I can't pay people when things go wrong, the house is depreciating day by day (as houses will), and it will eventually fall down around my ears. Then it will be worth nothing.

I'd rather live in an apartment where I can call someone to fix things. I may or may not move soon, to MA, but even if I stayed here, all this is an issue, eventually. I need to dump the house.
I can always put whatever money I make into a CD or something, that will gain me interest (or at least not blow the money) until I can move back north.

I dunno. Thoughts?

[philomom]

I just participated in my local chili cook off again. This is one of those state park/community fundraiser things and my family and friends attend to support me. These kinds of events help break up the long, rainy winter and have become a tradition for our family. I won second place last night. Here's the recipe.

Burnside Bourbon Buffalo Bacon chili

2 29 ounce cans of tomato sauce
3 14.5 ounce cans of petite diced tomatoes
2 15 ounce cans of kidney beans
1 lb. Steamed lentils
2 lbs ground bison
1 cup vegetable broth
½ cup Bourbon
1 pound bacon cooked and diced
½ medium sweet onion diced and pan fried

1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp Hungary Sweet paprika
2 tsp Dagoba xocolatl
3 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp Aleppo pepper
1 tsp chipotle powder

[Maiasaura]

Congrats! That sounds really yummy. I think I have some chili in my freezer. I can't much eat beans anymore, so it's meat-only. I do very much miss chili with beans, though.

[philomom]

Originally Posted by Maiasaura 

Congrats! That sounds really yummy. I think I have some chili in my freezer. I can't much eat beans anymore, so it's meat-only. I do very much miss chili with beans, though.

I switched over to using more lentils. They seem easier on my tummy.

[Maiasaura]

Originally Posted by philomom 


I switched over to using more lentils. They seem easier on my tummy.

Oh-- I don't use pulses at all. Thanks, though. I love lentils-- but they don't love me! I had worse issues with those than anything except black eyed peas. I don't eat pulses or grains because I am pretty well Paleo/primal now. Not because of stomach issues. Just-- too carby for me.

[greenwitchymama]

Oooo I want to try that chili recipe!! And isn't there something you can add to beans or lentils or whatever to help keep gas away? ACV, maybe? I can't remember... I heard something about seaweed once too. 

Our Imbolc is getting smaller and simpler as we deal with rambunctious kids, but we'll be heading to a local park on Saturday to do our ritual. It has this pretty stone wall labyrinth decoration thing that I figured we could walk through and then do a circle in the center. The light gardens will have to wait until we're home. So now I'm thinking up a good simple ritual chant to do in the labyrinth. Probably a call and repeat thing and it can only last like two minutes. 

[crazyms]

Maia- i think I'd take the hit and sell. Leaving it at the current price it might not sell, i don't think you want to relist later for it to still just maybe sell.. renting is a nightmare! If possible I'd sell even with the hit and be done with it. Especially if it will get you closer to M that's great. How is he anyways? Hope all is well there.


We got the lean to started and should finish building it next weekend. I'm hoping dh can do a compost bin and my recycling center soon too since they'll be easy projects. Really want my chicken coop ahhh

[Maiasaura]

Originally Posted by crazyms 

Maia- i think I'd take the hit and sell. Leaving it at the current price it might not sell, i don't think you want to relist later for it to still just maybe sell.. renting is a nightmare! If possible I'd sell even with the hit and be done with it. Especially if it will get you closer to M that's great. How is he anyways? Hope all is well there.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking, too. Because the house is going to depreciate no matter whether I'm in it or not, and it would be nice if someone were in here that could actually upkeep it, y'know?

BUT-- it's only $133,900 right now, and the realtor's thinking under $130 Which, if she takes her cut and the buyer's agent takes their cut, isn't going to leave me much. Thank goodness I only owe $90-somethingK or so.
Still, though; it would enable me to pay movers, and put a down payment on an apartment, and maybe cushion me for a month or two while I look for work, and get ds set up with doctors and school and whatnot.

M is doing really well, YAY, thanks for asking! He sounds completely normal now. He has a visiting nurse coming nearly every day to take his vitals and administer meds. No word on disability, though. I have tix for going up March 7 (our handfasting anniv, 3 years ) till the 12th

[vydalea]

That chili recipe sounds yummmmmy!  I might have to sub something for bison, though.  

Maia: I am so glad to hear that M is still doing well.  That makes my heart happy.  As for the house, I think if you've come to the end of your patience for waiting to get your hiney up to MA then you need to release it for whatever you can get if you're still going to have a cushion, etc.  Whatever happened to those first time homebuyers who really liked the house but then had to take a class before they could decide to place an offer?

I feel like I keep all of my sabbats small and simple which is totally the kind of person that I am.  I love Imbolc as a "stirring of the seeds" - I love the idea of the earth starting to wake and the promises and possibilities therein.    

I am in the midst of moving my whole home office around.  I had this honker of a desk that FIL built us 10 years ago that just didn't fit my small space.  Now I have this whole wall open.  Our desktop computer that we never use is there so I'm going to clear it off and store it away or whatever DH decides to do with it.  It's funny because we moved in just after I wrote my Master's Thesis and pre-baby so my office was kind of designed for heavy duty paper writing whereas now I need a space to sit and read and meditate and be alone without all the technology surrounding me.  How times change.  My office is also BRIGHT orange and now you can see more of it and it is just scrumptious.